Take me to the Steps

To make this prop you’re going to need a large bowl to shape it, newspaper, glue/water mixture, aluminum foil, scissors, white or light gray spray paint, some kind of glue (I would advise rubber cement, mod podge, or both.), a hot glue gun, an optic print out, and something to use for the handles (I used pieces of a thick wire hanger), and thin cardboard.

You may also want masking tape, black duct tape, acrylic paint (black and white), transparency paper, and sandpaper.

I hope this guide is both interesting and informative. :) I made Wheatley, but you could also make any of the other cores in the same way.

Project Steps

Round up some newspaper and some scissors. Now cut into strips of varying lengths, some long, and some shortish is best. You’re going to need a lot of these.

Get a large bowl for your base. Mine was about 12 inches in diameter. Next, turn the bowl upside-down, and cover it in aluminum foil so that the newspaper won’t get glued to it. You may want to use some masking tape to secure it to the bowl.

In a separate bowl, pour out a fair amount of glue. Add water, and stir. It should be about the consistency of cream.

You are now ready to begin the paper mache. Dip the newspaper strips into your glue mixture, and lay them over the bowl, being sure to cross and overlap the pieces. You will probably need at least four layers before removing from the bowl. Let dry completely before removing.

Once you have one whole piece dried and hard, carefully take it off the bowl and remove the aluminum foil. Now create another identical piece using the same steps.

Now that you have your two halves, you can begin cutting the holes. Cut out the round sections where the bowl’s base was located. I used scissors, but you can use whatever’s easiest. You won’t be needing the cut-outs, so feel free to stab and deform them as much as is necessary to get them out. :) Do this on both halves. You may want to trace your cutting area around a bowl or something.

Once the holes are cut, you may want to tape around the rough edge. Masking tape works nicely.