Leather Masks and Wearable Art
Happy Spring!
I’ve been so busy the last few months that I’ve completely neglected my poor mask blog. Can you forgive me?
This design was inspired by the Triskele pattern found in Celtic carvings and manuscripts. My sister spent a few weeks in Ireland recently, and I wanted to create something with an Irish flair to commemorate her trip. I’m pretty pleased with how it came out.
A couple of new twists on earlier designs– one with roses, and one with morning glories. It’s fun arranging the flowers on the masks so that it’s most flattering to the wearer’s face.
Took a first run at some butterfly-like designs. The mid-sized one may go through a few stages of evolution, but I was pleased with these to start. I like the way they work with just about any color scheme.
I call these masks "Pixies," since they've got a kind of playful, whimsical feel.
A butterfly in shades of shimmery teal and peacock, with elegant gold eyelashes and highlights, and curling antenna. Perfect for a mysterious fairy, or courtly lady.
This mask is very large and impressive, but the many cut-outs that form the pattern on the wings keeps it lightweight.
A few wing-themed designs, for the creatures of darkness and light out there. These put me in mind of a masked ball, but I think they could work for any number of occasions.
A mysterious angel in antique gold
This one would suit an elegant demon or vampire quite well, I think.
I think of this one as the Valkyrie- severe angles, shimmery, icy colors, and a truly epic wingspan- 17 inches!
A couple of fun little designs I did for the Steampunk-themed Time-Travelers’ Ball at Dragon*Con a few weeks ago. These are on the simple side, but I’ve got some more elaborate ideas along these lines that I hope to explore later. Playing with rich brown dyes and sparkly metallics is way too much fun.
A steamy eyepatch for the classiest of airship pirates
When I was growing up, you could always tell that the school year was winding up when the morning glories started to bloom. In Japan, their curling tendrils and brightly colored flowers are a symbol of summer.
This mask depicts three bright purple blossoms against a tree trunk, with a fourth just starting to open.
Left side
Right side
I wanted to try out some simple mask designs for tighter budgets, and here’s one of the results!
Black and red dyed squares, with metallic drybrushing in antique gold and pale champagne.
A pair of commissions:
Isabelle
The Wizard’s Circle
The beginning of a series of masks inspired by Alice in Wonderland:
The Queen’s Garden
Darkest Hour
A hand-cut mask with dark and delicate shapes
Side view
The Mummer's Cat 