Italian Leather Mask Making Technique

**This post was originally published on my old website in December of 2013. It delineates, in detail, the Italian leather mask making process that I used to make the bloodied, blinded mask featured in the final scene of Pendragon Theatre's production of Oedipus, (adaptation by Steven Berkoff) Happy reading!

This entire project would not have been possible without the help of the wonderful Sherry Harper-McCombs and Sydney Moffat (check out her equally awesome blog! She learned the process first-hand in Italy at the Accademia dell'Arte!) So thank you, ladies, for everything!

This particular mask came into being after much discussion with the director, Executive Artistic Director Karen Lordi-Kirkham over the idea of bringing the entire production back to the greek at the very end when--spoiler alert--Oedipus pokes his eyes out. For the majority of the production the actors did not wear masks, and wore versatile costumes that gave a call to no specific time, but were distinctly NOT greek. By bringing in a mask at the end, the director intended to extract the true nature of a greek tragedy in order to drive home the concept. However, the mask still needed to fit into the world of the rest of the show, as the only person to wear a mask in the show would be Oedipus, surrounded by his modernized chorus-- so a traditional greek mask was out of the question. This fueled the choice to create a leather mask with a modern, non-exaggerated shape that would call back to the greek without explicitly being a traditional tragic greek mask. I therefore employed the general line of a greek mask, and eventually added a crown in order to more clearly mark the lost status of a king plagued with misfortune by the gods. Supply list: -Modeling clay -Clay sculpting tools -Face form to work from (Ex: a cast of the actor's face, a styrofoam mannequin head, or something of the like) -Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline) -Scissors -Plaster Bandages -Plaster of Paris -Plastic tub -2-3 ounce vegetable tanned tooling leather in a natural color. Also called tooling side. (This type of leather comes in firsts and seconds. For our purposes you can buy seconds, which are cheaper. You can easily work around any blemishes.) -Brass covered upholstery tacks -Pin hammer -Twine, uncolored -Bone tools for rubbing (Antler chew toys for dogs work the best! Look for ones with a smooth tip and other smooth edges. You can easily find what you need at your local pet store!) -Exacto knife -Clear Shellac -Barge -Mineral spirits/paint thinner -Leather dyes -Paintbrushes -Leather hole punch -Thin, tubular Elastic -Adhesive foam A little background on the show: Pendragon Theatre's 2013-2014 production of Oedipus (originally written by Sophocles, translated by Steven Berkoff) was designed to be a modern take on the classic tragedy. The language of the translation is poetic, yet unusually modern in places. It is a combination of the new and the old, which was a big point of interest for the entire design concept-- from the set to the costumes to eventual decision to utilize a mask.

You've got to start somewhere-- so here is my original sketch for my mask. After a good amount of research on Greek masks, Greek sculpture, Greek tragedy, and on Oedipus himself-- along with some research on modernized Greek-wear, I came up with this look. The final product looked much like my sketch save the addition of a crown, which amplified the call back to the Greek aspect of the show's collective design concept.

Now that we have a look in mind, let's begin the sculpting process! This process is going to be a positive-negative-positive one. Step 1 is to sculpt a form for your mask out of wet modelling clay. You can find this stuff in any art supply store. It is best to start your sculpting process with some sort of guidline for the proportions of a human face. You can create a plaster cast of the actor's face who will be wearing the mask -- OR you can do what I did, which is use a styrofoam mannequin head that you slice in half (easier said than done, mind you. Styrofoam is TOUGH to slice without a powertool, so I suggest you have one on hand!). Once you have your half of a styrofoam head, get a piece of foam posterboard and attach the head to it with a few t-pins. This gives you a nice workspace and will help you to keep the head steady while you are sculpting.

Now it is time to sculpt a face out of your clay. Be sure to sculpt your face to the proper proportions, leaving room for the eyes, nose, and mouth, or your actor may not fit properly into the mask! A thick layer of modeling clay is good, but if you go too thick you may also find that the mask is too big for your actor's face. Take your time with this step-- If you can't sculpt your clay all in one sitting, you can save it for later by covering it with a plastic bag-- this will keep it from drying out!

