# Venetian Carnival Masks



## Zurgh

Venetian Carnival masks
Beautiful, elegant, and creepy...

here are a few pics compiled from around the web...









I've been working on several 'master blank' sculptures, in hopes that I can duplicate them...








I'm currently working on a jester, plague doctor, basic male, basic female, skull, and gatto or cat mask blanks.
The masters are made with a plaster base form, paper mache, mache clay, and Creative paperclay.

Now once I finish them, I need to figure on how to make a mold from the masters. I was thinking I'd try this method for the molds Cast Items in Paper Mache Clay it looks promising for a cheep way to make molds...

Now as for the actual mask material, I would like it to be light weight & strong... my thoughts are that I'd do a couple layers of toilet paper mache with a starch or flour based glue, followed by a backing of a few layers of cloth mache & PVA glue, perhaps if that wasn't strong enough... adding a layer of plaster cloth. I may try with just the cloth mache & look into an outer coat of artists gesso... but I've never played around with ether.

Once THAT'S all done, I can alter, embellish, and paint them. My wife already wants hers to be very 'steam punk'...


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## scareme

I love the masks. And you are doing a great job on your masks. I can't wait to see how you finish them. What type of display will you put them in?


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## ouizul1

Love that one with the beak!! Can't wait to see how the masks, and the process, turns out.


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## Allen H

I think the cloth mache will be plenty strong enough, some of the venetian masks have plaster painted on them to aid in strength.
If you are looking for detail the you might want to try a different technique of molding also you will really have to watch the undercuts.
I am toying with a new character that is a stiltwalker who plays the violin and wears a venetian mask. So I have been enthralled with them for a while also. Great start on the sculpts.


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## Headless

Loving the looks of these. Some these can look very creepy.


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## psyko99

Those molds look great. I can't wait to see how the finished products come out. I'm planning on a plague doctor mask myself this year.


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## debbie5

If you have a Target near you, take a peek...they have some of these (I was VERY surprised to see them!) this year. Might help with inspiration to see & hold one. Your molds look really good! I love the beaky-one..those are always viscerally creepy. The eyes on the beaky one look too far apart to be able to see through?


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## RoxyBlue

Will the members of your zombie army get to wear these?


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## Zurgh

Thank you!
The masks are meant to be worn, both by the living and the dead...:googly:... yes, some of my zombies will be sporting this look, too.

As for the casting of these sculptures, I've been trying to keep the features soft and delicate, much like the traditional masks. I'm sure The gatto (cat) & Plague Dr. will be the tricky ones. I know that the ears will have to be added after casting on the cat, and the cheeks will be close to becoming an undercut... but we'll see. BTW, I have never cast a mask before.

If there is a better (and cheap!) way to make a good mold, I'm all ears! I did cast the plaster bases using oil clay (modeling clay), but I don't think that will work without deforming the molds. I did consider vacuum forming, but I don't have the time or the funds now.

The beaked one AKA the Plague Doctor, Medico della Peste, or Dottore della Peste, is one of my favorites. The placement of the eyes has been giving me problems, but they are close to the spacing of a gas mask. Vision will be somewhat limited, but not as bad as as other styles. Some of the traditional masks have the eyes situated far more to the sides, like a birds... leaving a big blind spot in front. I'll probably have to cast the good Dr. in 2 parts, the shape of the bottom of the beak appears to be one giant undercut.

I'll have to check out Target again, debbie, I did take a brief peek at there costumes & decor selection, but I didn't give it more than a cursory glance.


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## aquariumreef

Wow, was actually looking at the triface mask the other day. Mach mask making is a hobby of mine. 

What I do, to make them have "smooth" features is just to do a layer of plain newspaper. Then I do any foam "implants", followed by 4-6 more layers of newspaper. The last layer is small 1 inch square pieces of newspaper to smooth any ruffles. Then I do a couple layers of wood glue, and sand it down smooth. 

By the way, those master casts look nice.


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## Zurgh

*update*

Thanks for the comments!
The work so far...










The top 2 are finished (painted & poly-ed); the skull I'm unsure of & needs a bit more work; the cat needs a 'facelift' (the right side needs more 'bulking up' to match the left side) and to be smoothed up; the plague Dr. just got the lenses placed in there final resting spot & need to be 'rimmed' in, along with a lot more work. As for the female blank (not pictured) I got way too much more work left to even think about showing a progress pic yet.

As for mold making... I made 1 mold out of a crappy batch of mache clay... it did capture a good amount of detail, but will need a lot of work to make it useable. I did, however, start a 2nd one of a hopefully better mache clay. Just testing different materials out of curiosity (and cheapness).

