Carnival-masquerade is a holiday that you want to diversify with something unusual. The celebration requires the presence of a festive outfit. According to the eastern calendar, the symbol of 2022 will be an ambitious bull. Therefore, carnival costumes and bull masks will be in special demand. It’s not at all difficult to make an original outfit yourself, you just need to show your imagination. How to make a bull costume for different age groups, see here. And in this article we will look at several options for making a bull mask using various techniques.
Option number 1 - Paper bull mask
For the craft we will need:
- Paper – white, pink and brown
- Felt pen
- Scissors
- Glue
- Simple pencil
Action plan:
- To begin, take a white sheet of paper, draw an oval on it with a simple pencil and cut it out - this will be the head of our bull.
- From the same sheet we cut out two ears (draw everything by hand - they are shaped like a leaf on a flower).
- Cut out two white circles - these will be the eyes of the bull.
- Cut out a smaller oval from pink paper - this will be the muzzle
- Cut out horns from a sheet of brown paper - 2 pieces. We make all the templates by hand, don’t invent anything supernatural.
- Now we glue two ears and horns to the back of our bull’s head, and a muzzle and eyes to the front.
- On the white circles we draw pupils with a black marker or felt-tip pen (you can use pencils, crayons and any other artistic means), and on the face we draw a smiley face - it will look like nostrils and a mouth.
- We cut out a strip 3 cm wide from white paper, and determine its length yourself (you need to measure the volume of your head). We glue the ends of the resulting strip into a ring and glue our mask onto the strip.
Paper ring to attach the mask to
What your mask should look like after completing all the points in our plan
From papier-mâché
If time allows and you want to truly surprise your guests, then make a mask from papier-mâché.
For this you will need:
- an empty five-liter plastic bottle with a wide funnel;
- empty juice boxes (volume 1-1.5 liters) and yogurt or cottage cheese;
- old paper (newsprint or craft paper);
- White paper;
- stapler and scissors;
- stationery knife;
- acrylic paints and brushes.
Option number 2 - Bull mask made of cardboard
Required tools and materials:
- Cardboard – white, pink, gray and brown
- Felt pen or marker
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Simple pencil
- Rubber
Action plan for creating a mask:
- Download the template and cut out all the necessary details using it. You can choose any colors you like, or, better yet, go with what you have at home. We have the following parts: base - 1 pc., horns - 2 pcs., ears - 2 pcs., cheeks - 2 pcs. and curls (gray cloud on top). We will also prepare a linen elastic band. If you don't have glue, you can use double-sided tape, as shown in the photo.
- Glue the horns to the back side. Entrust this to the child. At such moments, he develops fine motor skills of his hands.
- Now it’s time to glue on the ears. We wrap a small part of the corner inside. Glue the ears on the back side. Note! If the glue stick does not hold the cardboard well, you can use a stapler and double tape.
- We turn our mask over to the front side. In front we need to glue the cheeks, curls and nose. The circles on the face can not be cut out, but drawn with a marker, pencils or any artistic means. This is where your imagination comes into play!
- After you have glued all the parts, you can add any decorations that you find at home. These could be stars, circles of paper, some special stickers and even shiny paints. Create your own unique mask! Create with your child - these will be the best childhood memories!
- This is such a wonderful mask we have! Everyone will get their own, made with their own hands, to their own taste. These photos are just a small guide, but your imagination doesn't end with these instructions. You can choose other colors, add velvet cardboard.
- Now it's time to pick up the rubber band. We need to make two holes on the left and right sides of the mask and tie an elastic band in them. It is better to adjust the size of the elastic after trying it on. Do not cut off in advance, as you may think there is “extra length”.
Realistic bull figurine using origami technique
The origami bull assembly diagram is suitable both for those who are interested in the art of origami, and for those who want to master this ancient art. Although at first glance creating such a paper sculpture may seem like a difficult task, in fact, it is enough to look carefully and exactly repeat the proposed scheme and everything will definitely work out.
To create this figurine, no special devices or tools are required - you just need a sheet of paper, a diagram and the desire to create a small masterpiece. You can use either ordinary office white or colored paper, or special foil paper for complex origami patterns.
The finished product can be an excellent gift for the New Year if you paint it with shiny spray paint or varnish and attach it to a stand.
Option number 3 - Felt bull mask
Necessary materials:
- Felt – black, white, brown,
- Yellow thread or yellow piece of fabric
- Scissors
- Pencil and soap
- Thread and needle (or sewing machine)
- Rubber
Let's get started:
- First, we need to prepare all the patterns for our future product (two copies of each). We should have the following set - 4 pcs. horns, 2 pcs. base, 4 pcs. ears, 2 pcs. muzzle. Tip: if you are not so good at drawing templates by hand, then you can download the picture posted by us, print it and cut it into the necessary parts, apply it one by one to the felt, trace the pattern and cut it out. The main thing here is to decide in advance on the size of the mask.
- After you have cut out all the necessary parts, you need to fold them in two pieces each facing each other and sew along the edge, then turn them face out and sew up the remaining piece. This is what we do with all the elements of our future creation. (That is, we take two white horns, fold them facing each other, sew along the edge, turn them inside out and sew up the edge. Next we take the next two white horns, then repeat the same with the ears, muzzle and the main piece of the mask).
