Terracotta Fruit Bowl

by Sue
(Australia)

This was my first attempt at a paper mache bowl.

I soaked 10 layers of newspaper sheets in PVA glue, then draped them over a ceramic bowl covered in cling wrap.

When the newspaper was sufficiently dry, I lifted it off and found that it was too flexible and looked unbalanced. So I built it up with lots of pulp till I was happy with the shape. I like the bumpy texture and it's very strong and solid.

I coated it with Terra Tite, a terracotta sealer, then gave it a coat of dark green acrylic paint, which I wiped off with a cloth, leaving just enough to tone down the terracotta and make it look weathered.