New designs: Venetian masks

[merimask]

Well, my trip to visit my brother in Vegas has led to inspiration;  Venetian masks.

These are the "birds".  Don't ask me what kind of birds they are 'cause I don't know.  Venetain birds I guess.  Italian birds.

The designs are all very embarrassingly derivative of the masks I saw in the mask shop at The Venetian.  I liked them so much that the next day I was sketching and everything I did had gold piping and lots of swirly swirls.  Like moko_mokosaid at the time;  "It's not like you have them in front of you...so you were just inspired by them".

So yeah... here they are.
 

The "birds" from another angle:


I guess it's sort of a fanciful raven.

I love this design...

It's one of those rare masks that actually looks great on me.  Curiously enough, I'm not a mask wearer.  I want to do it in all kinds of different color combinations.  I was a little cheesed when I did this one, because the silver paint pen I was using for the swirls (which was brand new & pretty pricey) clogged up on me and nearly blotted all over the place.  I had to switch to gold.  It actually looks good that way, though.  

This one is simple but fun.  I think the red/white/black masks look the most "Venetian".

I love the copper swirls on white.  I was going to go with red, but I decided to keep my swirls metallic (except for the black).

The cool thing about these is that they are completely wearable & very durable.  The masks I saw in the Venetian were lovely but SO delicate with gold leaf and plaster detailing...they'd probably crack with too much handling or wearing.  These are all leather & just as tough as anything I make.  I predict they'll be great party masks.

Comments

[airspaniel.livejournal.com]

Those are gorgeous! I especially like the blackbird, and I LOVE little red/white/black one. ^_^ I think it's awesome that you were so inspired by the Venetian. It's such a beautiful hotel. I get to stay there with my mom in September, and I can't wait!

[zipis1.livejournal.com]

I love the little swilrly designs. They just make me wnna sit there and trace them all with my finger. And I guess it comes as no surprise that my favorite two are the blue ones, eh? XD

[golden-meliades.livejournal.com]

Ooh, look at all the fine little swirls! Very striking! But I suppose a tall person could put out a shorter person's eye, wearing that. :)

Oh there, the non-beaky ones have loaded. I like those best :) (Pointy noses just turn me off, even on a mask, I guess.) They're all very graphic, I like the stark colour divisions and the swirls.

[ramblinsuze.livejournal.com]

These are SO beautiful! I absolutely *adore* the swirlies. Geez, these look even better than the mask my mom got me as a souvenir when she was in Venice (of course, she probably got a cheapie tourist one, but still... *grin*).

[empath-eia.livejournal.com]

OMG COOOOOOL!!!

[moko-moko.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, Meri...this is the first time I legit canNOT choose which one I like better. Both birds are so beautiful! The black-blue-gold are so dramatic, but the white-chocolate-gold is so elegant and stunning. See, inspiration is a wodnerful thing, and you did another amazing job!

The others are so much fun as well, I hope you'll bring them to your next show and show them off. If they have a soul, everyone should be in love with the swirlies too :)

[braidsinherhair.livejournal.com]

So cool! Makes me think of the ballroom dream in Jim Henson's Labyrinth. Only not, y'know. Scary.

Sooooo cool. And striking. I was thinking, ooh, lozenge pattern, but then I looked more closely and saw the swirlies, and they look so much more.... classy. :)

I'll have to save my pennies - this stuff is definitely my style, and, as you said, so very durable.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Oh MY. Those are absolutely stunning. The colors and the metallic scrollwork put me in mind of pretty Florentine stationery. Those just practically are demanding to be worn, with elaborate ball gowns made to match!

(Posted a few BPAL ideas for you, btw -- a few I can actually spare and send you, others I can at least put a little sniffable sample on card. Must post reviews of the last few I've tried, the last of the Somnium blends has the most divine lemon-blossom scent!)

[indigos-angel.livejournal.com]

I LOVE the blue one that is sitting on its own. Those are seriously cool. They kind of remind me of Harlequin type stuff. Very, very nice.

~*~*~*~*~Love Elle

[kls-eloise.livejournal.com]

Those are *VERY* nice. You know, every year at Pennsic someone asks you about Venetian-style masks. It might be worth taking a few of those.

I particularly like the blue "raven" piece. Big shock, with my obsession for all things blue.

I played with the metallic paint pens before I went into gold leaf, and clogging/blotching was always a hazard. Eventually you'll get a feel for when it's about to do something horrible. Be careful with those - a lot of them use xylene as the solvent, and that is some serious bad stuff. Good ventilation is a must - I made myself really sick with it once.

The Pennsic class list has come out, so I'll be drawing up my class schedule soon. We could actually have a tenative schedule before we head out this year (assuming that you still want help at the booth...)