- After we have sewn each part of our bull separately, we need to assemble it all into a single mask. We sew the ears from the back, the horns from the front. The muzzle, accordingly, is also in front. It is not necessary to make a yellow ring like in the picture. But, if you wish, you can sew it in one layer by cutting out a semicircle from a piece of felt. Or embroider a small semicircle with yellow threads (it is better to use floss threads - these are special threads intended for embroidery, they are much thicker than usual, and they also require a needle with a wide eye).
- When the mask is assembled, sew an elastic band on the left and right side of the back of the mask, having previously measured the size according to the volume of your head.
Option number 4 - Bull mask made from a plastic plate
What we will use:
- Plastic plate
- Cardboard – white
- Felt pen – black, brown and pink
- Brown gouache
- Brush
- Glue
- Scissors
- Stationery knife
- Unnecessary ruler
It's not all that complicated, let's get started:
- To begin, take a plastic plate, place it on your face and approximately measure out the eye area, draw a pencil around the glue cap in these places and use a stationery knife to cut out circles for the eyes, then paint our plate with brown paint.
- From a sheet of white paper we cut out a muzzle, 2 horns, 2 ears and curls. All this is not difficult to draw, but if you don’t succeed, then you can download the photo that we posted and cut it out.
- Now we paint our parts with felt-tip pens in the colors that you like. You can use not only markers, but also paints, pencils, wax crayons and any other artistic means.
- Now using glue we glue the muzzle, ears and horns on the front side.
- The mask is almost ready! All that remains is to add a ruler at the bottom to use it as a pen. It is better to glue the ruler with tape; the glue most likely will not hold a wooden or plastic ruler. Instead of a ruler, you can use any other items. The flight of your imagination is completely unlimited!
Face painting
Children love face painting, but this way of dressing up for a carnival is also suitable for adults. To do this, you will need special face paints that will not cause allergies and will not “bleed.” The main shades are white, black, pink and brown. First, draw a contour, outlining the nostrils, ears and horns. The nostrils and lips will occupy the space from the nose to the mouth. This part is painted pink and white. The horns and forelock marked on the forehead are filled with the same paint. The ears and main part are painted brown.
Girls will love the white and black design. This can be either a whole mask or decorating only the eye area.
Ox Mask Templates
All the past methods of creating masks from scratch to the very end with your own hands are of course good, but what if you are pressed for time, you are working and suddenly remembered that tomorrow is the “great bull holiday” and you will not be able to cope without a mask, or How often does it happen that at 11 pm your child tells you the following information: “Mom, we urgently need a bull mask for kindergarten tomorrow.” If you are familiar with this situation, then the next option for creating a bull mask is just for you!
We have selected a whole collection of twelve ready-made masks that can be easily made in 10 minutes.
Emergency plan:
- You need to download one of the ready-made templates below and print it.
- Cut a strip of paper or cardboard 3 cm wide, and you will need to measure the length yourself (head volume). Glue our strip into a circle and glue the printed bull on it. Aaaand...voila! Our express mask is ready!
Ready-made templates for quickly creating a carnival mask for the New Year of the Ox 2022:
If you have a little more time than 10 minutes before bedtime, then you can download a black and white template, print it and give it to your baby. Let him color the mask himself with paints, markers or pencils. For better strength, you can glue the printout onto cardboard. After that, simply cut out your work of art and glue it onto a strip of paper or cardboard (again, the cardboard will be thicker, the mask will last longer).
Black and white printable templates:
Required materials and tools
To work you will need:
- white or colored paper;
- cardboard;
- Printer;
- sharp scissors;
- glue;
- metal ruler;
- colored markers or paints;
- brush;
- To make a mask, you additionally need an elastic band or rubber band and a stapler.
Making paper crafts with your own hands develops fine motor skills and improves brain function; it is a fun way to spend time with a child or a great way to relax for an adult.
Bulls are different
There are many options for creating a bull out of paper: from basic crafts or applications that even small children can handle without the help of adults, to complex figures using the origami technique, which will require time and skill to make, and which may well serve as interior decoration.
When creating bulls, you can use ready-made templates, draw your own, or even use improvised paper materials - boxes, packaging, disposable plates and cups - the scope for creativity is not limited, and depends only on your imagination.
Realistic paper figures are real art.
Bull mask using appliqué technique.
A simple bull head that even a child can make on their own.
An origami bull made from money is an original and useful gift.
An origami bull made from money is an original and useful gift.
Simple and cute cardboard cows.
Cow made from a plastic glass.
Bull mask made from a paper plate.
Bull from a cardboard box.
What to do if you don't have a printer at home?
Do you need to print a mask, but you don’t have a printer at home and you can’t get to a printing house? And for such a situation we have a very simple way! You need to take a white A4 sheet and open the desired image on your monitor screen in its maximum size (this can be done via Paint or Word). Now we add maximum brightness to the screen (in the settings of your computer or using the buttons on the monitor), turn off the lights in the room, close the curtains, place an A4 piece of paper on the monitor and redraw our sketch on the sheet with a pencil (carefully, you can’t press too hard, it’s better not to use a pen). That's all! Your sketch is ready and we don’t need a printer!
Thank you for reading this article to the end, our team sincerely hopes that you have received all the necessary information on this topic. Create masks, create yourself and together with your children, and most importantly, never force your imagination into some general framework!
Finally, we suggest watching a video from an English-language source - How to make a Bull mask with your own hands:
