You will need flour, salt, water, bowl, whisk, form, and newspaper.
Making masks is a great way to have fun and learn about three dimensional sculpting and painting. You can make a mask from cardboard or other materials but the best way to start is with paper mache.
Paper is an incredible resource. It is readily available re-use materials, extremely versatile and amazingly durable when mixed with a binding agent such as glue or a wheat paste (flour and water). The method described here is paper coated with paste and layered in strips.
Basic Materials and Techniques
You will need flour, salt, water, bowl, whisk, form, and newspaper.
Paper
You can use almost any kind of paper for paper mache, but the most readily
available and versatile are newspaper and brown paper bags. They have
less sizing (starch) than most writing paper or magazines and are easily
molded and shaped. For really fine details you may try rice paper or tissue
papers.
Tear the paper along the long grain of the paper and into small squares
or strips.
Paste
Low cost and fairly good paste can be made from wheat flour, water, and
a pinch of salt. Add a little white glue to the mixture for extra strength.
Mix the flour about 2 cups of flour to two cups water, the consistency
you are looking for is like a thick soup. Not to thick and not to thin.
Use a large mixing bowl. You may want to cover the table in plastic or
do it outside on an old table. The paper mache paste when dry is hard
to clean up so be sure to clean up quickly when you are done.
Layering the paper
We use newspaper and brown paper alternatively as we build up to distinguish
one layer from another. The number of layers depends on the project and
how strong you want it to be. For a good durable mask you'll want at least
6 layers. The layers can be done all at once and with six layers you will
need a day or two of drying in the sun. You can also dry paper mache masks
under very low heat in the oven.
Getting Started
Step One: Find or make a mold.
The simplest way to make a mask is with a balloon or find a plastic
mask you can use as mold. Old Halloween masks or plastic masks you find
in zoo gift shops work great. If you are using a balloon blow up the balloon,
if using a mold like a margarine tub or plastic mask, coat the mold or
balloon with a layer of dishwashing soap (this will allow you to 'pop'
the mold away from the dry paper mache when you are done and it won't
stick). Tape the balloon or mask to a square of cardboard.
Step Two: Start building up layers of paper mache
Tape the mask to a square of cardboard larger than the mask, or hang the
balloon from a string or just add the layers and roll the balloon as you
add layers. Don't forget to coat the mold with dish soap and a layer of
plastic saran wrap for even easier separation of the mold from the paper
mache. Rip your paper into strips and then rip again into 2 to 3 inch
squares. Always rip the paper, the rough edges make a smoother and stronger
bond. Dip the strips or squares in your paste (make sure they are saturated).
Smooth the strips on to your mold, carefully smoothing out bubbles and
wrinkles with your fingers. Keep Layering the paper mache until you feel
it is enough (4-6 layers). You can let it dry and if spots feel weak or
soft you can always add more layers. The balloon only needs to be layered
on half the balloon to make a mask
Smooth the paper mache as best you can.
Step three: Let mask dry
Masks should dry completely before trying to pop the mold and separate
it from the paper mache or pop the balloon to separate it from the paper
mache. Once you have separated the mold/balloon (from the paper mache
you are ready to decorate the mask. If you have a round balloon you must
first cut the mask in half. Use strong scissors, and tape the mask half
down to a cardboard square.
You can finish the balloon mask by binding the edges with additional strips and attaching an elastic strap so you can wear it.
Pull the mask out of the form.
Step 4: Paint and decorate the mask
Use just about any water based paint such as ceramic paints or tempera paints to begin painting the face of the mask. Look at pictures to help
but feel free to decorate the mask anyway you want. You can use beads,
feathers, fur, leather buttons, foil, bones sequins, raffia yarn or...?
Attach decorations with white glue or hot glue gun.
Step 5: Dance with, enjoy and wear your mask
The greatest part about masks is that we can assume the character of the
animal or creature we have made while we wear the mask. Try to imitate
the movements and behaviors of your mask. A deer mask might leap or stand
quietly alert at times, a dog mask can sniff the ground and howl at the
moon, a bear mask can wallow around real slow and with a lumbering walk.
Have fun with your mask and if you get some friends to make masks too
you could consider putting on a show that tells a story.
Eagle Dancer at the Camp Bonfire Extravaganza.
Photos by Crede Calhoun