BiOSHOCK Splicer Bunny Mask

Hey there!

This was a Splicer's Bunny Mask from the game BiOSHOCK I made me for Halloween last year. I know, I know. The bunny ears on the mask in the game are curved inward but let me say that I made this mask relatively quickly because I had to make both the Kitty and Butterfly masks for my friends that I didn't realize my mistake till the clay had already dried.

Since I lack the photos for a proper step-by-step, I shall give you a simple overview of what I did.

The materials I used were:

- A full faced mask from a craft store (this one is from Micheal's)
- Thin wire and wire mesh to shape the ears
- Crayola Air Dry Clay
- Sturdy ribbon
- Duct tape
- X-acto knife
- Carving tools (like linoleum cutters, wood carving tools, clay sculpting tools)
- White spray paint and some craft paint

I suggest experimenting with something more lighter like some air dry foam clay because it is more flexible; though I cannot say if it will work the same way the crayola clay did. I say this because the crayola clay added some weight to the mask in the end.

I started by tweaking the mask by shaping the eye holes with a very sharp X-acto knife to resemble the one's from the game. I also cut away the mouth part of the mask and shaped it accordingly to the source material.

I then punctured several, tiny holes on the top of the mask and threaded the wire through and shaped the ears. I fitted the wire mesh between the wire I made for the ears to make them more sturdy.

Now on to the clay!

I roughed up the surface of the mask with some coarse sandpaper so the the clay had something to grab hold to and began shaping the bunny snout by adding clay around the nose part of the mask and making sure I didn't cover up the nose holes. I also made sure that there was a seamless transition where the clay ended and the mask began. I then moved onto the ears where I began adding clay to the base of the ears -making sure the transition was seamless as well - and worked my way up. I tried to use as little clay as possible while still trying to maintain a smooth surface because of the weight. 

Next were the small details like the boarder and the swirls around the eyes. I did this by adding clay to the proper places and began carving away what I didn't need until I achieved the desired design. After I was through with that, I left the mask to dry overnight.

The next morning I roughed up the mask a bit by breaking off and cracking little pieces of the border and swirls to achieve a battle torn look. After I was satisfied with the roughing up, I began the painting process which consisted of several coats of white spray paint. After that was dry, I went back in and began painting the border and details with some craft paint then splattered some fake blood my cousin made here and there. After everything was dried, I added a good, sturdy ribbon for the tie. Then...

Ta-da! I had myself a splicer's mask!