I caught all kinds of grief from my co-workers because I excluded the noble Panda from Bear Week. (I still maintain, it’s technically not a bear, but technicalities only count in scrabble). But since Bear week is officially over, what better way to kick off Animal Mask week than with the evidently-neglected Panda?

How to build a Panda Mask:

You will need:

• 1 sheet of black construction paper
• 2 sheet of white construction paper
• scissors
• something to mark with (like a pencil or crayon)
• string or yarn
• glue
• tape (recommended)

Much like in making a Bear mask, you start a Panda mask by folding a black sheet of construction paper in half, the long way. Then hold the paper-half up next to the head of the individual who’ll be wearing it (fold toward the nose) and mark the approximate position of the eyes.

Cut out holes for the eyes. I always need to make them larger than I think I need to (at first) so somebody can actually see out of the mask.

Then draw a loose-half circle on the folded mask (It doesn’t have to be a perfect circle… and in fact, it’s best if it isn’t). In the upper corner away from the fold, draw another loose circle for the ears. Draw lightly or be prepared to erase the part that where the ear connects to the face. Cut out the combined shape of ear and half-circle.

Save the larger scraps of black paper. You’ll need them later to make a nose.

Take a sheet of white paper and fold in half the short way. Place it inside the black paper so that they two folds touch. (That’s the only side that will line up because you folded both sheets on different axes). Using the black paper as a template, mark where the eyes should go and trace along the top and bottom of the black paper (so that the white part of the panda will line up). Connect the traced lines with a big curve that goes to the edge of the paper. (Partly this is because Pandas have wide, round faces and partly not to waste paper). Cut out this shape.

Also cut out even larger holes for the eyes. When you put the white and black papers together with the white on the outside, you should be able to see large black patches around the eye. When you’re happy with the size of the black patches, glue both sheets together with the white on the outside.

And now… the snout.

Start a half-sheet of white paper (Fold a sheet in half the short way and cut along the fold). Fold the half-sheet in half the short way and fold again. It should now be divided into four equal sections (although you may need to fold some of them the other way to make sure it looks like the picture.

Measure about an inch and a half from the “top” and about two inches from the “bottom”. (Precise measurements aren’t necessary. So if you don’t have a ruler, you can just fake it).

Cut along the folds up to the line you just drew. Cut on both the “top” and “bottom.” This creates a series of flaps that you will glue together. I get the best results by keeping the far sides parallel and the middle sides steepled up. In fact, the snout should look a little like a house when you’re done.

Cut a rounded triangle (or just a regular triangle if you’re pressed for time) out of a scrap of black paper and glue it to the “bottom” end of the snout-house.

Glue the “top” end of the snout/house to the lower middle of the white mask.

Finally, poke holes in the side for string or yarn to be tied to. Be sure to reinforce the area around the holes with strong tape of some kind so the string doesn’t tear through the paper.

Your final Panda Mask should look something like this:

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007 at 12:03 pm and is filed under crafts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.