DESIGN DIARY: June's Mask

I’ve been looking forward to June’s mask for its simplistic color scheme and classical flower.  The Rose birth flower combines with the Pearl birthstone promises to be a lovely color scheme which is one of my favorite color schemes, white and red.

The biggest challenge with this mask was that there are a hundred ways to draw a rose.  I knew from the start I wanted the large, classical petals, but should they be hyper-stylized or realistic?

Mood Board

In the end, I went with something in-between stylized and realistic with an abstraction of the bloom centers to make carving easier on my hands.  I also settled with a layout that allows me to focus on a good mixture of petals versus leaf texture without being too busy.

Design Sketches

Process Gallery

Here are a few shots of the mask before and after it was tooled and baked.

June’s mask ended up being one of the more striking color palettes than I had first realized!  The contrast of the pearlescent underpainting with the red makes this mask stand out very much from the others.  I used a combination of iridescent taupe and white paint layered into the base color of the mask to replicate the look of a freshwater pearl.  Oh how very tempting it is to make endless variations of this mask with different colored roses!

The Finished Mask

This mask is available at my Etsy shop!

For more in-depth instruction with complete step-by-step narration, a materials list, etc., check out this Premium Video Tutorial featuring the creation of February's Mask.

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DESIGN DIARY: November's Mask

I've decided to accelerate my schedule with the Ladies to give people born later in the year a chance to get the masks and paintings now rather than having to wait another year.  That means I'm exploring the themes of November, whose birthstone is Topaz and whose birth flower is chrysanthemums!  November happens to be my own birth month as well, which means I'm personally attached to this time of chill winds and grey skies in the northern hemisphere.

Mood Board

Chrysanthemums come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, from the fluffy round to long and thin spindles of the spider chrysanthemums.  I've decided to go with a more traditionally round chrysanthemum, which will be a bit easier to carve than many long spindles.  As always, I like to reference botanical drawings, which make it easier to observe leaf shapes and overall silhouettes of the flowers and stems.  Pinterest makes this reference gathering much easier.

Designs

I like to start with a few variations on the designs to see what kind of layout I prefer.  I tried a big focal flower at first.  By the end, I found myself preferring the way that bunches of mums and buds would fill up the space.  I tried incorporating monarch butterflies on this mask in the bottom design since it's going to be in the final 2d painting for Lady of November, but I may save this for a special alternate design for myself, since it would break with the consistency of the series thus far.

Work-In-Progress Shots

Here are a few progress shots of November’s Mask in the making!  I did something different this time by doing a complete underpainting of white in both the flowers and the stems, which made the final colors even brighter. I also used a coat of interference gold beneath the orange to create a subtle shimmer in the underpainting.

You can also watch a video of this mask in the making here:

The Finished Mask

This mask is available at my Etsy shop!

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Sponsor the Ladies of the Months on Patreon!

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DESIGN DIARY: April's Mask

March's Mask was an interesting color palette challenge.  April's Mask proved to be yet another challenge with its inspirations, the diamond gemstone and daisy birthflower!  First off, how does one represent diamond?  In the past, I've been making the main part of the mask match the color of the gemstone, but if I simply made this mask white, it could easily be confused with pearl.  The solution - interference paints!  More about them in the WiP shots coming up.

Reference Gathering:
The usual mood board in Pinterest.  Botanical drawings make for great reference of structure. I also made sure to get various photos of the flowers at different angles so I can get an idea of structure, which will inform my decorative abstraction of them for the mask.

Design:
I sketched the rough layout based on the placement of flowers already set forth by January's Mask to keep the series looking uniform.  The most challenging part of this step was trying to keep the mask simple enough that it would be possible to carve without too much trouble. I ended up having to remove some of the flowers I had originally put in the bunch, by the end.

Work-in-Progress:

Here are a few photos of the mask in the making!  I'll be putting together a time lapse video of the creation of this mask later so you can see this in motion.

After tooling and shaping.

The finished mask plus steps of the paint layering of the flowers.

To get the 'diamond' base for the mask, I painted a layer of white, then covered the white with blue interference paint, which created a 'frosted' crystalline kind of look.  It's hard to capture in these photos, so definitely check out the video of the shine in action!

A video of the final mask:

A time lapse of the mask in the making:

This is a more subdued mask than usual, but I'm hopeful even subdued masks might have their fans.

Buy the finished mask here!

Remember, you can pre-order one of these unique limited edition masks at the Ladies' Patreon.  Only TEN of each mask in this birthstone series will ever be made!