Debbie, you were right. The "eyes" of the plague Dr. were too far apart... Like a dumb ass in a hurry, I set the original eyes perfectly spaced at the base where I wanted them to be, but forgot that they drift apart at an angle. I probably would have set the lenses in wrong & had to tear apart 2 days of work. Thank you, Debbie5, you saved me some invaluable time.

aquariumreef, I'm still not sure 100% about exactly what the composition of the masks will end up as. I'm favoring a cloth mache backing, as I hear it is one of the stronger for it's weight & less layers required. As for the outer layers, newspaper might be a better choice than toilet paper, due to the smother finish... Not sure yet, but I like to experiment...

I got a few failed experiments laying around, not to mention quite a few successful ones or the successful failed experiments... zombies come to mind...:googly:


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## Dixie

Ohhhh Zurgh. Nothing freaks me out faster than the plaque doctors. EEEK! I will be watching your progress carefully... from afar... maybe even under my covers. Plaque doctors can't go under the covers, yanno.


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## debbie5

Oh, Zurgh, glad I could help. I'm always reluctant to post any critical comments , so I'm glad it actually helped.


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## Zurgh

debbie,I appreciate constructive criticism! If I only wanted "atta-boy" & "nice job" comments, I'd only post things I finished, not works in progress. I'm probably my own worst critic & have almost smashed a couple of these 'master-blanks' (along with plenty of other projects) in frustration more than once or just quit working on them due to my own opinion... But that would mean having to completely redo them, something that I would dislike even more.


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## Allen H

Im very interested to see ypour progress, you are going to mache over the form and then lift off the mask correct? Are you using Johnsons paste wax as a release?

I would have gone the other route entirely and made negative plaster molds and laid the mache into them. It looks like its easier to lay the mache on the positives though. Very interested to see the progress. 
For some reason Id love to see a burlap and wood glue lay up of your plague doctor- I think the coloration and texture would lend itsself to it.


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## Zurgh

Update pics...










Top pic is a sketch & a 'blank' master with some guidelines drawn on... If anyone was interested in some of how I go about things. Yes, I draw on just about anything. Next shows 2 plaster molds drying (they need a little touch up work inside & another layer of plaster & plaster-cloth outside), the cat & Plague Dr. (still sculpting on them), and the skull (close to making a cast out of this one). The last pics are of the molds and the 3-d effect of the inside (that still trips me out).

Allen, I am casting negative molds from the masters, then cast masks off the negative molds. Then I'll have the base mask to embellish, paint, etc... actually, the traditional way (so they say) to make a venetian carnival mask is kind of backwards, working off a base form out. I do like the idea about the burlap & wood glue for the plague Dr., I think that I may try that once the sculpt is done and a viable mold is created.

The first mold I made (not shown) was out of paper mache clay & needs too much work to make useable, the second one never fully dried, but did capture a lot of detail (after 3 days, it was still gooey & time is running too short to lock up a master in a mold for a week or more). I'm now casting molds from plaster & plaster-cloth, using petroleum jelly as a release. No time to check out that oogoo, maybe later. I'm hoping that the new molds will be operational by Monday.


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## Zurgh

Another update pic...








3 of 6+ masters done...

As of 4:30 am Monday, I have achieved 2 fully armed and operational molds, and put them into use...

Skull mold needs a little more work before I put it to use...

Other sculpts progressing, but slowly...

Having problems with the 'beak' of the plague Dr. but should be correctable...


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## Johnmonster

I love the skull, it has a lot of character.

Regarding the plague doctor, have you considered splitting the master down the length from brow to beak and mounting the left and right profile to boards?
That way you could eliminate undercuts, lay your mache' on the profiles and after they are dry, trim and join them with more mache' on the inside to reinforce the seam. 

Keep up the good work!


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## Zurgh

yet another update pic...








working pic titles...
I have achieved working molds, what lives in my skull (a wolf spider), and Dr. Merlin offers technical advice on the cat sculpt.

I have settled on using paper towels as the first 2 overlapping layers ( then alternating with paper towel layer and a newspaper layer for each subsequent lamination), after trying toilet paper and newspaper as a first layer and not liking the results in the molds.

The cat sculpt is near complete, just need to sand and paint. then I can cast a mold. I also need to make up some templates for it's ears, too.

The cloth mache did not work for me in this application.

The plague Dr. sculpt is giving me a headache, every time I fix one detail, I notice some other part that is off symmetry or need of correction. As for its casting, I will be casting it in 2 parts; the majority of the mask then the bottom of the beak.

