How To Make An Elephant Mask With A Trunk: Easy DIY Costume

by BUST Magazine

This Halloween, wear a super simple and super rad costume that leaves your hands free to hold a beer, feel up a friend (consensually!), and generally have a spooky-good time. This elephant mask is super easy to assemble and won’t take very long – perfect for all you crafty but chronically last-minute partiers.

 

To make our elephant, you’ll need:

  • Masking tape
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • X-Acto knife
  • Cutting mat
  • 1/2” wide ribbon
  • acrylic paint

Instructions:

  1. Measure your face to find the desired width and height. The shape you’re making is an upside-down heart, minus its point.
  2. Tear off a piece of masking tape 2″ longer than your width. Lay it stickyside-up on a clean surface and tear another strip to this length. Lay the second strip on top of the first, overlapping by ¼”. Repeat until you have a sheet that’s 3″ bigger than your height measurement. Add two (or more) layers of tape strips to this sheet, making sure the sticky sides are all covered. (It’s helpful to lightly tape the bottom corners down while you’re working.)
  3. Hold the sheet to your face to determine where you’ll cut out space for your nose. Make a pencil mark on the mask at the top of your nose, and 2″ below that mark. Draw a straight line lightly across the bottom width—this will be the bottom of the elephant’s cheeks. Draw your upside-down heart shape (minus the point) with the nose mark as the heart’s dip and the cheek marks as heart’s top curves. Draw two straight lines from the horizontal edges to the top of the tape sheet. Cut this shape out.
  4. Hold the mask up to your face and mark the eyehole placement with a pencil. Cut the eyes out with your X-Acto.
  5. For the trunk, make another sheet of tape 8″ long by 5″ wide. Draw a 2″ wide rectangle that curves at the end and is about 7″ long. Cut this curved shape out, and gently fold down the middle, moving along with the curve. With your mask facing up, lay the top of the trunk across the top of the nose dent, overlapping ¼”, and tape it down securely. Flip over and tape it from the back as well.
  6. Staple ribbons or yarn to the back of the mask, as described in the fox tutorial, then cover the staples with another layer of tape. Paint the front of the mask with acrylic paint and let dry.
  7. For the ears, make another tape sheet that’s at least 14″ tall by 12″ wide. Draw two 6″ x 5″ ovals on it, and cut them out. Paint these ovals as desired. (We put tiny flowers on our elephant’s ears.)
  8. Once the paint’s dry, flip the mask and ears facedown. Overlap the ears behind the mask by 1″ and secure with a few layers of tape on the back of the mask.

Want to make our fox mask? Check out the instructions here.

By Lan Truong and Callie Watts

Photographed by Sarah Anne Ward

Styled by Maya Rossi

 

More from BUST

Make Your Own Candy Corn With This Delicious DIY

This Halloween, I’m Not Dressing Up In Shame

This Halloween Makeup Tutorial Will Make Jaws Drop

 

You may also like

Get the print magazine.

The best of BUST in your inbox!

Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter

About Us

Founded in 1993, BUST is the inclusive feminist lifestyle trailblazer offering a unique mix of humor, female-focused entertainment, uncensored personal stories, and candid reporting that tells the truth about women’s lives.

©2023 Street Media LLC.  All Right Reserved.