Project 1: Ancient Mask

The result of this project is an ancient-looking, foil-covered mask that your kids can wear or pretend they just dug up in an archeology dig! This project may take a few hours, and if desired, can be spanned over a couple days.

This ancient mask project will use the following items:

• foil
• paper (a couple regular sheets of computer paper)
  
• cardboard (or cereal box - but will take more layers)
  
• glue
• string
• scissors (child and adult types)
• paint brush or q-tips
  
• paint or makeup or dirt
  

Instructions

1. Please read through all the instructions before beginning the project. I will identify which steps you (the adult) will need to do yourself since they involve items not suitable for all ages of children. All other steps are directed toward your kids.
   
2. Fold a piece of paper in half by bringing the top down to the bottom. Turn the folded paper so that the fold is on either the right or left.
   
3. On one half of the folded paper, draw the outline of one half of a mask. Make sure your beginning and ending lines go all the way to the folded edge. Try to draw it big enough to cover 1/2 of your face. Having trouble with the shape of your mask? Try starting with the eye mask template from familycrafts.about.com and elaborating from there!
4. Using child-safe scissors, cut out the shape you just drew, and make sure to keep the piece of paper folded so that you cut out both sides of the mask.
   
5. Find a piece of cardboard large enough to cover the mask shape you just cutout.
6. Place the cutout mask shape onto the cardboard. Trace around the cutout so that the mask shape is drawn on the cardboard.
7. (Step for adults) Cut the mask shape out of the cardboard (use "big kid" scissors).
   
8. Hold up the cardboard mask to your face so you can find where the eye holes should go.
9. (Step for adults) Once you determine where to cut for the eye holes, use your big-kid scissors to cut the holes out. These holes can be as big or little as your child wants, just know that holes larger than a quarter may not work as well for the following steps.
10. (Step for adults) You'll also want to cut a small hole on both the right and left sides of the mask for the string to go through later on. The string will hold the mask in place on your child's face.
    
11. Now you have the base for your mask! We will next cut out additional cardboard shapes to glue on top of the mask.
12. Using the same technique for the base of the mask, fold a piece of paper (doesn't have to be a full sheet) in half. Draw a shape using the same technique in Step 3. Cut out the shape (be sure to keep the paper folded when cutting). Place the paper onto another piece cardboard (leftover cardboard can be used, depending on needed size), trace around the paper shape so that the shape is drawn onto the cardboard. For adults: Cut out the cardboard piece using bid-kid scissors.
13. Now its time to glue the cardboard piece to the mask base. Use whatever glue you have - as long as it sticks and stays! Some types of glue take a little bit of time to properly dry and set. The image below shows the mask base in black outline and the cardboard pieces (purple outline) glued on top of the base. The black ovals are the cutout eye holes from Step 9.
14. Try to keep the eye holes uncovered by the glued layers of cardboard - this is why you don't want large eye holes. Continue creating cardboard pieces and gluing them on the mask. Try to build up cardboard pieces on top of each other (about 3-4 layers, including the base).
15. Once you've glued all your cardboard pieces to the mask, it's time to decorate!
16. For the ancient metal look, we will be covering the mask in foil and then creating an antique look.
17. Get a sheet of tin foil that can cover the front of the mask (your choice if you want to cover the back of the mask).
18. Gently lay the foil across the entire mask. You will ultimately want the foil to take the shape of the mask and all its glued layers.
19. Start with the middle of the mask - use your fingers to carefully create the shape of the glued cardboard layers through the foil.
    
20. Work your way around the eye holes by making a small hole in the foil with a pencil where the eye hole is and slowly folding the foil under the eye hole so that the foil is wrapped around to the back side of the mask.
21. The same process goes for any outer edges of the mask - make a small cut and slowly fold the foil around the outer shape so that the foil wraps around to the back side of the mask.
22. Now to make it look ancient! Many products will work for this step, and just be sure to use products that are skin safe and don't have strong odors after drying (like a Sharpie marker). I recommend using darker earthy shades (brown, black) of something or actual paint (non-toxic please!). This is where you'll get creative. The next steps detail what to do for different materials.
23. Creating the antique look isn't the big part of the project - it's just an added touch. If you will be playing while wearing the mask, you may want to skip the antiquing part altogether.
24. You'll want to start small with whatever product you use. The goal is to rub or brush on the product with a brush or q-tip around the edges of the cardboard layers (now covered in foil). We basically want to make it look dirty. Like it's a fresh discovery from an archeology site!
25. If using paint, I recommend using very little water. You probably don't want a lot of water getting in a crease of the foil and soaking into the cardboard. Therefore, use a dry brush method, where you get a small amount of water on the brush, squeeze out the water from the bristles, get a little paint on the brush, and paint onto the foil. Work the paint into the areas of the mask where there are lines from the layers.
26. I've haven't had much luck with eye shadow - it just doesn't stick to the foil. But see if eyeliner works.
    
27. Got some dark nail polish? Just make sure the smell of dried nail polish doesn't bother your little one. Just brush it on, and let it completely dry.
    
28. If you really want to get dirty, use actual dirt! Just be gentle because the foil isn't terribly strong and will tear if handled too roughly. You'll probably need a little bit of water.
29. I've found that even after some materials dry on the foil, they will still rub off. That's the nature of foil!
    
30. Once you are done creating the antique look, cut two pieces of string. Attach one piece to the right side of the mask (where you made the hole back in step 9). Do the same for the left side. Now you have two pieces that you can tie in a bow around your head.
31. You're done!
    
32. If you can use this project to make colorful masks like Mardi Gras masks. Please comment with any ideas or steps/items that did not work for you. Likewise, comment about any different materials you used! Thanks!

I also like:

• kaboose.com's instructions for making animal masks out of a paper plate.
• artistshelpingchildren.org - gives ideas for African masks, alien masks, and many different animal masks.