Create your own unique mask for your masked ball

14 Aug 2014

Venetian decorating a mask

Designing your own masquerade mask is fun and can bring out the creativity in you

You will need :

  1. A blank undecorated mask. These can be purchased at most craft shops or online

  2. Glue. A hot glue gun is ideal because it is quick setting. Other than that we would recommend a strong wood glue but this takes time to set. Superglue, used carefully, also does the trick

  3. Acrylic paints in your chosen colours

  4. Glitter, braiding, sequins, crystals, feathers, silk flowers. Any or all of these make great decorating materials, however, you can use anything that you have around the house. For example … bits of material, felt, wall paper even foil sweet wrappers

  5. Ribbons or, if you want your mask on a stick, a piece of wooden dowel or timber dowel, approx. 30cm long and 1cm thick


From this 

Blank Masks to Decorate

to this

Mask decorated yourself


This is the most common Colombina mask and was decorated using acrylic paints, lace, diamantes and braiding

  1. Take you blank mask and spray it red using an acrylic paint

  2. Allow the paint to dry and then take a piece of black lace and cut a square approx. 1” (all round) larger than the mask

  3. Apply glue to the circumference of the mask on the front and stretch the lace over the mask pressing along the edge as you go so as to stick the lace to the mask

  4. Turn the mask so you are looking at the back and apply glue to the circumference on the back

  5. Fold the excess lace over the back of the mask and press down on the glue

  6. Once dry apply small dots of glue, again along the circumference of the mask, and apply your braiding

  7. Apply glue to the top of the eyes and add your diamantes

  8. Finally, put a small strip of glue on each side of the back of the mask where you want your ribbons to be and apply the ribbons

If you want the mask on a stick then take your stick and spray it in the same base colour, adding braiding if you want. Now apply the glue to the stick and attach it to the back of the mask


Sticks for Masks


Adding feathers to a mask


Decorating a mask with feathers and glitters is a little more work but definitely worth the effort

The mask used here is the Daniela and has been sprayed silver then had silver and turquoise glitter applied and finished with silver braiding and a selection of turquoise feathers

  1. Take your blank mask and spray it with a silver or gold (depending on your preference) acrylic paint

  2. Allow to dry

  3. Apply glue to the face of the mask where you want the glitter to stick. You can draw patterns or swirls with the glue or cover larger areas. Just remember wherever there is glue that is where the glitter is going to stick

  4. With your glitter in a flat bowl, or on a sheet of paper, roll your mask in the glitter and shake. Repeat this process until the glue is covered in glitter

  5. Allow to dry and then brush off using a fine paint brush

  6. You can repeat steps 3 to 5 with another colour glitter if you wish

  7. Apply glue to the top of the mask and attach silver or gold braiding

  8. Now take your feathers and glue individually to the mask wherever you want them positioned

  9. Finally, apply glue to the back of the mask on each side and attach the ribbons


Add a fascinator to a mask

This is another simple carnival mask which has been spayed cream with red braiding attached only to the top of the mask and some cream netting looped and stuck to the side with a red silk flower placed in the middle of the netting

Decorate mask with material

For a matching his and hers set take two blank masks and cover with material in a pattern of your choosing

The two masks used here are the mans Colombina Larga and the ladies Daniela

Just Posh Masks has one of the largest selections of blank undecorated masks for sale on line


Article By Tracy Porter of Just Posh Masks

A leading supplier of masquerade ball masks in the UK.

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