Hello! This week is a quick check in on a project I am planning ahead for. It will take a little while for this piece to get to a functional state so I need to start now. Eventually, (I hope) this will be a mask (which will serve as the character’s face) mounted with wire to a metal figure. Here are the first progress shots for my plan for my final:

Although I did made a form to build off of, I scrapped that idea when a sort of pinch-pot dome felt like it would work better. I used this to start drawing out features for the character. He should look like a drawing when I’m done.

Next, I bore out his eye sockets. He will get an expression on his face soon so for now the asymmetrical eyes look wrong but the intention is for a kind of silly face.

Next, he gets some character and a nose!

I am keeping it in mind that the back of my sculpture will be exposed so it too needs to be considered when playing with decoration. As I take clay away to make to piece lighter, I have the opportunity to make the back just as interesting as the front texture-wise.

Here is the first pass at texture on the outer surface of the mask. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this but I would like other parts of the figure to be made from hammered metal so I think it will fit in the bigger picture. Oh and since the eyebrows already suggest an expression, as of right now, I don’t plan to give him a mouth because I don’t want him to be too silly looking.

I have a plan for the glazing of this mask and have been playing with decorating a grey base with black. The character will eventually be a sort of grim reaper type creature but the bad guy so I want to play with lighter colors and soft contrasting fabrics in his costume but for now here is my work in progress.

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What’s Playing – Today is an important day for my family and so is this song, so forgive me, this one is for me this week, but I hope it will put a smile on your face too.