[Cosmotiger]

I'm planning to do several "grey" type aliens for my yard next year, inspired by a thread here from a few years ago. The first one is underway.

The basis of the head is a paper mached balloon. There's about 7 layers of paper mache strip

I formed the basic shape of the eyes and nose with Celluclay. Then I smoothed it over with Das clay, which is an air-drying clay that I found at Michaels. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of those earlier steps, but this is where I am now. The overall head and face will need much more smoothing.

The body will be a basic PVC frame with a costume over it. I want to give him creepy claw hands with long fingers, which I'm planning to make out of wire and mache. More pics as things progress. (Although I'll probably have to wait until after that OTHER holiday is over! )

 

[lizzyborden]

Looks good!

As for smoothing, I came across a recipe for homemade gesso on Jonni Good's site that is supposed to be sandable. I made a batch but haven't had a chance to try it out yet. I found it here: http://www.ultimatepapermache.com/paper-mache-recipes

 

[Cosmotiger]

Looks good!

As for smoothing, I came across a recipe for homemade gesso on Jonni Good's site that is supposed to be sandable. I made a batch but haven't had a chance to try it out yet. I found it here: http://www.ultimatepapermache.com/paper-mache-recipes

Interesting, thanks for the link. I was thinking of using joint compound to smooth out the mache -- but I didn't realize you could mix Elmer's glue-all with it. (Although it seems like you can mix Elmers with almost anything ).

 

[Rigormortor]

Wow.... that looks great! The face looks so realistic. Good stuff.... keep us posted with updates and pics.....

 

[Candy Creature]

Wow.... that looks great! The face looks so realistic. Good stuff.... keep us posted with updates and pics.....

Ditto what Rigormortor said. The alien head that I made was my first paper mache project and was much harder than I thought it would be.

 

[Cosmotiger]

After a long absence, I'm back.
The head has been covered with joint compound and sanded smooth. It's not perfect, but good enough for my purposes. I think with a coat of primer and paint, you will not see any of the newspaper strip texture.

I've got a basic PVC frame together, and I've started bulking out the torso with newspaper and masking tape. At this point, I'm deciding how detailed I want to go with this.

Option 1: I could buy or make a robe that would cover the body as it is now, and I would have a decent prop for my yard or front porch. A used choir or graduation robe from Goodwill would do the trick.

Option 2: I could also continue with a full paper mache body, which could look cool, but may be beyond my skills. I would have to build up more of an organic looking body with chicken wire or something similar, and try to sculpt and form the underlying muscles and body structure.

My inclination right now is go with Option 1. That way I can use the time that I would have spent making the full mache body to make a couple more alien heads and simple bodies. I think I'd rather have a group of simpler aliens and set up a scene, rather than one really cool guy by himself.

 

[Hilda]

Oh I love this!!!
I did a whimsical (cartoony) version a few years ago, and the kids LOVE it.

Thank you for taking the time to share your work.

 

[Cosmotiger]

A lot of other things going on, but now I've decided on my final direction. The alien going to be in the window that overlooks our front steps, rather than outside. That way, trick-or-treaters will walk past him on the way to the door.

He will stand on top of a shelf, and be lit by a black light. So rather than a full body, I built a half boy frame, and he will be draped in silver mylar.

The good news is, now that I know what I'm doing (kinda), if I do some more, they won't take nearly as long!