Ok, Ok, we get it, you made your own Deadmau5 head, but why stop there? We can make a light-up head out of just about anything, right? Take a peek at how I constructed a light-up Angler Fish head. It’s not gonna be pretty, but you will get mad originality points.
My initial idea sketched with a sharpie
It’s important to sketch things out to help visualize what kind of Angler you want to be. Most importantly I had to make sure I could fit my giant noggin inside the mouth of this fish.
Make a paper patern of your fish
Grab a big sheet of paper like newspaper or butcher paper and draw out the shape of your fish, make sure to leave the bottom flat, that’s where your head goes, so don’t make it too tight.
Try on your paper-creation
Remember, if it doesn’t fit on your noggin as paper, it’s not going to fit as cloth or felt. You can also feel out where the hood falls over your eyes, and how much you want to extend the jaw of the fish.
Gather your construction materials
I used black felt as a base for my pattern, and picked up some shiney scale-like material from the ‘cougar wardrobe department’ at Jo-Ann’s fabric. I picked up a red blinking toy that I was going to use for eyes, but they blinked, so I had to find another way to make it work.
Cutting the pattern
I cut the patter about 1/2 an inch larger than the patter because I knew I would have to sew it together and turn it inside out. The seam you want to sew is basically the round part on top of the fish, and the front side of the jaw. I then hot-glue gunned the scale parts onto the cloth. Don’t go too crazy on the hot glue because it will start to seep through the felt.
Office Supplies = fin time!
I needed something translucent for the fins, so I used a clear presentation folder form an office supply store to make the fins. It also helped make my fish a little more rigid and less floppy.
God bless battery powered Christmas Lights
This part is optional, but you can adorn your fins, and the ridge of your Angler with battery powered Christmas Lights. Just remember you will have to securely tape a nest of Christmas lights to the underside of your fish head.
Why? Why not.
Mute those lights
If you don’t ‘mute’ your unused lights they’ll show through the felt of your fish head, so take little baby pieces of tape and fold them over unused lights. To make the ‘dangle’ light I used some thick gauged wire from the jewelry section of the craft store and hung a white ‘finger light.’ you can also try to use some of the Christmas light, but think of all the weight of those lights on the already fragile wire.
Your Angler Fish has arrived!
Lastly, I couldn’t make those red beady eyes work, but I was able to use the plastic packaging they came in for the eyes. I stuffed them with white tool to diffuse the light, and directed two orange Christmas lights to the holes behind the eyes. and Voila! ANGLER TIME!
