One can make an excellent modeling material by shredding newspaper and soaking it until it is very pulpy, then adding to this pulp a sizable quantity of wallpaper paste and quantities of Zonolite. This mixture can be used for building over an armature in the same way modeling clay would be used, but when it dries it has a very unusual textural quality quite unlike any other papier-m^acircché/Zonolite mixture. It is desirable, when engaging in a project of this sort, to be sure that the armature is constructed well enough to hold up through the whole process. As a rule, a flat piece of board, such as plywood, which can serve as a base should be used to fasten the armature to prevent toppling. Time saved on later steps and the avoidance of disappointments and frustrations will more than make up for the few minutes spent developing a good foundation.
[Edward L. Mattil, Chairman, Dept. of Art, North Texas State University. Meaning in Crafts. Third Edition, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1971.]