Mask With Clay

Creating a mask can be a beautiful way to connect with culture, experiment with art, or simply enjoy the creative process. There are various types of materials to choose from, like air-dry clay, paper mache, and natural terracotta clay, each lending a unique texture and character to the mask. Masks themselves come in countless styles, often rooted in cultural significance, such as Cheriyal masks from India or tribal masks with rich symbolism and heritage.

We made a base made out of paper by crumpling it . This provides a base for the clay to get into the required shape resembling the mask's shape. We pasted it onto the table so it doesn't move out of place and remains steady while working on it.

Then we took first sized amount of paper mache required to make the mask's face. We flattened it . Then put it onto the base .Hence the paper mache took the shape of base.

Took more clay and gave it a shape of nose and attached it to the base of the mask .We used water and with the help of clay tools ensured that nose is well attached to the base. Also took clay and rolled it into pieces and used them as eyebrows for the mask following the same method to ensure that it is well attached to the base.

similarly I added lips and carved underneath nose to create a realistic look,then subsequently added ears . I drew eyes and then bulged them from inside. For the ears to stand I also created support for them.

After a few days the clay gets dried properly then in order to paint , I first put a generous layer of white primer paint on. Let it dry and then start with my painting.

the white primer dries so we can move on to the next step

This was the final look after painting and adding details to the mask through painting.If we wish we can also put varnish paint on to it to make it look shinier.