Spriggan masks..HELP NEEDED F-LIST!!

[merimask]

Well, I finished my newest mask, Spriggan, and I'm pretty happy with it. 
   
I did it three times, with three different shapes, and I did it in green leaves as well as autumn leaves.   This is meant to be a theatrical mask, for wearing, and constructive crit is VERY welcome as I have to pick the best of these three for an important project.

The first mask:
narrowly shaped & green.
viewed from above...
viewed from the side.
Below is the second mask.
Splayed & green.
from the side.
Below is the third mask.
Narrowly shaped & autumn-colored.
Viewed from the side.

Here's the tricky part...this is meant for stage theatrics & needs to look good on a person, from a distance.  I personally think the ones that sweep back (#1 and #3) are the most dramatic & easiest to wear & move in.  Charlotte modeled for me.  Take a look:
number 1...
number 2...
number 3.

I need help picking ONE, because now I don't know which is more striking; the autumn color or the green?

Comments

[golden-meliades.livejournal.com]

The green. I don't think you'd even see the colour difference from a distance. Though up close I think the autumn one is very neat, more subtle and expensive looking.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

I think you're right. One thing I was thinking of doing was making the autumn leaves Maples and doing them in shades of red & orange, instead of orange & yellow. The values are too close to the brown.

It didn't help that I was running out of brown dye by the time I got to the "autumn" mask & had to cut it with thinner to stretch it (that's why the brown is a few shades lighter on that one).

[redmagus.livejournal.com]

I'm a fan of #1 myself. I'm a comp tech, so my opinion on fashion and good looking really doesn't count.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Noted. :-) Everyone's opinion counts here.

[ramblinsuze.livejournal.com]

Although I like the autumn one the best (I think the shading of the leaves give it a lot of depth), I think #1 would be the best in a theatrical setting. The coloration of #3 just won't stand out enough back in the cheap seats. ;)

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there is a better contrast. I don't know though...the green looks really ~fake~ to me. Still want to play with it, I think. :-)

[braidsinherhair.livejournal.com]

OOOOOOOHHHHHHH so pretty!!!!

That out of the way, I agree with the last person - the green is more striking from a distance. If you really wanted the autumn leaves I would go with red or orange (although of course oak leaves don't tend to turn red or bright orange.... so.... hm)

I like number 1 best: I'm not sure whether it's just the angles you gave but it has the ability to look both neutral (1st pic) and menacing (2nd pic). Also, the more narrow silhouette looks more.... streamlined? Better, anyway.

So... yeah! Yayyyyy! Pretty!

[braidsinherhair.livejournal.com]

Oh, wait, I just checked. They do turn red and orange..... I just never noticed. Heh.

[golden-meliades.livejournal.com]

A metallic red *would* be really nice.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :-) I'm partial to the narrow one too...I think it's a better design for wearing purposes. The splayed-out one looks better on the wall though.

I'm thinking of doing one with maple leaves instead of oak, and I'd make bright flaming red leaves then.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

For display, I really like the autumn-colored one; it's subtle, and would make a lovely contrast shown as a set with one of your Green Man masks. But for stage work, the subtlety of those colors would be lost from any sort of distance -- it's like looking at stage makeup up close, to get a reasonable effect from the seats you have to go for really dramatic, exaggerated stuff. So definitely go for the brown-and-green for theatrical use...or if you want to do something in an autumnal color scheme, try something more high-contrast like a lighter grayish bark and blazing deep red-orange leaves, or darker bark and leaves tinged with bright yellow?

They're all quite lovely.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :-) I'm liking the way the drawing turned into this design pretty deamlessly...sometimes it works out that way.

I think you're right about the green being a better contrast. The autumn colors, though, really are especially pretty. That's the one I'd send to the gallery, y'know?

Thanks for the input. :-)

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, the subtlety of the leaf shading on the autumn mask is definitely display/gallery material. It's gorgeous.

As for the green looking fake, once again, I'd say maybe see if you can get Char or someone else to try modeling it for you at a much greater distance, under rather harsh light, and see if it still strikes you the same way? You may be a little too close to that one in the most literal sense -- seeing it from camera's-length under household lights is quite different from the way it would look on stage, after all! But to make yourself happier with how it looks up close, maybe it's the flatness of the green compared to the shading on the yellow-brown leaves that's making this one not quite so pleasing to you? Perhaps mixing in a bit of darker or lighter greens would help to give it a subtle richness like the autumn piece up close, while still preserving the color contrast needed for stage work.

