Paper Mache & Paint - Mask Making

I chose three masks from the Day of the Dead festival. It is held on November 1^st and 2^nd. This Mexican holiday coincide with the Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess called Mictecacihuatl. The festival is a celebration of remembering friends and families that are deceased. During the celebration, they build private altars, make the decease’s favorite food, and take it to the gravesite as a gift.

All the samples of masks are skulls. I have always enjoyed the Day of the Dead masks they are joyful and festive instead of scary and gruesome. The colors attract me the most. The third mask I chose was because of the flower and hairstyle.

The first mask I chose uses very vibrant colors. It has flowers that fill the eye cavities. Two birds reflected of each other on the forehead. His teeth with the lines around them show movement like they are chattering. The mask is covered with all this line work, which makes the mask have rhythm that creates such energy. It is symmetrically balanced what element is on left side is reflected on right. 

The next mask also has a flower filling its eye cavities. There is a pink flower in the middle of the forehead. The mask’s mouth is wide open as if it is ready to say something. The mask uses all the colors on the color wheel and they create this joyful skull. Line work is used again on this mask to create symmetry. It uses repetition of the same teardrop shape throughout changing its size and color. 

The last mask I chose has this red flower in her hair. Her hair and the flower are sculpted so there are 3 dimensions form to them. This mask only uses red, black, and white as a color palette. The mask has a heart, teardrops, and scallops as design elements. It has asymmetrical balance to it due to the flower and hair. This mask has a more subdued feeling to it because it doesn’t consist of a lot of line work that creates rhythm. It is very unified because the artist distributed the color evenly.

The process of making the mask was fun. I got to play with paper mache again. I had to research how to make it and it surprises me that it is flour and water. I used a balloon to the base of my skull and then used plastic containers and tin pans to make the details of the eye cavities and the nose. Then I drew out several options for my design. I knew I wanted it symmetrical and to use a lot of color. After, I made a decision on the design; I needed to figure how I was going to use color. Finally created a final guide with the design and the colors I was going to use. As I painted I added other elements to embellish the skull. The dots I repeated from the top of the mask to the bottom so it would be balanced. I am very pleased with my results.