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Whether they're used as decorations or worn to a fancy costume party, masquerade ball masks are perfect for lending an air of elegance and mystery to any setting. Originating in lavish carnivals thrown by the European upper crust centuries ago, these elaborate masks have come to symbolize sophisticated decadence. Professionally made ball masks are sometimes sold for thousands of dollars, but by taking advantage of MisterArt.com's everyday discounts, you can create your own artistic mask for much less!

What you'll need

Before we begin this project, we'll need to gather a few supplies to turn our plain masks into insane masks. These materials are enough to create two masks-- one male, one female.

Getting Started

The first step in creating a fantastic Venice mask is to paint it. Since we'll be cutting our masks up and decorating them, one solid base color is usually best. Masquerade masks should be elegant and eye-catching, complementing your formal wear. Black, white, gold, and silver are great neutral colors that make a mask shine. For a more festive occasion, you can't go wrong with the classic Mardi Gras colors of green, gold, and purple.

For our masks, we used a spray paint intended to give glass a mirror finish. This light metallic spray gave our masks a pale, iridescent coloration that provided a great background for our accessories.

Getting snippy

With our masks painted, it's time to give them shape. For inspiration, try looking up images of expensive and famous ball masks from history using your favorite search engine. Traditionally, the masks cover up the eyes and nose. The rest is up to your imagination! For our example, we decided to create a large female mask and a smaller male mask. We started by shaping the mask's forehead using scissors. It's a good idea to sketch out the shape you want on the mask using a pencil before you start cutting.

On the male mask, we widened the eye holes a bit in order to give the mask a more masculine look. By adding a little paint, you can accentuate such modifications.

Glitter party

Once both of your mask shapes have been cut out, it's time to decorate and embellish. Use the glitter paint to create elaborate designs on your masks; they should be eye-catching! By brushing on glitter paint with a paint brush, you can achieve an even, sparkling basecoat. Glue feathers on to the female mask in order to make it fancier and more feminine. Costume jewels provide icy accents that can help balance your glittery designs.

Sticking around

Fancy ball masks don't have elastic bands to wrap around your head. Your expensive hairdo would be ruined! Instead, we'll be attaching dowels to serve as handles with which the masks can be held up over the face.

First, trim the dowels to a comfortable length using a hand saw or heavy shears. They should be long enough that you can hold the mask over your face comfortably for extended periods of time if need be, around 18 inches or so. Next, spray the dowels down with the same paint used for the masks' basecoat so that it will blend in. Don't forget to embellish the stick with glitter paint! Once your dowel is appropriately exotic-looking, use quick-drying glue to attach it to the inside of the mask's right edge. Make sure that the dowel's placement will not block your vision or poke you while you're "wearing" the mask.