Death Eater Mask

I've followed the Harry Potter wand instructable and was really happy with the results. I ended up making two wands, one is smaller and has a more natural look to it, like a wand that a non-death eater would own. The second one I used a larger piece of paper, so I ended up with a slightly thicker, longer wand. This one looks more manufactured, like a pureblood death eater would be proud to own.

I looked for instructions on how to make a death eater mask, but didn't find one that I liked. I mean the outcomes were great, I just wasn't getting into the process.

So I figured, "I have a lot of the things I need here, why not make one of my own?" So, I went to a craft store, picked up a couple of blank masks, quickly realized they had no way to put it on, bought some elastic, and here I am.

Step 1: What You'll Need...

 The things you will need for this build are...

- White Mask ($4.99)
- Elastic Strips ($1.99)
- X-Acto Knife (Tool I already had)
- Paint Brushes ($2.99)
- Various Paints (I already had these)
  (I have brown and silver spray paint, black latex paint*, gold leaf pen, and clear acrylic sealer)

So not including things that are reusable (paint brushes, paint, etc.), the cost to make just one of these masks is $6.98. Not too bad.

Step 2: Alterations

Like I said, the masks that I bought didn't have any way to keep it on your face. So in order for me to be able to attach the elastic strips I made three rectangular holes in my mask with an x-acto knife*. One at the crown of the forehead, and one next to each eye.

Step 3: Base Coat

Prior to adding my base coat of silver, I used packing tape on the inside of the mask to close off all the holes (eyes, nose, and the holes I made). This way seeping is prevented slightly.

After that I placed the mask into my makeshift little spray booth and commenced painting (you can see how the tape got painted too).

Make sure before proceeding that you got it from all angles. You can see where I missed a little on the left side of my nose because of my angle. If you pick it up, this should fix it.

Step 4: Sealing

This step could be optional for you (you'll still need it at the end), but the kind of silver paint I have is really kind of powdery, and if I were to start painting more, it would just rub off, so I'm sealing it now.

Step 5: Details

Well, now the base coat is dry, and it looks nice! But it's lacking something... I've checked out some other designs and some of the masks from the movies, but I don't want a recreation of someone else's work, so I'm just going to use them for inspiration and see what happens.

So it didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped, but using a technique I learned while making props and set pieces for my high school theatre called "dry brushing" (using a paint brush with hardly any paint on it) I was able to age it a little bit and make it look like it had been through a couple battles.

I had a dark triangle on the forehead, but I didn't like the way that looked. Fortunately I was using latex paint, and it peeled right off.

Step 6: Sealing...Again

Now that I have my mask the way I want it, and hopefully so do you, it's time to seal it again. This way if you wear it out and it happens to rain, you won't look like you've applied mascara and then started crying. So, I have it set up in my spray booth again, and let the sealing commence.

Step 7: Measure Your Head!

In the event that your mask is like mine, and that you've bought some strap or elastic to keep it on your head, you need to measure your head. What I'm going to do is start just behind my left eye, and go around to just behind my right eye, which is just about 16.5".

Now that I have that, I just have to cut a piece of elastic measuring 16.5", and attach it. After that, I'll just need to attach another strip on the top, and run it down to the horizontal piece of elastic and sew it in place.

My straps are white, and my thread is green, but I'm hoping that by the time Halloween comes around again, I'll have a cloak with a hood, and nobody will see that part.

NOTE: The reason that I'm cutting my elastic at 16.5" exactly is because when I fold over the ends to sew it to the mask, it'll shrink down a little and give me a better fit, one that's a little more snug and won't move around on me.

Step 8: Sewing

Now, provided that everything is dry, remove the tape we put on earlier. There was some seepage, but that's to be expected when you tape off a three dimensional object.

I'm not claiming to be an expert seamstress, so my connections won't look beautiful. Hopefully nobody will be looking at that part though.

First you'll want to sew on the horizontal band by looping one end through each hole, and sewing it there. After that, try it on. I tried mine on thinking that one would be enough, but it sat too low (like I'd feared it would), if that's the case with yours, then measure your head again, only this time wearing the mask.

Start from where you feel the hole on top, and go until you feel the bottom of the horizontal band. then sew the top end in the same style you did the sides, and when you get to where the two bands meet, use whatever style you want, just make sure they won't come apart.

Step 9: Finished!

Sit back and admire your handiwork, or do what I did and try it on immediately!

Mine is a bit of a snug fit, but that's what I wanted. I don't want it moving all over the place when I try to talk. I did find that it fits better when I wear a beanie, the horizontal band goes right across my ears and I didn't like it. So, when Halloween comes, my head will just be extra warm!

So thanks for sitting through my instructable, I hope that if you try it out you're happy with your results.