New masks

[merimask]

As promised, some pictures of my new masks.

They're not really "new", since I do these all the time.  I have a basic "half-mask" pattern that I trace out on the leather.  Then, with a stylus, I etch a dragon onto one side of the mask (most often with the wing sticking out beyond the edge 'cause I just like it that way), and then I cut out and carve the whole thing.  Usually, I do the mask in black and they look like this:


...but I felt like getting colorful so I did the blue & gold mask above, as well as these two:


I'm curious to see what people think of them.  I'll find out next week in Kalamazoo, I guess.

In other news, I am SO happy that our nation's multi-billion dollar Homeland Security Act has protected us from...Meatwad.  Way to go!  Yeah, I guess if you squint and tilt your head a little, the 'Lite-Brite" display of a Moononite flipping the bird might look like a bomb.  *sigh*  Maybe I'd be more inclined to be outraged by it all if the freaking displays hadn't been out in public for weeks and weeks...I guess they SUDDENLY looked bomb-like on Wednesday (wednesdays will do that to ya...more people don tinfoil hats on wednesdays than on any other day of the week...it's true!).  What's next, exploding Wile E Coyote displays?    Beware packages that look like HUGE anvils with "ACME" printed on the sides!  We need to coin a new term for this phenomenon; "Cartoon-Terrorism".

And OMG if Sessoumaru dies I am going to be monumentally pissed-off.  It'll cause a great disturbance in The Force...almost as if millions of fangirls "squeeee!" all at once, and are silenced.  Takahashi (as I was pointing out last week) has a penchant for using "one word" titles for the chapters where characters are killed off.  "Wind" for Kagura, "Light" for Kikyo, "Void" for poor little Kanna.  I swear if I see that next week's title is something like "Pride" I am just NOT going to read it.  *shakes head*

Comments

[pzb.livejournal.com]

TOTALLY dig the red and white one. It's so simple, yet so damned striking. I hope they sell like hotcakes. XD

THanks for reminding me... I kept thinking about the new chapter at work, but kept forgetting to read it once I got home. :D There will be a GREAT distrubance in the Force should she kill off Sesshomaru....though I don't think she'll do it. I don't know what it is exactly, but I have a hard time buying that she would do that....this whole arc is starting to feel like another "let's drag this out a little more, shall we?" bit. I just have a hard time believing that she had intended for Tensaiga to be a cast off, unwanted thing from the beginning...

But maybe that's just me. XD

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thank you...I like the red & white one best as well. :-) The colorful dragons are funny 'cause they look so demure! I usually draw them all fierce...oh well. That's the fun part about drawing them from scratch every time. Otherwise, it'd get boring pretty fast.

Hmm...I'm just worried about the whole Sess story arc because Takahashi's been taking a real slash and burn approach to her extraneous characters. Ever since Kagura's death I wouldn't give 2 cents for the life of any one of the supporting characters (I think Kouga saw the writing on the wall & barely escaped the fate of all the other "K" characters!). Who knows?

[pzb.livejournal.com]

Yes, but by comparison, it's really hard to call Sess a supporting character. Indeed, he isn't one of the main, but he's been such a strong character since so early on in the series that I think Takahashi would be committing suicide to take him down.

And she's stupid if she doesn't realize that. XD Kind of along those lines back last March when we thought she was going to take out Miroku... I know a LOT of people (and I was one of them) that swore I'd give up the series if she'd done that. XD

[golden-meliades.livejournal.com]

I like the colour, definitely. (I inherited an odd quirk from my mother...we both dislike black almost religiously.) That blue is glorious, a sort of deep azure. If I was going to actually WEAR a mask somewhere, I think I'd want it to be a...hmm...a sort of a dusk plum. (My eyes are exactly halfway between green and grey, which means that they shift wildly according to the colour of my hair, my make-up, and the light...but I prefer them to look as green as possible, usually...and purple makes them look their greenest, and I prefer rich purples to blinding, girly ones.)

Ooh, the red one has loaded. (DIALUPDIALUPHOWIHATEYOUDIALUP!) Red is my favourite clothing colour. :D But just to LOOK at, I like the blue one best. I like blue and silver together, but not as much as blue and gold...looks more 'imperial', to me.

