Fresher's Flu is a Thing

I'm ill.

To avoid further contamination, I have been quarantined to a day of bed rest.

I really didn't want to miss today's session because the timetable noted that we were making masks today. Be still, my Henson heart! I instantly jumped onto the idea and my mind has been screaming all week about all sorts of mystical creature masks that I could make. I was so disappointed that today, of all days, I felt like death.

I couldn't help but get my hands moving again and my mind back on the game. I wanted to make a mask. I didn't care how or where, I just didn't want to miss out.
I wanted to make a mask that resembles me in some way.

I took on this opportunity as a chance to develop my construction skills and to continue my work regardless of my location (sorry to my poor bed sheets which are now caked in paper scraps),

Pinterest inspiration:



Papier Mache masks by Elsa Dray-Farges. I find these headpieces really creepy and weird. They're beautifully crafted and look very dramatic, but I'd find them much too scary for children. They would be difficult to actually wear as they would restrict breathing and sight - very impractical. It is obvious that this is an artistic vision and not a practical product.


A beautiful bird mask from a collection of performance masks used in a school production of Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland'. I love the simplicity of this structure and the minimal use of colours and materials. This kind of mask would be simple enough for a child to make but also attractive enough to stand out and look beautiful in a performance. This structure has the potential to be made as complex as you would like, depending on the materials at hand and the context it would be used within, e.g. felt and fur would make great textures for winter animals, but may be lost on a big stage or wouldn't be practical for a small performance.


PLANNING AND IDEAS

I began by making a quick mind map of who I am and what I represent.
I am many things, but I wanted this mask to say something about me and my 'spirit', Something that could signify my personality in a visual medium.

I then started to sketch out important icons and images that link to me in some way. I kept on coming back to the 'Jay' of my name. It's a huge part of what I am and a big slice of this beautiful Jay pizza.
Jay birds are beautiful.

Jay bird reserach:


The Jay bird face isn't as recognisable as the rest of its body. I worry that it could look like any bird, not specifically a Jay. If I ever revisit this task, I would like to focus my visual research on Jay birds and spend longer working on a detailed design plan of the mask in relation to these findings.

Making a mask

Basic structure. Cardboard and masking tape. It's starting to take shape.

I'm really pleased with the beak but the eye sockets need a little more attention to create a squinting, wise expression. It took me quite a while to work out how I was going to attach the different cardboard features together. This process involved a lot of trial and error, putting things together only to realise they wouldn't stay in place or just looked plain ugly.

Adding various shades of brown paper and card stock. 

These tones are much to dark to look like a Jay bird.

Creating feather shapes.

This feathered face reminds me of the Fireys from Labyrinth. (see below)

I'd love to work with silicone and create characters to the degree of life that these creatures have. These puppets are also fitted with motors and mechanisms that control the eye movements,

For this project, due to time scale and practicality, I will stick with cardboard and paper, but this is definitely something that I would like to learn more about.

Me testing the mask. It fits! I can see through it and it looks effective. 

Okay, it looks very silly, but it also looks impressive and bold.

It doesn't look like a Jay bird. It DOES look like a bird. Perhaps more of a wise and fierce owl.

My little brother loved his mask, though it needs to be further adjusted to fit his head. In future bespoke projects, I would need to gather measurements before beginning construction.

He really enjoyed wearing the mask and commented on its 'cartoon realism' (7 year old genius). He would like to make one of his a Wild Thing (Maurice Sendak) and perform the story.

I think that I've worked very effectively today, making the most of the time I had and continuing the task even though I wasn't feeling 100%. 

I have learned about the importance of planning and preparing for a task such as this and I know now that next time I should allow myself a greater amount of time to decide on paper what I am planning to do, step by step so that I do not lose my focus or direction. I have thoroughly enjoyed making a mask but the challenge of creating something without a real audience or purpose confused me a little. I think that I sometimes work better from home, in my own safe place without any distractions. I need to get used to working in a busy, creative environment and to use this creative buzz to fuel excitement about my work, not anxiety. I need to also gain the confidence in my work to be able to present it and participate in group critiques. 

I am starting to become more comfortable with things going wrong or not turning out the way I expected. This mask was not exactly how I envisioned it, but it still turned out okay.