Quick Day of the Dead Skull Mask Tutorial for Travelers

We happened to be in Mexico just around the time when Halloween is coming up. Almost at the same time when the world celebrates Halloween, Mexican people celebrate Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead.

It’s a celebration when people honor their deceased loved ones and welcomes them back on earth for the day.

Part of this celebration is a joyful and extraordinary parade when people go out in the streets dressed up and everyone’s face is painted with an iconic skull mask “Calavera Catrina”. Click here to read more Dia de Los Muertos in Mexico.

You might have seen this parade from Mexico City in the latest James Bond movie.

Here’s a quick & easy tutorial how to paint a Calavera Catrina skull mask in 10 minutes and enjoy the Day of the Dead celebration fully like a local. This is a perfect look for your upcoming Halloween party as well.

But if you don’t feel like drawing the mask, check out our guide on other quick Day of the Dead mask options!

So here are 8 easy steps to draw your Calavera Catarina skull mask for the celebration…

1. Start off with a clean washed face.

2. Cover your face with a white base paint. You can use a makeup brush or a cotton bud to get it all on your face and then use your fingers to smooth it out.

3. Take the black paint and draw even circles around the eyes.

4. Fill the circles around your eyes with a black paint.

5. Take the red paint and draw small red dots around the black circles with a thin brush. I used my concealer brush. When it’s done, use your eyeliner or a sharp eye pencil (important to use a soft one that applies easily) to add a narrow contour around every red dot.

6. Take the black paint and draw a nose. Start again with a contour and then fill it with a black paint. When it’s done, fix up the rest of the face with white until it’s perfect, in case you touched it while working on the eyes or nose.

7. Then take the eyeliner or eye pencil and start drawing other decorations. At this point, you can get creative. The most popular decorations are spider webs on the forehead and chin, but other like to draw hearts or flowers. Make sure to draw an ornament also in the lower part of the face. To color your decorations, you can use other tones of your color settings. Bright eyeshadows can also work well.

8. Use the black paint to highlight the cheekbone line.  Then clean the brush and blend the line.

9. Your skull mask is ready! Do the last touch-ups if needed and you’re ready for the celebration. I used wet facial paint so there were some glossy areas where the paint was applied in several layers.  To drain them off I used dry wipes.

The last touch to make your look complete is the flower hair decoration. You can buy a bright fresh or artificial flower and put it behind the ear. Many shops also offer the now popular flower crowns, that would work great for this look.

Products used: 

Face paint for children, eyeshadow brush, black liquid eyeliner, concealer brush, a white flower crown.

To draw the skull mask I used the face paint for children, that can be found in every supermarket around the Halloween in Mexico and all over the world. The cost was about 3 USD. If you are a traveler with a well-packed makeup bag, you can easily draw the skull mask by using eyeshadows.

Read also:

Photostory: Day of the Dead Parade in Merida, Mexico

Mysterious Skull Parade – Day of the Dead, Mexico

The Ultimate Guide to Isla Holbox, Mexico

A Day Trip to Cozumel Mexico in a Thunderstorm

9 Reasons Why You Should Stay at Una Vida Tulum, Mexico

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