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Ranasp — Leather Mask Making Tutorial
Published: 2006-10-17 23:57:00 +0000 UTC; Views: 132688; Favourites: 1313; Downloads: 1232
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Description
This has been a while in the making, I hope that it answers most of your questions if you want to try making a mask of your own.I took the pictures with the aid of my boyfriend and wrote the text, while did all of the layout, I couldn't have made this tutorial without her, thanks so much!
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Comments: 310
Thank you ,there are always so many it is so hard to choose which lol .
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Wow, this mask looks better than some of the ones being sold at our Renn Faire, LOL!
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Oh man I hope not! The mask I first bought at a ren faire blows mine out of the water! Unfortunately I can't find his website now, but his stuff is very similar to this guys: [link] The one I have is kinda like Ice Queen, but fewer tendrils, no crystals, and the part around the eyes is black, while the "crown" is silver.
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You make it look so easy! I really want to try this, just have to find a place where I can buy the leather.. Thank you for sharing this!
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If you look through some of the responses, I've put up links to some leather sites that you can buy from online. I bet you'd do great, let me know if you do try it out!
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I will comment with the link if I make something based on this! Bu ordering things from America is veery expensive for me, so I will have to find a good shop here first.
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Ahhh, yes you want to try finding someone more local to you if you're not in the U.S. Another thing, is sometimes you can luck out with online auction sites like ebay and buy just a small piece of leather, which should ship for a better price than a huge chunk of hide.
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Thanks, maybe I could try that.. I've talked to a few friends about this, so we might just get together and share a complete hide between us.
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You... don't happen to have any extra leather you wanna sell me, do you?
If not, do you have any good sites that you have bought from before? How much does leather usually run?
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You're a star, this is just the sort of thing I was looking for! I'm a really visual person so having a photo tutorial with easy, clear-cut instructions is awesome.
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I'm glad it suits you, I'm the same way with visuals, which is why I made it in the first place.
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Thank you so much for the tutorial - this is awesome! You are very talented.
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I'm glad you like it, if you make a mask using the technique be sure to note a link to me.
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I definitely will - I am quite eager to try it out!
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This tutorial has been most helpful.
But I was wondering, what would be the best way to combine two pieces of leather or perhaps other materials to the mask? An adhesive of some sort or perhaps sewing is best? I don't know.
Thank you for making this.
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Sorry your question was sitting so long without a reply! As for combining two pieces of leather, the leatherworking book I have likes using rubber cement, and stitching (saddle stitches are the strongest, but there's others that work on leather too). The rubber cement works because it stays flexible, and pretty much stays on the surface of the leather instead of permeating it and then stiffening it.
As for feathers and such, if you look here: [link] I used glue for the feathers and seed beads if I remember correctly, and one simple stitch for each large bead.
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Thank you so much! This is such a huge help! It's fine you took your time. We haven't gotten to start playing around with it anyway.
One more thing, actually. Where do you find your leather? My friends and I have been looking and we can't find any. It makes us sad.
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Well I managed to get a hold of a half hide at The Leather Factory that is pretty close to me, so I haven't bought any in quite a while. However, when I taught a workshop on maskmaking at the memorial union I gave the university a link to order leather online...Unfortunately, I'm not sure which of two places they got it from. 
or here:
[link]
Wherever you get it from, make sure it's VEGETABLE TANNED leather. If you can get your hands on it, make sure it's flexible. Too stiff and it means it's either too thick for a mask, or it's old and dried out.
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This is very helpful! I can't wait to try it out!
I want me that airbrush! 
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(un)fortunately, the airbrush was MUCH easier to find than the leather!
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I know that you posted this tutorial such a very long time ago, though I have a question. How would you handle the different folds leather would need to make in order to create a full-faced mask? One that goes from forehead all the way to chin, coving the mouth? The leather would buckle in places...what is the sollution?
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Depends on what your goal is. Do you want a completely smooth oval-shaped mask, or do you want something form-fitting to the face?
