Paper Mache Paste

This recipe is for non-cooking paste.  Works great, dries fast with a hard cover.  I do not use ballons.  I use newspaper for the initial shape of the project.  Taking one sheet (page) of newspaper at a time, I ball up the newspaper until I get the size I want. Then I put it inside a plastic grocery bag, then twist and tape off the.  Then I add 4 layers of paper mache, let dry and then add a layer of paper mache clay (recipe below).

When I made the Cat and Dog, I cut out ears and feet from cardboard and taped (masking tape) them where I wanted them before putting the paper mache on.  I used wire and taped it under the dog's ear to get the shape I wanted.  I used the clay recipe to mold the ears and nose.

For the projects I'm currently working on, I used the clay to make the body parts instead of using cardboard.  I found it easier to add the parts after I did the paper mache and clay. After putting on the layers of paper mache, I put the project in front of a fan to dry (rotating as needed).