Laser Cut Halloween Mask - Spooky and a Bit Scary (Project Files Included)

I recently made a tutorial video on YouTube about making Halloween-themed costumes and decorations. The Halloween mask was my favorite craft from that project but making it was quite challenging. So I decided to create a step-by-step tutorial for the makers.

In this guide, I'll show you how I made a mask having glowing eyes to create a spooky look for this Halloween.

For making the mask, you'll need the following supplies.

Physical supplies

1. Laser cutter
2. Thick card stock
3. Glue
4. Paint
5. LEDs
6. Coin batteries

Digital supplies

1. 3D model of the mask
2. Pepakura designer software

First, you need to make a 3D design of the mask. If you can't make one yourself, you can get a free or paid design of a Halloween mask from the internet.

For cutting the mask on a laser, you should convert the 3D mask model into an unfolded planar design (as seen in the image above).

You can unfold the design file using the PePaKuRa Designer software. It imports 3D models and makes unfolded parts. It works best with polygonal models.

Once you unfold the design, you can move, orient, adjust the lines, and add joints between patterns.

Make use of the joints. It's helpful when finally putting together the mask.

For your reference, below, I've linked the unfolded SVG design of the 3D Halloween mask I used for my project.

The SVG design you get from PePaKuRa will have individual pieces with internal lines.

You'll have to cut out these pieces along its boundary. The fold lines within the pieces need to be engraved.

I imported the SVG file into illustrator and rearranged the design into two layers, one for the cuts and one for engraving the fold lines.

You can use any CAD software you like. Once the final design is ready, you can make the cuts using the laser cutter.

I used black card stock for this project as they are quite hard and suit well for the mask. I engraved the internal fold lines first, then cut the boundary.

To cut and engrave the card stock, I used the following laser settings on my 20W diode laser machine.

Cutting settings

• Speed - 3800mm/min
• Power - 100%

Engraving settings

• Speed - 10,000 mm/min
• Power - 40%

The settings will differ for different laser machines based on the type of laser module they use and their output power.

Pro Tip: Paper card stocks can burn when cut with a laser, so initially you'll have to do some test cuts to figure out the right settings.

Once you have the cut shapes. You can start folding it along the creases made in the laser engraving process.

Below, I've attached the folding instructions used in my project for your reference. It'll give you an idea of how each part of the mask is made.

Once the parts were folded and ready, I stuck them together with glue to complete the mask.

To hide the glue stains and give an even look to the mask, I applied a coat of black paint over the mask.

Give it some time to properly dry, then you can continue to the next step.

To cover the open area around the eyes, I placed a rectangular grid pattern cut out from the card stock on the back side of the mask.

Then I stuck two LEDs on each eye to give it a glowing effect. I used coin batteries to power the LED.

That’s it.

Now the mask is complete. If you want, you can tie an elastic band on the sides to help it stay on the face without falling off.