Sinosauropteryx: dark on top, pale below, a dark mask around the eyesDark brown, cream. Dark crown and a band through both eyes; cream lower jaw and throat. Flat brush.
Coral snake bands: wide red and black rings with narrow yellow betweenRed, black, yellow. Rings cross the snout from jaw edge to jaw edge. Tape and a flat brush.
Borealopelta: reddish brown on top, paler underneathReddish brown, pale tan. Shade downward from the crown; the lower jaw takes the pale color. Sponge.
Blue dart frog: bright blue all over, peppered with small black spotsBright blue, black. Solid blue base; spots largest on the crown, smaller down the snout. Cotton swab.
Cassowary: black with a blue face, red under the jaw and a brown crestBlack, bright blue, red, brown. Blue around the eyes, red below the jaw, the top ridge brown.
Coral snake bands: wide red and black rings with narrow yellow betweenRed, black, yellow. Rings cross the snout from jaw edge to jaw edge. Tape and a flat brush.
Fire salamander: black with bright yellow blotchesBlack, bright yellow. Black base; uneven yellow blotches, a few joined into short stripes.
Gila monster: pink and yellow blotches on blackBlack, salmon pink, yellow. Black base; uneven blotches dabbed on with the corner of a sponge.
Great white shark: gray on top, white underneathBlue-gray, white. One clean line along the jaw's edge divides the two; the lower jaw is all white.
Keel-billed toucan: black head, yellow throat, a green snout tipped redBlack, yellow, green, orange, red. Snout green with orange sides and a red tip; yellow under the jaw.
Koi colors: white with patches of red and blackWhite, orange-red, black. White base; three or four large soft-edged patches, none the same shape.
Leopard gecko: yellow with dark spots over the topYellow, dark brown. Yellow base; spots crowd the crown and thin out toward the jaw. Round brush.
Mandrill: a red line down the snout with grooved blue on either sideRed, bright blue, navy. Red stripe from brow to nose; blue cheeks scored with darker grooves. Fine brush.
Orca: black on top, white below, a white patch by each eyeBlack, white. Lower jaw white; one oval white patch above and behind each eye opening. Flat brush.
Rainbow lorikeet: deep blue head, green behind it, orange under the jawDeep blue, green, orange, yellow-green. Blue snout and crown, a yellow-green band, orange below.
Red-eyed tree frog: bright green, blue and yellow side stripes, red eye rimsBright green, blue, yellow, red. Green all over; stripes along the cheeks; red around each eye opening.
Zebra: black and white stripes that curve around the eyesWhite, black. White base; stripes bend around each eye opening and run off the edges. Liner brush.
Dinosaur schemes 14
Amber: honey gold all over with darker veinsYellow, orange, brown. Glaze orange over yellow; thin brown cracks spread from the crown. Soft brush.
Anchiornis: gray and black with white, black-tipped feathers and a rust-red crestGray, black, white, rust red. Gray skull, white streaks tipped black on the cheeks, red along the crest.
Bird colors for a feathered dinosaur: red crest, dark head, yellow jawRed, black-green, yellow. Red along the crest, a dark head and snout, the whole lower jaw yellow.
Borealopelta: reddish brown on top, paler underneathReddish brown, pale tan. Shade downward from the crown; the lower jaw takes the pale color. Sponge.
Bronze statue: bronze with green in the creasesBronze metallic, pale green. Bronze base; a green wash settled into the grooves and wiped off the ridges.
Caihong: dark with a rainbow shimmer over the head and chestBlack, metallic green, blue and violet. Black base; shimmer streaked over the crown and under the jaw.
Fossil bone: bone white with tan shading in the hollowsOff-white, tan, dark brown. Tan wash in the eye sockets and nostrils; the teeth a shade darker.
Hatchling: pale eggshell cream with brown frecklesCream, light brown. Freckles flicked from a stiff brush across the snout; the rest left plain.
Microraptor: glossy black with an iridescent sheenBlack, a pearl or metallic paint. Black base; the sheen dry-brushed on the raised scales only.