As for all the different color ideas folks have been floating, I can imagine doing variations of different types of leaves, with the appropriate bark/leaf color changes, could make for a quite impressive display. It'd be like an Entmoot! :)

[pzb.livejournal.com]

Theatrically speaking, the green will read better at a distance. The orangey -yellow will disappear at a distance, no questions asked.

Personally, I think I like #1 the best - the more narrow look seems to give it a more dramatic, kinda spooky flair. :D At least, that's what I see.


I wonder, if you try the autumn coloring again, if you go more toward a red on the leaves and maybe gray out the brown a little, if it would make a more striking contrast...

They all look awesome, btw. :D

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Yep, I think green is the way to go. I'm just not crazy about the shade...it looks too fake. Then again, I'm out of practice when it comes to looking at green leaves (HATE for winter...hate).

You got that...a sinister feeling from the narrow one? I was going that way on purpose. I knew even though it looked like shrubbery & twigs in the drawing (which is just the pattern, flattened out), if I folded it back against the head it'd look all "Alien"-like...like something the artist Geiger might've come up with.

Fun fun! I love doing something new & different. :-)

[pzb.livejournal.com]

The green may come off a little iffy....have you thought about something verigated? Or would that be too big a pain in the ass with leather painting? (Not sure what is possible and what's not.)

Yeah....the only green I have to reference around here at the moment is the moss everywhere. XD

I got sinister from the narrow mask, yep. XD It'll definitely come off as more ooga booga with the right wearer. XD

[empath-eia.livejournal.com]

Looks like everyone like #1... but personally, I think #2 looks better on a person. It's very dramatic and inhuman looking, whereas the first one seems to fit the shape of a human skull a little more and doesn't quite look as fantastic.

I love all of them. But theatrically, my vote goes for #1.

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thank you...I like 2 as well. But once you put it on you notice that the twigs are too splayed out and if you turn your head, they catch on your shoulders. :-/ That's why I do a new design a few times in a few different ways...you just don't know how it'll work until you actually build it.

[indigos-angel.livejournal.com]

I like the green, because it's WAY EASIER to make out the color difference. I've got a hard time seeing the autumn leaves just on my computer, never mind from a distance on the stage.

Honesty, I like the long look of the first mask, and the way it goes so far back on the second. I don't know if doing that on one mask would make it look too big... but I think that would look great. #1 has a more regal look to it, longer faces are generally imo stereotyped as more regal... along the same lines as great bone structure. The side view of #2 just looks way more complete and looks like a fantastic costume, the side view of #1 looks lacking in completeness in comparison.

Hope that helps!

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :-) The input helps because I'm TOO close to this mask & it's hard to judge it objectively.

The long, narrow face is what I was going for. Even though my drawing was all splayed out with the twigs in a fan shape, I knew that was just how the pattern was going to look, & the actual mask would be more streamlined & sinister. But you never know just how it'll work til you build it (and for me that's the MOST fun...it's always a surprise).

[rumdiculous.livejournal.com]

Okay I'm in love with the third one for the colors (because omg pretty!) but I'd go with number 2. From a distance and on someone it's really impressive. And I love the little whirls in the wood. :D

[merimask.livejournal.com]

I'm with you...the autumn colors look great & they really show off the carving work I did on those leaves.

The green one does contrast better, though.

Yay...you noticed the wood grain. :-) I had fun doing that...I free-hand carved those details so each one is unique. My initials are in there too (I hid them!!).

[rumdiculous.livejournal.com]

Ooh good touch. (with your initials) XD

[moko-moko.livejournal.com]

WOW. These are so incredible, I'm absolutely in love with the tooling and the whorls on the bark bits.

I'm a big fan of #2 because of the grand, creepy flair, and for theater it may read best no matter where in the audience you're sitting. Esp when Char models it, it looks very much like a part of the face is morphing and growing outwards. Which is awesome!

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thank you...I had SO much fun doing these. :-)

#2 looks REALLY neat from behind too, because all those twigs spread out & go way beyond your head. I made sure to finish them on both sides for that reason.

It's hard to wear though...the twigs catch on everything. :-/ That's why I do prototypes. Cool design doesn't always mean functional mask, and this one has to be functional.

[shvetufae.livejournal.com]

I don't know which shape I prefer, but I love the contrast of the green with the brown. Does that help?

However, I do have to say Mel's idea of metallic red leaves against the brown would also be gorgeous. :)

[merimask.livejournal.com]

Thank you...yep it helps. I love the autumn leaves but I think for contrast, the green is the way to go.

That IS a good idea that Mel had. I was thinking of red leaves with metallic gold drybrushed on them, against MUCH darker bark, would be a lovely & striking contrast too. Hmm...