Workshop. How to Make Calaveras & Alebrijes?�

By Professor Antonieta Mercado Fall

Friday October 21, 2:30 to 5:30 pm

Art Patio behind the Big Tree between Camino and Student Learning Commons

How did I learned to make alebrijes and Calaveras?

• In may 2015 I took a class with maestro Joel García, a well known artist from Mexico City, who worked as a boy with Mr. Pedro Linares, the artist who invented alebrijes (even the word). Joel learned how to make “alebrijes” and calaveras using paper mache techniques of sculpting. This is a tradition of maestros in Mexico City, that has been adopted by other artists, including some in the state of Oaxaca, who carve “alebrijes-like” figurines in wood.

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Me with maestro Joel García, Los Angeles May 2015

What is an “alebrije”? (all-eh-brie-he)

Pedro Linares making alebrijes in his studio in Mexico City

• In the 1930s Mr. Linares fell into a coma, and had a dream where he was followed by colorful monsters that yelled “alebrije” “alebrije” at him (he saw donkeys with wings, chickens with paws and fish faces, fish with chicken feet, etc). When he woke up, he could not explain to his family what he saw. He was a piñata crafter, so he created Alebrijes with paper mache to explain his dream to others.

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• People were weirded out by the shape of alebrijes, and clients did not buy those figurines from Don Pedro. It was Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo who started to buy figures from him and collect them.

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His creations and those from the Linares family are sold in high end art galleries all over the world.

Pedro Linares Dream

Alebrijes now are recognized worldwide

Pedro Linares creating an alebrije

Leonardo Linares (Pedro’s grandson)

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Friday October 21, 2:30 to 5:30 pm

Art Patio behind the Big Tree between Camino/Copley Library and Learning Commons

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I am offering a “calavera- making” workshop on Friday, October 21st, from 2:30 to 5:30 pm

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Location Art Patio Behind the Big Tree between Camino/Copley Library and Learning Commons

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You can come and go any time you want. I will be teaching different techniques. Please, take a look at this tutorial first so you are prepared.

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I can provide some of you with glue, newspaper, and plastic calaveras, but if you can bring your own calavera that would be great, since I do not have many.

Takes time!

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• An elaborated skull with alebrije techniques may take up to three weeks to finish.

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• I will teach you how to make a simpler calavera.

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• Simpler designs take less time. Still more than a full day. They need to dry!

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These are some calaveras I have made that take about 3 days from start to finish

Materials needed (prior to the workshop)

• 1 cheap plastic skull any size you want (medium is better).

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• Masking tape

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• Cooking oil (1 tbsp)

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• Old Newspaper cut into pieces

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• Super market brown paper bags cut into pieces.

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• (I will bring the glue). For the glue: Regular flour (3-5 tbsp), water and a container.

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• For the painting: (I will provide paints and brushes in the workshop, but you can buy your own if you want).

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• Acrylic paints assorted colors (basic colors red, blue, yellow, white and black).
• Large tube of White acrylic paint for base color.
• Assorted brushes (thin to paint detail, and wide to paint the surface).
• Liquid Polyurethane for final surface touch (I will provide it too).

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Try to make this basic skull before our workshop, so you can learn the other steps).

• For the skull base, you need a plastic “Halloween” skull as a mold.

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• Get it in a cheap Halloween shop. You can get any size you want.

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• The picture is showing two different skull sizes, I got them at Party City (super cheap).

Cut newspaper (or recycled paper) in small pieces

• You will cover the plastic skull with pieces of newspaper soaked in natural starch glue made with water and starch (flour).

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• I will also teach you how to make the glue yourself. Easy, cheap and fast!

To prepare the Glue (starch)

• 5 table spoons of flour (regular flour or corn starch)

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• 1 liter of water (more or less)

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• 1 cup or glass (to mix the ingredients).

• Bring the liter of water to a boil in a separate pan. You can use a microwave for this, just do not put a pan inside the microwave! Use a microwavable recipient.

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• Mix 5 spoons of flour with cold water in a cup or glass (mix well).

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• When water is boiling, add the mix in the glass to the pan of boiling water, stir until seems smooth and cooked (2- or 3 more minutes). Let it cool one hour.

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starch in the Microwave

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• If you are using boiling water from the microwave, be careful. Add the cold mix from the glass to the boiling water, and stir, it will cook slowly. Keep stirring until the mix seems smooth. Let it cool one hour.

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• Your glue is ready, it is organic, but it goes bad in about three days, so you will need to learn how to make more.

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• You can put it in the fridge, but it does not last more than 5 days.

Oil it!

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• Before plastering the plastic skull with starch-wet newspaper, you may want to cover it with some cooking oil or aluminum foil, so when you separate the mold once it dries, it comes off easily. Then you can use the mold for making more!

