Dragon Head Pattern
For Paper Mache
$12
Make this Dragon Head sculpture for your home, or for a very special gift.
No sculpting experience is required – the pattern creates all the shapes for you. You decide how your dragon’s horns will look, how many spikes he needs, and what colors to paint him.
Every dragon made from this pattern will be an original work of art, so no matter how you decide to finish it, you can proudly say, “I made it myself!”
How to Make Your Dragon With This Pattern:
Print the dragon pattern, stick it to cereal box cardboard, and cut out the pieces.
Tape the pieces together, and then add foil details and foam eyes.
Add paper strips and paste or paper mache clay. Add scales with DIY air dry clay, like I did, if you want.
Paint him with your favorite dragon colors, and he’s done. Scroll down below to see some of the amazing dragons that have been made with this pattern.
NOTE: This pattern creates a wall sculpture. For a dragon mask, click here.
When building your dragon head, be sure to read the full instructions that come with the pattern, and refer back to the helpful videos on this page. The pattern comes with many screen shots, including every piece, with full instructions.
Finished size: About 14.5 inches (36.83 cm) high, 9 inches (22.86 cm) wide and 13.5 inches (34.29 cm) deep – but the finished size depends on how big or long you make the horns.
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 the videos below to see how to make your dragon.
All the instructions, with many screen shots, are also included with the downloadable pattern. However, you may prefer to watch the videos to see how the pattern pieces go together. Then scroll down to see a list of tools and materials you’ll need to make your dragon.
Taping the Dragon’s Head Pieces Together:
Taping the Dragon’s Neck Pieces Together:
Creating the Horns and Spikes:
Adding Paper Mache to Your Dragon:
I used paper strips and paste for the first coat on my dragon. Then I got a little carried away with the scales, as you’ll see in the video after this one. You could use paper mache clay instead of paper strips and paste, if you want to. You’ll find recipes for paste and paper mache in the ‘recipes’ tab at the top of this site.
Making Scales with DIY Air Dry Clay (Optional):
Painting Your Dragon:
I used white and gold for my dragon, but with these creatures, any color is perfect!
To make this paper mache Dragon Head sculpture you will need:
- Access to a printer
- Copy paper or full-sheet labels
- Glue stick if using copy paper for pattern
- Cardboard from 6 standard-sized cereal boxes if you use the ram’s horn pattern, or 5 cereal boxes if you make horns with crumpled foil.
- Piece of corrugated cardboard from the side of a shipping box
- Knife and sharp scissors for cutting cardboard
- Tape, both clear plastic tape and masking tape. Note: Don’t use disappearing gift wrap tape – it isn’t strong enough.
- 1 1/4” Styrofoam ball, cut in half
- Aluminum foil
- Glue gun
- Paper strips and paste, or Paper Mache Clay to cover the head. You can also use the Silky Smooth Air Dry Clay to make scales, as seen in the video above.*
- Acrylic gesso or latex primer
- Acrylic paint and matte varnish
*You can find recipes for paper mache paste, Paper Mache Clay and Silky Smooth Air Dry Clay by clicking on the Recipes tab at the top of this site.
$12
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 chime in to help – 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. 🙂
When you finish your dragon…
We would really love to see how it comes out. Please visit the Daily Sculptors page and upload some photos – and tell us about your dragon, too.
Would it work to make the head bigger if you scale the patter size up before printing it out?
Yes – as long as each of the pattern pages are scaled up by the same percentage, the pieces will still fit together. Have fun with it! 🙂
I love this – your patterns are so accessible, to help people make amazing level masks.
Do you think we might adapt one of your patterns to make something like this ?
http://www.keepdrawingcharlie.com/dragon-puppets
Her dragon puppets are amazing – and i think once i had the head shape, i could work out the rest
Hi Tom – that puppet really is amazing. You might be able to come close with the dragon pattern, if you printed it larger and covered it with fur. The open-mouthed hyena might work, too. Several people have used fur over the wolf and lion patterns, but I’ve never done it myself and I don’t know how they cut out the fabric or glue it on. If you make one, I hope you’ll come back and show it off on the Daily Sculptors page – we’d love to see how it comes out. 🙂
So glad I found this post. I am making a dragon puppet, and I’m hoping I can use either your mask or wall mounted dragon because other patterns just do not compare at all. <3
Have fun making your puppet! If you need to change the size of one of the patterns to fit your puppet’s size, watch this video.
Can this be made into a puppet ty
Hi Katie. I don’t make puppets myself, so I don’t know if it would work or not. You can make it smaller by printing it at less than 100%, but the cap portion would probably have to be changed. And the jaw doesn’t open. Tinkering and experimentation would be required.
Wait – I was thinking about the dragon mask, not the dragon head. This pattern would be easier to use as a puppet because it has a neck and an open mouth, but it would still take a lot of tinkering to get the jaw to move up and down.
I tried purchasing dragon.My credit cards is perfect yet you declined it.what am i doing wrong ty
Hi Katie. I see that you did start the order, but I can’t see that it actually went through. I don’t think it was a problem with the card, although I can’t be sure – the finance part is all handled by Stripe, a secure payment processor, and it doesn’t look they received anything from your email address. If you try again and it still doesn’t work, contact me privately and I’ll see if I can find out what went wrong.
I just wanted to share a tip on how to “mold” the cardboard to get the roundness that some pieces require. Instead of using my fingers -which were getting a little cramped- to soften the cardboard, I found that a pestle from a mortar and pestle works really well to help bend the cardboard without creasing it. I put the cardboard piece on a firm surface that has a bit of give to it, like a pliable foam used in packing. You just rub it over the cardboard gently at first then apply more pressure until it starts to curl.
A really big marker or anything rigid that has a rounded bottom (or top) about the size of a thumb should work. I have a photo, but I don’t see a way to upload it here.
Hope this helps.
The dragon, he is Bellissimo! I love the video too. I found myself nodding about everything you said. When you were showing some of the iguana, frog, etc. colors, I did think they were gorgeous, but might not fit with your decor. That Chinese water dragon would be a great choice, but I can’t wait to see whatever you do.. So, in summation, beautiful dragon, terrific video and you really are pretty in pink.
Thanks, Mister Shelbot. You’re so kind. 🙂
Hi Jonni,
In quickly reading this I have a question. Can this be worn in any way as a MASK over one’s face? I am going to sew a dragon costume for my 10 year old granddaughter this Halloween and well… it could be perfect as a surprise mask.
Thanks,
Hi Pippa. This pattern was made for a wall sculpture, and I don’t know if it could be made into a mask. When I make patterns specifically for a mask, I make the original sculpture right over a mannequin so the eyes will be in the right place and the mask will be comfortable to wear. This guy has his eyes on the side of his head, so you can’t see out. Maybe someone could alter it so they could see out of the mouth, but it would take a lot of fiddling I can’t guarantee it would work. A dragon mask is a good idea, though. 🙂