Make Your Own Jigsaw Mask

For the most terrifying Halloween ever, make your own Jigsaw mask out of things you probably have around the house. Remember using papier-mache in elementary school? You dipped strips of newspaper in a paste-like substance and let it dry and harden. Well, you can use the same technique to make a horrific Saw mask from scratch.

First, gather up all the old newspapers in your recycling bin. Lay some of them on your worktable or floor so the sticky paste doesn’t stain anything. Find some masking or duct tape, some clear plastic non-cling wrap (like Saran wrap), an old bowl, a small bag of flour (5 pounds is good), an old towel, and two containers of paint (white and red) such as acrylic or tempera.

You might want to wear gloves while making the mask because the paste is annoying when it hardens. Make the foundation for the mask by wadding up sheets of newspaper and taping them into a ball. To make your own Jigsaw mask make several of these and tape them together into a rough oval. You want the foundation to be the shape and size of your own face, so make a guess.

Once you have the right shape, lay the foundation flat on your work surface and cover it with non-cling plastic wrap, taping the back so it doesn’t move. Cut a lot of newspaper pages into long strips. Now make the papier-mache paste by putting a few cups of warm water into your bowl and slowly adding flour until you get a gloppy paste, slightly runny. Dip one strip at a time into the paste, squeeze off most of the excess, and lay the strip across your mask foundation. Keep adding strips in a criss-cross fashion until the mask is covered.

For the lower jaw, leave a square opening at the bottom of the face. You’ll make the moveable jaw later. For other details of Jigsaw’s face, look at a photo of the Saw killer and check it often while you’re working. Tape together a ball of newspaper in the shape of his nose, place it in the center of the face, and lay strips of papier-mache over it to affix it.

For the round cheeks, anchor two round balls of newspaper on either side of the nose. Put two triangular shapes above the eye sockets for the bulging “eyebrows,” and leave two blank spaces for the eyes as you make your own Jigsaw mask.

Use a photo to sculpt Jigsaw’s features to your satisfaction. Make two small round balls out of newspaper for the eyes, cover them with papier-mache, and set them aside. Also, make a small square of papier-mache that will fit into the lower jaw (look at the Jigsaw photo to see how it fits). Let everything dry completely, for a couple of days. Then paint the mask and the moveable jaw white, and the small eyes red. Let the paint dry, then paint the red lips and the round circles on the cheeks.

Next as you make your own Jigsaw mask, punch two large holes in the eye sockets and two holes in the small red eyes, then glue the eyes in place. Make sure you can see. When everything is dry, carefully lift the mask off the plastic-wrap-covered foundation and try it on. Put the lower-jaw piece into its slot and make sure it fits. Punch holes on either side of the mask and thread string or elastic through it to fasten behind your head.

Go out and find a greasy-looking dark wig, a dark suit, a red handkerchief for the breast pocket, a red bow tie, white gloves, and tennis shoes. On Halloween night, put those on and add the Jigsaw mask you just made. Use spirit gum (found in costume stores) to fix the moveable jaw to your jaw – that way, you can talk.

Make your own Jigsaw mask and add props such as chains or a circular saw, and you’ll have a truly terrible Halloween costume this year! And if you decide not to go to all this trouble, you can always buy your own Jigsaw mask to wear!

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!