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

Practical task: Creating a mask

These are pictures that inspired me to make my mask. I liked the idea of blood/dirt, sewing with thick thread, using rope to tie off the bottom and cutting holes in it.

I then laid out my materials. I got some scissors, some tea/coffee to stain it, some paints, and some black and beige thread and a needle.

I next cut off a bit of the bottom so I could practice on it to see what looked best for my final mask.

I then tried out some red, black and brown paint on the mask. I liked all of them, but the red looked a bit harsh and fake so I thought it would be good if mixed with the black or brown to create a more realistic blood effect.

I then tried out staining it with the tea/coffee. I thought it was a bit pale, but would be good if mixed with the paint or made deeper from more staining.

Then I tried out the sewing. I loved the black thread against the pale brown of the burlap sack, but didn't think the beige was as good so I decided to just use the black thread on my mask.

I then detatched the rope from the sack, as it is obviously similar to the sack so would make a good material to use on the mask.

I then took the mask and folded the top two corners over and sewed them down to make it more of a head shape. I sewed it so you couldn't see the thread, as I didn't want there to be random sewing there because I didn't think it would look as good.

Next I cut two holes for the eyes. I just pinched the sack and cut it, which made it more 'messy' and has a scarier effect.

I then used the black thread to sew a mouth. I used a simply stitch but it made it look like the mouth was sewed shut. However I didn't like it just like that, so I decided I would add some paint and tea around it to make it scarier.

I first tried staining round the mouth with the tea bag. I didn't think the colour was deep or intense enough though, so decided to add more brown paint and tea/coffee later on.

I then started on the eyes. I roughly painted brown and red around the eye holes, but didn't think it looked professional or scary.

Because of this I got a larger paintbrush, dipped it in the coffee water and used this to dilute and spread the paint. I loved the effect this had on the paint around the eyes.

I then added more brown around the mouth to make it more intense and dirty looking.

Here are the final pictures of the mask. When I put it on the model I tied the rope round the neck.

Overall I love the way the mask turned out. I think the staining and paint around the eyes makes it really terrifying and sinister, and I am very pleased with it.

Audience feedback

When we presented the masks to the class, we were given feedback both by the teacher and our peers.  The paint and coffee/tea which I used on my mask had faded by the time we had to take them in for peer assessment, so my feedback was to use paint and coffee which is stronger and stains the sack more so it will last longer. Another thing was to make sure the mouth was actually in the place of a mouth as it was on the chin.

Creating a mask- Practical Task

To begin making my mask I put the mask on and cut around the shape that I wanted for my masks, using scissors, to fit over my head.



To create my mask I decided to cut slits for one eye and the mouth. So that the person in the mask is able to see out of the eye slit but it looks scarier as there is only one eye that is visible which makes the person wearing the mask scarier and mysterious. I put a slit in the mouth so it looks like the killer can still eat and breath.



I then decided to sew the left side of the mask using black thread to make it look as though the killers eye had been stitched up. This would have worked more effectively if I had used a thicker black, however I tried to overlap the thread to make it look as though it was thick.



I decided to use fake blood around the eyes and the mouth to look as though they were bleeding out, or look as though the killer had been eating guts, which makes it look more gory and scary. I did this by using a spray bottle of fake blood in some areas and in other areas I used cotton wool balls to dab the fake blood onto the sack. This wasn't as successful as I would have liked it to have been as it looked very red as though it was fresh blood and it would have looked more effective with a darker colour perhaps.



Finally I decided to rub some dirt into the mask to make it look worn and dirty. In the future I would add more dirt to emphasise this.



I then put the mask on the model and tied a string around the bottom to secure it and give it the final look. Overall I am quite happy with how my mask turned out but if I were to make it again I would rub more dirt into the mask all over rather than in one area to make it look more old and worn and add more stitching around the mask to make it look creepier. I would have also been more careful with where I added the blood to make it look more like blood was dripping from the eyes and the mouth.



Audience feedback

Some of the audience feedback that I received was to either hem or sew the mouth in some way so that the sack wouldn't begin to unravel and expose the nose. Also some of the other feedback that I got given was to so sew down the top of the mask to make it more of a rounded shape to fit the head better. The final piece of feedback that I got given was to add bruising and different shades of red blood to the mask to make it look more realistic.

The positive audience feedback was that they really liked the idea of rubbing the mask into dirt to make it look more worn and less perfect.