Advice on how to make an angler fish mask

September 19, 2018 3:33 PM

I want to be an angler fish for halloween! I am pretty crafty, but i dont know anything about making masks or fake teeth or anything like that. I need advice on how to execute some fake teeth, attach them to my face, or make some sort of mask thing. I probably also will need some make up advice!

Basically, Ive wanted to be an angler fish for halloween for a few years now, and i think this is the year i am finally following through with this. Originally i was going to make fake teeth to go in my mouth, but i found this picture of someone else's angler fish costume and it seems both better looking and more practical. However, i dont even know the first step to take! Can anyone recommend materials? Can anyone recommend methods? I dont even know what questions to ask! Also, if it makes a difference, i am willing to spend _some_ money on this so it will look good, but i would prefer to keep costs down.

I have tried to look some of this information up in past years, but my google skills are poor and i didnt find anything beyond vampire teeth and stuff and gave up the search. But this year i really want to do this and i remembered i have you wonderful people! I would appreciate any help you can give! Thank you :)

ps here is a slightly larger version of that picture.

posted by miss so and so to Grab Bag (11 answers total)

I have done this.

I paper-maiched (spelling?) a hard hat, using cardboard to make the shape of the mouth and the teeth. That took care of the difficult affixing-to-head issue. Then I painted the mask. I also drilled a hole in the top for the lure, which I made out of a medium-gauge wire wrapped in black electrical tape (and sparkles). Then I attached a little pedestrian’s circular wearable light to the end of the lure so I wouldn’t have to deal with wiring a light, battery pack, etc.

Will post a pic later.
posted by cnidaria at 4:02 PM on September 19, 2018

Best answer: If you're looking to do something like in the pictures you posted, rather than a hard mask/hat, I found another gallery of a very similar costume, but which has more details about how it's constructed. The teeth are molded out of thermoplastic, which can be formed by hand after softening in hot water. The tooth-flesh interface is built up from cotton balls, liquid latex, and some scraps of latex from a bald cap. Probably attached to your face with more liquid latex or some spirit gum. Looks like the area inside the "jaws" is just face-painted and lipsticked black to be "invisible" esp. in dim lighting.
posted by JiBB at 4:15 PM on September 19, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I also came to suggest making the teeth out of something like friendly plastic/shapelock. I think that'll be much easier and tooth-like than paper mache-ing the teeth.
posted by phunniemee at 4:37 PM on September 19, 2018

You can make the part of your mask that fits to your face using gauze designed for casts for broken limbs (plasters), and then a papier mache mask on top of the cast of your face ... for a perfect fit! Check out this guide from Steve Jarand.
posted by chapps at 5:10 PM on September 19, 2018

You might contact Tobin at north seattle kandi via Facebook. He has done this using perler beads with lighted wire and a moving fishing rod.
posted by ptm at 6:38 PM on September 19, 2018

Best answer: Have you seen this this tutorial from madeyewlook? It is more illustration than sculpture, but a nice take. I find her tutorials accessible and easy to follow too. Sounds like a fun project, let us know how it goes!
posted by this-apoptosis at 7:04 PM on September 19, 2018

Best answer: What about something like this for an easy paper version? Or you could use it as a pattern/base?

I did this with cardstock last year and added a keychain light to the lure. Worked pretty well!
posted by ohkay at 7:48 PM on September 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

I happened to see an angler fish mask in an article I read today. You'll have to scroll down towards the end of the story to see it. If it's like the other costume described in the article, this one is felted wool.
posted by terooot at 8:05 PM on September 19, 2018

A neoprene half face mask or balaclava might make a good base, if you mostly want something to attach the teeth & lamp to and aren't so concerned about a smooth match to your skin.

I've used Fimo to make fake teeth for art projects before and been happy with the result.
posted by Secret Sparrow at 8:42 PM on September 19, 2018

Best answer: I would make the teeth out of Instamorph (It's actually used to make actual temporary teeth/crowns). It's plastic pellets that are moldable when warmed. And it's remoldable to get the perfect shape.
posted by Crystalinne at 9:00 PM on September 19, 2018

Response by poster: I want to thank you guys for all your suggestions! You have been super helpful! I chose a few "best answers" since those seem more along the lines of materials/aesthetics i would like to use, but i really liked all the suggestions; things like the clay mask and paper mache i will probably look into for other projects! Thank you guys again for all your help! I now feel like i have actual directions/avenues i can explore :D :D. If things turn out i will post a picture!
posted by miss so and so at 11:08 PM on September 19, 2018