Mask Making

This mask originates from South America, specifically Columbia.Texture is expressed because the areas that represent the face appears to be smooth and the lower areas appear to be coarse. Line can also be seen with the drawings that represent the mouth, eyes and the eyebrows on the mask. The shape resembles that of a pumpkin to me. There are wooden ears that are tied to the back that are extended when the mask is worn. I selected this piece because it has aspects of a human face and appears more realistic to me. I was also fascinated by it because of the simple yet complex details that are included.

This is an African mask. It is referred to as the Dan Bird Mask. It is typically represented culturally in the countries of Liberia and Ivory Coast. The repetition of the outline and lines on the beak helps to place emphasis on that part of the mask. Shape is illustrated here with the outline of the mask it self to mimic that of a birds’ face, and also the cut out of the eyes. I selected this pieces because the details were straightforward and the mask itself was not overwhelming to look at with the small amount of details. I also like the dark color that is used and the wooden aspect of it.

This is an African mask. It originates from the country of Mali. It has a lot of various details that ties in together to create this mask.Texture is represented in this mask. The very top look like a fork and appear to be very sharp. The lower part that would go directly over the face seems to be smooth. Form is represented with the three dimensional appearance of the nose, ears and mouth. These features adds more lifelike aspects to the mask. I selected this mask because it stood out to me as soon as I came across it. I found the details to be pleasing to the eyes because of how different it looked from other masks I saw.

I used elements and principles in my mask by including features that I thought was necessary to make it more realistic. Texture is represented with the hair because of the curls, one can imply the soft texture that can be felt. There is also repetition with the hair being that the pattern is used multiple times. Shape can be seen with features representing the ears, eyes, mouth and nose.Line was used for the hair on the mask to put emphasis on the details of the curls. I thought the process of creating the mask was fun. I got the chance to incorporate details from the inspirations of the masks that I researched. With the inspiration I created a mask that represents me in some way.