Discovering Creativity with Crafts 

Materials

• Plaster cast material cut into strips, 2" long by 3/4" wide, about 45 strips total
  Bowl of water
  Paper towels and/or rags
  Petroleum jelly
  Straw
  Acrylic paints and brushes
  String

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Directions:

Prepare your work area by covering the table with newspaper. Lay out your casting strips and bowl of water. Have rags on hand to wipe your hands.
Make sure your child is dressed in old clothing. Pull your child’s hair away from the face and secure with clips or pins. Put a towel around your child’s neck to catch any drops of plaster. Next, cover his/her face thoroughly and liberally with petroleum jelly, especially on eyelashes and eyebrows.
To make the mask, dip a strip of plaster in the water. Squeeze out excess water and place on your child’s jawbone, being careful not to go beyond the boundaries of the petroleum jelly. Continue with the strips clockwise without covering the eyes, nose or mouth, smoothing the strips to a smooth finish. Repeat a second and third time. At this point, depending on how comfortable your child is (this process goes by very quickly but may be a little frightening at this stage), cover the eyes with three layers of strips. To finish, place a straw in your child’s mouth and have him/her get used to breathing through it. Place three layers around the mouth, and then finally, the nose. Have your child start to wiggle his/her face immediately after the last layer is laid by scrunching his/her nose up and down. The mask will loosen off of his/her face and you can then work to loosen the edges off with your fingers. Wipe your child’s face with a towel and have him/her wash it with a quality facial soap.
Let the mask dry for a day. Once hard, but before thoroughly dry, poke holes evenly on the side of the mask for hanging. On the following day paint the mask using acrylic craft paints. Thread the string through the holes and knot it on both ends. Your mask is now ready for hanging!

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Spike Dolomite is the owner and operator of "Mama Spikeala's" Art School for children.
(818)342-1473