Sunday, January 31, 2016

Cat mask progress

Here's the cat mask with the parts taped on.

This picture shows the cat mask totally covered with tissue and then with added DAP lightweight spackling compound to fill in some undeveloped spots.

Fabric glued to reinforce ears. Spackling covered with tissue

Here's the development sequence of the plaster form.

newspaper on plaster

eyes and nose parts added

one coat of wood filler added

another coat of wood filler added

Smoothed with joint compound.
A little sanding and it will be ready to paint.

HERE IS A LINK TO A FUN VIDEO

http://sculpting.wonderhowto.com/how-to/make-paper-mache-fishwichwich-332300/

HERE'S A GREAT LINK FOR INFORMATION ABOUT MASKS WITH SOME GREAT PICTURES

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/26/becoming-another-rubin-mu_n_6942708.html?utm_hp_ref=arts&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000030

BASIC PAPER MACHE INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING A MASK
http://diyfashion.about.com/od/maskandmasquerade/ss/how-to_mask.htm

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Making a cat mask

Make a form on a balloon.

Add cardboard for the nose.

Add cardboard for the lower part of the nose.

Make cheeks with cardboard and masking tape.

Tape the cheeks on.

Add some detail to fill out the face.

trial ear shapes on paper

Cut cardboard for the ear shape. I tried several with paper first.

trial paper ear shapes

Bend the cardboard shape in the middle and on the bottom.

Cut a slit in the center bottom, overlap and glue or tape.

Here the ears are attached where I want them.
I am not satisfied with the size of the top of the cheek bones so I will adjust those.

The bottom of the chin is a bit pointy too, so I will adjust that a bit.

Real cat features

Here are two photos of my senior cat Comer Lee Hawkins Jr. Jr.
He is 10 years old. He is starting to show his age probably because it is winter and he hates cold and snow. He will perk up in the spring when he can roll in the grass and enjoy our garden.

Have you ever noticed that cats have eyebrows? There is a fleshy portion on the top of the eye and then there are several special whiskers.

Additional Links from the internet with mask and process ideas

1. The first one today is a forum for discussing and sharing hip, off-beat, crafty diy (do it yourself) projects. You can find tones articles, tutorials and discussions. The link below is specific to paper mache and masks. You can also use the search bar to find others.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=375028.0

2. The next one takes you to a tutorial for making a Tiki mask but there is lots of other information and superb gallery. Excellent place to go for ideas.

http://www.papiermache.co.uk/tutorials/tiki-mask/

3. Today's third site is specific to using mask making as therapy and some psychological information about mask making

http://www.gestaltarttherapy.com/1/2011_making_masks_and_working_with_masks_587876.html

4. More about using mask making for therapy or growth. It has a good article with references.

http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/benefits-of-mask-making-in-journey-toward-wholeness-0910134

Monday, January 25, 2016

Today's post includes a number of links on the internet that provide excellent instruction, examples, and fun ideas for paper mache.

The first one Ultimate Paper Mache is maintained by artist Jonni Good, who has been adding posts and tutorials to her blog since November, 2008. Jonni does a super job of staying up to date. She publishes books too!

The link directs you to a particular technique-- smoothing right before painting.
http://www.ultimatepapermache.com/surface-smoothing-technique-for-paper-mache-masks

Wow this next link is incredible. Why am I even creating a blog? This one has everything!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Ultimate-Mask-Accessories-Helmet-Making-Resource/

This page would provide lots of inspiration and instruction for the Clifton Forge, Virginia Con of the Mountain scheduled for Fall 2016. http://www.conofthemountain.com/

I was especially pleased to find this post about creating masks using the planes of the face http://www.instructables.com/id/Awesome-Polygonal-Mask/

The third link for today features one artist's experiments with materials. It's a little bit old, but shows the artist's processes for her MFA theis 2010. I have enjoyed reading it.
https://catharsiscricket.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/the-end/

A few masks from the internet:

Saturday, January 23, 2016

http://www.conofthemountain.com/

Clifton Forge, VA’s 2nd Annual Gaming, Cosplay & Comics Literacy Outreach!
Sep. 30 – Oct. 2 2016 ~ Church Street 500th Block, Clifton Forge, VA 24422

Today I will be working with cardboard to create a mask using flat surfaces to build a face. I covered an oval balloon with plaster and paper mache to create a head shape and then I will cut the planes out of cardboard and fir them together like puzzle pieces.
I'll post the results in a day or two.

Here are a few more mask images from the internet.