Guest Mask Maker: July N.

(Click the pictures to see larger versions.)

365 Masks' first guest artist is my eight-year-old niece, July! (Like the month, not Julie, you stop that right now.) July is a brilliant little artist, always amazing me with how advanced her skills are and how much creativity she has. She can sit down at the kitchen table with some paper and a pen and draw the most amazing things out of her head, something I was never all that good at as a kid. I drew best when I had something to look at, but she just thinks of it and brings it to life!

I recently got an email from her mom with these pictures of some masks that July made. Her grandma had some empty peach baskets and July noticed that the cardboard bottoms with their double holes resembled masks, so asked if she could have them. A little while later this is what she had come up with! Here's a picture of July modeling her first one:


Her baby brother then wanted a mask as well, so July created him his very own Spiderman mask:


Wow. Thank you so much, July, for letting me share your masks on my website!

Mask #121: A Slightly Crazed Mask

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This mask started with a masking tape and tinfoil base. I cut the eye-mask shape out of a few layers of tinfoil and covered that with masking tape, then used a hot knife to cut out the eye holes. I sealed the edges, then used white glue and water to apply a couple of layers of black tissue paper to the front. After that dried I used a bottle of green dimensional paint to apply tiny dots all over the front of the mask. That took a while, as I had to do it in stages so they wouldn't all run together. When that was finished I tore up silver tissue paper and glued it in a fringe along the top inside of the mask.


I hadn't yet cleaned up the bits that were sticking out from behind the eye holes when I took this shot, but liked the detail of it so here you go. I was kind of going for a crazy, slightly psychotic version of a Mardi Gras eye mask and I think next time I do I'll use a variation of bright colours to make it seem even crazier. I like the ragged feel to the fringe and the texture of the dimensional paint and think they go well with the slightly asymmetrical eye mask.

Mask #120: Paper Plate Chimpanzee Mask

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I attempted another paper plate mask, this time following the directions at The Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute. I took some minor creative liberties by drawing hair on the ears, which was not part of the directions, but otherwise stuck as closely as possible to their method.

All it involved was three paper plates, some glue, a black marker and pink paper. Their instructions called for a crayon but since I don't have any crayons (something I'm going to remedy soon) I used a very smelly permanent marker instead. I also didn't have pink construction paper so used some pink scrapbooking paper as a substitute.

The linked instructions talk about exploring the various facial expressions of the chimpanzee. I opted not to give mine a big smile and ended up with a serious, thoughtful-looking chimp. My friend Rich finds it bewildering that I'm not a fan of monkeys and primates in general, so I dedicate this one to him! I've explained to him that I just don't see the humour in them that's always pushed on us in kids movies and circuses and whatnot, finding the monkeys-in-clothes bit to be creepy and off-putting, but I think he thinks I'm crazy anyway. Ah, well. Make sure you read the FAQ at CHCI as well, as it talks all about the plight of the chimpanzee. Poor chimps.

Update: August 5, 2008

Well, hello. I'm posting to announce some changes to the way that 365 Masks works. As you might have guessed I've been having some difficulty with the daily aspect of the original project, and if I don't change that goal I'm not going to be able to finish the project.

So, I've made the decision to change the project from a year-long deadline to a site that updates whenever a new mask is made. The goal is still to create 365 masks, and I'll be working toward that goal regularly. I just really, really didn't want this project to drift off to an unfinished halt and if I don't take this step, I fear that's exactly what will happen.

Also, I'm doing this because I'm going to start a sister site, one that showcases all of my non-mask art. With the pressure of creating a mask a day I felt shut off from other forms of art, and when I indulged in other forms of art I felt like I was failing my mask project. Both stresses shut me down artistically in a big way. Allowing myself to create without the pressure of a self-imposed deadline feels like the answer for me. The feedback I've received on my work has been invaluable to me, and the interaction with people here on 365 Masks about the masks, people's perceptions and opinions on my materials has given me a lot of enjoyment and encouragment.

I hope you'll stick with me as I change the focus a bit. Masks coming soon!