This is kind of an oddball project and I can't really imagine a whole lot of people wanting to make a paper mache watermelon but what the heck! I needed it for the katana and the watermelon video so I figured I would make a tutorial showing you how I made the paper mache watermelon. The techniques are solid and they will help you to make other paper mache stuff too. I also have a variation of this in that you can make a hollow watermelon out of paper mache and use it as a pinata!

The Tutorial on how to make this watermelon

Materials needed:

• Plenty of Newspapers
• Flour, water and salt to make the paper mache and a bowl to mix it in
• Two plastic bowls
• Plenty of masking tape
• Green, yellow, brown paints and paintbrushes
• Sandpaper - optional but nice
• Some kind of a spray sealant that leaves a glossy and clear shine (This is optional but it definitely improves the look of the watermelon)

Crystal Clear Enamel Spray Paint

This is the exact product I used for my watermelon. It leaves a nice glossy finish that is perfect. It is available on Amazon.com or at just about any home improvement store. Roll over image for more information.

Step One: Roll up the newspapers nice and tight so they fit snugly into the bowls. Put some crumpled newspapers in the bowls too. This is to ensure the bowls dont collapse if you are rough with the watermelon.

Step Two: Now start applying newspapers and masking tape until you get it roughly to the shape of a watermelon. It doesn't have to be perfect at this stage. We will really flesh it out and make it look good with the paper mache.

Step Three: Now apply strips of paper mache and go in different directions. Put it on in several layers and build up the watermelon to a nice shape. With the first layers you don't have to worry too much about wrinkles. But the last layer you should make sure is nice and smooth like th skin of a watermelon.

You can even sand it gently to get it nice and smooth before painting it.

Step Four: Now paint the whole watermelon green. But don't just make it a uniform shade of green. Do the bottom half a standard shade of green then as you are working your way up to the top add yellow to the green in steps. So as you paint toward the top the green will be lighter and lighter. This willl give it a more natural look.

Step Five: Now, using the side of a sponge, dabble on the yellow stripes. Soften these stripes by painting over them with a very weak and watery wash of green paint. This will make them look more natural. This will take a little practice but you will get it.

Step Six: Finally, Spray a light coat of the Clear enamel to give it that watermelon like shine!

Want to see what I did with my watermelon? Check out this video called The Katana and the Watermelon

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