How to Make a King Tut Headpiece

The iconic face of an ancient and very wealthy monarch.

The ancient Egyptians called gold the "flesh of the gods" and used it extensively to adorn the tombs of their kings. The image of King Tut's face, frozen in gold for all eternity, doesn't require a few pounds of precious metal to duplicate. The simple and versatile art of paper mache crafts can also be used to make an opulent pharaoh's headdress if your royal goldsmiths happen to have the day off.

Things You'll Need

• 1 balloon (if making a mask or hat, size will depend on what will fit you)
• 5 or 6 brown paper bags (this depends on the size of your headpiece)
• 1 gallon of gold or yellow paint (you may use both, as is your preference, actual amount depends on the size of your headpiece)
• 5 or 6 cups water
• 1 to 2 cups flour
• Lengths of clear or white tissue or wrapping paper or paper towel
• Lengths of yellow and blue tissue paper, cellophane, foil or other thin, metallic paper
• 1 saucepan
• 1 stainless steel bowl
• 1 metal whisk or electric mixer
• 1 pencil
• 1 Exacto knife
• 1 pair of scissors
• 1 picture of King Tut's Headpiece (optional)

Instructions

The Head of the Headpiece

1. Paint one side of the paper bags with the gold and/or yellow paint. Allow to dry. You may want to do this the night before you start the paper mache.

2. Start with only half of the flour and water required. Place 1 cup of water in a saucepan at a low heat. Mix the flour in gradually and add water and flour at intervals. Bring to a boil keeping the mixture at a thin but consistent texture like tomato soup. Remove from heat and move to a separate bowl to cool.

3. Rip the paper bags into long, then strips. Soak the strips in the bowl with the flour and water mixture.

4. Blow the balloon up to its desired size. Place the soaked strips over the balloon, covering the whole balloon in one layer. Allow each layer to dry before adding more. Apply more layers until your headpiece has the desired thickness, but remember the more layers it has the heavier it will be.

5. Allow the balloon to dry before making any more alterations to it. This may take anywhere from eight to twelve hours.

Shape and Color

1. Use the pencil to draw a line on the balloon. Yo may use the picture of the King Tut headpiece as a reference.

2. Cut the pieces out of the bottom of the balloon after you are satisfied with the initial pencil marks. Try to keep these separate pieces as intact as possible so they can be used for further decoration.

3. Rip into strips or cut into shapes the different kinds of paper, foil and tissue.

4. Repeat the process for making paper mache using the remaining flour and water. The thinner types of paper you are using do not need to be soaked but just dipped in the mixture.

5. Arrange the colorful paper as decoration on the gold underlay. The picture of the King Tut headpiece can be used as a reference if required.

Tips & Warnings

• The boiled recipe for paper mache is recommended here because it dries clear, making it easier for you to add colorful adornments to your headpiece. It is weaker than newspaper, so you will need more layers to add stability. You might not want to use conventional newspaper with this paper mache, as the black ink would be difficult to cover up. Accessories like golden armbands and heavy eyeliner can also help improve your look if your head-dress is part of a costume.

• Paper mache is ideal for this type of craft because it is very light. If you decide to follow this template using a heavier material or fabric, take care that your neck is well-supported. The disadvantages of paper mache is that it takes a long time to dry. You should wait at least a day before displaying or wearing your headpiece and let each layer dry individually. To speed up the process add some white glue to the cooled flour and water mixture.

References

• Ultimate Paper Mache: Paper Mache Recipes
• King Tut: Egyptian Gold