Making Marvelous Masks with Kids

Papier mache is a wonderful medium for crafting, particularly for mask making. Adults and children can create homemade papier mache masks for dramatic productions, costume parties, Halloween or home decorations.

Masks created from papier mache may be made to resemble wild animals, cartoon characters, monsters, celebrities, superheroes, tribal figures and many other favorite subjects.

Basic papier mache can be produced from torn strips of newspaper, along with a wallpaper paste recipe, a glue-based recipe or a flour-based recipe.

Although professional artists and mask makers may use human subjects' faces to create facial masks from papier mache, this can be a messy and cumbersome prospect. With young children, it is far simpler to use the balloon molding method for making papier mache masks.

Begin with a balloon.

A head-sized round balloon is an ideal form for creating a papier mache mask. The balloon should be inflated to the approximate head size of the person who plans to wear the papier mache mask. Then the balloon is tied securely.

Construct the papier mache mask.

To build the papier mache mask, the crafter dips torn strips of newspaper (one at a time) into the papier mache recipe of choice. Each strip of newsprint must be completely covered with the papier mache mixture.

Next, the crafter slips each newsprint strip between two fingers to remove excessive papier mache blobs. The crafter then arranges the papier mache strips onto one half of the inflated balloon, layer by layer, to form a mask. (To form an entire head shape, instead of a front mask, the crafter would cover the entire balloon with papier mache.)

Extra hunks of papier mache strips may be wadded up to form facial features, such as a nose and ears.

After the papier mache mask has dried completely (for several hours), it can be removed from the balloon. Usually, simply popping the balloon will be enough.

Fashion the papier mache mask.

Once the papier mache mask has dried, the subject may try it on for fit. The crafter then marks where the eye holes should be and cuts these out with a sharp serrated knife or craft saw. Mouth and nose holes may be created at this point, if needed.

Finally, the papier mache mask is ready for painting and decorating. Craft hair or yarn may be added, if desired.

A few strategically placed holes on either side of the papier mache mask can accommodate elastic strings for wearing or hanging on display.

Learn more about this author, Linda Ann Nickerson.
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