Several hours out in the wind did the trick: the bowl firmed up nicely, and came off the form with no trouble at all. Then it was into the oven:

After about an hour, it was time to flip it over, so that the bottom could dry thoroughly, too:

I’ll let it continue drying for another hour or so, then it will be on to the next stage.

Took a break from the computer screen to rest my bad eye, and put the time to productive use by molding another bowl.

Raw base pulp:

Roughed out on the form:

Smoothed with a palette knife:

It’s bright, sunny, and extremely windy outdoors today — perfect weather for drying papier mache, so the new bowl (still on its form) is sitting out on the balcony to begin the drying process:

Once it’s dried sufficiently to hold its shape, I’ll take it off the form and complete the drying process in a 230F oven.

Here’s a good comparison of what a piece looks like after initial creation in base pulp, versus after a coat of finishing pulp has been applied:

Before

After

Some sanding would make for an extremely smooth surface; in this case, however, I opted for only light sanding and a more irregular finish, so after painting and sealing with a satin-finish acrylic varnish, the sides look like this:

Want to see the complete piece, with decoupaged decoration? It’s available on Etsy. 🙂