Leather Unicorn Mask
Andrea Masse-Tognetti joins Martha to craft a leather unicorn mask for Halloween.
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Leather Unicorn Mask
Andrea Masse-Tognetti joins Martha to craft a leather unicorn mask for...
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The Martha Stewart Show, October 2009
Artist Andrea Masse-Tognetti shows Martha how to make this sleek unicorn mask.
Tools and Materials
Mask template
7-ounce leather
Ballpoint pen
Leather shears
Craft knife
Shallow bowl
Oven
Acrylic paint
Broad brush
Leather hole punch
Ribbon
Paint pens, glitter pens, rhinestones, and other embellishments
Leather Unicorn Mask How-To
1. Enlarge, print, and cut out mask template. Trace template onto 7-ounce leather using a ballpoint pen.
2. Using leather shears, cut out the shape of the mask. Cut eye holes with a craft knife.
3. Soak mask in a bowl of hot water. (Little bubbles will appear on the back part of the mask; once the bubbles go away, it's ready to shape.)
4. Push the wet mask against face and shape. Fold the ears down and twist up at the edges. Twist horn at the top.
5. Put mask in a 265-degree oven for 3 minutes.
6. Mold mask for a second time on face to fine-tune the shape; tip the horn slightly forward.
7. Place mask in oven until dry -- about 15-25 minutes. The mask will become pale again once dry. Check frequently to avoid over-drying.
8. Apply acrylic paint to mask using a broad brush; let dry.
9. Using a leather hole punch, punch holes on sides of mask for ribbon. Feed ribbon through holes.
10. Decorate using paint pens, glitter pens, rhinestones, etc.
Resources
Materials used on the show included 7-ounce leather from Wickett and Craig and leather tools from Tandy Leather Factory (800-446-2999).
All other tools and materials are available at most crafts stores.
I took it to kinkos and enlarged it 125% and it was way way to big was I only supposed to enlarge it 25%?
The leather used is a 7oz vegetable tanned leather, chrome tanned leathers are not meant to be wet molded as shown in this project.
It is often less expensive to buy a single shoulder of leather for projects such as this, they average 6-8sq. ft. and are about $40 per skin.
I have found with most masks that I have made that a 3-4oz vegetable tanned leather is suggested, how do others find that the 7oz works?
Martha gave the source where you can get the leather used on the show. You should check it out. The prices are reasonable and the leather works just as described. I just finished making 15 animal masks for Christmas presents. They were so easy to create. I just have to paint them.
ATTENTION!
You must get Vegetable Tanned Leather! I just bought a ton of scraps of 7oz cow hide leather and it doesn't hold shape or dry out. Too bad it wasn't explained better above as I can't use this leather now. Get the stiff veg dried tanned leather...
Does anyone know how to get the mask Template to download on my MAC?
Thanks!
Yay! Andrea! Great job! =)
To see more of my sister's beautiful work, visit her gallery on Deviant Art > http://merimask.deviantart.com/
... or her Etsy Shop! >> http://tiny.pl/hqlrk
Great job Andrea. Enjoyed seeing you on Martha. As always the masks are beautiful.
I own one of the Lady Andrea's masks. She was kind enough to sign it for me. It has moved back and forth across the country and still looks just as lovely today as it did back then! It remains a classic. Her segment made me think about giving this art form a try! La Donna Bella Cosetta
What is the wax stick? Does it peel like a pencil or crayon? or do you melt wax onto a stick?
They used Liquitex acrylic paint.
What brand of paint was used on the mask? Great segment.