Once you have the shape that you are looking for you should be sure to smooth the clay as much as possible. Clay sculpting tools are very helpful for this step. Smoothing the clay assures that the plaster bandages that you place over your mask in the next step will lie flat. It will also make your life much easier when you get to the plaster form on which you will pull your leather mask. You can fix any bumps and mistakes later, but it is easiest to remedy at this stage in the process. Below are a few different views on my final sculpture.

In this next step we are going to cover our clay sculpture in plaster bandages to create a negative of the mask in which to pour our plaster. First, in order to allow the clay to release more easily from the plaster bandages, I advise that you cover your clay sculpture in a very thin layer of vaseline. This effectively ruins the clay that you used for the sculpture, but it makes cleaning the clay out of your plaster cast much easier.

You will want to start by taking your roll of plaster bandages and cutting strips of various thickness and length. Grab yourself a plastic container and fill it with lukewarm water. Dip the strips in as you use them, squeeze the excess water out with your fingers and begin covering the entirety of the mask. Make sure to overlap the pieces and to put down a few layers in order to get a thick, durable cast. You should also build up about an inch on the edges so that you have an extra lip of plaster, this will be important for when you pour the plaster into your cast.

Once you have finished allow the plaster bandages to dry fully (You can leave it overnight to be sure). Once the bandages are completely dry, carefully remove the clay from the plaster cast. Once you have removed the bulk of the clay clean the clay out of the crevasses of the mask where it is stuck as best as possible, Clay sculpting tools are helpful for this. Hold the plaster cast up to a light source to see where the plaster bandages might be weaker (wherever light bleeds through). Patch up any weak spots with more plaster bandages on the outside of the cast until no light bleeds through when the cast is held up to the light.

Once you have sufficiently cleaned out your plaster cast, take some more plaster bandages and

continue to build up the sides of your cast in order to create a bowl in which to pour your plaster. Once your plaster bandage bowl is dry, get yourself a container and build up a support system on which to place your plaster cast using your excess ruined clay (see below). ****Next-- and this is a VERY important step-- coat the inside of the plaster bandage bowl with a thin layer of Vaseline (petroleum jelly). Warning: If you forget to do this, all will be lost! Without the layer of Vaseline between the plaster bandages and the plaster itself they will simply adhere to one another and you will have one big chunk of useless plaster! So make extra special sure to complete this step!****

Once you have coated the inside of the plaster cast with Vaseline begin to mix your plaster in a plastic bucket (Be sure to use plastic, as it is malleable and you will be able to clean and reuse the bucket. If you use metal or anything else you will be hard pressed to clean it out). For my mask I used almost one entire box that contained 4 1/2 pounds of plaster of paris powder. The general rule for mixing plaster is to fill your bucket with lukewarm water that is half as much plaster as you think you will need. Add the powder slowly by shaking it into the middle of the bucket of water. Once the powder begins to pile up in a mound on top of the water begin to mix the powder into the water with your hand, being sure to crush any lumps so that all of the powder gets incorporated into the mix. Continue to add more plaster powder little by little until the mixture in your bucket is about the consistency of a thick milkshake. *Note: it is important to use water that is lukewarm. If the water is too hot the plaster will start to react chemically too soon, and if you use cold water it will take a very long time for your plaster to react and solidify.

When you have plaster of the right consistency you may then pour that plaster into your vaseline-coated cast. Tap the sides and bottom of the cast gently with your fingers to bring all of the bubbles in the plaster to the top. Once no more bubbles appear on the surface of the liquid plaster you can then let the plaster set overnight. If you would like to write anything on the back of your plaster form you can do so during the in-between stages of the setting process while the plaster is hardening, but still soft enough to scratch into!

In order to ensure that the plaster is dry and completely set I like to let it sit in the plaster cast overnight. The next day you can carefully remove the plaster bandages to reveal your plaster form! You will want to clean off the vaseline and inspect the plaster for any imperfections: i.e. bumps and divets that may need to be sanded down or patched. If there are bumps just grab yourself a piece of fine sandpaper and sand them down until the plaster is smooth. Any bubbles that did not escape in your tapping process may leave divets. These can be patched by simply mixing up a small amount of plaster in a small container and rubbing it into the holes on the surface of your form. You will most likely need to sand these down once they are dry in order to maintain a smooth finish.

