Even Ryan admits this is actually a hippo

Though he questions how I will manage this gigantic head and two children during the parade...two words...tootsie pop.

Random hippo fact for the day- Hippos secrete an oily red substance, which gave rise to the myth that they sweat blood. The liquid is actually a skin moistener and sunblock that may also provide protection against germs.

Okay, so today I grabbed a pic of the hippo with the mache on the ears and eye wells (these will be pulped and have an 'eyeball' and eyelashes fashioned in the future.




I also finished my pulp. This is what it looks like before it is drained and mixed with salt and glue.




I ran out of glue so I was unable to use all of my pulp but I did manage to get nostrils and some thickening of the lips done. These will have one layer of paper mache over top to smooth them and make sure they stay put during the parade!





I also finished fashioning a tongue and a lower lip out of foam so that I can mache that tomorrow.

Look she's sticking her tongue out at you!! nya nya nya nya




SAD DAY, I ran out of glue....sigh...guess I have to wait until tomorrow for anything fun..but I can start to carve....PRESCHOOL hippo..LOL

Houston we have a HIPPO

Random hippo fact for the day- Hippopotamus means river horse...so named by the greeks

tonight I finished some more mache over the top and then the sides of the hippo (no pics of the sides being done yet, maybe tomorrow)...BUT I ADDED THE EARS AND EYE WELLS...it totally looks like a HIPPO!!! I'm so excited as pretty much the plan for this has been in my head...mad scientist like and to see it in real life, actually looking good (just a little lopsided) is making me feel much more comfortable with actually getting this done on time!! Tonight I also made paper mache pulp (or at least started the process)

Paper Mache pulp: (this is what I will use to sculpt the hippo and make finer details)
Tear newspaper into tiny pieces and put them in a large bowl. Add just enough warm to hot water to completely cover the newspaper. Let soak overnight.

Once your newspaper has soaked for several hours, get your hands into it! Play with it, mix it, and squeeze it through your fingers until it looks like oatmeal! Try to get as many lumps out as possible. If necessary, add a bit more water and let it soak a little more.

Once you have it as smooth as possible, add a few tablespoons of salt to help retard mold. Mix it again with your hands. Once mixed thoroughly, squeeze out any excess water and add a few tablespoons of glue. Now you are ready to use your paper mache pulp!

nosey rosey

Well I finished mache on the blank canvas that is the nose...will be adding some pulp to round it out and also to make the gums and then paper towel tubes to make the tusks...fun stuff!

Another day another paper mache

So tonight I did 2 things, one I reinforced the wire with some casting tape (fiberglass) and second I attached and paper mached the foam a bit...she's starting to take shape but there is a HECK of a lot more work left...UGH!!!!

Casting tape over the top of the nose...


lower jaw on top of the upper jaw to give an idea of where my head will be..the hole behind this :)


Paper mache just starting to take shape over the bottom of the top jaw and the snout...I decided to start on the bottom part of the upper jaw since it had the least components (although it will have tusks it will not have eyes, ears, or nostrils) and will be the least visible to mistakes...

Hippo Trap

Tonight as I pieced together the ragged and ragtag effort that is this hippo mask I jokingly asked Ryan if it looked like a hippo. He said 'no, it looks like something you'd catch a hippo in, a hippo trap." Now dare I say that he is overestimating my abilities here. This could maybe catch a pygmy hippo, well maybe a baby pygmy hippo that could contort into a smallish area. Also dare I say that we are not going for the pygmy hippo with this costume....okay enough silly stuff.

Tonight I cut the rest of the lips out and glued them together, I'm going to work on shaving them a bit better but thank goodness paper mache is a little forgiving and I might get away with it yet in terms of the rough nature of the outline. I also reinforced the head with casting tape and fleshed out the lower lip with casting tape. I have decided to have the lower jaw be a separate piece that I can attach at the parade route as I worry about the teeth being injured during transport. Also I want the jaw to be moveable to not encourage any damage to the mache. I will put a small piece of fabric in the space that will flex with the jaw. Or at least that's what I think I'm doing...I guess we shall see. Pics to come tomorrow or maybe the next day. Tomorrow is cupcake day! :)

hippo lips!

Day 2

Well actually this day takes place about 3 weeks after day 1...sigh, but Amelia had a GREAT first birthday party so that's also very important and we had a fabulous time in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics and short track speed skating. The things I do to procrastinate.

Today (or tonight as I should say...most of the creative effort on this project is going to take place between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. after the kiddos are in bed) was all about fleshing out the hippo. She was going to need a 'skin' for me to adhere my mache to and then I decided to use foam to help to make her a bit more shapely.

I attached the chicken wire with wire and zip ties to cover the entire top of the head. I miscalculated and did not get enough wire to cover the lower jaw portion of the head. I am contemplating if I truly need more wire or if I can get away with something else...I'll keep you posted. I then reinforced the back part of the head with casting tape (yes the same stuff they use to make casts, kind of a perk of working in the medical field I guess) (I think I'm going to do another layer on the inside too) where my head will be to encourage the mache not to bed when my head is underneath it and partly holding it up.



Then came the messy business, carving foam. One truly needs one of those electric knives for this job. Although I am a bit of a nut about this event I'm not that big of a nut to buy something that would only be used for this event....wait a minute I do own a heat gun...hmmmm... Anyway, this was messy and involved a bread knife. I am seriously rethinking my sanity. It was tough to shape and get the exact effect I wanted. I am very grateful that I get to cover this up with paper mache or I might have to start again with new ideas. I fleshed out some eyes and lips for the momma hippo. Then I attempted to attach the loose lip pieces (there are 4 pieces to create the effect) using gorilla glue we shall see how it all works out (pictures of the lips coming)....notice part of the foam mayhem around the base of the head. The eyes are on top in the shot. I still have to figure out if I'm going to attach these to the frame or just let the mache hold the eyes on and work on attaching the lips by themselves...decisions, decisions....



The next plan? Attaching all the pieces to the main head and also fleshing out the lower jaw and deciding how to attach the lower jaw before I get too much mache on the head. Once I start on mache on the momma hippo I think I can use some of the drying nights to start on Kyle's head which is going to be carved from foam...crap!

Day 1...

So back to day 1. The first part of the costume was to purchase implements. I needed PVC piping and some connectors, chicken wire, zip ties, and some foam. I have glue and hot glue for the mache part and paint and fabric will be bought later as the need is known better (or depending on how much I'm panicking!). I use a heat gun to heat the PVC pipe (while outside wearing a respirator I might add) to bend it. I attempted to fill the tubing with sand as is often done to get smooth curves but I found I needed more severe curving and worried that I might not get all the sand out and end up with a ton of bricks on my shoulders on the day of the parade. Believe me I have done that before (see picture of the flea). After getting the general shape I then added a couple of cross bars to stabilize, when I was happy with the shape I gorilla glued the pieces together.

Unfortunately right now I already feel about 3 weeks behind. I'll get there, but there also has to be the making of preschool and toddler hippo too. Neither of these are as intricate though so let's hope we make it by 4:30 on 4/24!