How to Turn a Photograph Into a Mask

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Things You'll Need

  • Computer

  • Image editing program

  • Color printer

  • Card stock paper

  • Scissors

  • Masking tape

  • Glue

  • Paint stirring stick or ribbon

Photograph masks can be made to represent any person, animal, animated character or robot. These masks are also a great way to create new twists on old costumes or add that special touch to a new costume. And they're not just for Halloween -- you could use them at parties, or to support a sports team, or just for fun!

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Step 1

Locate the photo you want to use. The photo should be good quality and be mainly the face you want. Do not use pictures that are taken from a distance or in which the face is blurred.

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Step 2

Open the picture in the editing program. Make sure the program has a cropping tool.

Step 3

Crop the picture so that it only contains the face. Get as close to the edge of the face as possible, cropping out most of the background. Try not to cut off any ears when you crop the picture.

Step 4

Save the cropped image with a new name. This allows you to go back to the original if you made a mistake. If you have trouble remembering file names or locations, save it to your desktop as "Mask."

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Step 5

Print the picture on the thick card stock paper. If you do not have a color printer, you can go to a photo lab and ask for an eight by ten copy of the picture. If card stock paper is not available, you can also cut the shape out of cardboard and glue the mask to the cardboard to add strength to the mask.

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Step 6

Cut out the eyes of the photo and cut around the edges of the face. Place masking tape around the holes on the back of the photo. This will stop any tears around the cuts.

Step 7

Glue the stirring stick to the bottom of the mask or cut holes above the ears for the ribbon. You can hold the mask with the stick or wear it with the ribbon.

Tip

Scary scars or blood can be added in the image editing program, if you want a scary mask for Halloween.

If you do not have an editing program, word processing software serves as an adequate substitute with basic pasting, cropping and printing functions.

Use matte finish card stock instead of glossy to reduce glare on the mask.

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