They did the mask ... they did the monster mask. And you can too with this tutorial!

Culture Days is a national celebration of arts and culture with over 1,800 free, immersive, arts and culture events taking place across Canada (and virtually!) from September 24 to October 24, 2021. As part of this celebration, watch the video above to learn how to make your own monster mask with artist Ian Langohr. Feel free to share your monster mask online with the hashtag #CBCArtsMakes and find more Culture Days events here.

Do you want to have an original one-of-a-kind Halloween experience? Now is your chance. Follow along with artist Ian Langohr as he explains how to make your very own monster mask.

Langhor, a.k.a. Hand Sewn Heads, is a sculptor who specializes in mascots, puppets and props. He is currently living and working in Montreal.

Age range: 13+ (parental supervision may be required while using exacto knife)

Time commitment: 1-2 hours

Tools: 

• pins
• glue sticks
• glue gun
• marker
• exacto knife
• scissors

Materials:

• foam roll
• fleece or felt
• styrofoam ball
• mesh
• fun fur

Instructions:

Step 1: Shape the face

Wrap the foam around your head and cut the foam to your size. Then, using your marker, draw your eyes and mouth onto the foam and cut them out with scissors. For the eyes, make sure they are close to the size of your styrofoam ball. For the mouth, make sure it's big enough so that you can see out of it. Then you'll get a piece of fabric that is slightly bigger than the length and width of your foam and cut little wedges in the eyes and mouth. You will glue the tabs to the foam on the inside.

Step 2: Eyes and face

Take the ball of styrofoam and cut it in half. That will give you your two eyes. Take each half and drape some fabric over it. You can drape the fabric high to make the monster look happy or low to make them look sleepy. Place the eyeballs into the eye sockets and use the pins to reinforce them. From the inside, use some glue to attach the eyeballs to the mask. Then you're going to take your mesh and fold it to increase the density; this will allow you to remain hidden while inside the mask. Place the glue around the out part of the mouth.

Step 3: Join the seam

Now we are going to make our monster head round. We are going to add a little bit of glue at a time and reinforce it with pins so while the glue dries it will hold together.

Step 4: Add scalp and hair

Now that you have a circle that you can fit over your head, you need to reinforce the top. Cut out a piece of foam that is the same size as the circle and place it inside the top of the mask. This is your scalp. Use two pins to reinforce it. Then flip it upside down and glue it from the inside. Then give your monster some hair using the fun fur and use some glue to attach it.

Step 5: Customize your monster

Using the fleece or extra foam you can add anything you like; nostrils, teeth, droopy slime, horns etc.

If you try this activity at home, we'd love to see it! Share your work with us on social by tagging @CBCArts, @lilyetayl and #CBCArtsMakes.