Hello all!
I know it has been some time since I last updated. Life gets busy is all I can say, and BUSY I have been!
As you well know, Halloween is right around the corner! This is one of my favorite holidays because I love to outdo my creativity from the previous year!
This year, some of my friends came to me for some Steampunkery of everyday costume items. Of course, I was up for the challenge. (I love me a good challenge)
Batman challenge!
What's better than being Batman for Halloween? Being STEAMPUNK BATMAN!
You heard me correctly. This costume will be epic!
What's even better, I took photos of the process, so you can Steampunk your batman mask as well.
What's even better, I took photos of the process, so you can Steampunk your batman mask as well.
First let me start by saying this mask was SO MUCH FUN to make. I love it. I almost didn't want to give it back to my friend.
Anyway, on with the tutorial...
Here are some fun things you will need:
Batman Mask
Washers, Gears
Watch Frame
Colored Cellophane Wrap (very small amount needed)
Glue (I used E600), Scissors, Paint Brushes
Craft Foam
Various Beads
Metallic Paints (I used silver, black and brown)
Junk Wiring
Jewelry Spacers (or mini washers)
STEP ONE
THE MASK
Get a mask. I got the Batman frame from Halloween City for maybe $6.
STEP TWO
THE LAYERS
Cut some strips of craft foam and glue it to places around the mask that you want to look like metal panels.
STEP THREE
THE EYE!
The eye was a little tricky. I took apart a watch and used just the frame. I layered a washer and gear on top and glued the whole thing in place.
Then I cut out a small circle of blue Cellophane wrap and glued it inside the "eye piece", giving the effect of a colored lens.
Then I cut out some strips of foam that would essentially attach the eye to the mask. This took a little doing because I had to eyeball the gaps between the eye of the mask and the watch. I wanted to make sure everything looked like a solid piece.
Glue those foam pieces into the eye socket and wait for it to dry. (Waiting for glue is my least favorite part)
STEP FOUR
UPGRADE THE EYE
Now that you have the base of your eye secured to the mask, it's time to put some fun additions and upgrades on it.
I used simple wiring from the dollar store and cut it to fit in the holes of my watch face. I glued bead spacers to the end of the wires to give it a cool attached look.
Glue everything down.
There are so many things you can do from here to make it look like a cyborg eye!
STEP FIVE
WASHERS/BEAD SPACERS
I applied these small bead spacers (the small circles) over the foam, creating the look that the "metal panels" were anchored down in various places.
STEP SIX
PAINT PAINT PAINT
Start painting the mask to look like metal. I started with a silver base coat, making sure it wasn't too thick, in order to maintain the antiqued look.
Once you're done with the silver, dip your finger in some brown and start dabbing at different angles. The brown will look like rust. (You don't want to do it too thick. I dip my finger and wipe some off and then dab on the mask)
Once the brown is down, I went over a few key crevices that I wanted to highlight in some black paint.
STEP SEVEN
ROCK THE MASK!
The great thing about using foam for the metal look is that the mask remains very lightweight and durable!
Wear that bad boy around proudly!
All in all, this project cost me maybe $10. (Gotta love a good deal)
That's it for the tutorial. I hope you guys enjoyed that and will make some awesome cyborg looking steampunk creations! I would love to see them.
Steampunk on!
