Fun little craft for the performing arts

Sooo yeah, while I was in drama, we did a section on maskwork. We studied Italy's Commedia Dell'Arte which was a blast and we also made some masks.

Here's how we did it:
-Bought some gypsona (the stuff they make casts out of when you fracture a bone) from any Pharmacy
-Bought some Vaseline
-Bought a shower cap
-Laid a friend down over some newspaper
-Covered their face in vaseline (double time on the eyebrows)
-Cut strips of gypsona and dipped it in a container of warm water
-Smoothed out the strips with fingers
-Placed on partner's face
-Continued until mask was complete
-Waited for it to dry, and then removed with ease
-Let them dry over night

This was our final product when my friend did my face:


Now, I can mix some glue with water, get some tissue/toilet paper and make any kind of eccentric shape I want (ie. long nose, big lips, curved eyebrows, whatever)

Just thought I'd share. It's really fun so if you have an hour or two to spare, it's a good idea.



P.S. It's a good idea to try NOT to laugh or when your mask dries it will only fit with your cheeks if you smile!!! HAHAHA.

 

OMG thats so cool, we are doing that in Art Class right now! I will post you my mask when I finish it. Doesn't it hurt to peel the mask off your face? Its like waxing without wax!

 

Nope ^_^, that's what the vaseline is for. It slides off relatively easy. When you have the shower cap on, it get it away from your hair and if necessary, the gypsona is plastered onto the cap. You can take it off easily when you're finished. You just have to make a lot of over exaggerated facial expressions like tightening and lifting your eyebrows, and puckering your lips, and smiling so your cheeks push it off. Things like that.

 

Yea, we used vasaline too but it still hurt, I dunno, it especially hurt when the water dripped into your eyes during the drying process, but it was still cool. Felt like IcyHot on your face, lol!

 

wow, water never dropped into my eyes, haha. that sucks.

 

Yea it did, lol, but the outcome of the project was so worth it, lol

 

That's very cool! The next time I have a friend around and a few hours to kill,I just may try that....or could I do that myself,ya think?

 

Oh I don't think you could do it by yourself without getting it all over the place, a really wrinkly job, etc. Plus, you really have to see where you're putting the vaseline because if you miss a spot, you may end up ripping your eyebrow off.

 

Haha, yea, I don't recomend trying it yourself. But when you have a friend around its an awesome project. Doesn't take very long either, it took my group an hour tops, and that includes the drying process. Hope you have fun if you decide to try it!

 

lol....well I will wait then. I don't wanna lose my eyebrows

 

If you want to do it by yourself the way i make them is to buy a cheep plastic (shiney plastic is best) neutral mask (the white plain faced ones) and cover that in vaseline. Buy some gum papper (from any craft store) you wet one side of the gum papper and put ontop of the front side of the mask (once youve covered the mask in vasaline) do one layer, let it dry then do about 3 layers. Once its dry pop it off of the plastic mask (which you can now use again and again as long as you remember to vaseline) then with the gum paper use it like papper mache to shape and create the mask base. The paint (i use acrylics) i've made a few masks that way.

this was my meddusa mask i made like that.

 

We made thouse in art class in like 8th grade.. I loved mine.. I still have it somewhere