Make a halloween mask - advice?

so I want to make a big mask for halloween, it will be a sort of large bobble head type deal to cover my whole head.





problem is i'm a bit unsure of the best way to do it? i was thinking of getting a block (or blocks) of oasis foam or even polystyrene, then carving this to the desired head shape and finally covering in paper mache and painting.





Does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations with this? I'm sure there is a better way, i just don't know it.Make a halloween mask - advice?
why not just buy a huge ballon blow it up and paper mache it then cut into it kind of like a pinata.Make a halloween mask - advice?
The giant balloon idea is a perfect solution for many reasons. It is relatively cheap and easy to buy. The other more important thing is, once the layers of paper machier have dried, it will still be relatively lightweight and easy to construct.


To construct it you will need: a huge balloon, a lot of newspaper, cut into palm of your hand sized pieces (tearing the page into several smaller pieces works really well as the finished edges will not be seen once the project is dried) a mixture of plain flour and water, making sure there are no lumps... it will need to be the consistency of batter or pancake mixture, then add about a hand-full of salt to prevent the mixture from decaying.


Paint the balloon all over with the flour/water/salt solution, being careful to hold onto the part where you blow it up so that you have a place to tie some string to hang it to dry.Then smooth on the newspaper, one piece at a time, ensuring that it sits really flat, and then add another layer of glue mixture and another layer of newspaper until you have covered the whole balloon - allow this layer to dry thoroughly...then repeat the process until the layers are thick enough for your purpose (about ten layers ought to do it) - hang the balloon up by the knotted closure with a piece of string to somewhere like a washing line in between dryings.


Once dry, take the closure part and pop the balloon with a pin, making very sure to hold onto the closure so you can pull the balloon out of your new mold. Cut the shapes out you need to make it big enough to put over your head using a craft knife or blade. Paint as desired.


I hope that you can follow these instructions!!