Challenge: TEACH DORIAN how to Make Giant, Life-size Papier-mâché

Or maybe we should just say: The challenge of making a giant, life-size papier-mâché diorama of dogs playing poker (from the “famous” paintings) contains the delightful mini-challenge: teach Dorian how to papier-mâché!

As we continue to work on the papier-mâché of dogs playing poker (see image below) the divide between Amanda and Dorian’s craft-making skills becomes all the more apparent . . . and enormous.  From the start, we knew that Amanda would be in the driver’s seat, taking charge, instructing Dorian on what to do.

But now we know that even her basic commands, like “Make a torso,” really contain lots of mini-commands.  “Make a torso” really means . . .

1.  Look closely at the dog’s torso in the picture.

2.  Imagine what the part of the torso that is not visible in the painting would look like, using your knowledge of dog anatomy and your ability to make inferences from the other dogs in the painting, thus gaining a full image of the torso.

3. Squeeze chicken wire into the shape of the torso.

4.  Squeeze the chicken wire that was displaced by your previous squeezing of the chicken wire (step four), so that chicken wire more closely resembles the torso.

5.  Repeat step four, subtly . . .  forever.

Two different torsos from the same amount of chicken wire! Dorian is a squeeze master!

*Also, note that there is a secret step between steps two and three, which is: “Check with Amanda . . . and make all of the corrections that she says.”

**Note: all of these steps are done before what is technically known as “papier-mâché” even begins . . .

So yes, this challenge is coming along beautifully.

Here are some pictures.  We actually started to do papier-mâché!