AS Media - Mask Creation

The Brief:

-To create a mask using a burlaps sack

My initial ideas:

Utilise a zip in some way
Use stitching to create an eye with a cross on it
Use a noose around the neck
Use fake blood to make it permanently crying
Stitch the head into a better shaper by cutting the top off and sewing it back on
Make the mask stuck in the shape of a face by getting it wet and full of PVA glue
Use nails and hooks as added features to the mask

First Experimentations:

I tried to make the material of the sack stay in a position and make it mould to the shape of my face by soaking it in water with PVA glue mixed in and the results were minimal as the material dried out and the PVA glue had little to no effect on the integral structure of the material. After these findings I discarded the idea of moulding to the shape of a face. End result below

Secondly I used two types of fake blood one being a spray and the other being a thicker liquid on the material to make the mask more gruesome. I simply just applied them both to separate sections of the material so that I could gauge what one would be more effective.

The results of this clearly show that the thicker liquid is more effective as the spray was not as strong as I had originally thought. The thicker liquid being on the right and the spray on the left.

Next I created the back of the mask with hooks and nails. Layering them alternatively in opposite directions facing different ways.

I continued to administer this technique down the whole back of the mask creating a quite punk metal feel, and helped the mask to contribute more towards the genre conventions of horror.

Next to heighten the feel of horror, I tied a noose and threaded it through slits I had cut into the trim of the bottom of the mask. This is illustrated below.

Next for one of the eye holes, I cut into the material as a test to see the effect of the cut. This is illustrated below.

After this I decided sew over the the cut to make the effect more threatening, playing on the primal fear of the unknown embedded in the audience. The resulting effect is illustrated below.

Simultaneously I had the idea of having a cross on one of the eyes. I began by testing this out on a scrap piece of material.

This ended up looking as it does below alongside the incision made for the other eyehole.

After sewing up the eye hole it looked like the following illustration.

After this I decided to sew on a half opened zip, on the mouth of the mask as it gave the mask a sadistic smile and charm to it. This is illustrated as seen below.

After this to add an even more gore to the mask decided to use the remaining spray and liquid to cover the rest of the mask in key places such as the noose tie and the neck of the mask.

Evaluation:

- The overall outcome of the mask to a large extent fulfilled what I had in mind for the mask

- There was no real shape to the mask which would have been made by the top which did not comply an attach how I wanted it to.

Peer Feedback:

- The mask could have been improved by adding dirt and mud to really add layers of depth to the mask

- The noose colour could have been better as it is a neon green colour