Papier Macheniacs: The Grim Reaper

Whoa! I've been gone for 4 months?! That is so unlike me! I bet some of you thought I'd died or something!

And THAT, folks, is my train wreck of a segue to our latest Papier Macheniacs project: THE GRIM REAPER!

Handsome devil, ain't he? Who would've thought that this vile face was once a pretty little China doll mask?

We just love disfiguring the pretty little China doll mask. It's like a sport to us.

So we hacked away at the doll face's perfectly flawless chin without an ounce of remorse. Then, we proceeded to add abomination-like details. Rope for eyes, thick board for craggy teeth, and --oooh!-- more cardboard for that disturbingly skewed, hanging jaw.

Then, of course, we even things out by slathering the monstrosity with paper mache. For those who have just tuned in, that's a tissue-glue-water combo AND the very foundation of Papier Macheniacs' existence. Oh, look-- you can hardly see perfect little China doll mask in there now. Hello? Where are yooouuu?

Aaand,,, BOO!
Nothing like a spot of paint to bring out the color of its eyes, huh?
Okay, one tiny bit. If you're painting with your kid (provided creepy skull masks don't creep the heck out of him) and he accidentally spills over the lines, or if his strokes are a little too scraggly for Van Gogh --calm down. This is the Grim Reaper we're making! Believe me, this guy isn't the kind who'd drop by a salon before having a good time.

Now grab a black cloak and you or your kid is ready to go!
Oh, wait --Did you see the tiny add-ons we threw in there, too? THE SCYTHE Never leave home without it. This weapon of destruction we paper mache'd used to be a roll of cartolina. The blade is plain box carton.
Another add-on: SKELETON HANDS! These we made with surgical gloves. Surgical gloves have that bony color to it that makes it perfect for this project. For authenticity, we lined joints with a thick, black marker.

There you go! Now go ahead and scare people! When you own a Grim Reaper mask... everyday is Halloween!

Papier Macheniacs: Something Original from 2D to 3D!

My boy came up with an original character for his comic blog. And I (being the awesome mom I am --haha!) decided to surprise the creative spawn with some paper mache goodness!

TA-DAH!
This is a mask and a top hat for Miro's self-designed character, The Storyteller. And they're both made out of paper, cardboard, glue, and... love.
(Oooohkaaay... that was way too cheesy even for this blog. Moving on!)

As usual, we went with our favorite basic tool for mask-making: The Unassuming Paper Plate. Just a little cut here, a little sculpt there, and we got a semblance of a face. A creepy one at that.

Slathering on the tissue paper and PVC glue happiness! This, by far, is my favorite part of the process.

And I think I may have said that fact a gazillion times. Hehe...

And then, paint! By this time, I got the boy in on the supposed surprise since I don't want to make any mistakes with the colors. You know these young artists and their OC-ness. Sheesh.

And then the top hat came in.

Followed by these interesting embellishments. A flower made out of strips of cardboard and a Pringles cap!

Paper bag vines reaching to the stars.

I think the top hat deserves a Before-and-After, so here it is! Miro did the flower's smiley face himself. I mean, he would know how yo do it than I would, right? :P

Okay, now that we're done creating 3D reality out of a 2D design --what do we do next? COSPLAY, OF COURSE! Believe me, he has a big smile underneath that mask, too. :P

If your kid has a knack for drawing original designs, give them the surprise of a lifetime by paper macheing that baby into reality. He or she will love you loads for it. And for that, we tip our hat to you. :)

Papier Macheniacs: AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

The coolest pirate this side of the animatronic world gets a paper make-over, thanks to us Papier Macheniacs!

I'm not gonna mince words. This project was a tough one. But with available materials around, and the impeccable drive my kids have, we made our very own Five Nights At Freddy's FOXY THE PIRATE in just a month! Yes… a month. Trial and error left and right. *sigh*

The biggest hurdle was figuring out the foundation for the mask. After trying out a balloon, a pre-made mask, and some clay, we ended up with out comfort zone --the old reliable paper plate. Lots of paper plates. The muzzle alone --the most difficult to shape-- took three paper plates.

The flippy fur on the sides of his face were also paper plates.

The ears, though, were Pringles plastic lids. Heee… I'm pretty proud of that little stab at resourcefulness there. :P

Lots of squeezing time needed because this Foxy mask is huge. It can easily snap out of form if you don't clamp it to permanent shape. This happens during the first layer of the paper mache process, by the way. The glue holds the form. That and some Gatorade bottles.

Before we knew it, THE FOX IS HOME!

BOO-YEAH! PAINTED!
Our mask has three parts: The main head, the jaw, and the hand hook. The hook is made out of a Pringles container and a clothes hanger.

The jaw is then attached to the main head using a couple of folder fasteners.

Whew! Best project we've done to date! Foxy, you killed us… but it was so worth it. Now, go grab them scallywags and drag 'em to the Pirate's Cove. Aaaarggghh!