Dumbledore's Beard

For all your Harry Potter fancy dress needs!

Posted by Harriet T.

About

If you ever need a fancy dress beard on a budget, this is the project for you! I specifically needed one so I could dress up as prof Dumbledore, but the same basic techniques could be used make one for Hagrid, by using black paper and adding thin curled strips to make it more wild and bushy! I hope you enjoy making it. :)

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You Will Need (6 things)

  • 6 Sheets Of A4 Paper
  • 6 Sheets Of Paper A4
  • 1 Hole Punch
  • A tiny bit of Sellotape
  • 1 Pencil
  • 1 Ruler

Steps (10 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    Firstly, you need to stick 3 sheets of A4 paper together with double sided tape or prittstick. They should be in a triangular shape so that the beard is wider at the top than the bottom.
    Mark out your favoured beard shape and cut it out.
    Keep the offcuts, you can use them later in step 7.

  2. 2

    Moving to a separate piece of paper, turn it so it is landscape and divide into 3 7cm thick rows across the page. (shown in red)
    Now, mark 2 more lines all the way across the page, each about 2cm below the original ones you drew, and another one 2cm above the top original line. (shown in black)

  3. 3

    Using your scissors, snip parallel vertical lines up to the bottom black line.
    Do this as many or few times as you like, depending on how fine you want the hairs on your beard to be.

  4. 4

    Now cut all the way along the red line so that you end up with a long strip of fringed paper.
    Repeat steps 2 to 4 until you have got 9 fringed strips from your 3 sheets of paper.
    This bit can be tedious, so you could try clipping 2 sheets of paper together and doing both at the same time.

  5. 5

    It's time to start making your beard hairy!
    Take one of your fringed strips and glue along the top edge, between the black and red lines. Stick this at the BOTTOM of your beard (this makes it much easier to layer.)
    Once the glue has dried, flip your beard over and cut off the rest of your excess fringing, trimming the ends into shape to fit the template of the beard.
    Repeat this step, layering each strip over the last for 3/4 of the way up your beard.

  6. 6

    Before you have fringed your beard all the way to the top, you need to mark and cut out a mouth hole.
    To do this, measure the distance between the tip of your nose and your top lip, and how tall and wide your mouth is.
    Mark out an oval onto your beard that fits these specifications, making sure that the mouth hole is equidistant from the edges.
    Use your hole punch to make a hole in the middle of your marked out area and then use your scissors to cut it out.

  7. 7

    Finish off fringing your beard, making sure that it doesn't completely cover the mouth hole. If you run out of paper right near the end (like I did!) just use some of the offcuts from step 1 to finish.
    I also made a mini fringed moustache to stick in the 'top lip' area of my beard.

  8. 8

    Your beard is nearly finished! Now all you need is to attach some elastic so you can wear it.
    Punch a hole underneath the top layer of fringing on either side of your beard.
    Also put sticky tape over both holes, then flip the beard over and do the same on the back, before piercing the hole again with the tip of your scissors.
    This is to reinforce the holes so that your beard doesn't rip when you fit it over your head.

  9. 9

    Tie your elastic cord through the hole and securely knot it.
    Do this on the other side too, but continually try it on for size so that it fits you perfectly!
    (Mine has the elastic going over the tops of the ears so that it stays up!)

  10. 10

    Your beard is done! add it to the rest of your outfit and enjoy :D
    My 'robes' are made out of an old velvet tablecloth held together by two safety pins and a belt. Happy Pottering!