Day of the Dead Skull

Preparing the corn starch

Step One - Preparation

Mix one tablespoon of powdered corn starch with one cup cold water. Mix until completely dissolved. Transfer to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the corn starch starts to bubble and it becomes transparent.

Pour in a container and let it cool. Be careful, it will be very hot!
Add one tablespoon of carpenter's glue.

Pouring the corn starch into a container

Tearing strips

Use your fingers to tear the brown grocery bags into small strips. Don't use scissors - You want the paper strips to have a feathered edge.

Do the same with the newspaper. Tear it into small thin strips.

Tearing the newspaper into strips

Selecting a styrofoam ball

Select a styrofoam or florist ball about the size of a tennis ball.

Cover the styrofoam ball with a layer of plasticine.
Model the plasticine into the shape of a skull. Use a modeling tool to add detail.

Covering the ball and modeling

Adding features

Add small pieces of plasticine to create cheek bones and smooth your skull with your fingers.