DIY Make a Big Head / Fat Head Any Size

Making a "Fat Head" is simple, cheap and fun. It always seems to make people smile!

• Exacto Knife / Box Cutter - make sure it has a new blade.
• Cutting Mat
• Straight edge
• Scotch tape
• Super 77 Spray Adhesive
• Foam Core Sheet (20"x30") x2 or a large sheet of cardboard (from appliance boxes typically)
• Color printer
• Glue gun, glue sticks
• Cardboard

I look for the best quality photo I can find (I am a fan of the musical artist Beck so it's his head I'll use here). On an iPhone I use the background removal tool built in to Photo app which works well for isolating the head of your subject. Use the photo editing tools to crop, sharpen and enhance. Then import to your computer.

If your image is pixelated or your want to make it more artsy then on www.pixlr.com I create a blank image (portrait 8x10) and import my image to the top half. Save as jpg and then import in www.befunky.com. Use the "Artsy" filter adjustment to blur pixels and more artistic. Lots of enhancements are available. Examples of the "Gouache" and "Crosshatch" filters can be seen in the pictures. When done take a screenshot of just the "head". I also like to use the free version of DrawingBot V3 for cool effects. Screenshot just the "head" of your final image without the watermark at the bottom.

Rasterbator is an amazing website that gives you great flexibility in making a poster of any size. Import your image and decide on the size you want - make sure to use the correct paper settings (for me, US Letter). I like to use "no effects" but the "rasterbation" effect gives you a cool impressionist result. If you are making a cardboard fat head then set your size here to what will fit your cardboard. 4 pages wide by 3 pages tall typically fits on the foam core boards (20"x30" x 2).

This is the tedious part. Using your cutting mat, a straight edge and your Exacto knife cut the borders off every page. A sharp blade makes for better results. Be precise and cut off just the white borders.

Keep the pages in order. Flip over the pages and carefully align two pages and tape them together. I find it works best to use two tabs of tape to attach the pages and then use a long strip of tape to secure them. Do all the rows of pictures and then attached the rows together. All taping is done on the back of the paper.

Find a large piece of cardboard or splice together foam core boards with a piece of cardboard on the back with a hot glue gun. Take your large poster and attach to the cardboard with one long strip of tape along the top - this will greatly help with alignment and limiting of bubbles (it is comparable to adding a screen protector to a phone or iPad). Using the tape as a hinge bring the poster off of the cardboard and spray the cardboard with the Super 77. Slowly roll the poster out onto the cardboard to ensure there are no wrinkles or bubbles - you only get one chance to do this well!

Using your Exacto knife cut the silhouette of you Big Head. Optional - make the bottom flat as this helps when you want to display the Big Head on a flat surface.

Cut a 8"x20" piece of cardboard. Fold length-wise 3 times and then attached to the back of the Big Head with your glue gun. If you used a splice piece then you might add more pieces to top and bottom so that the handle attaches correctly.