I didn't come up with this all on my own. I modified the paper mache skulls from the cryptology website. Basically what you do is find a decent skull at Wal-Mart or wherever (Bucky's are pretty popular) and get yourself some newspaper or paper towels. I used the brown paper towels you would find in a public restroom. Also obtain some masking tape or duct tape and some scissors.

I start with the face, specifically the eyes. Place a chunk of newspaper into the eyesocket and apply some tape. Remember not to completely fill the eyesocket, you want just enough to cover the surface. What you are doing is a mix between the paper mache skulls and the Duct Tape Double, using the paper towel to keep the tape from sticking to your skull. I usually do it a little piece at a time.

Continue applying newspaper and tape until the skull is completely covered. With a pair of round-tip scissors (to keep from damaging the skull) cut a slit up the back of the skull, and along the bottom to the chin. I never cut the "mold" across the face. You'll notice that the skull mold feels and acts a little like a latex mask. You can peel it off the original and athen tape along the seem and voila...instant skull duplicate!

Now you can "paint" on some paper mache glue or just add a layer or two of regular paper mache, being careful not to collapse the skull shell. Once satisfied with the stiffness, seal it and paint it and corpse it or whatever. These are great for experimenting with corpsing techniques and buildind a skull mound or whatever without shelling out a lot of dough for extra skulls.

Oh yeah and you can animate the jaw by simply making the jaw separate from the main skull and then afixing it later any way that you like. I'm currently making a Douglas Fir into a talking Skull using this method. Have fun...Happy Halloween!

a-haunting we will go...