Next: it is finally time to break out the leather! Use a piece of craft paper (I didn't have any craft paper at the time and just taped some paper towels together-- which worked just as well, incidentally) to determine a rough estimate of the amount of leather that you will need as well as the shape in which you should cut it.

Be sure to leave excess leather around the edges-- it is always better to err on the side of caution by cutting a little more than you think you will need to fully cover your form. You will also need enough excess so that the leather can be nailed into the plaster form around the sides and tied down without slipping and sliding as you attempt the next step in the process. Your leather should be smooth and fairly easy to cut at this stage in the game, so just grab yourself an exacto knife and use your rough pattern to cut a piece of leather from the rest of the side.

Now take your plastic tub and filled it with lukewarm water (again, it is important that the water be lukewarm. If it is too cold the leather wont release its natural glues, and if it is too hot the glues will be released too quickly). Start kneading the leather, squishing and stretching it. Glues and oils will start to appear in the water as it softens.

In a clean work space (as leather stains very easily) lay your now softened piece of leather over

your plaster form. Begin to work the leather into the grooves of the form with your fingers. Making sure that leather covers all parts of your mask-- take a pin hammer and hammer brass coated tacks* into the space where you intend to cut out the eyes.*The brass coating is key here because brass is one of the few things that will not stain your leather. On that note, sometimes the coating on the tacks will fade; if you see your leather turning black around the pins at any point-- take the pin out and replace it with a new one to avoid spreading the stain.Then, assuring that there is enough leather to cover all grooves, begin to hammer in brass coated tacks around the outside edge of the mask (Place the tacks below the area where you intend the edges of the mask to be, otherwise you will have irreversible holes. Start from the top and work your way down, leaving the bottom edge open.

Now you are ready to make darts! In order to get the sharpest shape possible you will need to make a dart at the tip of the nose. You can also make darts at the eyebrows or other places for particularly ridged/difficult masks. In my case I also made darts at the tips of each of the points on the crown.

The best way to make the dart is to gather the excess leather around the nose area and mark a line with your fingernail where you need to cut in order to fold one flap over the other.

Now take an exacto knife and begin to shave away-- at an angle-- the excess volume on the underside of the leather. This will help the seam to be less noticeable on the finished product. You can use an excess piece of leather from the outside of your mask to protect your fingers from the knife. You should always face the blade of the knife away from the leather mask. Knicks from a blade that has slipped will not be easily fixed!

Once the dart is complete tack it down in a place that you eventually intend to cut away (like over the mouth) and tack the the bottom half of the leather around the outside.

Next, take your uncolored twine and wrap it around the tacks on the outside edges, keeping it very tight. This will hold the leather in place so that it does not slip and slide while you stretch and polish the leather into a mask!

Now it is time to begin the rubbing and buffing process! Starting, first, with your fingers. Rub the leather into the grooves of the form. The natural oils from your fingers will polish the leather, so as it dries it will also become shiny and smooth.

This part of the process will take a very long time, so be patient!

Once you have established the basic shape of your mask you can begin to rub and polish the leather with bone tools if you have them on hand. As I indicated in the supply list, you can buy antler chew toys for dogs at your local pet store. As long as there is some portion of the toy that has a smooth surface the antler toy should work as a rubbing tool. Bone tools help you to get even deeper into the grooves of the mask and to define edges. They are wonderful in combination with the oils in your fingers for smoothing and polishing!

Once the mask is starting to dry, you may find that you need a little more give around the eyes. If this is the case you can remove the pins from the center of where the eyes will be and cut an X in a spot that will eventually be cut away which will allow some more stretch, so that you can push deeper into the grooves around the nose and eyebrows.

Of course, quite inevitably, your hands may become tired, or you may find that you have other things to do and cannot spend all day and night rubbing your mask. To save your work for later, simply cover the mask in a plastic bag, just as you may have done during the sculpting process to keep the mask from drying out prematurely.

