“Sissy” Mask

$10 - $15 (based on 2017 prices)

Makes one mask

I normally craft my own mask and costume for each haunt to correspond with the theme. Working on a haunted house in 2017 presented me with the opportunity to costume not only myself, but a collection of scare-actors. To achieve this, I made several doll masks for each one to wear and help unify the motif.

• One plastic doll mask
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat gray*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in steel gray*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat white*
  

1. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the mask four coats of white paint. Although I used four coats, you may want more or less depending on your desired coverage.

2. Detail the mask by building up layers of smudged gray and black around the eyes, mouth, nose, and along the edges of the cracks. To enhance the mask’s visual impact, move from light to dark.

3. Accentuate the features with black paint. You want to trace the lines of the cracks and create a dripping effect around the eyes, mouth, and nose. Try to simulate running mascara, exaggerating the streams and bringing them downward at varying lengths.

4. If the mask did not come with tie strings, you can fabricate some with yarn or replace the existing elastic band with a makeshift twine version for additional creepiness. Also, consider using cherry cobbler paint to write sissy across the mask’s forehead to complement the “baby” mask.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.