Paper Mache Mask Design Ideas – This is a student sponsored website. When you purchase through links on this site, I may receive an affiliate commission.
Many traditional cultures use masks as a way to celebrate their spiritual beliefs, but most of us, children and adults, just have fun pretending to be someone else. In fact, it’s so fun that many people start preparing for Halloween months in advance.
Paper Mache Mask Design Ideas
And there are those of us who really enjoy using masks as wall art. This orangutan mask is on my wall, but it can be used as a traditional mask, cutting holes for the eyes to see.
Fun Express Decorate Paper Masks
We now have over 400 tutorials on this site about how to make paper mache masks and sculptures. There are many different ways to make a mask, and some of them are even easier than this one! To see how to make a wearable mask using paper mache on a clay model, click here. 🙂
Note: If you’re looking for a quick and easy project, be sure to check out my new mask and carving patterns. They are made for all shapes, so they are really fun to make, but they take very little time.
I chose our orangutan friend for my mask because of his brick red color and expressive face. If you don’t have all the materials on hand, the total cost of this project will be less than $20 (There is a baby orangutan in another post – you can see it here.)
I started by cutting a piece of cardboard into the basic shape of the orangutan’s face. Then I added crumpled pieces of newspaper with masking tape. In the image above I added the nose, cheeks and forehead.
Debdoozle: Diy Papier-mâché (paper Mache) Anubis/jackal Mask
Continuing to shape the lower base of the paper mache, I make a long, thin roll of paper to shape the eye socket. I also put a small bump in her nose.
Now fill in more than the eye sockets with more paper, build the mouths with two pieces of crumpled paper and add the eyeballs. I filled in her cheeks again and worked to give her the face I wanted.
Cover the paper completely with tape. The paper mache does not stick well and you can remove the mold when the “skin” is dry.
Once you get the shape you want, you start adding strips of paper and gluing. Cover the mask completely with two layers of newspaper. You’ll need more to get a nice, hard shell.
Easy Paper Mache Mask
In the picture above you can see that I added the last layer of paper, using brown paper from a lightweight paper bag. With three layers of news paper and another layer of brown paper, this should be enough for a mask that will be displayed on the wall, as mine will be.
Let the mask dry completely and then turn it on. Now you can carefully remove the paper the mask is built on. If you’re lucky, you might be able to get it out in one piece and reuse it in another mask.
Now you are ready to finish your mask. Sand the paper mache if necessary (use a face mask) and use plaster or white paint to give a nice shiny base to your drawing. I used acrylic art paint over the clay, but you can use oil or anything else you like. A matte acrylic varnish will protect the finish.
The only thing left to do is add the wild orange hair of the orangutan. I used the cotton thread from the mop and painted it orange. During the dyeing process the yarn got unruly, but I decided that the tangles were perfect for the theme. To protect the hair, I carefully put the holes in the top line of the mask and put the hair, three or four sections at a time. The wires were held tightly and small knots were left in the box of garbage bags.
Halloween Paper Mache Masks
After the hair is in place, I put glue on the strands so they don’t move.
To make a mask that you can actually use, you will mold it just like I did here. When the paper mache layers are completely dry, you will cut out the hole for the eyes. Even if you hang your mask as a wall decoration, the cut out eyes look amazing as they add a sense of mystery to the mask. Perhaps this is why they have been widely used as substitutes for gods.
You will also need to figure out how to hold the mask on your head if you want to wear it. If you have ideas for doing this, please let us know.
Hello – my name is Jonni Good. I am a sculptor, grandmother, online art teacher and creator of a popular paper clay recipe. Welcome – and have fun!
Creative Mask Making For Kids
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Includes Jonni’s popular paper clay recipe and tips for choosing the right recipe for your next project. Last year, for our Halloween costumes, we made paper mache masks inspired by Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls. I haven’t had time to write a post about this, and with Halloween 2014 just around the corner, I thought now would be a good time to do so.
At 2 years old, Little Bug didn’t really know what Halloween was, so I decided to decide how he would dress up. I found a cute and simple skeleton onesie from Old Navy, but I wanted her outfit to be more creative than store bought. I thought he was going to let me put on my face, I thought, what is this mask and paper mache, ooo, and a sugar skull, ooooo!
To make the masks I followed a tutorial I found on the Inside Nanabread’s Head blog, here. The steps are very simple, you make a mold of your face with aluminum foil, cover it with paper dipped in homemade glue, dry and then draw and / or paint your design.
The Smartteacher Resource: Masks
It’s a little trickier to shape your face using aluminum foil and keep it in shape. It is more difficult to shape the face of a 2-year-old child. Overall, I think our masks turned out well. After making a few layers of newspaper “mâché”, I made a final layer of white printer paper to give me a blank surface to work on. I also did some reshaping during the freeze so I wouldn’t lose the facial details. It seems that as the mask dries it tends to flatten. Once dry, the masks felt a little rough on the bottom and sides. So I trimmed the edges of the masks a little and covered the carved edges with paper. If you are going to try one of these masks, set aside 2 or 3 days. They take a while to dry and you may find that you need to add more paper here and there, as well as clean them, to get them the way you want them.
I made all the papier-mâché, drew the face in pencil and painted the Critter mask and mine. The Lord draws his own mask.
We stayed up past midnight working on these masks and the next day, Little Bug ended up wearing his own for 30 seconds. Just enough time for me to take photos! Which of course I don’t get. (He was kind enough to let me take photos of him with his cover on today so I could do a blog post. Thanks for being a good game, Buggy Bug!) About: I love it and use it when I play with it. comments from my students (I am a certified art teacher and art director at a children’s summer camp). I have found this to influence my creative process as… More about poofrabbit »
This tutorial will teach you how to make a lightweight, comfortable mask that’s only limited by your imagination! They can be used as wearable masks, wall hangings, or masks to place in a specific area and scare a friend, relative, or enemy.
Twin Paper Maché Skull Masks
While many of us wear masks for Halloween, and trust me, this is a great way to make your own unique Halloween mask, it’s a lot of fun making masks any time of the year!
A wonderful reader told me that this technique is used by an amazing artist called Jonni Good, I learned this masking technique in a workshop taught by.