Awesome Masks

A few years back, maker Sean Hodgins created a digital face mask that could display moving images. The original used a projector, which made it impractical to wear. To make it more portable, his new mask uses thousands of RGB LEDs mounted to custom circuit boards. Getting it to show video footage in the right positions was especially tricky.

Like many of you, we’re guilty of falling asleep with a phone in our hand while scrolling through random videos and memes. But if you doze off with the phone in front of your face, you might get bonked on the nose. This hilariously unnecessary invention from Kazuya Shibata ensures your face is protected in the event you drop your phone while in bed.

Process X introduces us to artist Hiroyuki Yamamoto, a master craftsman who makes traditional Japanese masks. Each mask starts as a solid block of wood, which he carves away with a saw, chisel, and other hand tools. He then creates eyes out of copper, applies gold leaf, and paints the mask in vibrant colors to bring his characters to life.

Tom Spina Designs performs expert restorations of movie props and costumes. They were asked to restore the fluffy monster puppet from George Romero and Stephen King’s Creepshow. This time-lapse shows how they freshened their faces and hands with help from VFX masters Greg Nicotero and Tom Savini and built it a wooden display crate.

Like some of his previous projects, metalsmith Seth Robinson made this bronze skull mask using lost PLA casting. He started with a 3D model by Zane Rogers, which he 3D printed, coated in ceramic slurry, and baked in a kiln to remove the plastic. After that, he filled the shell with a mix of copper/tin, cracked off the coating, then cleaned up the excess metal.

The eyes on Spider-Man’s mask typically have a fixed expression. But Sean’s Crafts took on the challenge of giving Spidey more visible emotion by making his eyes change shape. He started by making a mask from poster board, fiberglass cloth, resin, and wood filler. Then he rigged it with mechanical eye shutters controlled by a bike cable.

Masks have been part of Japanese culture for more than a thousand years. Process X takes us inside, Womokage, a small company that makes these detailed masks the traditional way. Skilled artisans use chisels to carve facial features from a solid block of wood, then hand-apply a coating and paint pigments to bring out details.

Willow Creative is a master costume and mask maker. In this clip, she shows off an epic mechanical mask she built based on Savathûn, the Witch Queen from Destiny 2. It has bright blue LED lighting and articulated facial features that move when she opens and shuts her jaw. The maker explains how it works in this second video.

Having designed and worked on creatures in movies from Galaxy Quest to Avatar to Hellboy, artist Jordu Schell knows a thing or two about mask making. WIRED sat down with the professional artist for a glimpse into his creative process, starting from a concept sketch to creating a finished monster mask.

Raphaël from Epic Cardboard Props shows off another awe-inspiring build – a replica of a Predator’s head made almost entirely from Amazon boxes, craft paper, and toilet paper. You can purchase the template to make your own Predator mask from his website, and you could be donning those dreadlocks in time for Halloween.

Costume armorer David Guyton shows us how it’s possible to sculpt a sheet of aluminum into the shape of a human face. It’s a time-consuming process to stretch and bend the metal, but with enough practice and the right tools, you could make one too. He also posted a tutorial on how to make a matching Roman helmet.

Svetlana and Benni of KamuiCosplay make incredible props and costumes. Their latest build is the eponymous mask from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. They made it entirely from sculpting EVA foam and then added LED lighting and a colorful paint job. This thing always reminded us of Aku Aku from Crash Bandicoot.

The Front Man’s mask in Squid Game is just one of the hit series’ many great design elements. Ben from PressTube made a replica of the iconic low-poly mask by melting down empty brass bullet casings and then casting them in a sand mold he made from a 3D-printed model.

Willow Creative’s incredible mechanical mask allows its wearer to control its mouth by moving their chin. The mechanism also moves its upper lip, nose and ears, and its eyes light up and move thanks to an Arduino Nano and a pair of mini servo motors. We can’t wait to see the finished version. Here’s more about the design.

This add-on hoodie works with any shirt, sweater, or jacket to give your head some much-needed warmth on cold days. It also has a built-in face covering which you can raise as needed, at the ready to reduce the spread of germs and to keep you comfy when the wind kicks in. Made from polyester with a fleece-lined interior.

And the 2020 award for creepiest Kickstarter goes to… Neon Culture’s What’s Your Face LED Mask. This programmable costume lets you replace your face with another with the tap of your phone screen. It has over 2,000 individual LEDs which can be used to display one of a number of digitized faces or animated effects.