For this homemade eyeball costume I used a Chinese lantern for the mold – just make sure it is a big one that has the large opening big enough to fit your head into. I then bought a roll of white paper from the craft store and wallpaper paste from the hardware store. Other paper mache type pastes can be used, but the typical flour/water mixture smells bad (not good when you are wearing the mask) and also attracts moths and can mold over time when stored, the wallpaper paste doesn’t have any of these issues.
– Cut the paper into 1″ strips that are about 8 inches long.
– To make the work easier, we hung a string from the ceiling and attached the lantern by the existing metal prongs on the lantern.
– Keep the metal pole inside the lantern while gluing as it will keep the lantern stretched out. Another option would be to take the pole out and buy a large balloon (the kind that have the elastic band attached that kids like to bop around work well)
– Apply the glue to both sides of the paper strips, then start covering the lantern. After about 2 layers allow to dry overnight and then apply another 3-4 layers overall.
– Make sure you cover the smaller hole that will be the top of the eyeball with paper mache also.
– After the paper mache is dry, cut a small opening to see through at the bottom.
– Paint the eyeball with white craft paint, then paint the eye and blood veins.
how do you keep it on your head?