The Legend of Zeda: Majora’s mask

Reference images

Click on the middle picture to get the 3D model for the character.

Materials used

1.5 m non-stretch gabardine

1.2m velvet

1.2m fabric for lining

2m of polyester for the bag base

1m cottn for orange base

50cm velvet orange for strips

1m of wool for the sleeping bag

Leather straps

Ropes

Rivets

Full lace human hair wig

Spirit gum

HD Eva foam – 2mm & 5mm (100kg/m3 + 65kg/m3)

Hexflex primer

Hexflex metallic paints

Medium Monster clay for prosthetics and masks

Old mask for a base

Smooth-on Mold Star 15

Dragon Skin Fast Cure

Silc pigment

Vallejo Powder pigments

Acrylic paints

Magnets

PLA filament for all of the masks on the bag

Prosthetics

For the face prosthetics, we sculpted the nose, ears, and chin directly onto a 3D print of my head. This helped us get the proportions and fit exactly right from the start.

Once the sculpting was done, we built small clay walls around each piece to create simple mold “cages” for casting. We used Smooth-On’s Mold Star silicone for the molds, which takes about 4 hours to fully cure.

After the molds were ready and cleaned up, we moved on to creating the actual prosthetics. We chose Dragon Skin silicone (fast set) for this step. For the chin and nose, we decided to brush the silicone directly into the molds. Since the pot life of Dragon Skin is very short, brushing it on allowed us to control the layers and use the fast setting time to our advantage.

For the ears, we poured the silicone into the molds and then pressed the 3D head cast into place to get a perfect ear shape and fit.

Wig

For the wig, we used a 360 full lace real human hair wig in blonde as the base. The wig was cut and styled in a fairly simple, standard way to match the character’s look.

To achieve the final color, we applied three coats of hair dye, letting each coat fully set before moving on to the next. The wig was then left to air dry naturally for about a day.

Once the color was ready, the only thing left was to lightly style it using hairspray, giving it the right shape and hold without overdoing it. The result was a natural-looking, accurate hairstyle that brought the character to life.

Vest

For the vest, we made a paper pattern based on an old cloak.

After many alterations, we finally had a good fit.

We went with velvet for the outer layer and lining fabric for the inside. Everything was sewn on the machine with hidden seams to keep it looking neat.

For the edges, we bought church-style decorative ribbon and sewed it along the edges to finish it off and give it a bit more character. We ironed the the vest several tiumes to give it the clean and rich feeling.

Jumpsuit

The jumpsuit was a task. I was searching long and hard to find the correct color. In the reference, you can see that it changes colors based on the light – it appears blue/blue, but it is not an indigo color.

So I found the perfect color, but on the worst fabric for the garment – no way stretch gabardine.

There are also no visible seams or any lines on the original design, which made it even harder to assemble.

To start with the suit, we wrapped my body in stretch wrap and masking tape to make a custom pattern. After that, the pattern was traced onto the fabric, cut, and sewn together on the machine.

The decorative strips were made from decorative fabric lace, which we folded and ironed to get the right shape. The small strips on the jumpsuit were made using double-sided iron-on glue and then glued straight onto the jumpsuit.

To make it easier to wear, we added a hidden zipper on the back so it could be put on and taken off without any hassle.

Neckpiece and armguards

For the armor pieces, we started by wrapping Wanyusha in cling wrap and masking tape, then sketched out the general shapes of the armor directly onto the taped surface. Once we were happy with the design, we traced the patterns onto paper for a cleaner version and then scanned them into Illustrator for digital cleanup and adjustments.

After refining the designs, we split the patterns into separate parts and prepared them for laser cutting. The main armor pieces were cut from two layers of 2mm EVA foam (giving us a total thickness of 4mm) and were then assembled and shaped using a Dremel for a smoother finish. For the leaf details, we used a single layer of 2mm foam to keep them lightweight and flexible.

The vambraces were designed and built using the same process as the main armor, following the same materials and techniques.

All armor pieces were primed with two coats of Plasti Dip, then painted using HexFlex gold paint. After applying two layers of gold, we finished them with one coat of asphalt lacquer to add depth and texture to the color. To bring everything together and give the armor a rich golden glow, we applied a layer of gold finger wax across the surface.

Shoes

For the shoes, we followed a process similar to Skull Kid’s footwear. We started by tracing the shape of the shoe onto paper, then transferred that outline onto velvet fabric, which we chose for its rich texture and fitting look for the character.

Once the fabric pieces were cut, they were sewn together to create a sock-like cover that could slip over a regular shoe, making them both comfortable and easy to wear while keeping the design accurate.

For the soles, we traced the sole design, cleaned it up in Illustrator, and then laser cut the soles from 5mm HD foam. The soles were attached to the bottom of the fabric covers using contact cement for a strong, flexible bond.

Since the velvet fabric and the HD foam shared a similar color, there was no need for additional painting on the soles, which kept the process simple and clean.

Backpack

For the bag, we used a drawstring bag pattern purchased from Etsy, which we resized accurately using precise body measurements—nothing in this process was eyeballed.

The bottom orange section was measured carefully based on the total circumference of the bag once filled, ensuring it would wrap around smoothly without any tension.

We also made three decorative fabric strips for the front. These were sewn together, ironed flat, and then pinned onto the bag in a circular shape before being sewn down by machine for a clean and secure finish.

The arms on the back of the bag were hand-sewn for extra character. For the rope closure, we used a revolving leather punch to create the holes, added rivets with a matrix machine, and threaded the rope through them.

The entire bag was shaded using Vallejo pigments to give it a weathered, worn-in look.

For the sleeping bag attached on top, we used padding and cardstock to create the rolled shape, then wrapped it in fabric. To secure the sleeping bag in place, we used leftover strips of scrap leather, which were glued together to form a ring that holds the sleeping bag down on top of the main bag. The leather is not glued to the bag itself, only to itself, allowing it to function as a removable holder.

At the front of the main bag, we attached a small mini bag and finished it with two shirt buttons, which were painted and shaded by hand to match the overall worn aesthetic of the costume.

Masks

For all 10 masks, we followed the same process from start to finish. We started by sculpting each mask in Monster Clay over an old Hannya mask we had lying around, using it as a base form for consistency.

Once the sculpts were ready, each mask was 3D scanned individually and processed in Blender. Because 3D scanning creates extremely heavy meshes, we decimated the models to make them lighter and easier to work with—this time without any noticeable loss in detail.

With the optimized meshes, we moved on to refining and adding textures. Since we wanted the masks to feel like ancient, storied relics rather than something new and perfect, we chipped away vertices and faces along the edges to give each mask a worn, imperfect look.

The surface textures were added using free brushes from BlenderKit, creating a variety of finishes including wood, stone, flesh, and even scales—giving each mask its own unique character and visual identity.

To prepare them for printing, we added a solidify modifier to make the masks thin and lightweight, which made the prints manageable without sacrificing strength. Printing all 10 masks took around 70 hours in total.

All masks were primed with P360 primer to protect the fine textures without the need for heavy post-processing that could damage the details. Finally, each mask was hand-painted and shaded in the same style as the other costume pieces, keeping the overall aesthetic unified but with individual character in every mask.

To attach the masks securely to the inside of the bag, we used 10mm neodymium magnets, the same type we used for the main mask attachment. Each mask was connected with a small string loop in the middle, allowing the masks to stay securely in place while moving but also making them easy to remove or adjust without risk of them falling off.