Halloween- Day of the Dead Skullzzzzz!

I know it's the beginning of August, but I want to get this blog up and running so I'm going to post it now and probably again in October.

I've always liked the look of Day of the Dead skulls and I thought a fun activity would be to make some of my own.  It is a long and tedious process, but with one of the best results!  Here are pictures and steps for making your own Day of the Dead Skull.  You will need:

-1 skull.  I found a styrofoam skull at a craft store for around $5.
 -foil scraps of cloth or an old tshirt
- papier mache paste (recipe follows)
- strips of news paper
- paints or fine tipped paint pens/markers.
- laquer of some kind.

Papier Mache paste recipe:
1/2 cup of glue
2 or 3 TBL cornstarch

Add cornstarch until you get the consistency that you want, you can also add a tiny bit of water if it gets too thick.  It should be thick enough to coat your strips really well.

Start by wrapping the skull in foil. DO NOT USE GLUE.  This is step 1 in creating a mold of a skull that you will paint.   By using foil, you can include details by pressing the foil into the teeth or eyes.   You may choose to include the eye caverns or to just run foil across them at a more shallow depth.   I did both.

Using scraps of cotton or other rags and glue cover the skull completely.  This will allow the papier mache to take the shape of the skull since it will not stick to foil.  The foil keeps the papier mache from sticking to the skull.  Allow the glue to dry completely before continuing to the next step

Papier Mache Madness!  Dip your strips of newspaper into the paste mixture making sure they are well coated.   Stick them on the skull, overlapping each strip with the next until the skull is completely covered.  Make sure to leave a hole in the bottom that is big enough to put your hand in.  Also be sure to include details that you wish to paint- teeth, eyes.  As you can see, this can get really messy, put a paper plate under your skull to catch any paste that drips off of your skull.  I also used a half-full (OPTIMIST!!) water bottle to prop it up.

After covering the skull completely, brush with more paste and press out any bubbles to smooth out the appearance as much as possible.  I used one of those $.50 foam brushes because this stuff will ruin your good brushes.  Let this dry over night or more!  If you layered it on thick, it may take a day and a half or so.

A VERY IMPORTANT STEP BEFORE MOVING ON:  
After the papir mache is dry, use an exacto blade and cut a slit in the back of the skull that runs down the middle to the base of the skull.  This allows you to remove the styrofoam skull that you used as a base shape.  Close the slit by mending with fresh papier mache strips and allow to dry over night if necessary.

Get painting!

Half way through- this is a pained smile.  "I'M SO TIRED OF THIS SKULL!"

I thought a black & white one would be interesting, and it is.

The detail on the back.  I allowed them to dry over night and then covered them with a gloss or a laquer for that extra sheen.  I love this project and even though it took 3 days total, I'd do it again!

Happy Halloween!