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I know Halloween’s over now, but when I received Anna’s email I couldn’t resist posting her mask. This would be a great school project, at any time of year. Here’s how Anna describes this project:
Hi Jonni,
I hope I’m not too late to add some things into the halloween mask party.This year, my daughter asked to be an Einstein Bobblehead like in Night at the Museum 2…sooo
I started with a frame of plastic canvas to give me a space to put her head.
Then I used crumpled lumps of newspaper to get the basic shapes and did a layer of regular paper mache. Then, for the first time I tried the homemade paper mache clay recipe…and I’m definitely a fan! Helped me smooth out some features and build up the mustache.
Even though I did paper mache the head did get a little too heavy for my original plan of mounting it on a helmet so I ended up mounting it on a back pack and it actually bobbled!
I don’t know what I’m going to do with my giant Einstein head now that Halloween is over but I had a great time making it and I think it came out really well. Thanks for the clay recipe!
Anna Foster
Jonni, your site is INCREDIBLE. I am so excited to begin a paper mache project, and to use all the useful tips and advice you’ve so generously posted here.
I do have a question, that I think this post brings up nicely! I am going to make a paper mache kettle, and like the bobblehead here, my kettle will have a hollow space inside. Is it necessary to seal the inside of a hollow object, even if it’ll never be visible, to prevent mold? Do you have any tips on the best way to do this? (Is there a spray sealer that might do well for this?)
Thank you!!
Hi Lucy. If you live in a humid climate, I would recommend using a varnish on all exposed paper mache, even the inside of your kettle. I don’t use spray cans very often, but I do have several cans of Krylon Clear around the house, and it words just fine. It dries really fast, but it doesn’t smell very good when you’re using it, so you might want to do it outside.
I think you did a wonderful job on Einstien. Don’t worry about being late. Just think about it being early for next year’
Grampa Pete
What a beautiful project and one that could be educational as well. Do you have any children’s museums near you? That looks like a project to make a life size version of your Einstein mask. Something that size will eat up a lot of space in the house.