How to Make a Masquerade Mask

Wearing a masquerade mask to a party or just for fun can be a great experience. Instead of running out to the store to buy one however, you should consider making one yourself. It is quite easy to do and will be a fun, yet inexpensive project. To figure out how to make a masquerade mask, just follow the simple steps below to end up with a colorful and fun mask.

Base Material
The first thing you have to do is create the base layer of the mask. Common materials used include a thick cardstock, cardboard, or paper mache. If you use paper mache, it will allow you to mold the mask to an exact fit of your face. Other types won’t be as customized.

There are several standard shapes you can cut the mask to or you can be a bit more creative. A casual search for masquerade masks in a search engine should provide a picture of the standard half face design. It is perfectly acceptable for the mask to cover the entire face as well. You can also try different designs to see which you like. A good example of this is the diagonally cut masks from the Phantom of the Opera.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble to create the base layer of the mask, you can usually find plain, half face masks in a masquerade style for sale at a craft store. These are pretty cheap and prevent a lot of the hassle of making a masquerade mask.

Color
The next step (or perhaps combined step) is choosing a color for your mask and making it that way. This can be done several ways and your choice depends on the material of your mask. If you’re using paper mache, you can color the paper (or used a colored paper) before constructing the mask. If not, you’ll want to add color after using markers, paper, or another covering material like colored plastic wrap.

The design of the color is up to you. You can really choose any color or combination of colors you want. It is perfectly acceptable to create patterns out of the colors if you want to.

Decorations
After adding the base color, you can add various decorations and accessories to personalize your mask further. You can add just about anything you want, but common items include feathers, sequins, and lace. Of course feathers are normally arrange to ‘grow’ off of the mask while sequins are directly attached on the surface. Usually glue is good enough to keep these items attached unless you are using something heavy.

String or Stick
Lastly, you need to consider how you’re going to wear your masquerade mask. The usual choices include a string or something similar that goes around the back of the head or a stick to hold up the mask. Usually only women’s masks use sticks, but it really doesn’t matter. Instead of string, it is okay (and probably a better idea) to use elastic, Velcro, or some kind of ribbon.

To use a string like material, just poke a hole on the two sides of the mask. Measure the length of material required to wrap around the head, and tie it to the two ends. Figuring out how to get in and out of the mask can be difficult so you may just want to tie it on when you’re ready to wear it for the night.

To use a stick, just find an appropriate wooden rod or similar item and glue it to the side of the mask. It doesn’t really matter which side, but it seems like the left side of the mask is more common (when you’re looking at the front of it).

Once everything dries, you have successfully made your own masquerade mask. Hopefully it turns out to be a fun project for you and doesn’t take too long. Once you learn how to make a masquerade mask, you can do it over and over again or teach other people.