Mask Making in Arezzo, Italy
The mask making course at the Accademia dell'Arte was taught by Torbjörn Alström. His technique is an alternative to traditional Italian techniques that involve carving a mask figure out of wood before stretching leather over it. His alternative technique is a basic positive-negative-positive sculpting process that is cheaper, quicker, and easier on beginner sculptors. Our class was split into pairs, each pair assigned to craft one figure to be pulled twice in leather, so that each student constructed and brought home their own mask.
First, we chose neutral fiberglass face form that was relatively the same size as our faces. We then began to sculpt our masks out of clay on top of the forms. The purpose of the neutral face form is to make sure your mask figure isn't shaped in a way that cuts into the face but rather sits atop it. Some mask makers will take a casting of the actors face to ensure a good fit.
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Once you have sculpted your mask out of clay, smooth it out as much as possible. The more kinks you get out of your figure now, the easier it will be for you later in the process. Try to exaggerate or enlarge the smaller features such as wrinkles or creases, otherwise they will not show up in the leather.
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Once you have sculpted your mask out of clay, smooth it out as much as possible. The more kinks you get out of your figure now, the easier it will be for you later in the process. Try to exaggerate or enlarge the smaller features such as wrinkles or creases, otherwise they will not show up in the leather.
The next step is to take plaster casting strips, and completely cover your mask with two or three layers. Before you start, coat the fiberglass form with Vaseline from the edge of the clay out about an inch and a half. You will also cover this part with plaster, which will stick to the fiberglass if you do not coat it with Vaseline.
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Cut the strips small at first, so that you can get all of the details of your mask. Dip the strips in water, to activate the plaster, and place on your clay figure. Rub the strip on to your figure so that the beads of dried plaster break down and spread apart. Don't rub so hard that you disfigure your clay. Once you have done one layer of smaller strips, you can begin using larger strips. After two or three layers, let the plaster sit until completely dry. If you pull the plaster cast off while it is still drying, you could warp the figure of your mask.
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Once it is dry, pull the clay out of your plaster, giving you a negative of the figure. If there is any clay left in the figure clean it out with a brush or wooden clay tool. Try not to scratch the negative figure at all, or you will have a raised scratch on your poured plaster figure that you will have to fix. Again, the cleaner you get your figure in this step, the easier it will be later on.
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Cut the strips small at first, so that you can get all of the details of your mask. Dip the strips in water, to activate the plaster, and place on your clay figure. Rub the strip on to your figure so that the beads of dried plaster break down and spread apart. Don't rub so hard that you disfigure your clay. Once you have done one layer of smaller strips, you can begin using larger strips. After two or three layers, let the plaster sit until completely dry. If you pull the plaster cast off while it is still drying, you could warp the figure of your mask.
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Once it is dry, pull the clay out of your plaster, giving you a negative of the figure. If there is any clay left in the figure clean it out with a brush or wooden clay tool. Try not to scratch the negative figure at all, or you will have a raised scratch on your poured plaster figure that you will have to fix. Again, the cleaner you get your figure in this step, the easier it will be later on.
Next, build up the sides of your negative figure with larger strips of plaster casting. You are making a bowl in this step, so build up the sides so that something could be poured in to fill the whole 'bowl'. Hold your figure up to the light to see if there are any places that are thinner than the rest. Patch those places with more plaster strips from the outside as necessary. You shouldn't be able to see any light through your figure.
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The next step is possibly the most important. If you fail to complete this step, all of your previous work will be gone. Coat the entire inside of your mold with Vaseline. This is to ensure that the poured plaster will not seal with the plaster casting to become one solid form. Do not coat the mold too heavily, or your figure will come out with a rough texture on the surface. Now, take the lubed mold, and prop it upright on a sturdy stand made of extra wet clay. Prop it up so that the sides are even and the mold is steady. It should not be able to easily fall off the stand.
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The next step is possibly the most important. If you fail to complete this step, all of your previous work will be gone. Coat the entire inside of your mold with Vaseline. This is to ensure that the poured plaster will not seal with the plaster casting to become one solid form. Do not coat the mold too heavily, or your figure will come out with a rough texture on the surface. Now, take the lubed mold, and prop it upright on a sturdy stand made of extra wet clay. Prop it up so that the sides are even and the mold is steady. It should not be able to easily fall off the stand.
Now you are ready to mix some plaster. Plaster mixing is a skill that many have not mastered. It is very difficult to get the exact amount you need with the proper thickness. For this reason, we mixed plaster for two groups at a time. The first rule of plaster mixing is to always mix in a plastic, flexible container. This way the cleaning out of excess plaster is possible, and your container can be used again and again.
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Begin by filling your bucket with room temperature water. Cold water will make the plaster react very slowly, and hot water will make the plaster react very quickly. The amount of water is not exact, but I have found that starting with half as much volume as what you intend to finish with is a good starting point. Start sifting in the plaster, handful at a time, breaking apart the clumps as they fall in. This will make a lot of dust rise, and if you plan on doing this many times, or if you have sensitive lungs, a dust mask is recommended. When you have sifted in enough plaster (much more than you would think) so that the plaster sits atop the water without sinking, stir the plaster to initiate the reaction. It is easier to do this with your hands, so that you are able to break apart lumps that have formed within the mixture. If you do not work out these lumps, they can get stuck in the form and disfigure it or cause air bubbles. When your plaster is at a milkshake texture, slowly pour it in to your lubed and propped mold.
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Immediately start tapping the bottom and sides of your mold to force the air bubbles to the surface. Tap like this for a good amount of time, and when it seems like no more bubbles are rising, let the form sit. You will feel it start the get very hot, and as it begins to cool off and harden you may take it off of it's clay stand.
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It is at this time that you would carve any labeling in to the back of your figure. You can also insert wire, so that you finished figure can be hung for display.
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Begin by filling your bucket with room temperature water. Cold water will make the plaster react very slowly, and hot water will make the plaster react very quickly. The amount of water is not exact, but I have found that starting with half as much volume as what you intend to finish with is a good starting point. Start sifting in the plaster, handful at a time, breaking apart the clumps as they fall in. This will make a lot of dust rise, and if you plan on doing this many times, or if you have sensitive lungs, a dust mask is recommended. When you have sifted in enough plaster (much more than you would think) so that the plaster sits atop the water without sinking, stir the plaster to initiate the reaction. It is easier to do this with your hands, so that you are able to break apart lumps that have formed within the mixture. If you do not work out these lumps, they can get stuck in the form and disfigure it or cause air bubbles. When your plaster is at a milkshake texture, slowly pour it in to your lubed and propped mold.
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Immediately start tapping the bottom and sides of your mold to force the air bubbles to the surface. Tap like this for a good amount of time, and when it seems like no more bubbles are rising, let the form sit. You will feel it start the get very hot, and as it begins to cool off and harden you may take it off of it's clay stand.
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It is at this time that you would carve any labeling in to the back of your figure. You can also insert wire, so that you finished figure can be hung for display.
When it has really started to cool down, you can begin peeling off the plaster bandaging. You now have your positive plaster form. Our form did not come out very well, but every one in the class had the same problem, leading Torbjörn to think it was something to do with the plaster. The plaster seemed to thicken very quickly so that the bubbles could not be tapped to the top, and then it stayed at this semi-hard state for a very long time. This caused all of our forms to be revealed with many bubbles and holes.
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These mishaps can be remedied.
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Mix up a very small amount of plaster. Wait for it to get very thick, almost like a peanut butter. Then take this mixture and fill in any and all holes and bubbles. Smooth over rough edges, and mend any cracks or mishaps that may have occurred during the drying of your plaster.
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These mishaps can be remedied.
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Mix up a very small amount of plaster. Wait for it to get very thick, almost like a peanut butter. Then take this mixture and fill in any and all holes and bubbles. Smooth over rough edges, and mend any cracks or mishaps that may have occurred during the drying of your plaster.
Your figure will appear mended, but not finished, like the picture above. after all the plaster has dried sufficiently take a piece of medium to fine grain sandpaper and sand down the figure to be very smooth, with no protrusions or bumps.
The more you work at it, it better it will look. Mainly you want to get rid of any larger holes or bumps that could translate into the leather. You can be as picky as you want here. The picture above shows how far we got with the clean up.
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Now you are ready to cut your leather.
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Now you are ready to cut your leather.
Tobjörn never really taught us the specifics of how to choose leather, but I believe we used a vegetable tanned calf skin. The most important thing here is that the skin is thin, and that there are no chemicals in the leather that would be unwise to wear on your face.
