Blow the balloon up until it is roughly the size of your face. Tie a knot at the bottom. Set the balloon onto a flat work surface.
Tear newspaper into strips of various sizes. Place the paper strips in a large square aluminum pan and set them aside. Make sure they do not come in contact with any liquid.
Mix 2 cups of water with a quarter cup of glue. Stir the glue water mixture until it appears to be a thin creamy consistency. If needed, add more glue. Carefully pour the mixture into an aluminum pan.
Place one strip of newspaper at a time into the glue, and soak it thoroughly. Place the wet newspaper strips onto the top of the balloon. Layer the strips so that they cover the top area and the sides. Once the balloon is covered, allow it to dry overnight. Or, use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process.
Add detail to the dry balloon. Place more newspaper strips onto the top section. Carefully shape the newspaper so that the eye sockets of the wolverine are formed. This may take several applications of newspapers. Allow it to dry thoroughly.
Form the mouth, nose and ears of the wolverine. Add more newspaper until the wolverine’s face has taken shape. Use the image you selected to paint the details onto the wolverine’s face. Paint the foundation color and allow the paint to dry thoroughly. Use brushes of various sizes to add detail work.
Pop the balloon underneath the mask, and cut the papier-mâché so that the mask is uniform around the edges. If desired, cut away the eye sections with a scalpel.
Apply a protective coat of varnish to the mask. Use small even strokes to keep the varnish even.
Punch one hole on each side of the mask with the awl. Insert grommets into the holes to protect the papier-mâché mask. Cut two lengths of ribbon that will reach from the side of your face to the back of your head. Leave at least eight inches extra on each end of the ribbon. Tie the ribbon to the grommets.