8th Grade Plaster Sugar Skull Awesomeness

Color, Color, Color! That was one element I did not want the kids to leave out and man, they took it to an extreme and I LOVE IT! It took us two days to plaster 87 student faces and that was a really smooth process. I think it was their willingness and enthusiasm of the plaster process that fed into the designing of the masks.
This year I had students pencil sketch their designs onto the plaster first and then paint the base color. They could paint over the designs and the pencil would still show through. While their paint was flash drying outside I have them work with hand control manipulating puffy paint on skull worksheets. By the time they mastered the puffy paint their base paint was dry enough for them to begin design. Other materials that added to the vibrancy included fabric markers, yarn, jewels, sequins and tissue paper. I am SO EXCITED to have these on display this year!