Gotland Sheep Update and How To Make Papier Mache Paste

So I've finally returned to the Gotland Sheep project that has been taking up my living room for the spring/summer... Now that the book is in print, I'm on a mission to finish these things.

People often ask what I use for papier mache paste.  I used to use flour and water but the drawbacks are it's brutally hard on your hands, not really all that sticky, and if you store giant sculptures in your parent's garage they may get eaten by rats (just saying).

In 2002 when I went to volunteer on the Isle Wilde fest on Vashon Island, Washington State I was taught how to make cornstarch paste by some giant puppet makers (meaning they build giant puppets, not that they were giants themselves).  Some "makers of giant puppets" I suppose.  Cornstarch is awesome!  I never measure anything but I did for the purposes of this post.

For a pot of paste,  boil a pot of water on the stove... in this case I boiled 2 litres.

While waiting for the water to boil, put some cornstarch in a bowl...

Mix with  some cold water

When the water is boiling quickly mix the cornstarch/cold water mixture into the boiling water.  You should really do this with a whisk. I used a fork (so it's a bit lumpy).  Turn the heat down but boil this paste for a few minutes while whisking/stirring.  Beware of splatters that can leap out of the pot and hit your face (it has happened to me on occasion, if your paste is splattering stand back!)  The paste should be at least as thick as runny snot.  The paste I made below was perhaps a bit on the thick side, but still works.  wait til it cools then papier mache away.  I think a good ratio to use would be approx 1/3 cup of dry cornstarch to 1 liter of water.  It seems to be stickiest if you use it while still warm, but will be good for a day or two.

Here are the gotland sheep getting their final coats of papier mache, while being watched over by my shepherd mix dog, Jersi:

And, as of last night the sheep legs and heads are mostly painted.  I'm using glossy black Artist's Touch indoor/outdoor paint which I hope will make them relatively weatherproof.  I have marine varnish as well that I may coat them with:

As soon as I'm done painting them I'll be making their bodies out of chicken wire and all that fabric I bought so cheap. I'm not actually sure how I'm going to do this but have sort of been following the voice in my head that sometimes suggests things to me such as "Let's make life-sized sheep!"  Things generally work out fine when I'm working intuitively in this way, so I'm curious to see how they turn out! And excited to get them out of my living room and on to the lawn of Swoon!