Ive been making my own Frank the rabbit costume from the film Donnie Darko the movie. I tried and failed a few years ago to make the mask. This year i thought id try again. Partly because i was bored and partly because the same costume on ebay was £114! Fortunately there are a few videos on youtube on how to do it.. I watched these than had a go. I'm not finished yet, but its turning out pretty good so i thought id put it up here.
Here is a photo of how it should look
I'm not going for an exact copy, but so long as its mildly creepy and makes children cry then ill be happy.
I don't have any photos of the first few stages, as i didnt envisage doing a build thread for it. But i started by gluing 4 sheets of silver foil on top of each other, then pressing it over my face. Then i covered the outside with paper mache. I did the same for the CROWN of my head, then when they were dry i stapled them together to form the basic shell of the mask. Next i drew a scale sketch of the face i wanted and marked it out with a pen on the shell.
Then it got complicated. I cut up an old car washing sponge and using a glue gun i stuck it on to build up raised areas. I did this with sponge to keep the weight down. Then i paper mached over the top to give the approx shape. Next i blew an egg and very carefully i cut the shell in half and glued these on for the eyes. I will be able to see out through slits above the eyes but below the eyebrows. So it was important to check that the height of the eyes was right. Then i continued to paper mache to make it strong. It was starting to look promising so i started taking photos! The black bits are foam from a mouse mat which was a bit denser. I did this for where the ears were going to be glued on for extra stiffness.
Then for the ears. I used my sketch to work out how big and what shape to make them. Outside i found and old bird feeder so i cut it up to use the mesh. This kept it much lighter than if i had used scrunched up silver foil.
I robbed loads of fake finger nails off my sister to use as teeth. I glued 2 on top of each other to make the big front teeth.
Now I'm happy with the height of the eye slots, i glued what will be the upper brow on, so i can then paper mache over the top.
I did a quick scare test using our cat. I walked slowly into the room and the cat pooped itself. Great success!
Ive bought the fabric for the rest of the. I cant sew so I'm going to have to learn. So far ive laid down on it and drawn round myself, which seemed like a good place to start. I don't want to cut up £21 of fabric without knowing its going to fit.
Here is a photo of how it should look
I'm not going for an exact copy, but so long as its mildly creepy and makes children cry then ill be happy.
I don't have any photos of the first few stages, as i didnt envisage doing a build thread for it. But i started by gluing 4 sheets of silver foil on top of each other, then pressing it over my face. Then i covered the outside with paper mache. I did the same for the CROWN of my head, then when they were dry i stapled them together to form the basic shell of the mask. Next i drew a scale sketch of the face i wanted and marked it out with a pen on the shell.
Then it got complicated. I cut up an old car washing sponge and using a glue gun i stuck it on to build up raised areas. I did this with sponge to keep the weight down. Then i paper mached over the top to give the approx shape. Next i blew an egg and very carefully i cut the shell in half and glued these on for the eyes. I will be able to see out through slits above the eyes but below the eyebrows. So it was important to check that the height of the eyes was right. Then i continued to paper mache to make it strong. It was starting to look promising so i started taking photos! The black bits are foam from a mouse mat which was a bit denser. I did this for where the ears were going to be glued on for extra stiffness.
Then for the ears. I used my sketch to work out how big and what shape to make them. Outside i found and old bird feeder so i cut it up to use the mesh. This kept it much lighter than if i had used scrunched up silver foil.
I robbed loads of fake finger nails off my sister to use as teeth. I glued 2 on top of each other to make the big front teeth.
Now I'm happy with the height of the eye slots, i glued what will be the upper brow on, so i can then paper mache over the top.
I did a quick scare test using our cat. I walked slowly into the room and the cat pooped itself. Great success!
Ive bought the fabric for the rest of the. I cant sew so I'm going to have to learn. So far ive laid down on it and drawn round myself, which seemed like a good place to start. I don't want to cut up £21 of fabric without knowing its going to fit.