There isn't seriously a person called Meatwad, is there? *goes to check link* Oh. *waits to understand* *waits some more* I don't get why this is such a huge deal... And is 'homeland security' a real thing?

[golden-meliades.livejournal.com]

PS: The purple one is almost EXACTLY the same shade of purple as the desk in my bedroom. :D

[merimask.livejournal.com]

I did do a purple one...but I'm not crazy about the purple. It's one of those colors that never looks vibrant enough to me in acrylics. I love my Liquitex acrylic paints otherwise...but all their purples aren't quite as rich as I'd like (mixing your own never works either...the look muddy & not right).

Yep. Homeland Security is a real thing. Ever since 9-11. http://www.whitehouse.gov/deptofhomeland/bill/ If you want to get REALLY frightened, check out the Patriot Act. That's the one our president invoked in the interest of conducting illegal wiretaps on American citizens...among other stuff. Scary.

Meatwad is indeed a character on Adult Swim's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force". That's the cartoon that was being promoted by those light boards which freaked everyone out in Boston the other day. It's all terribly stupid stuff, and I'm pretty sure we're all supposed to be talking about silly crap like THIS, instead of other far more pressing issues (like why our VP leaked confidential CIA information to Scooter Libby & is still walking around in office...) *ahem*

[golden-meliades.livejournal.com]

The colour I was thinking of is a sort of...wine/eggplant blend. An eggplant that tends more toward red than blue, anyway. That is the single most spectacular colour I can think of to go with my eyes, unless my hair is black. When my hair is black, my eyes look pure silver grey...which is interesting, but I'm more interested in green :) So if it was a mask I was going to wear, I'd be looking for one in purple or red. But I like looking at the masks hanging from my plaster plinth...they look very artsy, there. :)

The American gov't already freaks me out a bit so I don't think I'll check out something that freaks out someone tougher than me in these matters. The Canadian gov't does some crappy crap, but it's more stupid than scary, most of the time. Aggravating, bureaucratic silliness, kind of a dealie. We're Steve Urkel as compared to Arnold Swartzeneggar...

SCOOTER Libby? What an unfortunate name...

Homeland Security. Sounds like a SWAT team in a can. (And now available in convenient microwaveable cup!)

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

(My eyes are exactly halfway between green and grey, which means that they shift wildly according to the colour of my hair, my make-up, and the light...but I prefer them to look as green as possible, usually...and purple makes them look their greenest, and I prefer rich purples to blinding, girly ones.)

If you by some chance also have a lacy network of yellow layered over the green-grey base, we are perhaps long-lost twins, at least in the Mary-Sue-ish colorshifting iris department. Between clothing, accessories, makeup, and occasional hair dye, it's certainly hard to conceal my weakness for rich deep plum shades.

(Now if only I could get my hair to shift by itself, I'd save so much effort mucking about with dyes! GET WITH THE PROGRAM, YOU LAZY FOLLICLES!)

[golden-meliades.livejournal.com]

I take my eyes as proof that I am non-conformist right down to my genetics :) Green is the rarest eye colour in the world...and grey is the second rarest, lol.

Yellow. Well...I don't know if I have a 'lacy network', but I do have a lot of what I call 'pear coloured' flecks through the iris. (Though absolutely cannot see them unless you are two inches from the mirror.) They're an almost clear, very pale yellow...like pear flesh, nearly. Kinda...cream. My sister calls them 'crystals' and claims they are responsible for my multi-coloured eyes. (All you have to do is look at a photo of me. My eyes can look pale silver grey, smoke grey, jade, pine, or blue...or any combination in between, including aqua. The only colour they NEVER appear to be is brown.)

I lub a rich purple. It makes my eyes look evergreen. BUT...I am pleased to say that I have never claimed that my colour shifts 'with my mood', which is what a lot of other 'shifty' folks claim. :) That's just not possible! With your clothing or the light around you, yes, but NOT your mood. :/

Green is apparently the colour that looks the most different in different lights. And grey is the lightest eye colour (according to Wikipedia) so it would reflect more colour, too. We're just doomed to be colour-shifty, with a blend like this.

I do my hair 'ultraviolet black'. It'd be awesome if I didn't have to dye it that colour...if it'd just change on it's own...

