Costume Craft: mask

For this mask project I began by creating a life cast of the performer’s face using alginate to create a negative of her face and plaster of Paris to create the positive cast on which to mold the mask. I then sculpted the shape of the mask onto the life cast using Plasilina. I covered the mask sculpt with aluminum foil to protect it being careful to get it as smooth as possible. Then I worked three layers of paper (newsprint, tissue, and brown craft weight) onto the mask sculpt using a mixture of my own making consisting of wallpaper glue and water. Additionally I made extra strips of the mask material and cut trim pieces out of it. After the layers cured and I added the trim pieces, I painted the mask with a layer of gesso, sanded down the rough areas, painted the mask, and added crystals for a bit of shimmer.