Paper

Work in progress — as you can see, this page is still under development.

Petroleum Jelly

Now that your clay model is ready you'll want to prepare it for paper mache. The first step is to apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly over the surface of the mask. There is no easy way to do this dirty work.

Take small dabs of the grease and place them all around the mask. Smooth it all out with your finger so there is an even layer in every nook and cranny. Extend the layer of vaseline down and along the board a few centimeters.

The Glue Mix

This is not rocket science. I always eyeball these proportions. PVA glue is essentially plastic and its role is to bind the paper to itself. The problem is that it is flexible. If you only use glue and water in the mix the masks will deform in the heat and sweat of the stage. So use a bit of wood filler or stucco in the mix as a stiffener.

• 2 Part Water
• 1 Part PVA Glue
• A bit of Stucco or water-based wood filler

The mix should be about the consistency of whole milk or cream. I mix a big batch in a one liter water bottle. Mix it by shaking it and pour it into a shallow dish as you need it.

Seven Paper Layers

Seven layers of paper is stable but not too thick — just about perfect. The first layer of paper is only dipped in water. This way it acts as a mold release with no glue mix added to it. Dampen your paper pretty well and cover the surface of the form. You don't want to overlap too much here, or leave gaps. Go for a mosaic of postage-stamp sized pieces of paper.

Work carefully to make sure there are no bubbles between your form and the paper layer. Immediately after it's done, put a layer of paper down dipped in glue mix with an overlap of about a centimeter. After the regular layer is done you can pause this process at any time.

At this point, you can leave the mold and paper exposed to air. It should not be a problem overnight, but leave it too long and the clay will shrink and deform the paper mache surface.

After three regular layers of paper dipped in glue mix, paint the entire surface of the mask with a layer of pure PVA glue.

Water Layer
Regular Layer
Regular Layer
Regular Layer
Glue Only
Regular Layer
Regular Layer
Regular Layer

What layer am I on?

There are a few ways to count layers. The best way is to stay consistent and pay attention to what area you've already covered. But that's not always easy to do.

A clever method that takes a little prep is to use black matte spray paint on a few of the sheets of paper. Alternate black and brown paper to keep track of the layers. Color the paper in any way you want. Another method is to let the paper mache dry each layer and to draw lines all over it.

Whatever method I use, I like to make a little tally on the board to let me know exactly what layer I'm on:

___
|||
~~~
|||

Let it dry for a full two days.

It's ready to pull off the mold when it makes a hollow sound when tapped. Cut it off the board and carefully remove it from the clay form and let it dry a bit more before trimming the edge — head over to Finish for that part.