Making masks!

A short introduction to this post. A week ago, I had a call asking me to make two masks for a video shoot of a film clip for The Acfield's new song, Grabbed Me by the Heart.

Heres a link to the song - https://soundcloud.com/pricewarmusic/the-acfields-grabbed-me-by-the

Isn't it just lovely?

I thought I'd do a blog post on how I made the two masks, why I used the techniques that I used, and hopefully to inspire you with the urge to make something in the future!

(A shot of one of the final results)

Personally, I love to work with wire as a base. I find it super flexible and easy to mould to most shapes. 

I began by measuring out the face shape from a basic design. The shape and design of these masks was actually quite specific, they needed to have strong lines and be large in size, while still being lightweight and easy for kids to play with. 

I then went over the design with a sharpie, and began to mould the wire into the basic shapes required, taping them down to stabilise them as I worked.

Next, I removed the shape from the paper, and soldered the wire together. You can get a basic soldering iron and solder from Bunnings and other craft stores, I bought mine off of Ebay a while ago. It's not the best, but it gets me there. 

When soldering, make sure to wear the appropriate PPE. 

While working, the wire surrounding the soldering point will become quite hot so be careful not to burn yourself. I am making myself some protective finger tip gloves to work with. 

After this point, I covered the mask in a thin foam layer. You can buy sheets of this foam in A2 size at Lincraft. Using foam glue, I moulded the foam to the shape of the wire. While the glue set, I held the mask together using masking tape. I actually ended up leaving the masking tape on for the rest of the process, as it didn't affect the final result. 

The final step in creating the base was adding something for the paint to hold to. I chose to use very delicate layers of tissue paper, as it was light and would grip to the shape of the mask well. Usually I would choose to use something a little sturdier, but as I needed these masks to be large but super light, this seemed to be the way to go. 

Once that was dry it was time to paint!

Finally, I added a thin layer of a flexible varnish to give it a little more strength and attached the sticks that would allow the children to use them. 

When the film clip is ready, I'll post it on my blog.