Spooky Skulls on the cheap

It’s that time of year again; time for all things spooky and ghoulish! In honor of the scariest month of the year I have decided to share my technique for creating several Skulls from just one. Here is a list of supplies you will need.

Plastic skull (I get mine at a dollar store)

Aluminum foil

Masking tape

News paper or old phone book

PVA glue (school glue)

Water

Craft Knife

Cotton balls

Silicone caulk (I get mine at Wal-Mart for 2 dollars)

An old paint brush

Acrylic paints

Paper pulp

Recipe for paper pulp: soak torn pieces of newspaper in hot water. Let stand for 30 minutes to an hour. Add wet paper to a blender and pulse until it takes on a consistency of oatmeal. Squeeze out excess water then Add pva glue and dry wall compound (joint compound). Measurements depends on amount of paper used, Mix well. 

Step one:  tear off a piece of foil large enough to cover your skull. Begin by gently pushing the foil into any recessed areas of the skull completely covers the skull. 

Step two: cover the foiled skull with masking tape. Be sure to get every nook and cranny covered. 

Step three: mix you papier-mâché mix (a 50/50 mix of water and pva glue) add a layer of papier-mâché on the skull. Let dry and repeat three more times. 

Step four: use your craft knife to cut around the skull (essentially in half)  I can’t stress this enough, GENTLY remove the plastic skull. 

Step five: use masking tape to join the two skull halves together. Add two more layers of papier-mâché and let dry.

Step six: spread paper pulp all over the skull creating details like teeth, brows, eyes or whatever your heart desires. 

Step seven: squeeze out a small amount of silicone caulk on a disposable plate; using an old brush add the caulk and the cotton balls to the skull.  This makes a nice rotting skin look.

Step eight: paint your rotting skull with acrylic paints or use a gel wood stain (pictured here)

And you’re done! You can now make several skulls that cost next to nothing to make. 

Welcome October

The leaves are changing and crisp cold mornings are upon us. Welcome October! I welcome the apple crisps and pumpkin spice the warm knit blankets that feel so nice; Welcome October!

I have been busy creating some spooky Pumpkins to sell at the Great Pumpkin Festival here in my town of Putnam CT. I will also have some available in my Etsy shop www.Claraism.etsy.com. I also accept custom orders, so feel free to email me with a request. 

Please note that these pumpkins maybe similar to one another but none are exactly alike. They are one of kind pieces. They are made to order and require one to two weeks from creation to shipping. 

They are made using traditional paper Mache techniques with paper pulp added for strength as well as a layer of dry lock for protection, then hand painted. These pumpkins are designed to be used with LED candles or flame-less candles. (After all they are made of paper)

Let me know what you think of them.