# Paper Mache Ground Breaker



## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

Had this file of pictures taken of this groundbreaker I made from scratch and what ever I could find. Was about to dump the whole folder, but I decided to post it here before I get rid of it....so here goes!


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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)




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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

I am going to repaint him this year...don't like the white


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## Jenn&MattFromPA (Sep 4, 2013)

Wow! If I saw that in a scene, I'd never think he was made from such simple supplies! He's got a really menacing look to him. I think you did a great job - thanks for the detailed photos!


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

I agree , he definitely looks like he,s made from a heavy duty plastic or something more molded i would never had guessed paper mache , really creepy looking prop , the way you have created the stance of the prop gives the whole thing a real creeped out disturbing look to it , reminds me of something that i would read out of an M.R. JAMES ghost story , real malevolent , excellent work , i really really like it , i,m envious . As for the color change , i can see what you are saying if he were a little more ivory in color it would give him a feel of older age , cripes , the thought that this creep keeps coming out his grave year after year .... as i said M.R. JAMES comes to mind .


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## mariem (Oct 7, 2012)

That is an awesome groundbreaker. Fantastic job.


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## ghostlland820 (Jan 11, 2014)

I'm in awe that you could see this in your head before creating it.


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## Papa_K (Oct 15, 2008)

Excellent.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I swear, it just never occurred to me to make a base & spine out of wood for my mache groundbreakers. Why didn't I think of that? BECAUSE IT'S TOO SIMPLE THAT'S WHY & OLD MAN BAKKE THOUGHT OF IT FOR ME!!


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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

My goal was to make this prop for free...or at least as cheap as possible.


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## SpiderMonkey (Sep 4, 2011)

hey OMB - what is the stuff you put on the hands/fingers? I'm still trying to come up with some hands for two static props. I made some the other day using hanger wire, newspaper, masking tape and started to mache it today. But, not happy with the mache so far. hard to get in between the fingers where the webbing would be.


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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

Its paper clay. Just take some toilet paper, maybe like a half roll, tear it up and soak it in water for a bit. You can even blend it with a stick or wand blender or just continue to tear it with you hands. After it has had a bit to break down, squeeze out as much water as possible, leaving just a wad of semi wet toilet paper. Get as much water out as possible, you can always add more later if need be. I just grab hand full's of it and squeeze it out with ma\y hands. Take that wad and put it in a bowl then add some joint compound. I bought a gallon bucket a few years back for like $10 and it has lasted a long time. You want a clay like consistency, not so much compound that it becomes sticky but enough to make it smooth able. I mix some in, let it sit for a couple hours, then come back and mush it around with my hands adding more compound if I think it needs it. Then I just start slapping it on, let it kinda dry and then start to manipulate it. After I get a shape (like good knuckles and bone structure) I let it dry rock hard then apply small pieces and strips of paper mache using Viva brand paper towels. 

Paper clay is every where. you can buy it commercially or Google it and see the 1000's of recipes for it. I recommend always adding a bit of salt to your mache mixes to deter mold. I live in the PNW and have had minimal issues using a teaspoon of salt here and there...


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## Kev730 (Feb 25, 2012)

Old Man Bakke said:


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How did you make the jaw for the head? And are the teeth just hot glue you put into wood then pryed out? How did you get that white paint to look like that


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## spookydave (May 14, 2014)

hahaha that thing is friggen COOL!!


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## PMTT (Oct 13, 2013)

So so cool!!!


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## Old Man Bakke (Oct 18, 2011)

Kev730 said:


> How did you make the jaw for the head? And are the teeth just hot glue you put into wood then pryed out? How did you get that white paint to look like that


In about the 3 Page of this thread you can see a plastic life-sized skull. I used that. Covered it with like either Vaseline or PAM and then applied 5-8 layers of paper mache. then used a razor and split it from mid top all the way back and from about ear to ear (making a X on the top of the skull) then carefully peeling mache and separating skull from mold. Same process with the jaw. You can see a photo of it in this thread...just look.

There is also a pic of the teeth being made. I just took a dremel and carved out some teeth like shapes and use hot glue to make them...don't forget to use some type of mold release like Vaseline!!

Painting: covered whole skele in black latex, then dry brushed some different shades of flat white till I got a desired look! 

Check out my other threads I have lots of other pics and explanations there too.

Check out my You Tube page too...gonna have to surf thru some personal BS, but there are some great videos of Corpseing and paper mache!!


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## Screaming Demons (Sep 15, 2008)

Missed this the first time around. Fantastic vision and great execution Old Man!

this is the perfect example of a prop for those who say they don't have a lot of money to spend.


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## The Stalk (May 5, 2015)

First time seeing this, since I'm new to the forum. Fantastic! Great job! Do you have pics of the repaint you said you were going to do?


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## Drayvan (Sep 22, 2009)

Did you ever repaint it? I like this one a bunch..


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## Danski (Mar 26, 2014)

I think that looks sweet. Great job! Very well done.


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## SpookyDude44 (Sep 29, 2012)

Wow - this turned out great! Like others have said, definitely doesn't look like it was made with paper mache!


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## MamaGrizzly (Feb 24, 2013)

That's one of the best things I've seen. So simple and yet, genius.


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## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

Crap Jenn&MattFromPA i,m with you on your post , that thing is creepy , its definitely the stance of the thing , menacing is a good word , but for me its another word - DISTURBING .... like straight out of an M.R. JAMES ghost story , old school creepy and nasty , great job Old Man Bakke , you truly have created something creepy .


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## minksocks (Aug 18, 2015)

I think if I have enough time. might have a go at doing one of these ground breakers. Wonder how long it took to construct? I have already done a paper mache skull so could use that. Thanks for posting a great looking tutorial.


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## Texas_T (Aug 4, 2012)

Nice looking job


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## Chilliboo (Aug 31, 2016)

Holy cow, this is awesome!
Here in Australia there are no skellies for sale and the cheapest skulls run at about $25 out of China. Since I have to paper mache every skull I use, what's a few more bones? This is seriously impressive. The pose sells the menace. Bravo!


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## Wolfbeard (Sep 22, 2008)

I love the pose on that. I recall seeing this before. Nice work and thank you for sharing it for inspiration!


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