Unholy anthropological mash-up time!

I'm currently obsessed with a) neolithic plaster heads, and b) the Cladh Hallan mummies.  What can I make that incorporates both traditions?  Well, I guess that's a silly question, since we all know the answer is obviously a mummified head.

 

Sadly, it's still early days with this project and I don't have any exciting pictures of finished work, just pictures of armature.  This is how a mummified head starts.  The underlying shape of the skull is largely finished at this stage, but it still needs a jaw and proper facial features.  The eyes use Sculpt Nouveau's silver coating.  I have to say, I'm not thrilled by the silver coating.  It will probably be okay here because it will mostly be covered by eyelids, but I don't really like it all that much.  It's indistinguishable from silver paint, except that it's cold to the touch.

I should add that this probably isn't the Sculpt Nouveau's fault.  It is possible to get this stuff looking very good - see here for an example - but I'm new to the product and I haven't yet figured out how to work with it.

One of the nice things about paper mache is that you can make hollow, lightweight forms quickly and easily.  This skull was made from newspaper, layered over a plastic bag stuffed with rag.  After it dried the bag and rags were easy to remove, and by leaving the plastic bag handles poking out the neck hole I was able to peg it up on the clothesline to dry.  It is windy at my house, and I find this reduces my drying times substantially as long as I peg things securely enough.