Once the mask is mostly dry, you can cut around the edges to release it from the form. This way you can try to speed up the drying process by hitting the inside of the mask with a hairdryer.

If you find that the mask was not yet dry enough to cut off of the form, then you can replace it onto the form with a layer of plastic wrap between the mask and the form in order to keep the wet plaster from touching the inside of the mask and re-dampening it.

This will also give you the opportunity to continue to polish your mask if you decide that it is still in need of some TLC.

So, now that your mask is both dry and polished, it is time to close up the darts and seal the inside.

To close the darts, get yourself some barge and a piece of scrap leather to use as a brush. Following the directions on the container, throw a little bit of barge onto the "brush" and apply it to the parts of the dart that will be glued together. It is easiest to apply the glue if you invert the dart from the way that you want it to sit, as you will need to let barge set for 5 or so minutes before actually adhering the pieces together in the way that they are supposed to lay.

Once the glue has set, carefully line up the dart how you want it to lie, as it will be almost impossible to adjust the position of the flaps of leather once you touch them together. Press them together and hold them for a bit, then allow the glue to dry.

In order to reinforce and water seal the mask, we use clear shellac. The purpose of sealing the inside of the mask is to make the cleaning process easier for the actor, while also allowing the mask to be used for longer periods of time, as it will repel the sweat of the actor instead of absorbing it and proceeding to reek and grow mold as rehearsals/shows progress. Take a paintbrush and brush a thin layer of shellac on the inside of the mask. Be careful around the edges-- you do not want to get any shellac on the outside of the mask, or you will not be able to use dye to color that portion of the mask. Once that thin layer has dried, brush on a couple more layers until you have a fairly thick, durable coating of shellac.

In order to cut out the eye holes you will , again, need an exacto knife. When cutting, you want to be sure to angle the knife inward so that the inside edge of the leather is invisible from the outside, much like when you shaved away the excess leather for the dart in the nose. Cutting in this fashion will also make the mask more comfortable for the actor to wear. If you need to experiment with eye shapes you can always take a piece of paper (preferably black) and cut out different shapes to see how they look on your mask. You can then use your exacto knife or a pencil to lightly trace the outline of your eye pattern piece before you cut the shape out of the leather. Also, be advised that it is useful to measure the distance between the center of your actor's eyes and then mark those points on your mask, as this will help the mask to fit better onto the actor's face.

Once you have cut the eyes out of the mask, you can also go back and clean up the outside edges of your mask by angling the edge of the leather in the same way that you did with the eyes. Be sure to-- carefully-- put a thin layer of shellac over the edges that you have cut (including the eyes).

When painting leather you have quite a few options. I have found that leather dyes and acrylic paints work very well to add color to an otherwise monotone mask. When using leather dyes be advised that less is more! You can always add another coat, but cannot take the color away once it is there! If you are unsure of a color, get yourself a piece of scrap leather and test it out there before putting it on your mask (see above!).

And now for the finishing touches:

Put the mask up to the actor's head to determine where to place the elastic (it should sit just above the ears). Using a leather hole punch (a special tool that you only need for this part!), make a small hole through which you will thread your small tubular elastic (preferably black). Put the mask back on the actor's head and tie the elastic off so that it is secure on the actor's head. If there are any parts of the mask that cut into the actor's face or are uncomfortable, cut strips of adhesive weatherstripping or hat sizing foam and place them in the area where the actor feels discomfort in order to lift the mask slightly off of that part of the actor's face (See below).

For this particular mask I wanted the eyes to not be seen through the mask. I attached a piece of black scrim to the inside of the mask with gaff tape (Because... well, it works and it is easy. So why not?). This made it so that the actor could still see out of the mask, but the eyes would still appear to be black, sunken holes from the audience's perspective.

So there you have it, folks! A leather mask! Please feel free to leave comments with your thoughts! If there is anything that is unclear I would be happy to expand! Thanks for reading!

#leather #mask #maskmaking #leatherwork #crafts