For more in-depth instruction with complete step-by-step narration, a materials list, etc., check out this Premium Video Tutorial featuring the creation of February's Mask.

---

Like this series and want to help it be the best it can be?
Check out the Ladies of the Months on Patreon!

In return for your support, you'll receive early access sneak peeks, digital goodies, and more!

DESIGN DIARY: March's Mask

With February's mask fresh in my mind, March's mask presented a unique challenge with a completely different flower and color scheme.

Reference Gathering:

I always begin by gathering references of different angles of the flowers, usually photos and botanical drawings to inform the shape of the flower.

Design:
Using January's mask as a base, I arranged my main blossom elements on a template in Photoshop.  This time, I had two different alternate arrangements and decided to go with the more symmetrical layout.  I liked that blossoms on the side provide more interesting variations of shapes and also take up more space, especially when the stems are added into the design later.

After the stems are added, the design looks something like the rough design below.  Then it was a matter of cleaning up the lines, figuring out where I want my lines to overlap each other, and printing them out for transfer.

Work-in-Progress Shots

The final product:

A video turnaround of the finished mask:

A time lapse video of the mask's creation:

For more in-depth instruction with complete step-by-step narration, a materials list, etc., check out this Premium Video Tutorial featuring the creation of February's Mask.

Want to read these Design Diaries before everyone else?
Consider pledging to my Ladies of the Months Patreon.  You'll get early sneak peeks, plus other exclusive Rewards!

March's mask is available at my Etsy shop. 

Because this is such an intense mask, only 10 of them will ever be made!

DESIGN DIARY: February's Mask

I'm excited to begin work on February's mask!  It's been a long time since I've been able to craft because of general life challenges, but I'm happy to dive back in for this project!  While I'm a painter by day, crafting is my relaxation hobby that allows me to experiment creatively in a different way than painting does.

I've been wanting to create the rest of the month masks ever since I first made the prototype of the January Mask back in 2010.  I eventually created a new version with a sleeker look and a more interesting silhouette:

Inspiration:

I'm a lover of everything of the Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts movements.  They were inspired by organic and naturalistic beauty and created lovely floral designs.  I wanted to bring something of that aesthetic to my masks.  

February's mask will be purple, like the Amethyst birthstone for the month.  The February birthflowers are violets and primroses.

Reference Gathering:

Before I begin, I study botanical drawings and photos of the birthflowers to get a better sense of how I can abstract them. For example, I take note that the shape of the violet flower is hexagonal, which will be useful in simplifying them later.

Process:

I usually like to begin my design process by using a croquis (essentially a mannequin form that is repeated) and exploring various location for the design elements.

Here's another example of my design process utilizing the croquis figure. I also offer a downloadable croquis for others to use here.

Crafter's Choice Patrons of my main Artisan Patreon should be able to access this croquis for freehere:

However, with this particular mask design, I wanted to echo the original January mask's elements so that the entire series of month masks will look cohesive.  With that in mind, I simply drew my design motif directly on top of January's pattern.

1. Major design elements.

 Working in Photoshop CC, I started drawing my new design in a layer atop the original pattern for the January mask.  The first thing I lay in are the major shapes of the flowers, spacing them out in such a way that the design has breathing room and isn't too busy while echoing the layout of the January mask.  The blooms of the Violets and Primroses plus the large round shapes of the Violet's leaves lend themselves well to this purpose.

2. Secondary design elements.  The stems and long thin leaves of the Primroses act as my secondary design elements, allowing me to have fun with overlapping knotwork-type lines that let me abstract the flower stems into a decorative element.  These elements also repeat the shape of January's Snowdrops and stems for continuity.

3.  Cleaning up the design.  On a new layer above the sketchy layers, I actually copy and paste half of the design and mirror it so I don't have to redraw part of it.  Then, I clean up the design to create slightly asymmetrical overlaps, especially in the bridge of the nose, which is generally the most interesting area of any mask design that people focus on.

Phases of the Crafting Process

TOOLS & MATERIALS:

I have an interactive list of tools and materials here.

- 8 oz Leather (I buy the single shoulder from Tandy when it goes on sale)

- Swivel Blade (I use a ceramic filigree blade)

- Leather Shears

- Modeling Spoon

- Edge Slicker

- Ballpoint Pen

- Bevel Stamps (B203, B197)

- Acrylic Paints (various brands, mainly FolkArt)

- Brushes (I reuse my old watercolor brushes. Stiff synthetic bristles work best)

- Parchment Paper

- Wax Paper

- An Oven

- Sponges

- Woodburning Tool

- Liquitex Satin Varnish

- Sticky Back Moleskin

- Ribbon

Phase 1:

The mask design is printed out and transferred onto the leather by tracing with a pen.  The pressure of tracing transfers the design onto the dampened leather.  The design is then cut from the hide with leather sheers.