If ovoid, then I think you'd need to have a mold to strap the leather to. In fact, what would work best for the smoothest result would be to get a hold of an oval shaped block of wood with a flat bottom so you can place it on another piece of wood. Soak the leather, then stretch it over the wood form and nail it down onto the wood that the form is sitting on. If done right, there will be ripples along the edge, but you'll be cutting the mask off the mold anyway so they shouldn't matter.
If form fitting, then pinch the hell out of the mask, exaggerate the creases that you normally find in a human face. (like the brow ridge over the nose in the mask that's in the tutorial). A full-face mask is no easy job, I'd practice with a few smaller masks before going all-out like that. Hope that helps you out a bit.
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Rockin tutorial, thanks for providing it!
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Nice tutorial, handy tips in less than 30 steps.
Another cheap spray technique is to use pump bottles from eye glass cleaner or hairspray, I found some at the Dollar store and used the liquid to wash mirrors with. the little pumps work great for blending too.
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Less than 30 steps? :: counts :: I'm a genius! ;D Never mind that I didn't do it on purpose...In any case, good idea on the spray bottles, the only thing I'd worry about is it spraying out "gobs" instead of a fine mist, but that probably depends on just how cheap the bottle is...And for that matter, if you WANT that effect. I can think of a few cases were it'd look pretty neat.
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That's True too, some times it works to an advantage. and if you use diluted dyes you can even out most of the misting pretty well. All of out masks are done that way and so far it's worked very well. But a airbrush would be great too... must keep looking for 1.
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I wound up getting this one in the model car area at wally world, pretty cheap.
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This is brilliant. I get asked loads of times how to make leather masks - next time I get a question on DevArt, I shall point the quester to this tutorial. You've saved me a lot of work typing out the answers each time!
Thank you!
~hugs~
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I'm very glad you think so! Let me know if you make something using it.
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My mask-making methods differ slightly from this, in that I use plaster moulds that I have previously sculpted to hammer the leather over. That said, Elven Elegance , in my gallery, was made without a mould, using my own face as a former.
Best wishes!
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That is a gorgeous mask! Did you add some sort of waterproofing/finish to it? And how do you keep the plaster from crumbling under the wet and pounding? (alas, I have the worst luck with plaster, I've had it so it never set! And another time it set, and promptly crumbled.
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Thank you!
I added a gloss leather finish, I think it's either Tandy or Fiebings - of course it doesn't make it completely waterproof, but it does bring the colours of the dye up really nicely.
As for the plaster - the trick is not to hammer too hard, more to coax the leather into shape by pressing the tools into it - there are areas which require hammering, of course, particularly shaping over the nose - but I've found that gently tapping at the leather with a rounded tool works just as well. It might take longer, but it doesn't damage the moulds.
As for plaster - it sounds as though the plaster you were using was either too soft, or you had the mix wrong. I use moulding plaster - the same stuff that potters use to make slip-casting moulds, and it's high density and very tough. It does tend to crumble with age though - I've had one mould disintegrate on me this week!
The other trick is to mix it for a long time before you pour it - the longer you spend mixing the plaster, the more strength it will have. Mix it until you can feel the consistency changing and know it's about to start setting, and then pour.
:d Hope this helps!
H.xxx
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Oooh, this should make Halloween more interesting >:3
Thank you very much for your detailed tutorial!
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No problem, and I'm glad you liked it. Note me if you do make something using it.
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As much as I like the look of leather, I wonder if you could use this to make a mask out of that craft foam stuff?
Nice tut!!!
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Hmm, the problem with that is I believe you need to get that foam/plastic stuff very hot to make it flexible (if it's the same stuff I'm thinking of) and that would be...Unpleasant to slap on your face.
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ahh yes, I'm not really into to burning myself!!
Thanks!
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I suppose if you stole one of those mannequin heads, or made a plaster mold of your face that'd work though.
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'Bout time someone realized that!
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I just wanted to let you know that I featured this tutorial in a news article on cosplay tutorials [link]
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Ahh that explains the new wave of faves. 
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Indeed! I'm glad you're getting more favs, it's a great tutorial!!
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Thanks, what worked for you about it?
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It was how I would have written it
So now I don't feel I have to. I can point people your way.
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