Inspiration/Design
The inspiration for this project was to create an animal mask that could live in the world of the play, “Children of Eden”. I was given a lion mask base to build up with varaform. I decided that I wanted to maintain some realistic aspects of the lion while keeping a soft appearance that could pair well with a simplistic costume bottom.
Head Form Padding/Shaping the Varaform
I began by taking head measurements of myself as the requirement was for the mask to fit my head. I padded the mannequin head up with quilt batting and covered it with cling wrap to protect the mask from the varaform. I then cut the varaform and softened it in hot water to start laying the shapes into the face. I used smaller pieces and really focused on keeping the dimensions of the face within the varaform.
Fabric Coverage
I choose a two way stretch velvet fabric to give to short haired texture of the lion face. I made up pattern pieces to attempt to blend in the seams so they were less obvious in the facial features. I used hot glue to attached the edges of the fabrics and carefully stretch it into place. I left the eye holes uncovered as they were already at a good angle for my vision.
Faux Fur for the Mane
I began using the faux fur around the face to start creating the main. I cut long strips and ensured the nap was facing the correct way to make the hair fall away from the face. I then attached long pieces down the back of the head, leaving some to overlap the opening to cover up that open seam when it was worn. I finally added faux fur to the top of the head and around the ears. I went back to any small openings and added bits of fur to ensure all of the varaform was covered.
Facial Details
I used worbla and sculpted the nose for the lion. I also used the Worbla to create the black lips and eventually the tongue for the lion. I painted the rims of the eyes white, like in the inspiration photo. I wanted the area around the mouth and the fur directly under the mouth to be lighter so I added layers of watered down acrylic paint in several layers. I added the freckles with the back of my paint brush. Finally, I added a few whiskers by melting the end of fishing line to a piece of tin foil, pushing them through the fabric with a needle and then gluing down the back inside the mask.
Eyes and Final Mask
The final touch was the color of the eyes. I initially wanted to use doll eyes for the pupils. But advice from the professor led me to realize that the color and size would be lost on stage. I redirected to simply painting the varaform in the colors since I could not cover them as they were the eye holes for the actor. I then added a little tongue coming out to give the lion a nod in the friendly direction as I thought that lended to the tone of the play better.