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Cosplay Crocodile Mask

by JOANN |

Item # 042188731P26
Advanced Varies
SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
  • Pencil
  • Marker - fine
  • Ruler
  • Poster board, 1
  • Cutting board
  • Needle
  • Thread - black
  • Needle nose pliers
  • Scissors
  • X-Acto® knife - #11 blade
  • Blue painters tape
  • Heat gun
  • Bandsaw
  • Spring clips - wide enough to clamp 5 layers of foam - 2
  • Beacon Power Tac Adhesive - 2.5 oz
  • Dap Contact Cement with brush applicator - 3 oz
  • Flat wash brush - 1/2"-1"
  • Palette
  • EVA Foam - 24"x 40" sheet - 5mm thick 1
  • Dowel - 15mm (optional)
  • Mod Podge
  • Parachute buckle - black - 1"
  • Belting/strapping - black 1"
  • Deco Art Metallic Acrylic Paint - 2 oz - Antique Bronze
  • Folk Art Metallic Acrylic Paint - 2 oz - Sequin Black
  • Fabric
  • Trims

DIRECTIONS:
  1. Cut all pattern pieces out of poster board. Do not cut out open areas on visor pattern. Take note of the layout of the nose parts. They will be attached together in this layout.
  2. Reverse pattern for the second side. Cut 4 additional small rectangles of foam the size of the clamp part of the spring clips. These will be used when attaching the cap, visor and nose sections together. Keep the rectangles with the spring clips.
  3. Build cap, visor and nose as separate units.
  4. Contact cement will be used for all foam joints and fabric to foam. Power Tac will be used for attaching small trim pieces to fabric and foam.
  5. Transfer patterns to foam. Cut using a bandsaw. Tip the bed of the bandsaw to cut the two sides of nose panels at a 45° angle as indicated on the pattern.
  6. Cap: Heat and curve the foam. Glue the darts together. Glue one cap trim to one cap, matching up the back corners. Repeat. Glue the two caps with trim together, from the front tip to the dart on the trim. The remaining trim will not be attached together.
  7. Cut panels of fabric for the cap and trim. Apply the fabric with a liberal amount of contact cement. Start at the front of the cap matching the edges and the darts. Repeat for the other side. Apply the fabric to the cap trim panels, matching the outer edges and the darts. The fabric may be adjusted by stretching to fit.
  8. Nose: Heat all parts. Glue nose top C pieces together. This will create a panel with a large V on the 45° undercut side and a slight V on the opposite side. The 45° undercut side will face nose top A & B. Use the glued together panel as a pattern to cut one piece of fabric. Attach fabric. Glue together nose top A & B. Repeat in reverse.
  9. Glue together the straight cut side of both nose top A pieces. Use this entire panel as a pattern to cut one piece of fabric. Attach the fabric. Glue the two fabric covered panels together (A & B to C).
  10. Nose side: Cut the same fabric as nose top sections to nose side pattern. Glue fabric to side panels. Cut and attach a contrast fabric to the nose front panels. Glue the top edge of the nose sides to the underside of the nose top panels. Line up the corner edge of nose top C with corner of nose side. This will leave an exposed raw edge of foam on top of each side panel. Glue the nose fronts together to fill the space between the nose sides and attach to the underside of nose C and the inside edges of side nose panels.
  11. Visor: Cut and attach fabric to the visor. Be aware of the direction of the print on the fabric to best coordinate with the fabric on the nose. Cut out the eye openings in the poster board visor pattern. Tape the poster board pattern on top of the visor. Use an X-Acto® knife to cut out the openings. Cut and attach a contrast fabric to the visor trim. On the back of the trim, draw a line from point to point. Lay the trim facedown with the visor face down on top. Line up the center line of trim with the center points top and bottom of the visor. Mark the location of the visor on the trim. This will indicate the location for glue on the back of the trim. Hold the trim in place and flip. Use painters tape to mark the sides of the trim on the visor. This will locate the glue area on the face of the visor. Glue the trim to the visor.
  12. Teeth to nose: Hold one panel of side teeth inside one side nose panel. The dotted line on the pattern indicates the approximate location of overlap of nose and teeth panels. Press the front edge of the teeth panel to the inside of the nose front panel. Pencil a line on the front of the teeth and the inside of the side nose panel, to indicate the location for glue. Glue. Repeat for opposite side. Repeat process to attach front teeth with the top edge inside the nose front panels.
  13. Determine trim and apply with Power Tac to center of cap (the area that will be behind the visor, from the lowest point of the front up to the darts).
  14. Optional: Cut two 1/4" long pieces of dowel to represent the pins at the hinge of the visor. Paint these with Mod Podge and paint prior to attaching. Attach when all other parts are glued together.
  15. Mod Podge: Brush one layer of Mod Podge to teeth and all exposed raw edges of foam. Let dry 8 hours.
  16. Paint: Two coats of Antique Bronze to teeth. Two coats of Sequin Black to all foam edges, the back of the visor trim, and visor. Consider touching the cut edges of fabric with the black paint to clean up the look of the edges.
  17. Glue the center of the nose A panels to the center of the cap trim panels. Let dry. Overlap one side nose panel 1 1/4" over the cap side lining up the lower edges. Hold in place using a spring clip with the additional rectangle layers of foam. These foam pieces will prevent the clip from leaving marks on the mask. Repeat for the other side. Use pencil and tape to mark the location of the overlap of panels, thus identifying the area to be glued. Remove clip and glue one side at a time. Re-clip and set to dry.
  18. Layer and glue the visor in place on top of the cap/side nose joint. To prevent shifting clip until dry. Optional: Use Power Tac to secure 1/4" dowel sections at center of joint on either side of cap.
  19. Add additional trim using Power Tac to attach.
  20. Sew belting/strapping onto one end of Parachute Buckle. Use a spring clip to temporarily hold belting in place on inside back of cap trim. Try on mask. Measure approximate width needed between back of cap. Attach the strap to either side of the back with the appropriate length. Leave an excess of length for adjustments. Heat the ends of the belting to melt/stop fray. Glue the belting/strapping to the inside of the foam with Power Tac.

CRAFT HACK TIPS & TRICKS:
  • Use pencil to transfer the patterns onto the foam. Use a fine marker to transfer patterns to the back of fabric.
  • After the first coat of paint on the foam, the cut edges may have some rough burrs. Remove the burrs by sanding with an emery board or a small piece of sandpaper.

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