Share on PinterestShare on FacebookShare on PocketShare on Email

Downloadable PDF

Alligator Mask Pattern

For Paper Mache

$12

This alligator mask is fun to make, but all those sharp teeth are scary!

Yes, his big toothy grin looks real enough to make people jump, but don’t worry – he won’t really bite you. The teeth are just triangles cut out of cereal box cardboard. 🙂

And you can paint it just as fierce (or funny) as you want.

No sculpting skills are needed… You just need a love of gators, and a good sense of fun.

And if you don’t want to wear the alligator to a party, you can use the pattern to make a very unique wall sculpture, instead.

How to make your alligator mask (or wall sculpture) with this pattern:

Print the pattern and put it on cereal box cardboard. Then cut out the pieces.

Tape the pieces together, following the instructions included with the pattern, and the videos below. Then add a few details with crumpled foil and hot glue, and give him lots of teeth cut out of cardboard.

Add paper mache. You can use newspaper or brown paper from amazon boxes. Add bumps and ridges with hot glue, if you want, and cover them with another layer of paper-towel mache. Bumps are optional. 🙂

Bring your alligator to life with acrylic paint. I made realistic alligator eyes with paint and a fine-tip Sharpie, and then covered the eyes and teeth with fingernail polish to make them shine.

Finished size –

About 16.5 inches (41.91 cm) deep, 8 inches (20.32 cm) wide and 7.5 inches (19.05 cm) high.

It will fit an adult head, but the size can be changed by following the instructions on page 17 of the downloadable PDF pattern.

My downloadable PDF Patterns come with full instructions.

There’s no waiting for your pattern to arrive, and no shipping costs, so you can start on your project right away.

Note: If you’ll be saving your pattern to and iPhone or iPad, those devices like to hide your downloaded files. You can scroll down this page to see how to find them.

And remember – if you have any problems downloading your files or putting your pattern together, just let me know. I’m always happy to help.  🙂

$12

Watch these videos to see how to use the pattern to make an alligator mask:

In this video you can see how to tape all the pattern pieces together for the alligator mask. The pieces are fairly large, so it goes together pretty fast.

In this video, you can see how to use foil to add some definition to his eyes and make them more realistic, and four rows of bumps on the top of his head. You’ll also add crumpled foil around his gums, on the inside of the mask. The foil makes the mask stronger, and it gives you a nice flat area for all those scary teeth. The alligator’s teeth are cut out of a scrap of cereal box cardboard, and you’ll glue them to the inside of his gums. (Did you know alligators don’t have lips? 🙂 )

In this video, you can see how I added one layer of paper mache, using the free brown paper that comes crumpled up in amazon.com boxes. Newspaper works just as good, if you have some. After the first layer of paper mache was dry, I used my hot glue gun to add a bunch of lizard-like bumps and ridges, and then covered the alligator mask again with a layer of paper-towel mache. If you don’t add the bumps with hot glue, you won’t need the second layer of paper mache, either.

In this video, you can see how I painted my new alligator mask. I thought it would go faster if I used a stone-textured spray paint, but I bought the wrong one. I had to soften up the tiny white spots with an additional glaze – but it didn’t take long. It was fun using the fine-tip Sharpie to make the black crackle lines in his eyes. And a coat or two of fingernail polish made both the eyes and the teeth shine in the light. Even though I didn’t spend much time on it, I think it turned out really nice.

To make your new alligator mask, you’ll need:

• The Pattern
• Access to a Printer
• Copy paper or full-sheet labels (I always use the labels)
• Glue stick if using copy paper instead of the labels
• Cardboard from 4 standard-sized cereal boxes or 8 letter-sized sheets of light chipboard.*
• If you’re making a wall sculpture instead of a mask, you’ll also need a small scrap of corrugated cardboard.
• Sharp scissors for cutting cereal box cardboard, and a box cutter if you’re using the corrugated cardboard.
• Clear plastic tape and masking tape Note: Don’t use disappearing gift wrap tape – it isn’t strong enough.
• Aluminum foil
• One 1.2″ (3 cm) foam ball for the eyes
• Glue gun
• Paper strips and paste (Find recipes here)
• A few paper towels for the final layer of paper mache (optional)
• Acrylic paint and varnish
• Shoelaces or elastic straps to hold the mask in place

*If purchasing cardboard in place of the cereal boxes, it will be sold as “light chipboard.” Medium or
heavy chipboard is too stiff to bend well.

$12

When you finish your alligator mask…

We would love to see how it turns out, so please come back to the Daily Sculptors page and upload some photos. 🙂

Do you have a question or need help with your pattern?

There are two ways to contact me: The fastest way to get an answer is to leave a comment below. I read all comments and answer them as soon as I can, usually within a few hours. One of my readers might also have an idea for you – we have a very supportive community here on this site.

If you prefer to reach me privately, you can send me an email.

I get a ton of spam and I don’t want your email to get lost, so please put “paper mache” in the subject line so your email won’t be accidentally deleted. If you don’t hear back from me within 24 hours, assume the cyberspace gremlins ate your email, and try again.