So far, I made six masks based on Internet memes (not counting Epic Fail guy). There's Trollface, Rageface, Forever Alone, Y U NO, Me Gusta and LOL. And now I'd like to write something about them to clear things up.
Why papier mache? Because it's cheap and easy to work with. Plus, it's somewhat nature-friendly since I'm using paper that would've been sent to the landfills. I have a lot of used paper here: handouts, test papers, notebooks, flyers, newspapers, cereal boxes, et cetera. For me, it'd be a waste to throw them away. Plus, since the memes are originally drawn mainly in black and white using MS Paint, I thought that papier mache would be an analogous medium. Both are plain, simple-looking and without any complicated procedures. Though it may be the case that one could create something on par with more advanced media with expert hands, the simplicity of a drawing or papier mache sculpture can be outstanding at times. I'd like to use advanced materials in the future, though.
What adhesive do I use? Starch aka amylum. In the Philippines, we call it gawgaw or almirol. I boil it and it becomes paste once it cools. When the paste dries and hardens, the layers of paper become as hard as wood. I hurt my knuckles when I punch my masks. Seriously. My Hollow and Guy Fawkes masks were too soft because there wasn't enough starch in the mixture so when I put more starch when I made Trollface, I was pretty amazed at the stiffness of the mask.
Do I use molds? Some have suggested that I use molds so that the masks can easily fit the face and I say no. Why? To me, these masks are more like wearable sculptures. Molding them onto a face mold would remove the essence of the character and it would look different from the original meme. I don't think the memes are created to depict actual human faces (that'd be creepy); they are too distorted to fit into a mold. The Hollow and Guy Fawkes masks are actual masks... the Meme masks aren't. So yeah, I sacrifice 'wearability' for 'essence'.
What will I do next? Disappoint and I Lied some of the memes I intend to do next. But there are also non-meme masks I intend to make like No Face and Jigsaw. I might even redo Guy Fawkes. I hang my finished masks on a a wall in my room and I intend to fill that wall... or even fill the room.