I currently have 4 mask blanks made and 3 working molds. More updates to come.


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## RoxyBlue

Beautiful cat!

Oh, and nice masks, too


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## ouizul1

Zurgh said:


> ...Dr. Merlin offers technical advice on the cat sculpt...


I've seen that look. (I get it all the time.) And from the looks of it...I'd say the Dr. is a tough critic. :biggrineton:


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## Zurgh

pic & update...








Dr. Merlin is a tough critic, and the authority on all things feline.

I have 8 functional mask blanks copied now (3 jesters, 3 male blanks, 2 skulls) but not finished. The cat sculpt was finished and a mold is almost complete. The plague Dr. sculpt should be ready to cast a mold by Friday, possibly the female blank by Saturday.

All the working plaster molds are getting a mache clay reinforcement around the outside lip, after I dropped & chipped the skull molds outer rim. The chip didn't damage the molding surface, but it is a weak point on the molds. I'm hoping to have them operational by Thursday or Friday.

I've taken to doing only 2 laminations of paper mache for the masks. The first is a triple overlapping lamination of paper towels (dried completely, then pulled from the mold & replaced back into the mold), followed by a 1½ layer of newspaper and paper towels each as a final layer. This only takes a day, mostly drying time.

There have been some changes to the materials used. The local Michael's ran out of Creative paperclay, but had some other product called paper mache clay... it sucked. It was hard to work with, sickly sweet smelling (kinda like marshmallows), and rubbery, where paperclay is easy to work with, not smelly, and smooth and creamy. Ended up using the crappy clay for bulk filler & when mixed with water, it made a workable paste. Went back and got some Das clay... heaver, a bit tougher to work with but a good substitute for paperclay. Also mixed up some as a paste with water. This Das clay paste works so well that I'm using it as a reinforcement to the paper mache, inside and out, as well as using it to patch imperfections & mask sculpting.

The use of petroleum jelly is not the best release... It soaks into the 1st layer of the paper mache, causing some problems with the detail transfer. It also leaches out of the paper mache into the clay... I'm sure that's not a good thing. My solution is to reinforce the inside of the mask with Das clay paste, paint the outside with 1 coat of glue & then paint 2 coats of outdoor latex house paint, and finally paint on 1 coat of polyacrylic to the whole mask. Then I can hit the outside of the mask with the Das clay & paste without worrying about any leaching out for at least a couple years, and weather seal the inner core to boot.

A little long & discriptive... hope it make sense, I'm tired. More to come...


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## Allen H

Try Johnson's paste wax as a release. Its a pretty good all purpose release. It can be found in Home depot and other such places, I highly recommend it.


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## Zurgh

update...








Pic discriptions...
The Good DR. sculpt is DONE! (simple & clean is hard, yet complex and messy is easy for me... go figure...) The cat mold is done. A bit of fun with a blank mask and me or one of my undead minions (could Zurgh really be that pretty?:googly:...only one member here knows for sure...) and is this the "Johnson's paste wax" stuff, Allen H?

As far as all else goes... the other finished molds will be reactivated Saturday, but I think I need to work on some alterations to the skull mold, the outer edge doesn't seem big enough... and need to add a bit & sand the female blank sculpt.

Not sure when I'll get to update again... I'm about to go into "Super Haunt Overdrive Turbo Project Madness"... Like usual, I'll tackle a bazillion projects, tasks, appointments, duty's, every day life, etc; and forgo sleep, food, air, semblance of sanity or coherency, etc... but I always find time to check out Hauntforum, maybe not comment coherently.... See ya' real soon!


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## Mxcrnag20

The plague dr. looks great, I can't wait to see the progress on this!


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## Zurgh

Bling! update...








Plastic DON"T sparkle like crystal, glass & leaded crystals! Got some sparkly crystal & glass gems... Got some Gold & silver paint (still debating getting REAL GOLD & SILVER FOIL, we will see...) & nice fake pearls... When Ya' hold up a pack o' plastic gems vs. crystal or glass ones... Plastic might work at a distance or in a pic, but I can't bring my self to put the plastic caca that don't sparkle right on one of my masks... And worse, Michael's keeps giving me coupons to buy more at 50% off... Someone will have to poke out my eyes, 'cause I won't put plastic crap gems on my masks when sparkly crystal & glass are available... I'd bet I'd taste the difference if I couldn't see, so kill me to be sure... wait, that didn't work before...:googly:

I put the paste wax on the molds(& the DR. sculpt) instead of p-jelly. If on the off chance Allen H steered me wrong on the paste wax release(or I have some how used it wrong, it tastes bad, don't use this as a mustard substitute!), My back up emergency option is HEAT... I Painted the molds... the molds will release the paint covering from the mold with the application of heat. Heat guns are sold in the paint dept. to remove paint. If they are stuck, a little heat should melt the wax, IF they have fused through the wax, to the paint... A LOT of heat gun action will save the day. I had an emergency backup plan in place. If any release I used failed, I have an ability to save the mold. Allen H, If this stuff is good in this application, I will sing your praises upon the mountain tops. You have done a lot for many home haunters here, and I doubt ya'd try to mess up what I'm doing.

