Making a Simple Mask
Get a plastic, full-face mask. The color doesn't matter because you will be painting over it. Make sure that the mask covers your entire face, however. You can find them in craft stores, party supply stores, and costume stores. The mask should be plain. Don't use a mask with carved or raised designs. You can also cut an oval out of poster paper that's big enough to cover your head. Fold it in half lengthwise to create a crease, then cut eye holes out of it.
Wipe the mask down with rubbing alcohol. This will remove any dirt or oils that may keep the paint from sticking. From now on, you should only handle the mask from the inside. If the mask is shiny, lightly buff the surface with fine-grit sandpaper. Anything between 180- and 320-grit will do. You should wipe the mask down again with rubbing alcohol after sanding it. Skip this step if you made your mask from paper.
Cover your work surface with newspaper. You can also use scrap paper, paper bags, or even a cheap, plastic tablecloth. If you will be using spray paint, make sure that you find a well-ventilated area to work in; outdoors would be the best. If you are using spray paint, make sure that it is not rainy or humid, as this will prevent the spray paint from curing properly.
Paint the mask red, then let it dry. Apply a single, light coat of paint first. Wait 15 to 30 minutes for it to dry, then apply a second coat and let it dry too. Spray paint will give you the nicest finish, but you can use acrylic craft paint too. Dark red will work the best, but you can use bright red too. If you are using spray paint, it may be a good idea to coat the mask with a spray primer first.
Draw Deadpool's black eye patches on with a black marker. Cut a template from paper first. Use it to trace the first black eye patch, then flip it over and trace the second patch. Using templates will ensure that both patches are symmetrical. You can make your own templates or print them out from online. If you are making your own templates, look at lots of reference pictures to make sure that they are accurate.
Fill in the eye patches with black acrylic craft paint. Do not use spray paint for this, or you will cover the rest of the mask. Instead, use black acrylic craft paint and paintbrushes. Apply 1 coat first, wait for it to dry, then add a second coat if it is not thick enough. Let the second coat dry too, if you applied it. Use small, pointed brushes for tight areas, like corners and points. Use large, flat brushes for large areas. Synthetic, taklon brushes will work the best. Avoid boar bristle or camelhair brushes.
Cover the back of the eyes with sheer, white fabric, if desired. Find some sheer, white fabric that you can see through. Cut 2 squares or rectangles from it that are big enough to cover the eye holes. Flip the mask over, then hot glue the fabric over the eye holes. You don't have to do this, but it will make your mask more accurate. Chiffon will work the best. You can also use white tights instead. Make sure that you are gluing the fabric to the back/inside of the mask.
Add details, such as seams or a hood. Use a black marker to draw the seams. For a more detailed mask, outline the black eye patches with black puffy paint. If you want an even more realistic mask, cut the hood off of a red sweatshirt, then hot glue the opening to the top and sides of the mask. You can also just wear the mask with the red hoodie. Simply put the sweatshirt on first, then the mask, then pull the hood up.
Using a Pre-Made Hood
Get a red morphmask. A morphmask is just the hood part of a full body morphsuit. You can find them online, costume shops, and party supply stores. You can also just get the entire suit and use it for the rest of the costume.
Put the mask on inside-out and trace your eye sockets. Turn the mask inside-out first. Slide it over your head; if there is a zipper, close the zipper. Use a felt-tip marker to gently trace around both of your eyes. You can see through morph suits, but Deadpool has white eyes inside of red. If you just paint the eyes white, you don't be able to see through them anymore.
Take the mask off and cut the eyes out. Unzip the mask first, if needed, then pull it off. Use fabric scissors to cut the eyes out. Try to be as neat as you can. If the lines are messy, neaten them up with the marker again. You can change the shape of the eyes to make them more expressive.
Glue scraps of sheer, white fabric over the eyes. Cut 2 squares or rectangles from sheer, white fabric. Outline the eyes on the mask with hot glue, then press the white, sheer fabric over them. White chiffon is a great choice for this. You can also cut up a pair of white tights. The inside of the mask should still be facing you. If you are worried about the glue going through the fabric, slide some cardboard into the mask first.
Turn the mask right-side-out and slide a piece of cardboard into the mask. You will need to paint the mask next. In order to prevent the paint from going through the fabric and staining the back, you need to put something inside it. A piece of cardboard would be ideal. You can also slide the mask over a Styrofoam wig head. You can find these in well-stocked craft stores, wig shops, costume stores, and online.
Use a template to trace Deadpool's black eye patches onto the mask. You can make your own template or print an existing template from the internet. Do 1 eye first, flip the template over, then do the other. Use a black, felt-tip marker to trace the eye patches. This way, it will blend into the paint.
