DYI Paper Maché Tiki Head Decoration

In preparation for our Luau themed prom, I wanted to make a giant Tiki mask. Tiki masks have been carved out of wood since ancient Polynesia . While there may have originally been some connection with diety, since the 190's and '40's, these masks have been associated with tiki culture in movies and restaurants with themes inspired by South Pacific. 

I started the project with a seven foot piece of cardboard and drew a face on top using chalk. I drew inspiration on a wooden mask I bought at market in Tonga.  Then I took a bunch or large pieces of foam that had been used in packing some sort of appliance. (I didn't ask when the procurement person for our school dropped it off for me to make something with.  I used a box cutter to cut out the parts of a face, which I then hot glued to the surface, on top of the chalk lines. Other than a few bucks I spent in the laundry aile at 

Then came the tricky part of papier maché. I taught students how to tear newspaper top-to-bottom (with the grain) in 3 inch strips. My technique is to hold the end with my right thumb and pointer finger and lower it close to the surface of liquid starch in a bowl. Then I take two left fingers (pointer and middle fingers) to push the strip just below the surface, while raising the pinched end, allowing the entire surface (except for the tip) to be drudged through the liquid. Then I take the 2 fingers that had gotten wet, and use them like scissors to squeegie both sides of the strip, from top to bottom, dripping the access into the bowl.  Everyone wants to use their thumb and finger to do this because it feels naturally, but five or six attempts to evenly distribute the liquid and squeegie excess, don't work as effectively as one time with the two long fingers, gently squeezing downward. Sounds fussy, but you want to be efficient when making  something this size, and you want to use good craftsmanship no matter what size.

The foam was shiny and slick, which made it hard for the wet newspaper to stick to. We did the best we could and when it dried, I tucked some edges and corners to the foam and board with a hot glue gun, before adding more layers of maché.

Students painted the entire head with brown paint, and once it dried I added highlights with (mixing the underpainting brown with white) and shadows (mixing the brown with black). This made it feel a lot more dimensional and woodlike than the molded chocolate painted version. I think my students learned some good skills by helping me with this project, and I hope they get some good pictures at the upcoming dance, as well.