I think that I talk too much & am way too long-winded... tired, too.

WOW, that was both coherent & soon... Or not, not sure....:googly:


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## Allen H

Johnsons is a great release, I use it for many mediums...good luck bedazzling your masks!


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## Zurgh

Allen, I took your advice, all my working molds and the Dr. sculpt are coated in Johnson's. I'm sure it will work great, provided I used it correctly (and quit eating it, not recommended). I meant no affront to you, I just always try to have a back up plan in case of unforeseen problems (usually the ones I create my self). I've used petroleum jelly as a release agent before (never worked so great then), but not the paste wax, so I have no clue what to expect.

As for the Bling, I have seen some beautifully gilded masks that are just... well, beautiful. Not all of the masks will be decorated with gems and such, just a few.


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## Allen H

I know what you mean Zurgh back up plans are awesome and necessary. Im currently in love with a metal lace (need a plasma cutter to make them) jeweled skull mask that is very venetian- I want to do a stilt reaper costume with it BADLY- but I havent purchased it yet, but the Jeweling makes it, so I know where you are coming from.
http://i1.squidoocdn.com/resize/squ...ule148577061photo_1298919115teschio-8633e.jpg


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## Zurgh

Some research materials I picked up at the library & some sketches for embelishment...








Cool metal mask, Allen. Before you buy/rent a plasma cutter, check out punch plate & metal grating. With some work, you could achieve similar results. Whatever way you go, don't go with cheep plastic gems... I'm the biggest cheapskate on the planet, and would rather pay 2-10 times the cost of plastic for a real gleam, the sparkle in low light, and with such a focus-piece you should defiantly go for the real glittery glass or crystal. The only time I've seen plastic gems work well, was in a pirate treasure chest display & they were mixed in with glass & lead crystal gems, along with fake gold & silver... and at a distance.

Trial run of Johanson's wax semi-failed... I'm guessing I didn't apply a thick enough layer. I say 'semi' as I have a workable mask cast for my daughters cat costume, but the damage is extensive enough to the mold to have to burn off all the old paint & I'll have to repaint & poly the mold (the plaster is fine, back up plan works well). 2 more molds are coated in a thicker, 2nd layer of wax & the mache is drying. Not your fault Allen, my first test use with it as a release. My glue mix is very aggressive. No harm, no bad (my bad), no foul. It's cool Allen.

I will hold off on the Dr. cast till' the mache'ed molds with the thicker 2nd coat of wax has proved usable(Tuesday-ish). Hoping to get a working cast & 1 finished mask this season!

Oh, I have 4 masks ready for near final sculpting & detailing, kinda the reason for the up date & pics....


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## Zurgh

NO pic update, next time...

The wax with 2 coats worked as a great release, Allen H! No mold damage, did give me a scare when it was a bit tough to pull the mache free... made a bit of a crackling sound (like ripping paper)... but pulled free with no damage. One question, what do you use to clean off any wax that has stuck to the mask. I usually use rubbing alcohol on the masks, would that work or is there something better to remove the wax from the paper? Also, I clean the molds after each use, what would you recommend to do that with? 

Due to recent 'non-haunt' activities, injury, and time constraints, I don't think I'll be able to produce working molds & masks off of the plague DR. & female sculpts before the 31st... I will finish them, but I sadly won't have any for this year. Even at my 100% best, now I could only produce working molds by the 31st. Heck, I've only had a little time to glance at the pics in the books I got from the library...

On an upward note, it looks like I'll have 8-11 fully finished, painted, functional, and embellished masks by the due date... I had hope that I'd get more done, yet am surprised I got this far with what time I had available. I have already added some final sculptural details to some of the masks, and 3 are ready for a final clean up job before I start painting.

Next update, nearer to finished masks & cats, with pics...


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## Zurgh

Late update pics...








Wow, was I wrong! Only got 2 masks done on Halloween, and only because my youngest painted the cat (tiger) herself. My son wore a finished skull. The other pics are pre-painted masks(along w/Dr. Merlin)... and last is my outdoor assistant... the Mooch. He likes to help... or at least thinks he helps...

