Paper Mâché Art - Paste Recipes

I found there are three ways to make a paper mache paste and my guess is that it depends on how strong you want your creation to be, or which you like working with.

The simplest, quickest and easiest method is no cook paper mache paste:
You will need 1 part of flour to every 2 parts of water. Mix well and ensure there are no lumps in it. The 'paste' needs to resemble the consistency of thick glue. If it doesn't; keep adding either water or flour until it does.

A little more time consuming to make is cooked paper mache paste:
The reason for cooking the paste is that it is stronger then the no cook version.
You will need 1 part of flour to 5 parts of water. Bring 4 parts of water to a boil. In the mean time mix 1 part of flour with 1 part of warm water in a separate bowl, ensure there are no lumps remaining in the mixture. Pour it in the boiling water and mix well and let it boil for another 2-3 minutes, adding either water or flour if necessary, until it resembles thick glue.

For a very hard and long lasting finish, you can make resin paper mache paste:
You will need one cup of flour, 1/2 a cup of resin glue powder and 4 cups of water.
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, while mixing the flour, glue resin and 1 cup of warm water in a separate bowl or pot. Mix until all the lumps are gone, stir it into the boiling water and let cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the paste is clear and smooth.

A few helpful tips I found which can be applied to any of the above paper mache pastes are:
- Add a little cinnamon to the mix in case you don't like the smell of the paper mache paste.
- Adding a few tablespoons of salt may help to prevent mold.
- The paste can be stored in the fridge for a few days when stored in a well covered bowl or jar.

I like the latter; the paper mache paste would be ready and waiting for the grandchildren to arrive and to get creative!