MAKING MASKS: Venetian Masks

1. • syale 4 years, 4 months ago

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   • My wife took a course whilst we were living in Brazil for 6 months. The tutor would not tell her where she got her supplies from, only saying that they were imported from Italy. She made a number of masks whilst there and decided to start again. We have not found a suitable paper that matches the quality of the material she used in Brazil.

     Q1. Is there an authentic paper for creating a Venetian mask?
     Q2. If so where can we get it?

     I have made a mould for her froom plaster of paris.

     Q3. Do I need to varnis/seal the mould?

     Thanks
     Stephen

2. • Creaturiste 4 years, 3 months ago

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   • Hi.
     Since I complain in my head that this forum is not active enough, here's my contribution...

     
     I am researching ways myself about making masks with paper, suing moulds. I've had a general reply to my very detailed questions, answered by a master mask maker in Italy.

     
     For my materials question, she told me she uses a strong cotton paper that she pushes into a negative mould made of plaster.
     No mention of a brand or thickness, or even of a release agent.
     So i tried on my own, but not in a negative mould. I tried over my positive form, because I did not know yet how to eliminate the folds and wrinkles that would occur in the negative mould.

     So I played with the folds, since I could see them on the positive, and the folds are part of my designs. I tried with Arches watercolor paper. One medium thickness (less than 140 pounds) with carpenter's glue (yellow wood glue) is very strong, but will need scealing against moisture before painting. This glue softens with moisture.
     But once scealed and painted and then varnished, my masks are nearly indestructible!

     I tried again with a much more affordable cotton paper from a local paper maker. Easier to tear once wet, but if you are careful it feels just as strong once it has set.

     The trick is to use a strong, long fiber paper.
     Forget about regular wood papers. Try rice papers, I'm about to do so myself, as I was told their fibers are stronger than cotton fibers...

     It is not a matter of brand, it is more a matter of kind of paper to use.
     Of course, experimentation is the best learning tool.

     Also, try draping fabrics over postive forms.
     I do this all the time, and the folds teach me a lot.

     Hope this helps.

     
     If you have a way of eliminating the folds that would occur while pressing the paper into a negative mould, please share with the world.

3. • 3 years, 10 months ago

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   • When you let paper sit in water, over time, the fibers will fall apart. You can further cause them to become pulp by using a blender later on. Thus paper can be recycled into new paper sheets by taking the pulp and sifting it onto racks. The new, dried, sheets are strong and clean. I would thing if you use the pulp to line a negative mold, you can eliminate your fold issue and the pulp will cover all and dry properly too.

     A caveat... I have never actually tried this but have studied papermaking. This is just my input as to how I believe the mask maker in Italy does this as this method would be seemless off the negative mold once dried.

4. • 3 years, 6 months ago

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   • To answer your question about the paper used in Venetian Mask making. There is a special "blue" paper that many artists use throughout Italy. Unfortunately I have not been able to find it anywhere in New York. I am going to Florence next week to buy this paper. I have been using it for my masks for some time. When I started to use it I never thought to see if they can ship me this paper. I will do my homework this trip and give you the information you need. This paper has been my paper of choice. It is not expensive and you can get good results with it. It also comes in two different weights. I use a thinner one for the initial and a thicker one later on.

5. • 3 years, 6 months ago

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   • The blue paper is called 'wool paper' I believe. I have not been able to find adequate suppliers - there is one company online - Squires sugarcraft - who sells this but the postage is prohibitive.
     It is probably available online, unfortunately I don't speak Italian and so searching native Italian sites proves tricky.
     I have used it, however, and the results are excellent.

     One tip to eliminate folds - ensure that the paper is well soaked. It can be easily pressed into the mould then, or smoothed with a fingernail.

     I would be interested to find other suppliers of wool paper, if anyone has any details.

6. • Anonymous 2 years, 11 months ago

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   • I have been looking for Wool Paper myself - however living in the UK, Squires is not prohibitive in p&p - but while searching the web, I did find this supplier of a 'wool paper' in the states:
     http://www.myfirstgift.com/handmadepaper/cottonpaper-2zoom.html

     this paper is $10 for 10 sheets approx 22" x 30" hope this helps.

7. • emily 2 years, 11 months ago

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   • I haven't been able to find a good supplier of wool paper either online or in the US - will try on a later trip to Rome.

     I have tried rice paper - it works out fairly well, although I haven't finished the masks made from rice paper yet. I just used regular white craft glue; I'm planning on trying other glues as I go.

     I worked from a mould of my sister's face (thanks Liz!!) made of plaster strips. It has all sorts of folds and crannies, but I can work that out in the finishing phase.

8. • Anonymous 2 years, 9 months ago

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   • I have some 'carta lana' or wool paper which I obtained from squires, however, I have been using 'construction paper' which is easily available in most craft stores. It is un-sized which means a pva/water mix soaks in quite well.

     To prevent folds or wrinkles, use smaller pieces of paper, especially in very tightly curved areas. A good releasing agent is vaseline or petroleum jelly smeared onto the inside of the plaster negative to make it 'slippery'. The PVA/water mix does not stick to this, but the damp paper moulds well to the contours.

     Once you remove the mask, I was told to fill any small holes with a filler like 'DAS' and then paint with an emulsion/pva/polyfiller mix in the 4:1:1 ratio. This can then be sanded to eliminate wrinkles or folds.

     Alan C

9. • Anonymous 2 years, 3 months ago

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   • I have been looking for Wool Paper myself - however living in the UK, Squires is not prohibitive in p&p - but while searching the web, I did find this supplier of a 'wool paper' in the states:
     http://www.myfirstgift.com/handmadepaper/cottonpaper-2zoom.html

     this paper is $10 for 10 sheets approx 22" x 30" hope this helps.

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