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mossbarktea — Mime Mask mini-how-to

Published: 2010-10-23 17:47:13 +0000 UTC; Views: 2007; Favourites: 12; Downloads: 19
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Description It was requested that I give a little instruction on this (by , visit there please!) so...

To start, finding a sizable version of the official art and the little sprites is very helpful. Masking tape is also helpful, as it can be removed easily enough for adjustments and the like. When deciding on the size of your mask, it is good to consider the head to body ratio of the reference picture, and scale it to your size.

The red lines represent posterpaper, the blue lines represent wire reinforcement. All wire pieces were originally paper pieces

Note: These instructions do not allow you to see out of the mask, if you want to be able to see, you will have to make adjustments :]

1) First I made a profile cut-out of the mime mask as it appears in the official art, because I thought that this view was the most important. After many failed models, I ended up cutting out the piece marked by the dotted line, it allows you to turn the"nose" inward while keeping the ears where they should be. Make three of these ^.^ (two for now, one for later)

2) Next you will want to make the..."spine" (i guess?) of the mask (the blue curve above). This is a rather clumsy step, and you will probably adjust it a lot. The curve of the "spine" is shaped by attaching it to "anchors" The anchors also form the width of the mask. You can sort of see this in the top photo.

Start by taping your two profiles nose-to-nose (from the front rather than the top), then use a strip of posterpaper to form the width of the forehead (right above the cut-out). This is your first "anchor" Take a long, thin strip of posterpaper and tape it to the inside of the nose. This will be the spine.

From there, you make the rest of your anchors. You can have as many as you want to get it to the shape you like. The main anchors are: The tip of the nose, mid-nose (where it changes from horizontal to vertical), the base of the forehead (above the cut-out) and the top of the forehead (past the start of the ears). Play with the widths and the curves until you are happy with them.

I apologize if this step is not clear, I cannot explain it very well -.- Hopefully the photo helps. You'll probably want to try the mask on a lot in this stage, to see how it fits and where it sits.

3) Once you have the spine in place, and the basic shape of the mask (as created by the anchors) you'll want to make the "face" a little rounder in some places. I expanded the cheeks with thin posterpaper strips (the diagonal-down red line in the drawing, sort of visible in the photo) You can make these adjustments to your preference as well. In my own mask, if I could change it I would have like the nose to be a little rounder...

4)Once you are happy with your mask form, I recommend using craft foam to cover the frame. Use as many pieces as you want to accentuate all the planes and curves of your design. Masking tape is best here, again, because it's easy to take off for adjustments, and it won't tear your craft foam.

I used a piece of thick fleece on the nose, to make sure the curve up to the forehead was very smooth.

5)To finish, you'll want to cover the whole thing with some kind of fabric (this mask used a thin, fleecy sort of fabric). You can also add stuffing to the ears if you want.

There are probably a lot of ways to do this. But in this case, I laid the third paper profile on a piece of fabric and added about 3inches to all sides (adjust according to how much dimension you added) Repeat for the other side. Then I made one odd piece for the middle (the forehead and nose), with about 1inch extra on top.

Tape the middle piece to the top of the forehead by pulling that extra inch under the craft foam to the inside of the mask and *tape* it, tight. Tape, because you're going to have to take it off once you're done sewing to flip the covering right side out. Starting just below where the ears meet the forehead, sew your side pieces to you middle piece. Use lots of pins to get your covering to fit snugly to the curve. Also sew the side pieces together below the nose. Then flip it right side out and put it back onto your mask.

Re-tape the top. Then, in the same fashion, pull the cheeks behind the mask and tape the heck out of it (I figured no one would see the inside of the mask so it didn't matter what it looked like). You'll notice the ears have been ignored both in the sewing and the taping, this is because the mime ears have that sewn together scalloped look. Use your paper profile to make a pair of fabric ears (plus a little extra). They will cover the back of the ears, and help create the look of the mime ears. Pin the front and back ear covers together, bringing the back cover around the front a little at the tip like the official art shows. I don't know the term for that sort of stitching, but basically sew it to make it look like the stitching in the reference picture My thought is that as long as it looks right, it doesn't matter if the stitching is sturdy since you won't be stressing it at all. You can add stitching to the bottom of the cheek as well. The top of the ears: Since you can't turn it to the wrong side to sew, fold both raw edges inward, pin the pieces together, and sew them together in a sort of circular stitching (again, zero sewing vocabulary, so sorry )

Your mask should be all covered now. Don't forget to add the eyelashes (and eyelids if you want). Bend a piece of wire to reinforce the "spine" if you feel it is necessary, and another piece to keep the cheeks from spreading out too much. Hopefully this has been helpful? ^^ Good luck!

EDIT: This mask only covers your face, you will need to make a hood out of your chosen fabric to cover the back of your head. I recommend making it long enough to tuck under your scarf, and adding snaps at the front under your chin so it doesn't move around (it'll also keep your hair/extensions in place, incidentally...)
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Comments: 7

The-Jazz-Dingo [2010-10-24 03:28:07 +0000 UTC]

Hmm. I'm also curious if you'd like to do a slight collaboration to make the mask entirely without a base set. Like, all cloth and just some foam/poster board just to hold up the ears/nose.
O:

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Kurohyou89 In reply to The-Jazz-Dingo [2010-10-25 13:49:14 +0000 UTC]

i do believe (if I read the message right) would require that filmy material you place in between two fabrics and it melts into the two material when you iron it, thus making the cloth more stiff.

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mossbarktea In reply to The-Jazz-Dingo [2010-10-24 17:56:26 +0000 UTC]

I'm not really sure what you mean? 0.o

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The-Jazz-Dingo In reply to mossbarktea [2010-10-26 07:17:14 +0000 UTC]

>3<
I mean, see if we can design a full mask, complete mask, using as little materials besides the cloth as possible.

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mossbarktea In reply to The-Jazz-Dingo [2010-10-26 18:09:12 +0000 UTC]

Ohhh I see ^^ Sure, I'd be willing to play around with that.

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The-Jazz-Dingo [2010-10-24 03:09:24 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so much!

This is really helpful; I can't wait to make my own!

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mossbarktea In reply to The-Jazz-Dingo [2010-10-24 17:55:05 +0000 UTC]

I'm glad then ^-^ Good luck with the rest of the cosplay, too.

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