Paint the black eye patches, but avoid the white mesh fabric. Black fabric paint or fabric markers will work the best for this. If you are using fabric paint, be aware that it may crack when you pull the mask on. You can find fabric paint and markers in a fabric store or craft store. Let the black eye patches dry before moving on. This should only take 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the seams with puffy paint, if desired. You don't have to do this, but it will make your mask more detailed. Use black puffy paint to outline the white eye holes and the black eye patches. Next, use black or red puffy paint to make the 2 seams running down Deadpool's face. Puffy paint is also called "dimensional fabric paint."
Wait for the mask to dry completely before you wear it. If you added the puffy paint designs, you may have to wait up to a whole day before you can use the mask; puffy paint takes a long time to dry. Once the mask has dried, pull it off of the cardboard or Styrofoam wig head, and wear it!
Making a Movie-Accurate Mask
Pin red, stretchy fabric around your head. Pull the fabric across your face, then pin it vertically down the back of your head to create a tube. Next, take the top-front edge of the tube, and pull it over the top of your head towards the back. Pin the folds of the fabric shut; you’ want 2 diagonal seams that meet in the back-center of your crown, like a V. Make sure that the wrong side of the fabric is facing out. If you have a Deadpool suit, match the color of the fabric to the suit. If you need to, get someone to help you with this step. Don’t use a Styrofoam wig head for this. Most wig heads are much smaller than human heads. Even if you find one that's the right size, the eyes may be in the wrong place.
Pull the mask off and sew along the pinned areas. Use a thread color that matches your fabric and a zigzag stitch. Do the back seam first, then the top seams. Backstitch when you start and finish sewing so that the stitching doesn't come undone. Some of the fancier sewing machines have a stretch stitch. Read your sewing machine's manual to find out whether or not it has this. If you don't own a sewing machine, you can hand sew it instead.
Put the mask on, trace your eye sockets, then cut them out. Pull the mask on first, making sure that the back seam is centered in the back of your head. Feel your eye sockets through the fabric, then use a tailor's pen to lightly trace around these. Pull the mask off, then cut the eyes out. Don't worry if they look to be too big; you will be covering them later on with the black eye patches.
Cut Deadpool’s black eye patches from black, stretchy fabric. Pull up some reference picture’s of Deadpool’s mask, then trace the shape of the black eye patches onto paper. Cut the template out, then use it to trace 2 left and right patches on black, stretchy fabric. Cut the patches out when you are done. Be sure to trace and cut the eye holes from the black fabric too. Deadpool's mask is very expressive. You can make the eyehole look happy, surprised, or angry!
Cut white, sheer fabric behind the eye holes on the black patches. Cut 2 squares out of white, sheer fabric that are big enough to cover the eye holes. Flip the black patches over so that the wrong side is facing you, then glue the white fabric over the eye holes. You can use hot glue or fabric glue for this. Chiffon would be ideal because it looks white from a distance, but you can still see through it. Don't use tulle; it’s too sheer!
Give the eye patches more definition with a Styrofoam tray. Deadpool's eye patches aren't completely flat; they have a slight angle to them. You can create a similar effect by draping the eye patches over the curved, bottom edge of a Styrofoam, tracing them, then cutting the resulting shape out. Rather than tracing the entire eye patch, trace just the top half, which is everything above the eye hole. Deadpool's eye patches have a point on the top and bottom. The edge of the Styrofoam tray should be aligned with these points. This step is optional, but it will help make the mask look more believable.
Glue the eye patches onto the mask. Again, you can use hot glue or fabric glue for this. If you want a nicer finish on your mask, fold the edges of the eye patches down by about ⁄4 inch (0.64 cm) as you glue them. This will give you a nice, hemmed look. If you made the Styrofoam pieces, leave a gap in the bottom of the patches while gluing them on. You’ll add the Styrofoam later. Avoid pinning the fabric if you use fabric glue; the pins will leave marks and creases. You don't need to pin the fabric if you use hot glue either; it sets up fast.
Pin and sew the front seams to better fit the mask to your face. Deadpool’s mask has 2 seams running down the front, starting just below the eye patches and finishing at the neck. Pull the mask on inside-out and pin the fabric in these areas until it feels more snug. Pull the mask off, sew the seams with a straight or zigzag stitch, then remove the pins. If you need to, draw the seams with a marker first. Make them angle slightly towards your chin, but don’t actually have them meet. You want the mask to be tight enough so that it follows the shape of your jaw, but not so tight that you can’t pull it off.
Trim the seams to reduce bulk, then turn the mask right-side-out. Use scissors to cut the seams until they are about ⁄4 or ⁄2 inch (0.64 or 1.27 cm). Because stretchy fabric does not fray, you don’t need to finish the seams. If you made Styrofoam inserts, slide them into the eye patches after you have turned the mask right-side-out, then finish gluing the patches.
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