David Knezz Mask Maker
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MATERIALS
Brown paper bags – The kind you get at the supermarket. It’s best product for a super strong and durable paper-mache. You need to break up the fibers a bit, however. This is done by crumpling up large pieces over and over until the paper is very soft, like a Kleenex almost. Boring? Time consuming? Can’t I buy something that is just as good, you say? Sorry, there are no shortcuts
After the paper bag (or sack, if you're from England) is soft, rip it into small squares, approx. 1”. It actually works best to rip and not cut the pieces as the fibers that remain on the ripped edge add to the tensile strength of the finished mask.
Carpenter’s wood glue – Again
the most durable choice. It tends to be too
thick right out of the bottle so I usually
add a little water, very little. 3/4 glue to
1/4 water is enough.
You first need to coat your sculpture with a good release agent to
prevent the paper-mache from sticking to the clay when you remove it.
I recommend good old petroleum jelly applied with a small paint brush.
Be sure to cover all of your sculpture especially the grooves and crevices.
Before we apply the paper-mache, it’s
best to put a coating of paper towel dipped
in water on the sculpture to assist in the
release. Apply it the same way you would the
paper-mache, by ripping small pieces, dipping
in some water and applying onto your sculpture.
To get into the grooves and crevices push the
paper towel pieces with a small paint brush.
Don’t wait for this coat to dry.
Proceed with your 1st coat of paper-mache. Dip the small pieces of bag in the glue mixture and apply directly on the sculpture, making sure to overlap the torn edges. Again, push paper into grooves and crevices with a moist paint brush to retain the lines in your sculpture.
Allow to dry. A small fan will speed up your drying time.
Apply 2 more
coats of paper-mache for a total of 3. Allow
the outside to dry thoroughly to a hard shell.
The next day trim away the excess paper from
the edges with a mat knife.
Flip over and carefully
remove the clay with a wire sculpting tool.
If the mask is still too difficult to lift
off, the easiest way to get it to come off easily is to heat it.
I stick it in an oven heated to only 150 degrees
for about 10 minutes. The clay will soften
and you will easily be able to lift the mask off the sculpture. The
mask itself will soften slightly from the heat but will retain its
shape and strength. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes and it will
harden again quickly.
Wipe off any petroleum jelly residue and let inside dry.
Trim the shape with a scissors
and the eye and nose holes with a Dremel tool
or mat knife.
Hot glue the strap to the sides of mask at
a point even with the top of the eye holes.
I hot glue little pieces of foam to the inside
to ensure a comfortable fit.
Sand smooth and apply a coat of gesso before painting.