This holiday season brings fresh printer-compatible designs of low-poly skeletons, monsters, animals and more for the do-it-yourself costumer, all scaled to fit an adult or resizable for children.
Like a polygon mesh in 3D computer graphics (that has a relatively small number of polygons), these masks are leant a haunting effect unique to the digital age, looking otherworldly and surreal like low-resolution computer renderings.
Some models are more complex than others, involving sets of articulated parts that rotate on simple hinges or pivots, like the tail of a fish, trunk of an elephant or the hands of a dragon.
The key ingredients: a printer, some paper of applicable color, glue sticks, craft knife, tape, cardboard and an elastic headband. If you have more time than money, or simply enjoy the process, these models provide a great balance of personal work and creativity within a ready-made outline.
From their maker, Wintercroft on Etsy, who sells the plans online: “The instructions and templates are designed to be quick and easy to follow. The finished masks are pretty robust due the their polygon construction and will survive the wildest of parties.
More on Steven Wintercroft: “By nature I am obsessively creative and starting making things as a kid with my granddad. I studied Art and design, then furniture studies and have been designing and building custom surfboards since I was a teenager. I’ve worked as a cabinet maker but have spent most of my time as a full time surfboard shaper. I believe that the urge to create is a fundamental part of being human and these masks provide an excuse to sit down, get out the scissors, tape and paint and make something” (via Colossal).
