How to Make a Dia de los Muertos Mask: Expert Tips Included

Manuel Urueta, a papier-mâché artist, and his wife Celina Galicia, a photographer and filmmaker, form a dynamic artistic partnership. Their collective is called Xingaderas.

Urueta and Galicia make masks and papier-mâché figures, which they then bring to life together, creating narratives about the characters through photographs or short films.

“Collaboration is an important aspect of our collective,” Urueta said. “We love working together. We love sharing. We love accepting, collaborating and listening to others. We do it in different forms.”

Xingaderas trade with other artists and decorate their homes with the art they collect. They work on projects with others and invite friends to participate in group exhibitions.

“Recently we have been co-hosting workshops for children and adults of all ages at various galleries here in El Paso and Juárez. We were invited to Mexico City and Austin,” Galicia said.

This form of artwork takes material and gives it new life.

“Our aim is to make the use of the medium of papier-mâché accessible to everyone, not just artists, but to anyone who wants to start creating,” Urueta said. “We want to see more papier-mâché artists on this frontier in Juárez and El Paso, it’s such a great medium because we reuse it, recycle it and reduce it.”

Attend the Dia de Muertos parade in downtown El Paso

The Dia de Muertos festival takes place on Saturday, November 2nd from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It offers hands-on arts and culture activities for families, a craft market, food trucks, and live music and dance performances throughout the day in the downtown arts district.

A parade starting at 4 p.m. on E. Mills Street and ending on Santa Fe Street will feature alebrijes, live music, dancing and decorated floats.

“The thing about this medium is that it’s so easy that anyone can do it,” Galicia said. “We tell them a lot in our workshops about how to use your own identity to create something. Knowing yourself and thinking ‘what got me here’ is what we use as leverage to help them understand how or what you can create.”

When is the Day of the Dead “Día de los Muertos” celebrated?

Day of the Dead celebrations can begin as early as Halloween night, but are most commonly celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, depending on the age of the deceased person you are celebrating.

You can celebrate one or more loved ones on both days, but children are usually celebrated on November 1st while adults are celebrated on November 2nd.

How to make a Dia de Muertos mask

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to create a mask at home before the Dia de Muertos celebration. Borderland papier-mâché artist Urueta of Xingaderas led several workshops, teaching El Paso residents how to unleash their creativity and make their own unique papier-mâché masks.

Start with the base of the Dia de Muertos mask

Using an Exacto knife, utility knife, or scissors, cut a piece of cardboard into the shape you want your mask to be. For the workshops before the Dia de Muertos parade, Xingaderas handed out skull-shaped pieces of cardboard as a base, but any shape will work.

Concave the base of your mask

Gently bend the piece of cardboard to make it concave. This will shape your base so that the mask doesn’t touch your nose when pulled over your face.

Plan the face

Start by planning where your mask’s eyes and nose will be and trace them on your piece of cardboard. You can also draw any features you want your mask to have and plan where you want it. You can then cut out the holes for the eyes and nose as desired.

Create volume on your mask

The possibilities are endless. Develop shapes by forming them with newspaper and tape, then add them to your mask.

Start by building up “flesh” for the bones, creating volume for the character. You can make a ball out of newspaper for your nose, cheekbones, forehead or chin and hold it together with masking tape. Tape it to your piece of cardboard where you want it and secure it with plenty of masking tape. Gently rolling or rotating the newspaper creates longer pieces for eyebrows or smaller pieces for teeth.

Cover with paper strips

Dip newspaper strips in a 50/50 mixture of flour and hot water to make a paste (engrudo). Cover the base with several layers, allowing each layer to dry completely before adding another.

Allow your mask to dry for a day.

Paint your mask

Paint your mask with the colors of your choice and let it dry. You can then decorate it with feathers, glitter or ribbon.

Complete mask

Make holes in the sides of the mask and tie an elastic cord or rubber band to hold it in place while wearing it.

This article originally appeared in the El Paso Times: Dia de Muertos mask: How to celebrate the Day of the Dead