Ever wanted to make a leather mask for a party? Here's a short easy tutorial on how to quickly throw together a custom leather mask for Halloween or a fun party in 1-2 hours. All masks were constructed from leather, in 1-2 hours in our leather mask class for Animazement 2014 Charity fund raiser. Thank you everyone who participated and helped raise money for the Red Cross.

To make your masks you will need:

Box Cutter or Exacto Knife (Inexpensive at Walmart, Lowes, Dollar Tree, most craft stores)

Scissors

Thread/String for Tying on Mask

Pen/Pencil/Tailor's Chalk to outline drawings for cutting out

Jewels/Glue on Jemstones for Decoration

Glue (Elmers or E6000 work well)

Leather (Tandy's Leather has great scrap bins where you can pick up leather for a few dollars in several colors)

Step 1: Trace and Cut the Eye Holes Out

Hold the mask up to your face and trace the eye holes by feel with a pen on the back of your leather. You can also get a friend do to this for you if you prefer or use a mirror. Cut out each individual eye hole with scissors. Start in the center of the holes to make sure you get a clean cut. Especially if you are using dull or children's scissors for safety reasons.

Step 2: Trace the Outside of the Mask

Find or draw the outside of your mask freehand, then cut it out. It can be simple or more complex.

Step 3: Add Cord(s) to Hold Mask in Place

Mark and cut a hole on each side of the mask then thread a cord through it. You can either do 1 cord if it's stretchy or if you are unsure of your head/mask size...tie a cord on each side and then tie them together in the back which is what most people prefer to do. Check the fit on your mask to make sure it is comfortable. Light-weight leather is the easiest to wear for long periods of time without bothering your skin.