Character Design & Mask Making: Design & Create a Character Mask

Date: 29 October

Time: 9:30am–4:30pm

Cost: £90 — includes all materials and refreshments

Please bring: A packed lunch

Age: Suitable for students aged 11+

Character & Costume Design — From Concept to Mask

What makes a character instantly recognisable?

In this immersive, hands-on costume design workshop, students will explore how designers use shape, proportion, texture, colour and visual storytelling to create memorable characters.

Taking inspiration from the dark, theatrical and surreal qualities associated with the work of Tim Burton, students will develop their own original character and design a mask that reflects its personality, story and world.

The day combines character development, drawing, costume design and practical mask-making, taking students from an initial concept through to a finished wearable piece.

Morning — Character & Costume Design

The morning introduces students to the principles behind character and costume design.

Through drawing exercises, visual research and guided development, students will explore how seemingly simple design choices can communicate personality, mood and narrative.

Looking at the exaggerated silhouettes, unusual proportions, expressive features and theatrical qualities found in Tim Burton’s visual world, students will develop their own original character rather than copying an existing character.

They’ll consider:

• Character personality and visual storytelling

• Shape, proportion and silhouette

• Facial features and expression

• Colour and texture

• Costume and accessories

• How materials can communicate character

• Developing an original design from an initial idea

Each student will create a character concept and a detailed mask design, considering how their ideas could be translated into a three-dimensional piece.

Afternoon — Mask Making

Now the design becomes a physical costume piece.

Using a range of craft and sculptural materials, students will construct their own character mask, experimenting with form, texture and surface detail.

They’ll learn how to translate a two-dimensional design into a three-dimensional object, considering structure, proportion, comfort and visual impact as they build.

Students will have the opportunity to experiment with exaggerated features, unusual shapes, layered materials, textures and painted finishes to create a mask that feels completely individual to their character.

The emphasis is on the design process as much as the finished piece — testing ideas, solving construction problems and discovering how materials can change the way a character is perceived.

Create Your Character

By the end of the day, each student will have developed an original character concept and created their own handmade mask as a finished costume design piece.

The workshop offers an introduction to the creative process behind character and costume design, combining illustration, storytelling, materials and making.

Perfect for aspiring costume designers, artists, illustrators, theatre and film creatives, or anyone interested in creating unusual characters and bringing them to life through design. No previous costume or mask-making experience is needed.