1) One day, Mrs. McGovern had an idea to turn a paper towel tube into a large paper mâché pencil sculpture!

2) First, we need to form our armature. An armature gives your sculpture shape. It is like the skeleton of your project. Without a solid armature, your paper mâché project would collapse!

We need to manipulate, or change, each end of the tube to make it look like the shape of a pencil.

3) To close in the eraser end of the pencil, draw about 6 parallel lines at one end. 

4) My lines are about
1 inch long.

Next, cut on the lines you have drawn.

5) Fold the flaps in. They will overlap each other.

6) Use tape to hold the flaps in. I used scotch tape but masking or duct tape would work as well.

Congrats! Your eraser end is done!

7) Onto the pointy lead end of your pencil.
This is the hardest part of the whole project.

Draw 4 lines, on the outside of the tube, where the arrows are.

8) I made my lines about 2 inches long.

Cut on your four lines.

9) Ok, put on your patience hat because this part is tricky.

Fold the four flaps so that they overlap each other and form a point, like in the picture above. It took me a few times to get this right! 

10) Looking down at the tip of your pencil, if there is a hole, that is okay. Later, you will use pieces of newspaper dipped in mâché paste to cover this hole.

Tape the flaps in a point position.

11) Your armature should look like this-- a folded in eraser end and a pointed end.

Now, onto making the mâché paste!

12) To make the mâché paste you will need 1/4 cup flour, a sprinkle of cinnamon (optional, I add this to make it smell better!), and 1/3 cup water. 

13) Pour the flour into your container and sprinkle with cinnamon. Stir.
Next, pour in 1/3 cup water and stir. It should have the consistency of pancake batter. If it is chunky, add a splash of water and stir. 

14) Cut your newspaper into strips. My strips were mostly 1.5" long by .5" wide. I wanted some smaller ones as well so I cut about 10 of these strips in half. You may find that you prefer larger or smaller strips of newspaper.

15) Taking one piece of newspaper at a time, dip the strip into the mâché paste. 

16) You don't want to put a dripping wet piece of newspaper on your armature, so wipe it along the lip of your container.
Not the lip on your face. Haha!

17) Apply one piece of damp newspaper at a time, covering your entire armature.

18) Use your finger to smooth down pieces that stick up. You can even dip your finger directly into the mâché paste and rub it on pieces to smooth them down.

19) Don't forget to cover the hole at the tip of your pencil. The small, skinny pieces of newspaper will work great for this. 

20) You are finished when you can't see any of the cardboard tube. Put your container of mâché paste in the refrigerator.

Lay your armature on another container and let it dry overnight. 

---The Next Day---
21) It is your job to examine your armature for GAPS and FLAPS. When you run your finger along your armature, it should be smooth. 

22) If you have flaps, like in the picture above by my finger, snip it off with scissors. If you have a gap, you need to put a strip of moistened newspaper over it (pull that mâché paste out of the fridge!). 

23) After your armature is dry (a couple hours), paint the entire sculpture white. The purpose of this base coat is so you don't see newspaper print through your final layer of paint.
Lay your armature on your container to dry. 

---The Next Day---
24) Paint your sculpture to look like a real  pencil. Look at an actual pencil as you paint. I found a way for my sculpture to dry vertically as I painted one section at a time.
Remember that red and white make pink and adding white to a color lightens it.