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There are two ways to measure your leather over your figure. Either you hold the dry leather over the mask, like Torbjörn in the picture above, making sure you have enough give to fill all the depressions and protrusions; or you can use a piece of paper and do the same fitting process to create a loose pattern to cut out of leather.
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There are two ways to measure your leather over your figure. Either you hold the dry leather over the mask, like Torbjörn in the picture above, making sure you have enough give to fill all the depressions and protrusions; or you can use a piece of paper and do the same fitting process to create a loose pattern to cut out of leather.
The piece of leather will look much bigger than you would think, but it is better to have a bit of excess than not enough. The size will be dependent on how big of a nose your figure has and how exaggerated your features are.
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You should be able to fit the leather with room for the sunken in eyes, and protruding nose, eyebrows or cheeks. Even though we say 'pulling' leather, the leather will not stretch , so you need to make sure you have enough give to get all of your features.
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You should be able to fit the leather with room for the sunken in eyes, and protruding nose, eyebrows or cheeks. Even though we say 'pulling' leather, the leather will not stretch , so you need to make sure you have enough give to get all of your features.
To prepare you leather, get a clean bucket and fill it with warm to hot water. The warmth of the water activates and releases certain glues that exist within the skin. If you make the water too hot, too much of the glue will be released and it could stick to itself. Soak the leather in the warm water, working it in your hands by twisting it and stretching it. After about 5 to 10 minutes of soaking, lay your leather on top of your figure, smooth side up. Make sure you are working in a clean space now, because anything can and will stain your leather.
Now we will nail the leather on to the figure, using small brass nails. The brass will not stain the leather. It is hard to find solid brass nails, but brass plated will also work. If you have brass plated nails, (as we had) make sure that as soon as the nail starts to leave a ring of green/blue stain, you remove it and replace it with a new nail.
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To nail your leather to the plaster figure, start with the eyes. Make sure you leave enough leather to get all the way over the nose and down into the eye sockets. You can nail into the leather here because you will eventually cut away this part.
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Do not nail in any places that you want to be part of the mask. It will not be easy to patch this hole.
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To nail your leather to the plaster figure, start with the eyes. Make sure you leave enough leather to get all the way over the nose and down into the eye sockets. You can nail into the leather here because you will eventually cut away this part.
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Do not nail in any places that you want to be part of the mask. It will not be easy to patch this hole.
Next, working from the center out, nail around the outer edge of the mask (created by the extension of plaster by an inch and a half) starting with three points: the top and both sides of your figure. Work all excess down around the nose, as seen in the pictures above. Continue nailing in around the edges, finishing with the nails in the nostrils. If you do not want to have nostrils cut away, do not put nails here.
Now, with an Exacto blade, starting at the tip of the nose right where the leather begins to lift off of the figure, cut through the leather, splitting the excess in two.
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Fold one side under, and trace a line down the underside of the nose at center, and cut here. Fold the other side over this newly cut piece, and trace a line with your fingernail down the underside of the nose, giving the piece a bit of an overlap.
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Fold one side under, and trace a line down the underside of the nose at center, and cut here. Fold the other side over this newly cut piece, and trace a line with your fingernail down the underside of the nose, giving the piece a bit of an overlap.
Begin to shave down the thickness of the overlapping piece, as shown in the pictures above. The thinner you get it, the smoother this seam will be. Shave the skin down by folding it open and using the mid-section of your blade. You can use scrap bits of leather as protection for your fingers here.
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When you are satisfied with the thinness of your overlap, fold it back over, and nail it into place.
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Next, take some un-dyed twine or string, and wrap around the edge of your mask through and around the nails. Wrap it around twice, and tightly. This will give your nails support, and will hold the leather more tightly to your figure.
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When you are satisfied with the thinness of your overlap, fold it back over, and nail it into place.
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Next, take some un-dyed twine or string, and wrap around the edge of your mask through and around the nails. Wrap it around twice, and tightly. This will give your nails support, and will hold the leather more tightly to your figure.
Now, you can begin to rub your mask. The purpose of this is to mold the leather into the shape of the figure it is on top of. Rubbing it releases the glues that were activated in the water, and polishes the mask. Begin by rubbing the mask with your clean fingers and hands, transferring some of the oil from your hands into the skin of the mask. After a while, you can switch to using a tool.
