Modeled by Sinnova Cosplay. Image by The Amazing Yen.

Is a mask worn to hide the wearer’s face, or is it worn to reflect what cannot be seen inside? League of Legends’ champion Kindred, the Eternal Hunters, wear the mask of the other as a display of their inseparability and devotion. If you want to reflect your inner passion for the Rift’s champion of death, try creating your own homemade Kindred Lamb and Wolf masks with the tutorial below.

What you’ll need:

5/16" or 1/4" thick EVA foam (click for example)
X-Acto knife
Scissors
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks (approx. 15-20)
Mod Podge Matte
Acrylic paint and paintbrushes (one thin, one wide)
Skinny elastic (1 yd., to be safe)
A small cut of sheer light blue fabric for the eyes (I used a 4" cut of chiffon)
Paper and tape for patterning
Sharpie or pen for tracing the pattern
Heat gun (optional for detail work)

1. Pattern the mask

When making something three-dimensional like a mask, patterning with paper and tape is a good way to perfect the design and appearance of your creation without wasting the pricier materials. In order to make the mask dimensional rather than flat, look back at your reference artwork and pick out the individual pieces of the mask that come together to make the 3-D shape. In the picture above, you can see that I used two cuts of paper (in the picture, I folded and taped the middle of the bottom half of the mask) to create the 3-D mask. To make the mask “pop out,” you will have to use a bit of geometric thinking (didn’t think that was gonna come back to haunt you, did you?), but the patterning stage is exactly the place for trial and error. Make sure you try on your paper mask in the mirror so you know it fits, and don’t be afraid to try as many patterns as you need to get it to work. It’s time-consuming, but it’s worthwhile.

Tip: speaking of geometry, because the shapes of the mask are symmetrical on the vertical axis, fold your pattern paper in half so that you only have to draw out one side. When you cut out and unfold your pattern, it will be exactly mirrored on the other side. The magic of math!

2. Trace and cut your pattern out of EVA foam

Once you’ve made your pattern, untape the pieces, lay them flat on the smooth side of your EVA foam, and trace out your pattern. Be precise and don’t cut corners when tracing! After you’ve traced all the elements of your pattern onto the foam, cut out the pieces using either scissors or an X-Acto knife. Make sure you cut out the eyeholes and the slit in the mask as well.

Tip: details matter! To give your Kindred mask extra authenticity, use your X-Acto knife to carve small lines and the crescent detail into the front of the mask. Don’t cut all the way through the foam—you only need to carve about halfway deep. Then, use a heat gun (or even hairdryer) to open up the incisions just a bit. Carving the mask can be done either before or after gluing.

3. Hot glue the elements of the mask

Now it’s time to put your mask together based on the pattern you made. Start by gluing the top portion of the mask to the bottom—and start slowly. When your hot glue gun is nice and toasty, apply glue gradually (maybe one or two inches at a time) on one half of the mask, then firmly press the two halves together until the glue cools and dries. Patience is key; you will get the best shape if you take your time with gluing and pressing. Once the two halves are attached, it’s time to glue down the ears. I recommend marking the mask with a sharpie or pen in the place where you want to attach the ears. Apply the hot glue to the ears, then press them down on the mask until the glue dries.

Tip: After you glue everything together, you may find that there are jagged areas or empty crevices in the connected areas of the mask (for example, there may be a ditch where the two halves of the mask connect). You can smooth out these spots with just a small bit of hot glue. Add just a bit to the empty area, then use the hot metal tip of your glue gun to smooth the glue across the area. It might look messy now, but a good paintjob will hide almost everything.

4. Prime and paint the mask

Before you paint your mask, it’s important to prime it. Priming not only allows your paint to go on smoothly and appear more vibrant, but it also adds a layer of protection and stability to your foam mask. I prefer to prime with Mod Podge Matte because it doesn’t require sanding and it takes less time to dry than wood glue (in my experience). It can also be used as a final sealing coat after painting. To prime, just apply two or three coats of Mod Podge with a wide paintbrush to your foam mask, waiting for each coat to dry before applying the next. Once that’s done, wash off your brush and apply your paint, also about three coats. Don’t forget to paint around the edges and behind the ears, since they’ll likely be visible. Then, use a small paintbrush to paint the carvings and the crescent design. You will probably only need to paint the carved lines once, but you will likely need to add three layers of paint to the crescent. Finally, once everything is dry, add a layer of Mod Podge to seal the paint. (It dries clear, I promise.)

Tip: If you’re feeling fancy, try to add shadows and highlights to the mask using colors that are either slightly darker or lighter than your base color. Apply the shading lightly and try to make sure the colors gradient smoothly and naturally. I only applied light shading to my masks, but props to you if you go all-in.

5. Finishing touches

You’re almost completely done! The last things you need are to cover the eyeholes and add elastic to the mask. For the eyes, I double-layered turquoise chiffon because it’s sheer enough to see through, yet opaque enough to hide your eyes in pictures. Still, a blue mesh fabric would work well too (and would probably be less visually obstructive). Cut your fabric so that it covers the area of the eyehole inside the mask. Leave a little bit of room all around so that you can glue the fabric into place. Make sure to also glue down the edges of the fabric so that it doesn’t fray. Once both eyes are covered from the inside, take your elastic and wrap it around the back of your forehead; I recommend tightening it just a bit and measuring it from your left eye to your right eye. This way you can hot glue the elastic inside the mask right above both eyeholes. Cut the elastic and glue it in place (above both eyeholes inside the mask) and make sure you apply a fortifying amount of glue. Wait for it to dry, then try on your mask. If it doesn’t fit, carefully peel off the glue and remeasure your elastic. If it does fit, well, then, you’re done!

Cosplay is becoming an increasingly popular way for video game lovers to celebrate their favorite fandoms. If you have any questions, or if you would like to see more of my work, check out my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/stardropcosplay.

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