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This Instructable is for a "Gray-style" alien, a la the movie Signs. The sorta alien you'd expect to see in Roswell, New Mexico.
The video is a short film we made using this costume (as well as another costume).
Before you make this costume, realize that it is striking, kinda scary and very form-fitting. For these reasons this is great for clubbing, public events, parties with adults, or maybe for a haunted house. Although it won't show any skin, almost every nook and cranny of your body will be visible. Personally I would feel uncomfortable wearing this to a church or school Halloween party. And if you're self-conscious about your body, this costume is not for you.
What You Need
BODY:
1. Body stocking (zentai suit)
That's all!
HEAD (mask):
1. Large uninflated balloon. (couldn't hurt to have a few extra in case it pops.)
2. Flat-bottomed dish or cake pan
3. Newspaper (lots!)
4. Flour
5. Salt dough
6. Utility knife
7. A pair of novelty alien sunglasses
8. Acrylic paints
9. Cotton Batting
--OR--
1. Store-bought alien mask
(LAME! but much easier)
total cost: about $50
The video is a short film we made using this costume (as well as another costume).
Before you make this costume, realize that it is striking, kinda scary and very form-fitting. For these reasons this is great for clubbing, public events, parties with adults, or maybe for a haunted house. Although it won't show any skin, almost every nook and cranny of your body will be visible. Personally I would feel uncomfortable wearing this to a church or school Halloween party. And if you're self-conscious about your body, this costume is not for you.
What You Need
BODY:
1. Body stocking (zentai suit)
That's all!
HEAD (mask):
1. Large uninflated balloon. (couldn't hurt to have a few extra in case it pops.)
2. Flat-bottomed dish or cake pan
3. Newspaper (lots!)
4. Flour
5. Salt dough
6. Utility knife
7. A pair of novelty alien sunglasses
8. Acrylic paints
9. Cotton Batting
--OR--
1. Store-bought alien mask
(LAME! but much easier)
total cost: about $50
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Signing UpStep 1The Body Stocking
1. Find your suit.
The body stocking is what really makes this suit stand out. Rather than looking like you're wearing a costume, it will appear that you are just walking around in your own green skin! But it is important to find the right one.
For some reason Asia is really into these things. There are dozens of websites where you can buy them. In Japan they are called "Zentai" suits. A quick search online should yield many options. Add "wholesale" to find several sites that offer wholesale prices, even if you only buy one! I recommend using the safe-search feature on your browser to avoid a lot of, um, unusual websites that tend to come up when searching the term "zentai".
Some American and British sites offer this same product, but as something to wear to football games rather than as a generic costume base. Be careful with these as some will print their ugly logos on them.
A zentai is the way to go since it covers the entire body including the hands, feet, head, and face! It is usually made of lycra. If you don't want to buy one you could probably use some under-armor, a dance leotard, or some onesie pajamas. This will greatly reduce the alien effect though.
2. Order your suit.
I spent a lot of time searching and bought mine on sale. It cost about $35 once I had paid for shipping and everything. Most sites will charge closer to $50 and up, but look around for a bargain.
Order it well in advance since it usually takes two weeks or longer to arrive from China or wherever.
Some sites also offer a custom sizing option. You send in 8 or so different measurements and they make it to your size. This is the way I did it and I was very pleased with the result. Some sites charge extra for this service and others don't.
Choose your color. Mine was green. Other colors that would be cool are gray, blue, or even metallic green or silver. Keep in mind that you will need to match this color exactly when you paint your mask.
It can be hard to tell exactly how it will look from the pictures, so be prepared for a slightly different color than you see in the photos. And wait until after you have your suit to paint the mask.
3. Cut open the face.
When the suit arrives, you will need to cut out the face in order to see, breathe, eat, etc. Start small. You can always cut more out if you decide to.
4. What else?
You could leave it at that, but I wore some water shoes with thin green socks over them to keep from wearing out the feet. I also wore some seamless athletic boxer-briefs under the suit.
The body stocking is what really makes this suit stand out. Rather than looking like you're wearing a costume, it will appear that you are just walking around in your own green skin! But it is important to find the right one.
For some reason Asia is really into these things. There are dozens of websites where you can buy them. In Japan they are called "Zentai" suits. A quick search online should yield many options. Add "wholesale" to find several sites that offer wholesale prices, even if you only buy one! I recommend using the safe-search feature on your browser to avoid a lot of, um, unusual websites that tend to come up when searching the term "zentai".
Some American and British sites offer this same product, but as something to wear to football games rather than as a generic costume base. Be careful with these as some will print their ugly logos on them.
A zentai is the way to go since it covers the entire body including the hands, feet, head, and face! It is usually made of lycra. If you don't want to buy one you could probably use some under-armor, a dance leotard, or some onesie pajamas. This will greatly reduce the alien effect though.
2. Order your suit.
I spent a lot of time searching and bought mine on sale. It cost about $35 once I had paid for shipping and everything. Most sites will charge closer to $50 and up, but look around for a bargain.
Order it well in advance since it usually takes two weeks or longer to arrive from China or wherever.
Some sites also offer a custom sizing option. You send in 8 or so different measurements and they make it to your size. This is the way I did it and I was very pleased with the result. Some sites charge extra for this service and others don't.
Choose your color. Mine was green. Other colors that would be cool are gray, blue, or even metallic green or silver. Keep in mind that you will need to match this color exactly when you paint your mask.
It can be hard to tell exactly how it will look from the pictures, so be prepared for a slightly different color than you see in the photos. And wait until after you have your suit to paint the mask.
3. Cut open the face.
When the suit arrives, you will need to cut out the face in order to see, breathe, eat, etc. Start small. You can always cut more out if you decide to.
4. What else?
You could leave it at that, but I wore some water shoes with thin green socks over them to keep from wearing out the feet. I also wore some seamless athletic boxer-briefs under the suit.
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Hope you keep doing papier mache creations!
Sadly I'm not that trim in dimensions and would really give those kids in the store a good laugh!
The helmet is really easy (though kinda pricey). We bought an outdoor lamppost cover from an online retailer. You can choose the size of the globe and of the hole cut in the bottom. They get occasional request for them as space helmets and can recommend a good size. Then we used a soldering iron to cut out the bottom of a plastic mixing bowl to make the base, and stuck them together with silver reflective duct tape (also covered the base with it).
The boots, belt, and jet rocket pack are made from odds and ends from the thrift store and around the house, spray painted silver.
Just FYI, the astronaut costume is even more awkward than the alien one. Its hard to breathe in and forget having a conversation. Maybe you can solve those problems when you make yours.
Good luck!
I built this mask onto an existing hard hat (like you mention as on option), and it worked out really well. I think if I had been planning on running in it like you, I would have used a bike helmet. It seems like that might be a more comfortable option. Just a thought for your next running costume!
Anyway, great instructable. 10/10.
With regards to your other point, one morning I woke up with a vague recollection of being abducted. I thought it was a dream until I realized that my pj pants were on backwards. I realized that aliens could easily make such a mistake after performing their various tests. Anyway, this costume is EXACTLY WHAT THEY LOOKED LIKE.
Awesome costume BTW