SKELETON GLOVES

Want some custom gloves to go with your skull mask? Make your own, they're super easy.

Step 1: Overview

For this project, I'm making gloves to match the style of the masks pictured. For info on the masks, see my other instructable.

Step 2: Supplies:

Cloth Gloves

Tailor's Chalk or Pencil/Marker

Double-sided Mounting Film or Strong Double-sided Tape

Paper in Colors of your choice

Scissors

Step 3: Mark Knuckle, Finger Joints

Step 4: Prepare Your Colored Paper

I printed an array of colors onto standard printing paper. Trim a piece of mounting film to the same size.

Step 5: Peel and Stick the Film to the Back of Your Colored Paper

Step 6: Cut Your Paper Into Desired Shapes

Time saver: for the mosaic-style gloves I divided up some of the larger shapes by drawing on them with a sharpie.

Step 7: Peel Backing, and Stick in Place

Avoid placing any large pieces directly over a joint.

Step 8: In No Time, You're Finished!

Step 9: Options:

This technique may also be used for scale-like effects if you want your gloves to look reptilian (I photo-shopped an approximation) and so forth. The possibilities are many..

Step 10: Have Fun!

Comments

[Uncle Kudzu]

As if the skull mask weren't cool enough :) Yup, the gloves are also super-cool!

How did you come with your "strut" idea of construction for the skull?

[paulmaguire]

That's a good question. Got a minute?


A couple years ago I needed to make a mask for NY's Coney Island Mermaid Parade.

I decided to do a pufferfish, and grabbed whatever materials were at hand. I've always got foam core laying around, so it just happened spontaneously. I'd already ruled out paper-mache, wanted to do something different. I'd been looking at African masks, the ones from the Congo with incised linework on a simple shape, wondered if I could do something like that but with more of an open framework.


If you go to my umbrella instructable and watch the video, you can see the result at

0:31. The first model didn't hide the structure. It was made out of white foam core and paper and spray painted yellow. BTW I work in the architecture field, and my approach is no doubt influenced by that. There are parallels in the form of this mask to the Bird's Nest Stadium at the Chinese Olympics, which may have been an unconscious influence at some point in the process.


There are two advantages to this style mask. 1) It's lightweight. Critical for me as I've had disc problems in my neck. (the multi-color skull mask weighs only 3.5 oz)

2) The open framework allows air to pass through, making it more comfortable to wear and not so claustrophobic. Also vision is good because you can see through the whole of the structure, instead of two little eye-holes typical in many traditional masks.


For the next parade, another pufferfish (0:35 in the video). I decided to make the framework disappear, so that the circular shapes would appear to float independently of each other. Again, the idea just came to me.


The latest skull mask (glove instructable) was intended to look like dotted lines, but I spaced them closer together and it ended up looking more like mosaic, so I just went with it. I've got other masks planned, including another pufferfish, so keep an eye for that sometime within the next 6 months or so.


UK, your kind words and compliments made my day! Thank you for that.


All the best, P

[Penolopy Bulnick]

I love them!

[paulmaguire]

Thanks Penelopy!