How to make hills & mountains out of paper mache

Whether you are designing a diorama of a landscape or working on an art project, you can turn newspapers and flour into hills and mountains. Paper mache is ideal for creating rock-hard sculptures while reusing items found in most homes. If you are making these hills and mountains and the project has a deadline, note that you will need at least six days for the paper mache to dry.

Crumble a sheet of newspaper into a tight ball. Add additional sheets of newspaper around the ball to make it approximately the size you want for one hill. Secure the ball by loosely wrapping masking tape around the perimeter. Repeat this process for the number of hills you want.

Place the balls on an 11-by-14-inch of perforated cardboard in the desired locations. Tape the balls in place by adding strips of masking tape that start at the top of the ball and extend down onto the cardboard. Allow the tape to form a slope from the ball to the base.

Draw a circle with an 8-inch diameter on the back of an old cereal box. Cut the circle out and make a cut down through the radius. Roll the circle around itself to form a cone, as tight as you want to make it, for a mountain. Place tape around the cone once you have the desired size. Repeat this process for the rest of your mountains, if desired, making the circles smaller for a shorter mountain or larger for taller mountains.

Cut the base of the cones so that they sit flat on the cardboard base. Position the cones where you want the mountains to be, and use masking tape to secure the cones to the base.

Pour 1 cup of bleached all-purpose flour and 3 cups of water in a large bowl. Stir the mixture with a long-handled spoon until it is free of large clumps; use your hands to manipulate the mixture, if desired.

Tear newspaper into a large pile of strips that range in size from 1 to 3 inches wide and 1 to 6 inches long; you will need enough paper strips to cover the entire hill and mountain arrangement at least five times.

Dip the newspaper strips into the flour paste and squeeze the excess paste off using your fingers. Place the strip over a mound of newspaper or around a cone shape. Repeat until you have covered all of your mountains and hills. Let the project dry overnight.

Place a second layer of newspaper over the project and allow it to dry overnight. Repeat this process with three additional layers of newspaper. Add more layers if desired to add bulk to the hills or mountains.

Paint the hills and mountains using acrylic paint and a small painter's sponge, in either green, brown or white, depending on the season depicted with the project.