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| finished mermaids |
Doll crafters, young and old, can make an entire underwater community of merfolk using common-place ordinary materials found in most every home! But it all begins with paper egg cartons so gather the following supplies and eat more quiche for several weeks at the very least in order to insure enough art supply for your creative endeavor.
Supply List:
- clean recycled paper egg cartons
- decorative scrapbook papers
- two chenille stems for each merperson - mermaid or merman
- white cotton balls
- yarn for hair (any color)
- one wooden bead for each head
- white school glue
- acrylic paints for painted faces
- Mod Podge to seal painted and paper surfaces
- one large button for each mertail
- hot glue gun and hot glue
- mini loose shells, sea creatures, fishing net etc...
- colorful tissue paper for the bathing suits
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| assembling and sculpting mermaids |
- First, you will need to cut the egg cartons apart into multiple, regulated shapes. Once you have one shape or unit cut the way you like, multiple pieces will be easier to copy from the egg carton.
- Duplicate the first by fitting it over another like shape and tracing around it's open edge with a permanent ink pen or pencil. Then cut another unit to look similar. I do this with paper egg cartons because these are the most readily available, molded shapes found in the ordinary market-place. I chose to cut five units for each merperson's tail. But the number is unimportant, make as many or few as you like.
- Using white school glue, cut and paste paper to decorate each egg carton piece as you like. These may be decorated alternatively using paints if you prefer. (Painting the egg carton pieces may prove easier for a younger student.)
- Next, attach a large button to one chenille stem by threading it through the tip of one stem end firmly. This button will prevent the tail from coming apart during play; the button should be secured and hidden within the lowest egg carton unit.
- Thread the five egg carton units together in order to make the merperson's tail.
- leave several inches of the chenille stem unaltered to later shape cotton batting around for the torso of each mermaid or merman.
- At the far opposite end glue on the large wooden bead for the merperson's head. Let this dry till it is firmly attached, perhaps overnight, for the second half of the doll craft project.
- Now twist the second chenille stem around the torso near the top to make arms for the mermaid doll. Don't forget to leave a small space beneath the wooden bead head for a neck.
- Layer white school glue and shredded cotton balls around the chenille stem torso to flesh-out the figure of a male or female. Let the cotton batting dry completely.
- I then layered tissue paper white glue to make bathing suits for each mermaid's torso.
- I let the clothing harden and then painted the arms, shoulders, necks and heads using acrylic paints.
- To make hair for the merfolk, wrap yarn around the open palm of your hand to cut and tie together a yarn bundle.
- Squeeze a bit of glue into the top hole of the wooden bead.
- Poke the yarn bundle into the top opening of the wooden head bead using a pencil and trim it as you like. Glue the yarn down around the backside of the head of your merfolk to further control the locks of their ''hair'' if you wish.
- Paint on the facial features of your merfolk: eyes, nose etc...
- Attach any shells or sea creatures to further decorate the merpeople using a hot glue gun.
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| Left, the paper egg carton parts are cut down into parts and covered with paper and glue. Holes are poked into the tops of each part using a nail. Center, a chenille stem is inserted through all of the parts and a button attached to the end of the wire to prevent the tail from falling apart. This also gives the tail some slight movability. Right, the opposite end of the chenille stem is shaped into the mermaids upper torso and then arms, neck are added with glue. The mermaids hair is made using yarn and the ends are glued into the end hole of the wooden bead. |
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