By this stage you should have the eye and mouth holes planned out and the distance from shoulders to eyes and mouth of the model. Use this to create the neck. I used a sheet of foam glued together to form one piece, cutting grooves into the inside, making it easier to curve. It should be a loose fit over ones head, giving clearance for the nose.
This shows the rear ventilation holes. These will be left uncovered by papier mache, but covered with the hair later.
Carve away, tiny cuts at a time.
Make sure to leave flat areas for the eyes to attach.
Go slowly and don't worry if you make a mistake, just glue in a new piece of foam and try again.
Making the eyes from a styrofoam ball, cut 1/3 of the ball and glue to cardboard. Build up the eyelids from foam. I papier mache them separately and glue them on later.
I finally got the beard and mustache the way I wanted. These are also to be papier mached separately and installed in final stage.
Here the breast plate and back plate are installed. Eye and mouth holes (behind beard) are also cut. Take your time to get a comfortable fit and field of vision.
Start cleaning project up. Trim and use the tip of the glue gun to smooth out spots, using the foam's temperature sensitivity to your advantage.