This week, I created a giant paper mache state of Nebraska for Nebraska senior quarterback Zac Taylor to use as a prop for a photo shoot.


Materials Used:
2 giant display boards
cardboard cutting knife
tape measurer
duct tape
3 cans of red spray paint (didn't work)
2 cans of white primer
3 bottles of red acrylic paint (didn't work)
2 bottles of crimson acrylic paint (finally worked)





I traced and cut out the state without any stencils. A lot tougher then it sounds.





I cut two identical states along with several strips to use to connect the two sides.





Each edge piece was connected using tape, with the hardest one being the Eastern border. I had to crease the cardboard every half inch to give it the rounded look.





I decided to paper mache the state so give it a textured look. This was a mistake in the long run, because of the amount of time that it took.








I thought that I could quickly paint the state by using a cheap red spray paint. This turned out to be a waste of time and money. The newspaper from the paper mache showed right through the paint.





I made another trip to the hardware store and picked up some primer, to cover the spray painting and the newspaper. After several coats, it was a nice solid white.





I bought some cheap acrylic paint at Wal-Mart, thinking that the thickness would give the state a nice textured look. Wrong. The Wal-Mart paint was much too thin. I had to make ANOTHER trip to Dick Blick, where I had to buy some expensive acrylic crimson paint. When I say expensive, I mean expensive. I had no idea that paint could cost so much. They had a bottle about 3 inches high by about 8 inches across for $140. No, I didn't spend quite that much, but still more then I wanted to. I was up until 4am the night before the photo shoot. I decided that three coats of paint would enough.





My shoot was set up for 11:45 Monday morning, and of course, Zac didn't show up. He didn't even show up for his weekly press conference. The athletic department couldn't really come up with an answer for why he wasn't there. They reset the shoot for after practice, which he did show up for. I guess this is something I should get used to while I work for a college newspaper. The shoot went well, and the picture ran the entire sports page on Tuesday.





Interesting Facts:
60oz of paint used
258 pieces of tape
$46 in supplies
16 hours of labor