Made by Lara Tavares
Thank you for the beautiful templates and easy-to-follow instructions! I used them to make 15 lion masks for the Toronto-based East End Lil Players production of Disney’s The Lion King Jr.
Each mask started with a base of gold, copper, or bronze metallic acrylic paint. I drew the faces with acrylic paint markers, trimmed the ears with faux fur, and built the manes from faux fur ribbons. The Scar, Mufasa, and Simba masks got extra dimension from feathers, fabric leaves, felt, cowrie shells, and faux gold leaves. For the Young Nala masks, I added felt flowers, pom poms, and plastic butterflies so they’d stand out within the lioness pack.
The real trick was lining each mask inside and out with thin black felt. This made them comfortable for the performers, and under stage lights, the backs of the headpieces seemed to disappear, making the masks really pop.
This was my first time making masks, and I’m so happy with how they turned out. The show was incredible, and it was deeply moving to watch the performers bring them to life on stage.
Special shout-out to my son, who played Simba and was the inspiration for this whole project. 🙂 🙂
Love them!!
They look amazing Lara – and they must have really stood out under the stage lights, because of the metallic paint. And thank you so much for showing us the fur ribbon manes. I’ve never heard of fur ribbon, but it’s perfect for the Lion King masks. The kids must have been very proud to wear your masks. Thanks for showing them to us!