Halloween gets even more exciting! A collection of DIY mask ideas using a variety of materials
Ghosts, skeletons, bats, and jack-o’-lanterns—when it comes to Halloween, all the creepy, slightly scary characters come together! Even if makeup seems tricky, you can easily enjoy dressing up with a handmade mask.
They’re simple to make with paper or fabric, and you can decorate them however you like! Here’s how to create whimsical masks that kids and adults alike can enjoy with excitement.
Add some clever touches around the eyes and mouth for a more authentic finish.
Become your favorite character and have fun this Halloween!
Halloween gets exciting! A collection of DIY mask ideas using various materials (1–10)
Day of the Dead mask
During the Mexican festival called the Day of the Dead, many people wear colorful skull makeup.
Made popular by the Disney movie ‘Coco,’ why not recreate this Day of the Dead skull look with a mask? Even if makeup feels difficult, a mask is easy and lets you design freely, so it’s highly recommended.
Once you’ve cut paper into a skull shape, draw whatever you like in the open areas around the eyes and mouth.
Including floral designs is said to be the most popular style locally.
The most important thing is to make it bold and vibrant! Decorate it a lot and grab everyone’s attention.
cat
If cat ears or a full cat cosplay feels a bit embarrassing but you still want a cat-like costume, why not make a cat mask? You can craft a full cat face out of paper or fabric, or just make the part from the nose to the ears—either is fine! For a Halloween vibe, we recommend using darker or bold colors like black or purple.
Make sure to cut holes for the eyes so you can see ahead.
Once you’ve got the shape, add stickers, attach ribbons, and decorate it cutely—you’ll end up with an adorable, one-of-a-kind mask!
Jason
Jason, the killer from the hugely popular horror film Friday the 13th.
Let’s make a mask and become the iconic Jason with his memorable hockey mask! One simple method is to cut white construction paper into an oval shape and punch holes to mimic a hockey mask.
Another option is to use a hockey mask sold at 100-yen shops and add blood-like red details and dirty, worn-looking decorations.
Since the base is relatively easy to make or obtain, focus on the decorations to recreate the scariness!
ghost
https://www.instagram.com/p/CU65RUSJNJV/When it comes to Halloween, ghosts are indispensable.
You often see people dressing up as all kinds of ghosts from around the world, right? Even if it’s hard to go all-in with a full costume, a mask lets you become all sorts of ghosts with just your face! You could cut white paper into the classic shape of a ghost—like Boo from Super Mario or Whisper from Yo-kai Watch—or you could make a different kind of ghost by cutting construction paper, cardstock, or fabric.
Make a mask of your favorite ghost and give your friends and family a good scare!
Frankenstein
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3xyt_sldN0/Frankenstein is often imagined as a large figure with a pale, bluish face marked by stitches and nails, but in fact, Frankenstein is not the monster itself—it’s the name of the person who created the monster.
The monster commonly called Frankenstein is a popular choice for Halloween costumes! If you find it hard to recreate that eerie, bluish pallor with makeup, try making a mask instead.
Use blue or green paper and freely add scars and other details for an easy result.
If you use fabric or felt, you can create creases and textures that paper can’t, adding a different kind of frightful effect.
Anpanman
Let your kids enjoy Halloween easily with a hugely popular Anpanman mask! Just prepare colored construction paper that matches each part of Anpanman’s face, then cut and combine the pieces—it’s simple.
Since Anpanman’s face has lots of circles, making clean shapes can feel a bit tricky.
But you can easily draw circles by placing the rim of a mixing bowl or the bottom of a jar on the paper and tracing around it with a pen.
Once you’ve made each piece, just look closely at the layout and assemble the face.
It’s much easier than baking Anpanman’s face!
bat
Bats often appear in Halloween displays and help create a spooky atmosphere.
Seeing them flying through the city at night can feel a bit scary, right? But if you turn that scary bat into a mask, it works perfectly as a Halloween costume! Rather than making just the bat’s face into a mask, it’s recommended to use the bat’s entire silhouette as the mask.
Cut the face, body, and wings out of a single sheet of paper, and make holes in the wing area so you can see forward.
You can leave the holes as they are, but adding colored cellophane will make it even creepier! It’s also recommended to use different colors for the left and right sides.
jack-o’-lantern
Speaking of Halloween, jack-o’-lanterns—the pumpkin ghosts—are a must! If you have orange construction paper or cardstock, you can easily make a jack-o’-lantern mask.
You can simply cut it into a pumpkin shape, or fold the paper into a pumpkin shape like origami—that works great too! When you fold it like origami, it gives the mask a slightly bumpy, three-dimensional look.
You can just draw the black eyes and mouth, but since it’ll block your view, I recommend at least cutting holes for the eyes!
Sabito and Makomo
From the wildly popular anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Tanjiro Kamado meets Sabito and Makomo during his training.
Let’s try making the fox masks they wear! You can simply cut out white construction paper according to a template, but if you want it to look more authentic, the key is to add some cutting techniques.
Make slits at the forehead and around the mouth, then pull each slit together and glue it in place to create a three-dimensional mask.
After that, draw each mask’s face and cut out the eyes and mouth, and you’re done.
Using a red cord-like string for the ties will make it look even more authentic!
witch
https://www.instagram.com/p/CG89I6tnmiM/A scary witch or a good witch—what kind of witch do you want to be? If you make your own mask, you can transform into the witch you like! From the classic witch with a black hat to characters from Disney works and Harry Potter, there are all kinds of witches.
Once you’ve decided on the witch you want to create, try making your favorite witch’s face using construction paper or thick cardstock.
It’s also a great idea to attach the hat or hair later using separate pieces of paper, or to use different materials like fabric for certain parts.
You could even make just the hat three-dimensional! Decorate it however you like, and you’ll become your very own original witch!