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Make an African Mask/Shield

(Our finished mask was about 2 1/2 feet tall).  There are eye holes so the kids can see (they can only see through one hole at a time) and it's a perfect size for protecting your body from the razor sharp claws of Sera our housecat.  You can also Make a Spear (the tip is styrofoam!) for your mighty hunters.


Behind the mask is a 
3 yr old in a ballerina
outfit *grin*

Check out 
Sherri's grandson's 
version in our 
fan art section!

This was a very exciting project for both of the girls.  Since my children are young (ages 3 and 7), I allowed them to freely create their own design for the mask (I don't think most African masks have big smiley mouths, but my 3 yr old insisted we make it look less scary).  

If you are crafting with older children, have them examine some African masks on-line before they create their design.  One resource I found to do this was at http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~bcr/African_Mask_Portraits.html.

Materials:

bulletcorrugated cardboard (old cardboard box)
bulletscissors (good strong ones!), case cutter or exacto knife
bulletbrown paint (poster/tempra paint)
bulletdecorator color of paint (we used white, but any color would work)
bulletraffia, string or wool
bulletOPTIONAL:  Paper Mache -- visit "How to Paper Mache" for the recipe

Directions:

bulletdecide on the design for your project. 
  
bulletVisit http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~bcr/African_Mask_Portraits.html for some ideas.
  
bulletKeep in mind that you'll have to cut out the pieces, so you'll want to make them fairly basic shapes.
   
bulletDraw the design on a piece of paper (or on computer software that allows drawing)


Tasha's original design
bulletFreehand draw the facial pieces onto corrugated cardboard (old boxes).  
  
bulletCut them out
  
bulletIf you want some facial pieces to stick out more:
bullettrace the first piece
bulletcut the shape out again
bulletglue the shapes together
bulletWe did 2 layers for the mouth and 3 layers for the nose.
  
bulletfreehand draw the shield/mask shape on a large piece of cardboard.
  
bulletcut it out.
  
bulletcut out eye holes
  
bulletAt this point you can just glue all of your pieces together.
bulletOR, you can paper mache the project.  The Paper Mache will make the craft MUCH sturdier.  It is the method we chose.
bulletpaper mache (2 layers) the shield and all of the face pieces.
bulletwhile the mache is still wet, assemble the face.  The wet mache will stick together and hold the pieces in place
bulletlet dry
bulletcover with a final layer of scrap white paper mache
  
bulletvisit "How to Paper Mache" for tips on paper macheing.
  
bulletOnce everything's dry, paint the entire project brown -- young siblings can help with this step!

bulletDecorate with stripes and pokadots in a different color.
  
bulletPoke two holes on one side of the mask (about the center), one on top of the other about 4 inches apart.  Do the same on the other side.  A drill or nail/hammer works well for this.
  
bulletThread raffia, string or wool through the holes, tying in front of the mask.  Don't tie it tight -- leave a loop in the back as handles. 


holes

 
Printable version of these instructions