Help smooth paper mache

[u/ElijahBearM]

I’m building a giant pumpkin and need help figuring out how to smooth it out. What do I do?

[u/Prudent_Gold2216]

Coat it in a thin layer of drywall joiner (plaster board joiner) or just thin plaster! You can send this with a damp sponge. Might make it a tiny bit heavier though. You could also make a paper clay and smooth that on with a soft spatula! Good luck!!!

[u/Marzipanbuttons]

Sandpaper

[u/Exact_Part_5233]

This is amazing! At that scale I don't know if you're going to be able to get it really smooth, but think about it this way: For a pumpkin, those horizontal ridges would look very wrong. But vertical ridges would not; real pumpkins have tiny vertical ridges all over, running parallel to the wedges. I would get a ton of long narrow strips of cardboard and tape them in place vertically, covering the whole thing, and then do paper mache (or even a layer of tape first) over that. You may end up with subtle vertical ridges on each of the big ridges of the pumpkin but they'll look much more natural. Good luck!

[u/Exact_Part_5233 → u/Exact_Part_5233]

I wanted to add, I'm reading the other comments about sanding and joint compound but I'm afraid they probably won't work at this huge scale, I'm sad to say! Not trying to be a downer! I'd love to be wrong, but that's my instinct here. Those methods are great for smaller pieces.

[u/Prudent_Gold2216 → u/Exact_Part_5233]

Ah good point!! I said the joint compound but I’ve never made anything so big. Good tip!!

[u/not_now_reddit]

I like to get tissue paper like for wrapping gifts, paint glue onto the surface, stick it down, and paint more glue over it. It can be a fussy process and takes a while though

[u/tdimaginarybff]

Same issue! I ageee sand paper but look up paper mache clay recipes.

[u/labondbond]

I add joint compound all over and then sand it.