Things You'll Need:
- 1-inch strips of newspaper
- Odds and ends, such as bottle caps, to make alien features
- Paint
- Ice pick or awl
- Paper mache paste
- Ribbon, cord or shoestrings to use as ties
- Yarn, fake hair
- Masking tape
-
Step 1
Protect the work surface by covering it with newspaper and plastic.
-
Step 2
Prepare the glue paste by adding 3 tablespoons of salt to 2 cups of hot water and 1 cup of flour. Mix well. Make enough to create a thick goo.
-
Step 3
Use a double-layer of aluminum foil and have a second person help you press it against your face to get the general shape of your face and the location of your nose and eyes.
-
Step 4
Carefully remove the foil and use wadded up newspaper under the form to support the impressions. Lay the form gently on the work surface, face up.
-
Step 1
Dip thin strips of newspaper into the paper mache goo to soak them well and lay them gently on the foil one by one. Completely cover the surface of the foil. Be careful not to crush the form. Set the mask aside and let this first layer dry completely.
-
Step 2
Use various articles to make alien-like facial features and gently attach them to the mask. Use crumpled paper and foil, cutout shapes from foam or sponges, cardboard, chicken wire, bottle caps, toilet tissue and paper towel inner cardboard rolls, paper cups, juice boxes and anything else that makes the alien face of your dreams. Use masking tape to hold everything in place.
-
Step 3
Add at least two more layers of paper mache to your form. Allow each layer to dry completely before putting on the next layer. Use paper mache to define and smooth features and add detail such as wrinkles, strange ears, big lips, big eye sockets, wrinkly foreheads and brows. When pleased with how the mask looks, let everything dry completely.
-
Step 4
Paint and decorate the mask with acrylic paints. You can even use glow-in-the-dark paint or goo such as Floam, which you can preview at floam.com. Decorate with hair, fringe, yarn, scraps of material or anything else you desire.
-
Step 5
Use an icepick or awl and carefully make holes for the eyes, nose and mouth. Make a hole on each side of the mask at eye-level. Thread a tie through each hole and make a knot so the end does not pull through the hole. Be sure the ties are long enough to fit around your head and tie in a bow.
