Paper Casting

having worked with paper before, i was interested in this process. the real challenge is making the cast object not look like a child's paper mache project.

Process:
I've found a few sites, and on all of them the process is the same: create paper pulp and put it in a mold. It's pretty intuitive, and most of the creative part is with the materials you use.

Examples:

source: http://www.castpaper.com/
one of the most eye-catching and creative parts of cast paper appears to be the coloring of the paper itself. Working with paper before, i can attest to the amount of different colors and finishes you can get with this medium. The craftsperson that made this particular piece used acrylics to paint the piece, which give a good opaque finish and have strong pigments.
here is Kevin Dyer's process: http://www.castpaper.com/castpaper.html
He carves a model out of wax, then makes a mold of that, much like with metal casting processes. However, most of his work is shallow relief work. This is common in cast paper.
source: http://artveinvessel.blogspot.com/

Deep releif is also possible. Kate Strickland cast deep recesses in paper and then fills them with natural objects, creating "Reliquaries". Her work is more honest about it's materials-she doesn't paint over the paper.
Kate's blog: http://artveinvessel.blogspot.com/search/label/cast%20paper

source: http://bloggy.com/2008/04/libby_hartle_at.html

Libby Hartle, on the other hand, works in full 3-d. She also used relclaimed materials for this peice. She was sweet enough to document her whole process, from smashing up the paper to casting the twigs (made from molds of real twigs, which is something i want to look into) , right here: http://bloggy.com/2008/04/libby_hartle_at.html