My Paper Clay Way of Making Masks

My preferred way of making masks is to make a bunch of these generic masks from a master mold, let them dry completely and then alter them. This way, I can store these bone dry "mask-forms" indefinitely until I get the inspiration or motivation to work on them. The picture on the right shows the plaster mold. Fresh paper clay mask are on the left.

Facial features can easily be changed, modified or even removed. At this point, I usually work by adding wet paper clay to the bone dry base, building up layer upon layer. If a jaw line needs to be drastically altered, I use a dry wall saw to effect such a major change. The bone dry form can also be wetted down to reconstitute the plasticity of moist paper clay so that contours can be reshaped.

I'm working on a new set of 3 Japanese masks. I'll post them soon.