Whether they’re for special occasions or costumes, crowns are magical and fun for anyone to wear. Make a crown for someone special in your life—or for yourself!
This project can be as simple or as complicated as you like. If you want something majestic and minimal, paint your crown with metallic paint. If you want to go full-on fun, paint it with many colors or add glitter, glue, or collage. Either way, you’ll end up with a custom headpiece that broadcasts your ruling style to all of your subjects...I mean, friends.
STEP 1
Cut a length of corrugated cardboard, as shown in the photo. The strip must be long enough to fit around your head comfortably. Don’t make it overly snug, as adding papier-mâché will thicken the strip. You should be able to fit at least one finger comfortably between the crown and your head. If it’s too loose after you papier-mâché it, I’ll show you how to make it fit just right. Cut the length so that the short edges butt up against each other, without overlapping.
STEP 2
Roll your cardboard strip back and forth a few times on both sides to make it flexible.
STEP 3
Divide your crown in half lengthwise. I’ve drawn a line through the middle, dividing it into two halves of 2 inches wide each. Now my band measures 24 inches long and 4 inches deep.
STEP 4
Mark every 3 inches along the strip, and draw lines across the strip at each mark.
STEP 5
Now mark 1½ inches between each 3-inch section at the top edge of the strip.
STEP 6
Connect the lines in each side section to meet in the middle and form the points of the crown.
STEP 7
Use a craft knife and ruler or a strong pair of scissors to cut away the triangles you don’t need.
STEP 8
Place the ends of the crown snugly together, without overlapping, and tape well, inside and out.
STEP 9
Now you’re ready to papier-mâché the inside and outside of the crown. Prepare your paper (any kind) and your paste (any kind). Wrap strips around the points as well, and make sure the bottom edge is finished with papier-mâché. I’ve found that one layer is sufficient, but you can add as many layers as you’d like.
STEP 10
To dry the crown, place it on parchment or wax paper, and shape it back into a circle as well as you can. Now you can let it air dry or dry in the oven for 30 minutes.
Ensure that the crown is completely dry, and then sand it if you like.
STEP 11
Add gesso!
STEP 12
Add paint! Is your crown simple and regal, or do you want to break out the glitter? I’ve added a plethora of rainbows to my crown, but you could paint a name on it or encrust it with rhinestones or bottle caps.
Let the paint dry and seal the crown if necessary.
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