Customer Reviews

Papier-Mache Monsters: Turn Trinkets and Trash into Magnificent Monstrosities

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this book. I have been a big fan of The Simple Screamer & Make Something Ugly For a Change and this book is even better. What I love about this and all Dan Reeder's books is that they teach you simple methods for making large sculptures that are almost fool proof. Even if you are not interested in making monsters you can use his methods to help you figure out how to create almost anything you desire.

What a wonderful book. Even if you have no intention of creating in paper-mache, I would recommend this book for it's wit and charm. Dan is clearly a man who has no interest in growing up and who delights in sharing his messy fun with others. His philosphy that making monsters is a great way to start for kids, because no one can say "you did it wrong", also reflects his undertanding of children and his great heart.

From a practical standpoint, this book also is full of information and techniques outside the normal field of knowledge about paper-mache, in other words he shares a lot of really cool tricks to making wonderful monsters.

So you will have fun from the moment you open the book until you put the finishing touches our your creation.

This was a great book. There are lots of pictures to follow the tutorials and the author has contact info if you get stuck. I made the monster and the dragon head project so far. I have never papier-mached before and I think both my projects turned out pretty good! Be warned, the projects were time consuming and I had my dining room a mess for about a week on each project. VERY MESSY! When I first started the papier-mache part, I thought - ick! When I began to do the glue part - triple ick! The glue wants to dry on your hands like in kindergarten but you still have tons of dipping to do. You have to stop every so often to get the layers of dried glue off and start again. My only negative is there was a few of his things pictured that I would have liked to tried but were not in the tutorials, maybe next book. Great book for teens or kids with some patience! By the time I finished my first project, my little ones did not want to put that kind of time into it.

This book is absolutely HILARIOUS!!! Between all the snorts, gasps and tears of laughter the reader will learn how to create fabulous monstrosities with deceptive ease. Very well-written with a comfortable flow, and peppered with numerous photos to whet the appetite of any would-be mad scientist/artiste. The only trouble I've had so far is holding onto my copy long to actually USE it because so many of my artsy friends are scrabbling over who gets to borrow it next...........
A major THUMBS UP for this one! :)

This book is great.Lots of helpful tips.Dan Reeder has a fun sense of humor to make this book easy to read.

MOST MARVELOUS AND MONSTROUS BOOK EVEN WRITTEN FOR MONSTER MAKERS. HIS INSTRUCTIONS ARE CLEAR AND CONCISE AND FUNNY. THE MAN IS JUST FANTASTICALLY MAGICALLY GIFTED AND CREATES GREAT INCREDIBLE ART FOR ALL LOVERS OF THE SLIGHTLY WEIRD. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK AND THE JOY IT BRINGS ME. YOU'LL LOVE LOVE LOVE IT TOO!

This book is amazing! It contains step by step instructions for turning a pile of newsprint, sticky tape, cloth and some wicked teeth into a 'cute' or 'naughty' monster. I laughed aloud reading the little asides in the instructions and if you are a cat lover you will love the assistance Dan's cats give him in the making of his monsters. In this book, 'monsters' is a generic term for trolls, witches, dragons, Frankenstein, personality pumpkins and bats (just to name a few).

Excellent book. Author is brilliantly creative and funny. Everything is explained in sufficient detail.

I'm a professional crafty person, and I have a fickle Muse. I explore a wide variety of techniques in my arty life, and came across this book while looking into something else entirely.

I flipped through the pages and had to have it. The author, Dan Reeder, is a middle school art teacher, and this is one kind of the things he does with his students. But he also does art shows and commission pieces and the technique of "fabric mache" can be used in a wide variety of applications.

At one point he discusses why his monster sculptures have only four fingers - not only is it more arty, but seventh graders and middle fingers are evidently not a good idea. LOL!

Reeder understands that some people like excrutiating detail and others just need a broad overview, so he gives you multiple options depending on whether you are skimming or taking notes, as well as lots of photos.

Even if you don't wind up making anything using this technique, it's definitely worth a read. Your crafty soul will be energized by it. Pick one up, enjoy it, then donate it to your local library.

Dan Reeder's website is GourmetPaperMache - lots of fun links, photos, videos, and gallery, just in case you need any extra inspiration to help you decide whether or not to buy this book.

This book is pretty good except you need to know that it is not anything quick or simple like normal paper mache. It requires a lot of additional products and it requires a lot more time. The book also does not give size dimensions when making the objects, which is actually a problem.