CHAPTER III

Making the Mask

Anyone who has ever tried to make masks, knows their fascination. A pillowcase with two holes cut in it for eyes may have been your first mask. A paper bag may have been your second mask. What a wonderful chance this gave you to show your originality. You may remember how you labored to express some humorous or grotesque idea. There was the paper nose that you cut, fitted and glued to it, and the ears that you made for it, the mouth that you painted, and the headdress of feathers and quills. Above all, there was the joy of wearing it and of comparing your mask with the masks of your friends.

All masks reflect the ideas and feelings of those who make them. Great masks have individuality and character. How does one make a mask that has character? It is done in some such manner as this: First decide whether your mask is to represent an imaginary character or a historical character. If it is to represent an imaginary character you will have a great deal of freedom in working out your idea, for no one can say, exactly, what a goblin or demon or any fanciful creature looks like. But if your mask is to represent a historical character the problem is quite a different one. In that case you are guided by tradition and also by the structure and proportions of the human face.

Let us suppose that you wish to make a mask of a noble king. He probably would have a high forehead, a straight brow, a strong, firm chin, and a kindly mouth. Exaggerate the high forehead, the straight brow, the firm chin, and the kindliness of the mouth, and you will find that every one who sees your mask will be conscious of its nobility. Is your king young or old? If he is old, there will be hollows about his eyes, nose, and mouth, and his cheeks may be thin. If he is young, his flesh will be firm and there will be no drawn or sagging muscles. Exaggerate the roundness of youth and the thinness of old age, keeping the proportions and qualities which indicate nobility.

The brow indicates mood—surprise and curiosity are shown by arched eyebrows; sadness and grief are shown by drooping eyebrows; perplexity and anger are shown by the drawing together of the eyebrows.

The nose is very important and demands careful study. It should be consistent with the character. Can you imagine a noble, generous king with a short, upturned nose?

The mouth and chin are quite as important as the brow and nose. Beginners often have great difficulty in modeling them, because they forget to consider the profile. The lips and chin must be built out and shaped exactly like those of the human face.

[Illustration: [Mask]]

When you have the character of this noble king well in mind, take a pencil and paper and make a sketch of him, front view and side view. Keep in mind the general proportions of his face. Having made your drawing you are ready to begin your work with clay. Measure your face from chin to the crown of the head, and the width of your face from ear to ear. Do this carefully, for a good mask should fit the face of the wearer. Onto a slate or a board crush some newspapers into a mound, about 4 by 6 inches, and 3 inches high. This paper, acting as a core, will save your clay and insure its quick drying. Pack the clay over the paper as in the illustration, to a depth of about 6 inches. If the length of your face is 8½ inches, make the mound of clay 8¾ inches, since the clay shrinks in drying. For the same reason, add an extra ¼ inch to the width. With your drawing before you, begin modeling the clay. Remember that a face is not flat. Observe the plans of the forehead, the cheeks, and eye sockets. The expression which you imagine the noble king to have had should be modeled into the clay and the wrinkles cut into the forehead and about the mouth. You must study your mask from many angles in order to make it lifelike.

[Illustration:

_Characters from Christmas Mask_ ]

If you do not finish your modeling the first day, cover the clay with wet cloths to keep it from hardening. When you have completed your clay model it will require twenty-four to thirty-six hours for it to dry. From this model you are now ready to make either a papier-mâché mask or a buckram mask. If you wish to make a papier-mâché mask cover the model when thoroughly dry with a thin coat of vaseline. Now tear medium-weight wrapping paper, cream and brown for instance, into pieces three or four inches long, soak them in hot water, wring out separately, dip into flour paste, and rub gently between the fingers until they feel like wet chamois skin. Cover the entire surface with the cream-colored strips of paper. The pieces may overlap but there must be no wrinkles. When the entire surface is covered you may apply immediately a second layer. Let this be of the brown paper. Follow this with a third layer of cream and a fourth layer of brown. If your paper is thin, apply a fifth or even a sixth layer to give the necessary thickness and strength. The alternating of the cream and brown will help you to count your layers and insures uniform thickness. Strive to keep a smooth surface and a uniform thickness. Do not forget that in this process the last layer of paper becomes the outer surface of your mask. After twenty-four or thirty-six hours, the paper masks should be dry enough to remove from the clay. Plasticine may be used instead of clay but since it does not harden, this process necessitates making a plaster of Paris mold. The directions for making this are given on page 66.

When you have removed the paper mask from the clay or plaster mold, cut out the eye and nostril holes. If a mask is to be worn by a dancer, the lips should be modeled slightly opened to permit the cutting away of the paper between the lips.

If you decide to make a buckram mask you will require a piece of light-colored buckram about twice the size of the face. Soften the buckram with warm water, then place over the clay model which has been covered with a coat of soapsuds. Press the buckram carefully, so as to bring out all the modeling of the features, then allow to dry.

The next step is the construction of that part of the mask which will cover the head. Here you will need assistance. While you hold the mask to your face, your assistant will take a one-inch strip of heavy paper, long enough to go around the back of the head, and attach it to the outside edges of the mask, just above the ears. If this strip is attached too low, the mask cannot be removed from the head, if too high, the mask will not be held securely. You will soon discover that it is necessary to put the chin into the mask first, when you put it on. A mask should fit the face and head closely. If you follow the steps in the illustration, you will see how this basketlike framework is constructed and how any kind of headdress can be built up on it. When a headdress is completed, and the inside of the mask is finished with a lining of papier-mâché, you are ready to paint the mask. Oil paints are the most practical. Tempera colors, however, may be used. The painting of the mask should emphasize the character.

[Illustration: [Masks]]

Complexion is the first consideration. Faces usually are fair, sallow, or swarthy. There are certain masks, however, that are much more effective when they are painted symbolically. The mask of the priest of Osiris was painted a rich green to indicate the fertility of the Nile. The demon mask was painted a greenish-gray. Yellow, vermilion, and black were used to heighten the terrifying aspects. Observation and experiment will guide you in the painting of the eyes, lips, brow, and hair, and also in the subtle violet shadows about the eyes, cheeks, and chin. Beware of timid lines that imitate nature. They say very little when the mask is a few feet away from you. Big, sweeping rhythmic lines make for design and carrying power, and are to be seen in all great masks. The inside of the mask should also be painted, decorated if you like, and shellacked when the oil paint is thoroughly dry. This prevents the breath from softening the papier-mâché. The outside must not be shellacked.

The masks shown in the accompanying illustrations aimed to bring out the most important traits of the character chosen. North American Indian symbolism of design and color was carried out in the masks of the Corn Maidens. Each mask was made by a different person, with a very clear idea in mind of what she wished her mask to express. Notice how like and yet unlike these Corn Maiden masks are. A clown’s face is supposed to show grotesque humor. By exaggerating nose, ears, and mouth, both in shape and color, the grotesque effects of the clown group were produced. Cheerfulness and contented old age are characterized by two Oriental masks shown at the bottom of the page. The demon mask grew out of a careful study of Chinese and Japanese demon masks.

The remoteness and dignity of ancient Egypt are reflected in the mask of the Priest of Osiris. The poetical sensitiveness of the mask of an Oriental poet was inspired by the faces in early Persian miniatures. There is much of wistfulness and subtle character delineation in the mask of the jester. This mask was worn with a parti-colored costume, cap and bells.

The possibilities of character masks are suggested by the photographs of the “Christmas Masque” given by the children’s singing classes of the Cleveland Museum of Art, and by the ninth grade special art class of Fairmount Junior High School, assisted by the Music School Settlement at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Christmas, 1925.

[Illustration: [Mask]]

[Illustration: [Costume]]