Phase 2:

I then tool the leather after casing it over night.  Casing involves dampening the leather and leaving it wrapped in plastic wrap all night so that the leather absorbs the moisture and becomes optimally receptive to receiving impressions.  I use the bevel stamps and modeling spoon to press in the designs and shape them.  The edges of the mask are also rounded and smoothed to create a nicer edge.

Phase 3:

Once tooling is complete, I soak the mask in water completely then bake it in the oven at a low temperature.  Every few minutes, I take the mask out and shape it, pinching the nose and curving it where needed.  Parchment paper is used to prop the mask in the oven and protect it from being scalded by the oven rack.

Phase 4:

I first dye the leather with leather dye, which makes for a smooth even undercoat that primes the surface for painting with acrylics next.  Where I want more vibrant colors, I first paint a coat of white before I paint on the proper colors.  Once I'm done painting, I give the mask a light coating with a workable spray fixative to keep the dyes from coming up when I paint the varnish on.

Phase 5:

The mask is sealed with Liquitex Satin varnish, which preserves the metallic and matte textures and provides extra protection.  Sticky back moleskin is applied in key places on the back of the mask to heighten the comfort.  I then finish it all off by punching holes where ribbons are tied through so the mask can be worn on the face.  Finally, the mask is signed and numbered with a woodburning tool.

Enjoy this early look at the completed mask for Lady of February!  If you'd like to pre-order this mask, you can do so via the Mask Collector tier over on Patreon. 

After Patreon pre-orders are processed, the mask will be made available to the public at my Etsy shop.  Because this is such an intense mask, only 10 of them will ever be made!  

Want a more in-depth tutorial of this mask's process?  Upgrade to my Premier Patron tier on Patreon to access the PREMIUM video tutorial for a narrated step-by-step look at my crafting process!

Photographing a Mask Tutorial

I'm still moving my artisan craft blog entries from my art blog to here.  This post is from 2010 so when I say 'latest mask', it was my latest mask from 2010 at that point in time (which is old by my standards now).

It's time for yet another impromptu tutorial! Upon completion of my latest mask, I took some shots of my photography setup for the morbidly curious.

Disclaimer. I am not a professional photographer! This is just the way I do things that gets results for me. I'm sure there are better ways to go about what I'm doing that I haven't discovered yet.

YOU WILL NEED:

A Decent Camera (I use a DSLR, Nikon D50 with a 28-80mm lens) - DSLR are great since you can customize the lenses you use based on your space and lighting limitations.  Point and click cameras, especially Canons, are pretty good these days too. I suggest getting a tripod to keep your camera still, unless you can hold it still, which is impossible for this particular caffeine addict.

Indirect sunlight with
soft shadows is what
we need!

Naturally Lit Space - I use our sun room, which has tall open windows that let in plenty of natural sunlight.  I tend to take photographs in the late afternoons so the sunlight filters in instead of shining directly into the room, creating harsh shadows.

TIP: A white muslin sheet hung over the window can help filter light as well!

Crushed Velvet Backdrop - I use a piece of silver crushed velvet fabric I purchased by the yard at Joanns Fabrics.  It provides an interesting backdrop that isn't just a flat area of color since it's lightly textured, but also not strongly textured or patterned enough to be distracting.

TIP: If you don't have fabric or sheets for backdrop, try a piece of mat board.

Car Windshield Shade - A plain metallic shade meant to reflect the sun from your car windshield. It can be used to reflect light onto your photography subjects as well!

Burts Bees is the
best, for lips
AND propping!

Chapstick - For propping your mask if it doesn't want to stand up by itself. Or for those with constantly chapped lips, like myself.

Photoshop - I use Photoshop CS2.  Other alternatives include the free program GIMP and any of the photo editing software that generally comes with your camera or printer.

Step 1 - Set Up Your Area.

Start by arranging your mask on the tabletop which has been covered by your backdrop cloth. I like to arrange my masks facing towards the window so that the highlights are on the right side or front, illuminating the most detail usually in the nose area.

Next, put the reflector next to the opposite side of your mask which is in shadow.  I've wrapped the reflector around a chair to keep it upright. Prop the mask with the chapstick.

