• Crafting two carnival masks for the first time (Lots of pictures)
    7 replies, posted
I began crafting these masks some weeks ago for a mask ball that I unfortunately couldn't participate in. The masks were unfinished at the time of the ball but I was in need of an artsy hobby project, I decided I couldn't leave them in a trashcan. Note: Before the furry hate begins I'd like to say that the masks were designed for a mask ball with animals being the theme. My original illustrated concepts: [IMG]http://oi54.tinypic.com/xq9pae.jpg[/IMG] The masks, after the cardboard one-size-fits-all had been modified with some plaster gauze on actual faces: [IMG]http://oi53.tinypic.com/dq4pi0.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://oi52.tinypic.com/2vun1fn.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://oi54.tinypic.com/rhvkhs.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://oi53.tinypic.com/34y5gup.jpg[/IMG] Now painted: [IMG]http://oi53.tinypic.com/2lsjocj.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://oi54.tinypic.com/18hjds.jpg[/IMG] After that the rest was a pain to do, mainly because I was realizing my illustrated concepts didn't hold in the real world and so loads and loads of repaints ensued in my quest to find some acceptable designs. This is the final result: [IMG]http://oi53.tinypic.com/104ndqh.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://oi52.tinypic.com/iz8569.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://oi55.tinypic.com/21np386.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://oi56.tinypic.com/hx3hpl.jpg[/IMG] And in case anyone is interesting in how these masks look at the back: [IMG]http://oi53.tinypic.com/15nq0q9.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://oi56.tinypic.com/2exlesx.jpg[/IMG] I've never made masks before, nor worked with plaster gauze before and it's probably the last masks I'll be doing for a long time. If I'm going to do something non-illustrated again it will probably be figurines or something.
Nice job. How long did it took you to make the masks?
next time make them alot more smoother.
Loving the black and red leaves contrasting with the blue, one of my favourites. Although it must be quite uncomfortable for it to sit on the face with the plaster bandage around it, why not use papier mache, although quite time consuming you can get a nice finish with it rather than it looking lumpy with the plaster bandage.
I had HUGE trouble making the surface smooth, (and I had coincidentally run out of sandpaper and money - what are the odds?) but the masks themselves are rather comfortable to wear. They're built on the face since the surface of the gauze dries relatively fast, and because it simply makes them sit better once in use. I don't really know how long they took to make since I met quite a few setbacks from school, repaints, drying-time, repairs, trial and error. I guess I can estimate I've used about 4 hours in total with no drying time and only including successful advances. My boyfriend wears the bird mask and he went "Why did you get to have the Spider-Man design? >:[" I honestly can't unsee it.
They're great, I messed around with commedia dell'arte masks and street theatre with masks quite a bit in different theatre projects. While most masks I've used were smooth, I actually find the roughness gives a nice effect, especially on the bird guy with his scarred eye, the rough look gives him an egde. I like the painting too, reminds me a bit of traditional chinese opera masks in a way. I know you said these were a one-off, but they're pretty good.
So you actually crafted them or did you simply use them? If you know anything about how they were made please share! I might not do this in a while, but in case I get the chance it would be nice to have a few tips and tricks up my sleeve for reference. I'm really proud of the bird mask because it actually come to look a lot like the intended design. I'm considering one day to make some ears for the fox mask, but I have been told that headbands with fox ears is a very dangerous road to set foot on.
[QUOTE=Kagrs;28621537]So you actually crafted them or did you simply use them? If you know anything about how they were made please share! I might not do this in a while, but in case I get the chance it would be nice to have a few tips and tricks up my sleeve for reference. I'm really proud of the bird mask because it actually come to look a lot like the intended design. I'm considering one day to make some ears for the fox mask, but I have been told that headbands with fox ears is a very dangerous road to set foot on.[/QUOTE] I did a mask making project in the first year at university. First we cast our own faces (using alginate and then plaster bandage ontop to secure it, then pouring plaster into the alginate mould.) From the plaster faces we used clay to build up our desired shape, I went for a japanese style warrior mask. The next step was to papier mache over the clay (don't forget to cling film the clay!) in one colour and then apply another layer in a different colour, naturally allowing one layer to dry before applying the next. I forgot what type of paper we used, sorry. I don't have any pictures of the final product, somehow I forgot to take one, but I made shapes from milliput (an epoxy putty) to add and refine some details for the neck guard thing at the bottom and it was ready to paint. Here's some pics, hope that helps. [URL="http://img842.imageshack.us/i/015drp.jpg/"][IMG]http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/4969/015drp.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL="http://img19.imageshack.us/i/016nhz.jpg/"][IMG]http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/4775/016nhz.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL="http://img713.imageshack.us/i/017giv.jpg/"][IMG]http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/9880/017giv.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
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