Masks and Armor class: Final Mask Projects Part One!

[labricoleuse]

My Masks and Armor class presented their final masks projects today and i've got some great pictures to share. I'll do this in two posts, today's focusing on those projects that used bighead construction techniques.

First year grad Katie Keener made this oversize caricature Carnival mask,
using a combination of Fosshape and papier mache.



Side view. Katie also used a reference image of a Bolivian tin mask for the features/expression.



PRC Wardrobe Supervisor Sam Kate Toney made this stag head mask using varaform and papier mache.


Sam Kate's stag selfie.



Second year grad Denise Dietrich created this dragon head mask
using a combination of varaform, Wonderflex, and stiffened felt.


Another view of the dragon mask.



Second year grad Colleen Dobson created this foam-structure
bighead of the character "Toothless" from How to Train Your Dragon.

Comments

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

With the stag and dragon heads, when lit on stage, would the mesh kind of visually disappear?

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

Stagewise, it depends on the direction of the lighting and the nature of the surrounding scenery, and the distance of the audience. In this icon, the sides of the muzzle of the Bottom mask are varaform--can you tell? (I think yes, if you look hard and know it, but otherwise, you look more at the ears and the eyes and the actors' body language.)

Varaform head construction is often used in outdoor contexts--mascots, parade costumes, etc.--where the environment involves daylight, and where sometimes the spectator is very far from the performer. In those situations, it's like standing a long way away from a pointillist painting--you don't see the dots, you see fields of color/shading.

[rebecca fife (from livejournal.com)]

I've recently found a love for mask making and both of your posts, part one and two, are fantastic! I love the range in both material and styles from each student. Currently, I am looking at Grad schools and this blog is definitely helping with narrowing down options!