Masquing

I have a plan for next month which includes a party that will call for a disguise.

Even my avatar is masked.

Personally I have been wearing a mask that covers my nose and mouth to all events that include a number of people.

I found inspiration in this image.

I wanted to create a different kind of mask that would cover my upper face.

The sturdy mask is labeled papier mache.

I bought a plain white heavy paper mask at Michaels for $3 along with a couple packages of stick-on bling: rhinestones and pearls.

I laid a piece of heavy paper behind the mask and traced the eyeholes, strap holes, and top to orient the extra piece.

The first order of business was to reshape the mask more like the inspiration.

Note the piece is not symmetrical.

I drew freehand a shape on the paper that looked similar to the inspiration mask.

It doesn’t look like much of an improvement. YET!

I cut the piece just above the eyeholes

One goal is to eliminate the line between the mask and the additional piece.

and taped it onto the back of the mask.

I wanted a hazy line between the two colors.

I spray painted half of the mask green and the other half white (and a little silver) using only spray paint I had on hand. It didn’t take much.

After allowing the spray paint to fully dry I went over the white section of the mask with white nail polish. I also highlighted some of the green areas with nail polish — above the eyehole and along the top edge.

Note how the paint and bling helps to disguise the edges at the top of the mask.

Then came the fun part: deciding where the bling should go. I started by sticking a rhinestone flourish in the center of the top of the mask. Then I added more rhinestones on the dark side to outline the top of the eyes and the additional piece of paper. I cut shapes from the rhinestones to use only what would fit elegantly.