Mud wallow: clean color above, dried-mud brown along the jawAny base color, brown, tan. Dab mud upward from the jaw's edge, thinning toward the eyes. Sponge.
Picture-book green: moss green over a pale throatMoss green, cream. Green skull and snout; cream from the chin back along the throat. Flat brush.
Sinosauropteryx: dark on top, pale below, a dark mask around the eyesDark brown, cream. Dark crown and a band through both eyes; cream lower jaw and throat. Flat brush.
Skeleton look: black mask with the skull's bones painted in whiteBlack, white. Rings around the eye sockets, a nose opening, tooth roots along both jaws. Liner brush.
Toy-box brights: red skull, yellow jaw, blue crestRed, yellow, blue. Three flat blocks of color with no shading; black dots for nostrils. Flat brush.
Patterns 14
Bands across the snout, widest at the brow and narrowest at the nostrilsTwo contrasting colors. Each band runs from jaw edge to jaw edge. Flat brush between strips of tape.
Chevron bands pointing toward the noseTwo colors. Each V starts on the center line of the snout and opens back toward the eyes.
Cracked-mud lines of a pale color over a dark baseDark brown, sand. Thin branching cracks spread from the crown; none crosses an eye. Liner brush.
Dark above and pale below, divided along the jaw lineOne dark, one pale. The pale color covers the lower jaw and chin; soften the border with a sponge.
Dark wash in the grooves, wiped off the raised scalesBase color, thinned dark brown. Brush the wash over, then wipe with a rag so it stays in the low places.
Fade from the jaw hinge to the tip of the snoutTeal into yellow, or any two neighbors. Sponge both on wet and pat where they meet, halfway along.
One false eye spot on each cheekBlack, yellow, white. Ring within ring behind the jaw hinge, a white glint off-center. Round brush.
Pale highlights dry-brushed on the brow ridges and nostrilsBase color, a lighter mix. A nearly dry flat brush dragged across the high points only.
Pinstripes running the length of the snout, front to backDark base, one thin light color. Lines follow the snout from nostril to brow. Paint pen.
Row of diamonds down the center line from nose to crownBase, dark, one accent. Diamonds point to point, largest between the eyes. Fine brush.
Soft-edged patches in three near shadesThree greens or three browns. Blotches overlap while wet; none larger than an eye opening.
Speckle band across the eyes only, the rest left cleanBase color, black or white. Cover the snout and crown with paper; flick speckles from a stiff brush.
Sponge-stamped scales in two close greensTwo greens. Cut a sponge to a rounded tip; stamp rows from the neck forward, each overlapping the last.
Spots large on the crown, shrinking to dots down the neckBase color, one darker. Thumb-size spots on top, pencil-end dots by the neck edge. Round brush.
Eyes, teeth and jaw 14
Blue tongue, like a blue-tongued skink'sBright blue, navy. Tongue painted inside the lower jaw; a darker line down its middle.
Bright throat patch under the lower jawOrange, red or yellow. One oval under the chin in a color used nowhere else, like an anole's throat fan.
Brow ridges a shade darker to shadow the eyesBase color mixed with a little black. Paint the ridge above each eye and blend it backward.
Inside of the mouth dark red, fading to black at the backDark red, black. Red behind the teeth, blended to black toward the hinge. Flat brush.
Ivory teeth with darker roots at the gumIvory, tan. Each tooth pale at the tip and shaded tan where it meets the jaw. Fine brush.
Lower jaw a shade lighter than the skullBase color plus white. The whole lower jaw takes the lighter mix, edge to edge. Flat brush.
Nostrils dark inside with a pale rimBlack, a pale tint of the base. Fill each nostril black; one thin light line around it.
One gold tooth among the whiteWhite, metallic gold. Choose a front tooth on the upper jaw; outline it thinly in brown.
One tooth gap painted blackBlack, white. Paint a single tooth black so it reads as missing; its neighbors stay bright.