[rumdiculous.livejournal.com]

I love the purple/gold and blue/gold masks. The dragons just pop right out.

Oh that whole crap about the supposed bomb is really stupid. I noticed Adult Swim apologized for the accident. *sigh* It wasn't really even their fault.

AAHH. If he dies I will lose all interest in the manga. (I'm barely hanging in there as it is. Only the Sess group is keeping my attention.) *pout*

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Working in bright colors just cheers me up. :-) Problem is, most people just LOVE black masks...don't know why. I guess they think they look dangerous or sexy or something. *shrug*

Oh PLEEEEASE Rumiko Takahashi don't kill Sess! *begging* I. Will need. Therapy.

[rumdiculous.livejournal.com]

Meh, black is good but bright colors are so much more fun. Like white and gold.

Ha ha, speaking of 'dangerous' and 'sexy' masks makes me think of the love wolves you had to work on. XD Oh ew...

OMG he can't die. *clings*

[ermine-rat.livejournal.com]

My son is running around wearing the kestral mask you made for her many years ago...

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Hee! That's so cute. :-) I'm glad it's found a happy home.

[purplerebecca.livejournal.com]

Oh, your masks are gorgeous! ^____^

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I show off my new ideas in my LJ, but you can see some of my bigger masks here at www.merimask.com. :-)

[purplerebecca.livejournal.com]

They are gorgeous. ^^
Do you have a gallery of the masks you've already sold?

[moko-moko.livejournal.com]

Oooh, getting colorful is good! These are so gorgeous, I especially love the intensity of the red one; so rich and happy. Sexy :)

(and the happy icon, just for you >_<)

[merimask.livejournal.com]

lol...I bet THAT one came in handy on Wednesday, eh? ;-)

*makes sloppy love to your icon*

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Oh so pretty! The colors are so nice and rich. The silvery-blue one particularly grabs me, perhaps because I did a sort of wyverny Prismacolor thing in a similar color scheme once upon a time (with much less pleasing results, since my draftsmanship is pretty wretched at best).

And oh, Sesshy, I don't need to start biting my nails over you, damnit. Bad enough to fall behind on the scans and wander back into what almost seems like some sort of Phantom-of-the-Opera crossover! Ah well, if worst comes to worst I can retreat into the same cozy world of denial I use for Sirius, and Jet, and Suki, and any other characters who are just too much fun to die. LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU, NO VISIBLE CORPSE NO FOUL, LA LA LA! *retreat to corner, twitching and gibbering, etc.*

Um. So, speaking of canid characters facing horrific dangers and terrifying body counts, are you perchance familiar with Yoshihiro Takahashi's work? After years spent cursing the abortive English version of the Ginga Legend Weed manga, I've just stumbled upon some lovely Scandinavian fans doing fansubs of the anime and the prequel, Silver Fang Meteor Gin, and am now wading through a glut of alternating squee-and-shudder...

[merimask.livejournal.com]

"NO VISIBLE CORPSE NO FOUL, LA LA LA!"

Lol! The last four episodes of "Wolf's Rain" had the same effect on me. "Cowboy Bebop" too.

I'll have to check out this Ginga Legend Weed anime you're talking about. *always looking for new diversions*

This might be a weird question, but...

[braidsinherhair.livejournal.com]

Did you go to the Pennsic war this past year? And did you have a really sweet Sesshoumaru dog mask there? Cause I think I might have met you.

If you don't know what I'm talking about.... sorry. But I don't think I'm wrong.

Re: This might be a weird question, but...

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's me. :-) I'm at Pennsic every year, in fact.

If you liked my Sesshoumaru mask, wait 'til you see my Amaterasu mask. It's even prettier, IMO.

[ramblinsuze.livejournal.com]

Ooooh! I love all of these, but the red/white one is particularly striking (the blue eye stands right out).

And don't get me started on the Mooninite invasion. OMFG that is the most ridiculous thing I've heard in ages...

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :-) I think I like the red & white one best too. It's not a color combination I usually use but I did my Amaterasu mask in red and white, and it looked so pretty that I've been using that color scheme more often.

Or, I could just blame the whole thing on Inuyasha. He won't mind. Do you think dog demons are color-blind?