Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

Celluclay is a new material for me and has much different sculpting properties than clay, as expected with a paper based product. Once dry, this material is surprisingly solid and resilient, even small sculpts can take a beating! In addition, it can be easily sanded for a fairly smooth finish, which I love. I used this to make teeth for a mask I am making, and they seem like they may last longer then the mask itself!

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

I have used Celluclay for my paper mache sculpture for years, and love working with it. The last batch I purchased last year, however, was not of the usual quality: it had large flakes of unground paper, which I tried to pick out as I mixed the pulp. This made sanding my pieces difficult, and the results were a bit lumpy. These two boxes I just bought were luckily back to the usual standards, with no flakes - hurray! Easy to mix and work with. Very glad.

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

I use this product in the creation of "Bas Relief" sculpture, which I then paint with Acrylics. I apply it directly to a light plywood panel that's been reinforced as required to prevent warping. I limit the layer thickness to 3/4" max. to assure even drying, and limit cracking. I often apply cheesecloth to the dried Celluclay using my Acrylic under-painting, to provide surface texture and a bit of structural integrity. This product offers good wet work-ability, adheres well to many substrates, is light in weight and receives Acrylic paint nicely.

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

Aside from my regular 8:00 a.m. - 5;00 p.m. job, I am a mixed media sculptor in my free time. I've been using Celluclay as a main ingredient in my sculptures since 1994. I chose Celluclay because it is non-toxic, easy to mix, strong, versatile, long lasting and can be sanded, painted and varnished. Perfect for my mixed media sculptures which always sell well and provide me a stable second income. Purchasing Celluclay in bulk 25 lb. units is the most economical means for me for my artistic needs.

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

I love that this mache is non-toxic and mixes easily with water. My application was for an Elk antler mount. It sculpted easily and clean-up wasn't a hassle. It's strong, hard and very light weight after drying.

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

I'm a sculptor - I use the product as a support - base over mesh wire - then I coat over the dried paper mache' with air drying clay. It is consistent. Works every time.

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

I use this material as a sculpting material for wildlife sculptures. There are definitely tips and tricks to making this medium work and if you are a "newbie" I could understand the frustration. This is not a product that can be conquered overnight but with all things, it is worth the work. I have found Celluclay has different properties at different stages. I mix the new material in a large baggie with hot water. Knead it through the plastic until I reach the consistency I want. It is extremely sticky at first but apply a little water and it smooths out. After being wrapped up tight in the baggy for a day it is almost like working with clay. It does crack as it dries but the secret is LAYERING and it is not a medium for an impatient artist. Pro's....no firing. Can add to even after dried. Easily paintable. Rock hard and durable. Con's...has a learning curve. Not really a small childs craft medium.

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

Texture of mixed batch varies from smooth workable medium. Next mixture can be a gritty lumpy unworkable mess. I have discarded entire lbs at some expense. Can be a delight to use or an utter useless mess,no way of knowing until it you begin to mix it then throw it in the trash in frustration.Absolutely not dependable and pricey, especially when it goes in the garbage bin.

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

I had hoped to minimize mess & increase project speed while doing an art project with 20 kids that required the covering of balloons with this glop. It turned out I would have been better served (& in the end I had to do it anyway)spending $1 on 5 cups of flour & 20 cups of h2o to mix up a flour paste, tearing up some old newspapers & covering them the old-fashioned way. Out of 13 balloons done with Celluclay (the rest were only paste, paper & balloon) only 2 didn't crack- and mine wasn't one of them! As noted before, in order to salvage the project, I mixed up some paste & reinforced every Celluclay balloon with several layers of newspaper strips.

Another con, I found that even with a fan directly on the balloons & the a.c on, Celluclay takes days on end to dry. Gads! Four layers of paste & paper only-- 24 hours.

I can see if I was using this product in the place of clay, it might not be bad, but in the place of paper mache, well, next time I'll try cold oatmeal first.

P.S. I did try mixing it up 24 hours in advance, as another reviewer suggested, but the fresher stuff worked much better for my example than the day old stuff worked for my students. Wheat paste- easy, fast, not nearly as messy as I remembered, and WAAAAAYYYY less expensive.

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

I have used the gray 'Papier Mache' for almost 20 years! Tried a couple different of Papier Mache brands but not as strong as this product when dry. It is Rock Hard and Sands up nice too. The secret to a perfect batch of Papier Mache for sculpting is in the MIXING!! I use a large Tupperware bowl hot water, a squirt of dish soap [as this helps with the sticky] And wear rubber gloves if you prefer, then knead, knead and knead some more!! It's just like working bread dough. I usually let it sit after mixing for 24 hrs. Then use just as you would any clay. Is best to build over a foundation of some type rather than a solid piece of papier mache,as the outside will dry before the inside.I love it! This is my main medium to work with.