Pink tongue with a darker center linePink, rose. Painted on the floor of the lower jaw, rounded at the tip. Round brush.
Round pupils for a hatchling lookBlack, white. A wide round pupil with one small white glint at its upper left. Fine brush.
Slit pupils painted on the eye mesh, amber around themAmber, black. One thin upright slit centered on each eye; leave most of the mesh bare.
Thin bright ring around each eye openingYellow, lime or orange. One even line on the rim of the eye socket, both sides. Paint pen.
White teeth against a black gum lineWhite, black. A black band along the edge of both jaws first, then every tooth picked out in white.
Add-ons 14
Bandana knotted at the neck over the hood's edgeA plain fabric square, or one you pattern yourself. Fold to a triangle and knot it at the back.
Craft-feather crest standing on the crownFeathers in two colors. Short ones at the brow, the longest at the back, glued in one line.
Fabric hood behind the head, scales painted near its edgeFabric close to the mask's color. Fix it inside the back rim; stamp a few rows of scales where they meet.
Faux-fur ridge from the brow to the back of the headOne strip of fur fabric. Glue it along the center line, pile brushed backward, trimmed shorter in front.
Felt eggshell cap with a zigzag edge on the crownWhite felt. A shallow cap cut with a cracked edge, glued behind the brow for a hatchling.
Felt eyebrows angled for a moodDark felt. Two short strips above the eye openings: tilted inward for fierce, outward for worried.
Felt leaf hanging from the teethGreen felt, a darker green pen. One leaf tucked between two side teeth, veins drawn on.
Felt tongue lying in the lower jawPink felt. Cut it long and rounded; glue only the back end so the tip hangs free.
Kite-shaped plates in two rows down the hood, after StegosaurusStiff felt, green and orange. Plates alternate left and right of the center line, largest in the middle.
Pair of arched crests along the skull, after DilophosaurusCraft foam, two colors. Two thin half-moons stand side by side from snout to crown.
Row of soft felt spikes down the hoodFelt triangles in one accent color. Sewn or glued along the hood's center line, largest first.
Three horns and a felt frill, after TriceratopsTan and cream felt. Two brow horns, one nose horn; a stiff half-circle frill behind the head.
Tube crest sweeping up and back, after ParasaurolophusFelt or craft foam. One long curved tube from the crown past the back of the head, painted to match.
Two short felt horns above the eyesFelt to match or contrast. Rolled cones glued at the brow, tips angled back.
How it works
Nobody knows the colors of most dinosaurs, so a dino mask can be any color you like. These 70 ideas cover living animals, dinosaur schemes (five taken from fossil pigment), patterns, eyes and teeth, and add-ons.
Read the full guide
Dino mask ideas drawing on real fossils
For a few dinosaurs, structures that held pigment survive in the fossil. Anchiornis: gray and black with white, black-tipped feathers and a rust-red crest follows one such study, and Microraptor: glossy black with an iridescent sheen another. Nine of the fourteen dinosaur schemes are invented, like Picture-book green: moss green over a pale throat.
Sketch it before you paint
Draw the mask's outline from the side on paper and color it in pencil first. Choose the base, then a pattern, then eyes and teeth. Add-ons such as Three horns and a felt frill, after Triceratops come last, once the paint is dry.
An adult does the cutting and gluing of felt horns, crests and frills, and reads the glue's label first.
Questions and answers
What are good dino mask ideas for beginners?
Two colors with one clean edge: Great white shark: gray on top, white underneath, or Dark above and pale below, divided along the jaw line. Add Round pupils for a hatchling look and stop there.
What colors were dinosaurs really?
Mostly unknown. Fossil pigment suggests Anchiornis was gray, black and white with a reddish crest, Microraptor glossy black, and Sinosauropteryx and Borealopelta dark on top and paler underneath. The rest is a guess, so your mask cannot be wrong.
What paint do you use on a dino mask?
We do not test paints. Most acrylic paint becomes water-resistant when dry, but whether a paint grips your mask, and whether it suits something worn near a face, is on its label. Read that before you buy.