Longhorn Skull

The local Junior High school needed a Texas Longhorn skull, or facsimile. “For what?” I asked.  It is part of the Grad Night Party theme. And the real ones are very expensive. I thought about Monsters and decided paper mache was the answer. They had an old plastic skull shell which was broken in a couple of places. I buils a small sand box to support the plastic shell. I put in some cans of paint so it took less sand.

I placed on several layers of paper. then I let it dry completely. It seemed weak, not enough structure. Also, they wanted it to hang on the wall. Definitely not strong enough.

I got a can of foam insulation spray. the kind that is handy to fill cracks to prevent drafts or mice. It is called GREAT STUFF Big Gap Filler Insulating Foam Sealant

It filled the form nicely.

The next day, when the foam had dried to a hard mass, it had expanded considerably. AKK!

I trimmed off the back half with a saw. It cut easily.

You can see the consistency of the foam in this close up.

This is the foam filled paper mache skull.

There were a few gaps. I just filled them with Spackle and sanded a little.

The rough texture would be perfect for weathered bone.

I went to the hardware store and bought mis-tinted paint for a dollar, and mixed up a bone color.  I painted the entire skull. Now you can see it looks flat and phony. No shadows, no weather checking. FAKE!

But wait!  It needs back-washing. I mixed up a dark coffee color of paint and repainted the entire skull. After a couple minutes, I wiped it all off with a damp wash cloth. WOW! Awsome. it looks like it came straight out of the desert, after about 10 years of weathering in the hot sun!

The students decorated it. I think it looked better natural. But that was not in keeping with their party theme.

More paper mache to come.  See Tiger mask!