I've also made use of a low night stand, which works well since it is lower than my tripod and lets me view my mask from above, allowing me to photograph the most surface area of it. The tension of the backdrop fabric draping over the table's edges also keeps the backdrop flat, where it would wrinkle and be hard to manage if it were laid out on the floor.

TIP: The closer the shade is to your object, the more strongly it will illuminate your shadow side.

Step 2 - Photograph Your Mask.

Using your preferred camera settings, take shots of your masks.  I set my camera to the Nature/Macro setting (a little tulip icon) since I don't have a lot of space to back up and zoom in to get the best shots and angles with an actual macro lens.  This setting allows me to capture closer shots at a shorter focal range.

I like to take three angles on most of my masks, a front angle and two side angles.  This allows me to show the varying detail on both sides.  If the focus of the mask is on the side, as it is in this fox mask with the fox's face being on the right side, I like to make my main display image a 3/4th's angle to show off more of the mask's focal point.

Interlude - The Importance of Reflected Light

To illustrate the importance of reflected light, check out how much darker this image was before I used the windshield shade. The details in the fox tail are almost completely drowned out!

Step 3 - Post Processing
Before you can show your masks to the world, make sure the details are visible and sharp.  I use Photoshop to alter my photos, but you can also use a free photo editor that most likely came with your printer/camera or GIMP, a free image editor which works much like Photoshop.

The tweaks I use the most are under Image>Adjustments>Exposure where I usually up the Exposure and Gamma until I'm satisfied my image isn't too dark.  This tends to work more effectively than using Contrast/Brightness, which can drown out your detail in unsubtle ways.  (I use this method of tweaking a lot for my watercolors to preserve their color and sharpness too).  Sometimes, I like to use Smart Sharpen (under Filter>Sharpen) to help define the detail on the mask even more.

TIP: Don't up the Exposure too much or you'll start losing the details in your image! Notice how the Fox's stomach fur starts to lose detail when I've raised the Exposure too much. Pay attention to your highlights when tweaking a photo. You want to bring out as much detail in them as you can before they start to get lost.

And that's it! Here's the finished montage:

Design Diary: January's Mask

I thought I'd post some design notes for the curious who want to know what I do when I'm not drawing, reading, or writing. I'm hoping to start a new series featuring a revamp of my old Angel of the Month series that got started, but never finished. What better way to get in the mood than to do a mask inspired by similar themes?

Like most of my paintings and writings, mask-making begins with a little research. Nothing gets my muse tingling more than lore of the land!

On January Lore
January may seem like a boring uneventful time, but the lore of the month is fraught with interesting imagery. Named for Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, endings and gateways, January is a time of hope, purification and the promise of a new beginning.

The birthstone for January is the Garnet, which can be found in clusters and is often equated to pomegranate seeds which are in turn associated with the damnation of Persephone to the Underworld. The grasp of Hades is coming to an end as January begins and Persephone awaits her time in the sun, ushering in the Spring.

January's flowers are the Carnation and Snowdrop in western cultures. Carnations, while seen as a generic flower of affection and reunion in florist shops, have a darker meaning in Mexican Indian culture, where they are 'flowers of the dead' piled around the bodies of the recently deceased before they are buried.

In Korean lore, three carnations were used to divine which phase of an individual's life would contain suffering and hardship by watching to see which flower would wither first upon being placed on the forehead. The Snowdrop's habit of popping up through the snow in graveyards became a portent of death and ill fortune to the Victorians.

Mask Layouts
Informed by the themes of January's lore, I worked out a few thumbnails to get a basic idea of the shape and flow I wanted in the mask.


The 1st one was the most ambitious featuring piles of flowers at the edges. Too busy, however (and a little evil-looking)! The 2nd had a nice contrast between details and texture, but it didn't feature the Snowdrop element as much as I wanted. The third seemed the best balance of the Snowdrops at the side of the eyes, the Carnations in the middle and a graceful compositional flow from the center outward and into the eyes and brow.

Tracing, Carving, Tooling!
Next came drawing the pattern onto printer paper, transferring to leather, a cup of coffee, tooling and carving with chisels and burnishers, and finally shaping and baking the leather! If you want to learn more about the specifics of the process, I learned from the best, Andrea Masse, Brenda Lyons, and my own experimentation.



Final Design
After some careful painting with acrylics and a few layers of satin varnish, the final product emerges! It came out rather Christmas-like, but that feels somehow fitting for this type of moody January.



For more crafts from me, check out my artisan account on DeviantART.
(It's where all my hobby endeavors wind up these days!)