• You can cover it with aluminum foil before plastering the newspaper on it. I had found this to be a good alternative to the oil, and easier to remove the paper.

Drying day

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• The calavera needs to dry for about a day (with the plastic skull inside). You need to totally cover the plastic skull with at least four layers of newspaper for thickness.

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• Shown in photo.
• If you can place them directly in the sun, they will dry faster.

Getting out the plastic skull

• After it dries, make a cut in the calavera (with a knife or a cutter), you can cut the rear part and save the face intact, this is the best way to preserve the shape.

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• Your plastic skull will serve you as a mold for more calaveras!

Getting out the plastic skull

• Once you get the paper shell out of the plastic mold, you will need to “repair it” with masking tape.

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• Use masking tape to re-attach the two sides, and re-cover it with more newspaper dipped in starch glue.

Making it nicer!

• For better results you can cover the paper mache skull with the paper of a supermarket paper bag.

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• Cut it in smaller pieces with your hands, wet in the glue, and plaster it all over the skull. Looks nice and makes it sturdier.

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• It will take you another step and waiting time though.

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• Maestro tip: More time invested, more professional results!

Finish the “calavera” covering any holes with paper and glue (engrudo) Be creative, you can use masking tape, and cover it with paper or paper from supermarket bags.

After another drying day! You have your clear canvas to start working on it. Calaveras are now super sturdy.

• Paint it white first, and then you can paint it another colors.

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• This is where I move calaveras from unfinished to finish in a few hours.

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This is a sample (not mine). I found this sample on the Internet.

• Now you can paint your calavera.
• Look online for inspiration, use your imagination!

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• Have fun and bring your finished calavera to our altar on November 1st at the SLP!

Samples, samples! �From previous student workshops

More Samples�Former Student Work

Preparing Calaveras for Workshop

Workshop USD Fall 2022

OCTOBER 2023

OCTOBER 2023

Altar 2023

These are different kind of calaveras

Embellished skulls (with attachments).

More Work, more beauty!

• If you want an embellished piece, you will have to work extra time! Lots of extra time. It can take you up to a month to finish a piece like this. That is why I did not offer to do a workshop like this. But I am leaving this info here, in case you want to make one.

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• You will need cardboard and wire. You can come to my office and I ask me if you need help.

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• You can cut little petals in the cardboard, or butterfly wings (as shown in the photos), fire flames, etc.

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• See photos at the end of the presentation for ideas.

This is a project I made with Don Joel García in 2015

• You will need wire, newspaper, scissors, masking tape (lots of it), starch glue.

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• You will also need brown paper (like that of the bags from the supermarket).

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• You will need a piece of pressed cardboard (for the flowers or attached ornaments). This special cardboard is important, because the conventional cardboard gets soggy with the glue.

Samples of flowers and butterflies

Embellished Skulls Take Time but are works of art!

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• you can make the flowers while your calavera dries….or adornments if you decide to do this.

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• Remember, embellished calaveras may take you up to a month to make. Be patient!

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• As you can see, you will need to assemble whatever you decide to decorate the skull with.

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• Everything needs to be let to dry.

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• You will likely leave the workshop with a wet skull and one or two pieces of the ornament you will put on it.

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• Try to make the skull prior to the workshop, so you can do more fun things (additions, painting, etc.)

After finishing the ornaments you need to attach them to the dry and hollow skull (poking holes and attaching them with masking tape, then covering them with more paper and glue).Everything is covered with paper and glue!

• This is how the calavera looks like when you had finished all the flowers/ornaments.

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• Flowers are made with wire, cardboard (for the petals), and newspaper. They are covered with pieces of paper bag.

I made this calavera with Maestro Joel García, it took me about a month to finish it.

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• After the flowers are assembled in the skull, and you have allowed time for it to dry. You can prime- paint your art piece with white paint.

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• Use acrylic paint. I use one with chalk finish.

• After the white paint dries. You can start painting your calavera.

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• Do not worry if you make mistakes. You can correct them with white paint.

• I painted the flowers pink, but then I made them a bit bolder.

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• The painting process may take some patience and time.

• This is how the calavera was looking like almost at the end.

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• I emboldened the color of the flowers.

This is the finished calavera

After I decided the final colors….

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• I covered it with polyurethane (a kind of liquid plastic to protect the art piece from humidity and the environment).

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• You can get polyurethane in Michaels or any other craft store. I have some, if you want to get it from me.

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• Remember, your calavera is made of paper (like a piñata!), but it is sturdier so it lasts longer.

Pretty good isn´t?

I have so much fun, that I am making more!

Here working with the cat!

This is work from students!

And….I made this other one too!

And this one

Calaveras & Alebrijes from other artists

Alebrije

Calavera

From Joel García

• You can go elegant, as maestro Joel García went here.

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• He is an expert, so his pieces sell in galleries all over the world.

Joel García´s work

More from the maestros

More examples