Step 8: Cut Out Eyes and Mouth

I cut out half of the eye shapes (leaving enough so that if I put the eyeballs in from behind, the paper mache still covers the edges of the eyeball but the pupils and some of the white are still visible through the hole) and a strip where the open mouth will be.

Experimentation: figuring out the best way to attach the teeth and make a mouth. At first, I was going to create the mouth by cutting two parallel slits along the top and bottom (one for the top teeth, one for the bottom teeth). This way I could slip the teeth into the new slits I had created. I would push the remaining middle section (between the slits) inward toward the doll face beneath (creating space between the teeth and the doll face beneath) and paint it black. I lost confidence in this idea though after fiddling around with it, and just snipped out the middle strip entirely.

I slipped the teeth into the hole for the mouth to test the size of the opening, and did the same with the eyes.

Once I was satisfied, I put the eyes in the mask from behind and used the cheap play dough to pack them in place. Removing the teeth from the ghoulie, I painted the teeth (purples at the gums, stained pinkish-white for the teeth themselves, and browny-reds where the teeth met the gums) and set them aside to dry.