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Finding the right tool can be tricky. You cannot use anything that will stain the leather, so metal is out of the question. The best think to use is bone. Some plastics work as well, but are not as strong, and can sometimes rub their color onto the leather. Finding a smoothed and polished bone tool, like an old shoe horn, or a mallet or dulled down knife is the best option. Using this tool, you can sharpen the edges of you mask greatly.
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See the difference in sharpness in the photos above and the next few photos. Using a polished tool not only sharpens the image, but also polishes the masks much better than a rough bone tool.
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One tip that can be helpful during the rubbing process is to pull out the nails in the eyes and very carefully cut an X in the center of the eye (partially seen in the image above). Cutting this X allows more give to the leather, especially around the mask's tear-duct area, which can be hard to get in to. The X will open up, and allow your features to become more defined. Some figures do not require this adjustment.
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Finding the right tool can be tricky. You cannot use anything that will stain the leather, so metal is out of the question. The best think to use is bone. Some plastics work as well, but are not as strong, and can sometimes rub their color onto the leather. Finding a smoothed and polished bone tool, like an old shoe horn, or a mallet or dulled down knife is the best option. Using this tool, you can sharpen the edges of you mask greatly.
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See the difference in sharpness in the photos above and the next few photos. Using a polished tool not only sharpens the image, but also polishes the masks much better than a rough bone tool.
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One tip that can be helpful during the rubbing process is to pull out the nails in the eyes and very carefully cut an X in the center of the eye (partially seen in the image above). Cutting this X allows more give to the leather, especially around the mask's tear-duct area, which can be hard to get in to. The X will open up, and allow your features to become more defined. Some figures do not require this adjustment.
As you rub your mask, you will see it begin to darken as the moisture is worked out of the leather, moving toward the surface. The dark spots will then begin to lighten as the moisture on the surface evaporates. When your mask is almost dry, you can cut it off of the form.
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To cut the mask off of of the plaster figure, pull out the brass nails and remove the string. Using your bone tool or you fingernails, mark around the edge of the mask where you would like to cut. Now, very carefully, pushing the knife, instead of pulling it (see in the image how the thumb is doing all of the work) cut around the edge of the mask.
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To cut the mask off of of the plaster figure, pull out the brass nails and remove the string. Using your bone tool or you fingernails, mark around the edge of the mask where you would like to cut. Now, very carefully, pushing the knife, instead of pulling it (see in the image how the thumb is doing all of the work) cut around the edge of the mask.
Once the mask is free of the form, you can cover the plaster figure with cellophane, and continue to rub the mask, drying it from time to time with a fan or hairdryer from the inside. The cellophane acts as a barrier between the wet plaster and the leather. Drying the mask from the inside will tackle most of the moisture which is caught under the skin.
After the mask is dry enough to be free of the plaster, you can pull your second mask. The plaster will last a long time, and even longer if you store it carefully. After you have pulled multiple masks, the wear and tear of the nails around the edge of the plaster may make the figure difficult to use, so you cannot get an infinite amount of masks out of one form.
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You can get many more masks out of a wooden form, but that requires you to have wood carving skills and a grasp on subtractive sculpture, rather than additive, which can be much easier to learn.
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You can get many more masks out of a wooden form, but that requires you to have wood carving skills and a grasp on subtractive sculpture, rather than additive, which can be much easier to learn.
Now you are ready to glue your nose closed. Once you complete this step, you will not be able to fit your figure back on the plaster form.
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To see detailed instructions and pictures of the gluing process, see Tips & Tricks of Construction
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To see detailed instructions and pictures of the gluing process, see Tips & Tricks of Construction
Now that you have glued your nose closed, you can shellac the interior of your mask. This is the same material that they finish instruments with because it is flexible, so the instruments can vibrate without cracking. The flexibility, and strength of the shellac creates a mask that will keep it's shape, and yet still bend slightly to fit over the actors face. This seal also protects the leather from the sweat of the actors, giving the mask a much longer life span. Because of the shellac, these masks are wireless.
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When applying the shellac, have spirits near by to thin the liquid and to clean your brushes. Coat the mask in very thin layers. You you apply the layers too thickly, the shellac could seep through to the front of the mask and stain it. Very carefully coat around the edges. Once you have done two or three layers, you can cut out the eyes of the mask.