Bonus pic... Dr. Merlin and I... 








Yup, me & the cat... that mask isn't finished yet...
Been too busy recently to work on the masks, but I hope to finally get to cleaning up "the lab" this weekend so I can get back to mask-making & mask painting.


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## Zurgh

... Wow, it sure took me long enough to get back to this, but my garage was really thrashed, and I can be a lazy bastard...:googly:
...but, I have almost finished the Plague Dr. Mold... pic's on it sometime Sunday....


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## Zurgh

Plague Dr. mold...









2 more blanks & a few with painting in progress...








... Oh, and Norbert the Spider, my new shop buddy... he helps out, mostly with pesty bugs, mostly...:googly:


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## RoxyBlue

Not that I'm a fan of spiders, but that's a pretty one, Zurgh. Oh, and nice masks, too I like the gold filigree look.


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## Zurgh

Just an update & pic...









1st Plague Dr. mask is getting fitted for glass lenses, 2nd one is out of the mold & drying... the 2nd one didn't turn out so well.(I tried a different method)... And Norbert moved on... not sure where to...


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## Lunatic

Nice! I like them all. So does kitty!


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## Zurgh

Another mask now into the sculpting phase, 3 more pulled from molds...








Arrrgh! Empty molds, must wax & fill themm...
And I found Norbert the Spider, he is hanging out in his new web, about 2' from my head in my work area... :googly:
I should have the cat & skull molds active tonight...


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## Pumpkin5

:jol: Wow Zurgh! I am so impressed.....and all this time I thought you were just another pretty face!! But no, the Zurgh is a talent to be reckoned with!!! Well done, LOVE the Plague guy, but they are all pretty great!


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## Zurgh

Words update

Made a new clay, tested & now using it in the casting instead of strip mache laminate, still going to use strip laminates for backing... maybe...

New clay mache demolds on it's own when 80-90% dry,and in less than ½ the time to dry! AND finishes smooth ish..(less time spent correcting texture)

Made 40$ of Gesso for 2$... tested, way too strong, may make a good tuff prepaint coat ... now testing drywall mud as a Gesso substitute...

all current molds active, except for the blank male, need to strip & repaint...

Oh, and thank you for the kind words, party peeps!


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## Zurgh

Pic update...

















No explanations, jut pics...:googly:


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## Headless

Love 'em!


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## Zurgh

Tri-face in progress...









More drying, Old face, Plague Dr. final paint job?








I think I'm 'bout done with the 1st Plague Dr., Dr. Bone ... just need to poly coat it, set the lenses, place the felt lining, and strap it... Final 1st Plague Dr. paint job opinions are more than welcome, provided the come before I seal it...


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## Wildcat

Awesome looking masks.
I've always wanted to make a plague doctor mask.


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## Zurgh

Thanks, Wildcat, everyone else, too.

I have heard "I always wanted to make a Plague Dr. mask." and "I always wanted a Plague Dr. mask." more than once. I have no idea how hard they are to find, where to buy them at, or how expensive they are... so I figured ' might as well make one the way I want' & save me the trouble & cash. I might be going about it a bit diferently than most mache'rs, but I am a bit odd.:googly:

My masks are paper mache, just about anyone can make one.

VexFX also made a very cool Plague Dr. mask & also posted a thread & link to a tutorial, with no messy mache, I think, here's a link... Plague Dr. mask thread link


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## Zurgh

1 Plague Dr. DONE! 
Click Here to see...
Still many more to work on...


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## spankyr1

Nice masks, the one with the beak is my favorite also!!


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## Zurgh

Progress pics...









Slow going on the tri-face, getting fancy with a jester, 3 more plague Dr. masks, a lion in progress, demon sculpt in progress, old face getting close to finishing, and the broken mask is ready for painting...

Not going to get to painting until I have most if not all the current batch of masks done.

The clay works very well for molding, and the Johnson's paste wax works excellently as a release agent with the clay. (Thanks Allen H!) Not so well with the strip mache, but I'm discontinuing using the strip mache in the mask molds, so it works out rather well...


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## Zurgh

I think I may take all the skull masks, along with some of the 'failed' attempts, and recycle them back into service... in my zombie disco panic project...


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## Zurgh

I ain't been slakin' that much on this one...








L-r, top to bottom,1st is what is ready to paint... yup, that is 2 Plague Dr.'s...
next is finish sculpting in the works...
3rd is mask blanks (1 P.Dr, 2 cats, 4 'male', and 7 skulls)
4th is my 'fail' box... may be useful for other things...
Not painting things soon, FYI...


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