Tiki is the name of the carved wood or stone figures that resemble a human head. These carvings come from Hawaii and other Polynesian cultures of the Pacific Ocean. One of the traditional uses for the figures was to mark the boundary of a sacred area. Much time and effort went into making wood and stone tikis, but you can easily make your own tiki with materials such as cardboard, paper and masking tape. Cardboard tikis are ideal decorations for tropical-themed garden parties.
Instructions
1. Make a box out of cardboard. It should be 20 inches by 9 inches by 6 inches. This will be the base of the tiki.
2. Create a second box from cardboard. Make this one 9 inches by 4 inches by 2 inches.
3. Use glue to attach the second box to the top of an 18 inch by 9 inch side of the first box. Add some masking tape where the boxes join too. This should fit perfectly if you align the 9 inch sides of both boxes. Your Tiki now has a protruding forehead.
4. Cut basic ear shapes out of styrofoam roughly 10 inches long and 3 inches wide.
5. Stick the ears to the sides of the box using glue and masking tape.
6. Cut the tube of a paper towels roll to 6 inches long.
7. Use this tube for the bridge of the nose and make the rest of the nose out of broken up styrofoam. Keep this all together using masking tape.
8. Make an oval shaped mouth out of flexible packing foam and glue it to the face so its highest point is around 3 inches below the nose. The mouth should be roughly 6 inches wide and 3 inches high. Again, keep it together with lots of masking tape.
9. Rip off a piece of paper and dip it in glue, then place it on the tiki. Repeat this process until the entire structure is covered in paper-mache.
10. Wipe off any excess glue with a sponge.
11. Allow the paper time to dry.
12. Apply a coat of drywall joint compound. This will give it a more realistic texture.
13. Paint the whole mask gray so that it looks like stone.
14. Let your creation again dry and when it is ready you will have a tiki.
Tags: masking tape, inches inches, inches inches inches, inches long, inches wide