Cut out the eyes by using the same technique of pushing the blade rather than pulling. If you are unsure about the shape of you eyes, you can cut out shapes on black paper and place them over you mask to see what different shapes look like. When you have found the right shape, trace it on to the mask, using the tool or your fingernail. When you cut, make the shape in four strokes, always cutting from the outer edges of the eyes, to the inside. So, start at the outer edge and make a quarter cut to the center top; start at the inner edge and make a quarter cut to the center top; then quarter cuts from the outer edge to center bottom, and inner edge to center bottom.
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Take your time.
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For tips on how to get a clean edge around the mask and the eyes, see Tips & Tricks of Construction
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After you have cut out the eyes, apply another two or three thin layers of shellac, being very careful around the eyes. You can now go back and fine cut the edges of the mask, always applying shellac over the newly cut areas. You can also use fine sand paper to smooth out the interior of your mask. Test the mask by trying it on your face or touching it with your fingers to see if there are places where you need to sand down more. Do not rub too hard with the sandpaper, and always apply shellac over sanded areas.
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At this point you will use a leather hole punch to remove the nostrils of your mask.
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Take your time.
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For tips on how to get a clean edge around the mask and the eyes, see Tips & Tricks of Construction
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After you have cut out the eyes, apply another two or three thin layers of shellac, being very careful around the eyes. You can now go back and fine cut the edges of the mask, always applying shellac over the newly cut areas. You can also use fine sand paper to smooth out the interior of your mask. Test the mask by trying it on your face or touching it with your fingers to see if there are places where you need to sand down more. Do not rub too hard with the sandpaper, and always apply shellac over sanded areas.
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At this point you will use a leather hole punch to remove the nostrils of your mask.
When you are done finessing over the details of your mask and making it as perfect as you would like it, you can begin to experiment with paint.
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The paint we had to work with was a variety of acrylic paints and leather dyes. The best way to go about painting your mask is to practice on leather scraps. If you have bits of leather that are also polished or smooth like your mask (for example the eye bits), this is best, but these pieces are usually scarce.
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Work with blended colors, trying different colors combined, experimenting with different methods of application. Mark on your leather with a pen what each paint is and what method you used to apply it. This way there will be no mistakes or struggle to remember what combinations you used.
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When you finally get to painting the mask, start out light. You can always go darker, but going lighter will take away from the sheen of your mask. You can work with an array of colors, but I decided to keep my mask simple, and neutral colored. The beauty of using leather is that it starts out at this skin-like texture and color, and takes really well to skin tones. You can use bright colors on the leather too, but make sure you experiment with them before applying to the mask. Mistakes made in earth tones are easier to cover or fake out. You can also use makeup on the masks, but the oils will sink into the pores and close out other color pigments.
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The paint we had to work with was a variety of acrylic paints and leather dyes. The best way to go about painting your mask is to practice on leather scraps. If you have bits of leather that are also polished or smooth like your mask (for example the eye bits), this is best, but these pieces are usually scarce.
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Work with blended colors, trying different colors combined, experimenting with different methods of application. Mark on your leather with a pen what each paint is and what method you used to apply it. This way there will be no mistakes or struggle to remember what combinations you used.
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When you finally get to painting the mask, start out light. You can always go darker, but going lighter will take away from the sheen of your mask. You can work with an array of colors, but I decided to keep my mask simple, and neutral colored. The beauty of using leather is that it starts out at this skin-like texture and color, and takes really well to skin tones. You can use bright colors on the leather too, but make sure you experiment with them before applying to the mask. Mistakes made in earth tones are easier to cover or fake out. You can also use makeup on the masks, but the oils will sink into the pores and close out other color pigments.
After the paint is dry, rub the mask with a wax. Beeswax works really well, as does soy wax and other waxes made for leather work. Experiment with the wax on a scrap leather to see if it discolors it in any way. The wax seals the leather, so you cannot paint on it after this.
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Use the leather hole punch to make a hole on either side of the mask, through which you can string black elastic. Your mask is now ready to go on stage!
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Use the leather hole punch to make a hole on either side of the mask, through which you can string black elastic. Your mask is now ready to go on stage!
