Mask-Up
For this project, it is to create a three-dimensional masking form that addresses a theme related to a pandemic. However, we will work collaboratively in teams designing my own composition while presenting a unified concept.
My Collaborative Partners: Aaron Beckhon & Liann Trahey
Concept Statement
“The Reality Underneath the Masks”
The idea of masking to show/hide emotions and facial expressions has become an unintentional habit within the pandemic. The masks have the ability to hide one’s emotions of how they really feel by covering partial aspects of the face. However, the collaborative work of constructing our mask is to reveal one’s true emotions openly. Our masks are abstract, modern, industrial, and exciting creating an interesting composition through utilizing various materials such as wire, resin, acrylic paint, glitter and ribbon. The abstract and industrial aspects come for the wire to highlight one’s features and the perspective of their emotions with forms and color. Impart of the concept detailing our emotions being hidden and then expressed through our masks, have been uncomfortably troublesome having to wear constantly throughout the two years of the pandemic. Manipulating all of the materials conjoined within our composition, while using wire and resin brings discomfit onto the face to wear realistically. Nonetheless, our masks showcase important areas on the face like ones eyes, mouth, or the physicality of the emotion being portrayed. To achieve this, the use of wire exposes the reality of how one is feeling with the openness of line work. It is soldered together to twist, shape, and form creating durability within the composition whereas the resin with a burst of color related to the emotion expressed invites the ideal of color theory play and what emotion relates to a specific color. The collaborative work will bring each mask together to showcase the different emotions focusing on the facial structure, expressions, and color theory that allows this relationship. The interesting compositions will reveal the hidden emotions that one presents to another and the reality underneath the masks. Beneath them, are we happy, sad or angry? Although, for our emotions with the masks, we choose joy, sadness, and surprise that correlates to their own color. All in all, the conformity of masks and hiding our emotions has both been beneficially satisfying but harmful as well into not knowing how one is truly feeling or the instance of why we want to hide how we feel.
Research & Ideations
Masking Inspiration
I gained my inspiration through various artists and design concepts using different materials. Although, I was more drawn more towards was the wire, color theory, transparency, and organic shapes. I begin to look as what materials and how can facial expressions and emotions be presented in my composition to make our narrative to come to life.
My Pinterest link is: https://pin.it/57pTrhY for more of my inspiration.
Neckline Inspiration
In order to make a durable mask, I needed a structure that will be capable of taking the mask on and off. I took inspiration from different metal works with designs that are more necklaces around the neck area.
Sketches
For our narrative of the pandemic aspect of my composition, I wanted to begin showcasing how emotions/facial expressions are hidden behind the use of masking. As a group we choose one emotion for the each of us and begin sketching our ideas. My emotion is surprised. Surprised facial expressions are big eyes and an open mouth and I started sketching loops throughout the face.
Color Theory of Emotions
Through research, I found a psychologist, Robert Plutchik, who studied emotions and color theory. He used the color wheel that categorized the intensities of what he consider eight primary emotions. As you can see, surprised is a blue-green color and that is what is on my mask to show that emotion.
Prototyping
The first two prototypes with the wire focused on the structure of the face that enhances facial expressions. In terms with that, I decided to steer away from just this focus alone because they were not also presenting the emotion behind the facial expressions.
Yet with this third prototype type, I focused on the form of the mask with the wire where the emotion of surprised as stated before are big eyes and an opened mouth. Although, I did steer away of this approach due to the fact that, it did not show the facial structure but only “blobs” of wire on the face as a mask.
Soldering Technique Experimentation
Instead of twisting the wire upon wore to make the composition durable and sturdy, I wanted to solder the mail together so that is it just so. I experimented how I wanted to solder the wire together and came to a conclusion and a better way to interlock the wire together so that it does not break. I did trail and error before making my final form. Also, while creating my form before soldering, I used materials around me to wrap the wire around so that the wire are not wonky.
Without interlocking the wire ends, it made my forms unstable and needless to say they broke. So I begun the interlocking the two end of the wire. By doing so I can twist the wire however I want without it breaking.
Process in Constructing
As for the process of my final piece, I decided on using brass wire, resin, glitter, and acrylic paint.
Creating the Frame
Soldering
During the soldering process, I made various circle sizes to then manipulate into organic shapes.
Afterwards, I formed a composition for my abstract mask the highlights not only the facial expression but also somewhat of the emotion of surprised.
I made “rings” to be placed on the outside of the masks that will be filled with resin.
Molding the Details
Resin
I wanted to use resin as my transparent element for showing emotions through my mask because it adds durability to use thinner wire to thread and provides details to the mask with the color, flowers, and the high-gloss affect.
In the resin, I added glitter, metallic acrylic paint, and glow-in the-dark paint.
Before pouring the resin, I taped down each piece so that they are easier to pull apart after it sets.
Due to the resin overspilling, I had to clean up around the edges so that my composition is cleaner. But I had to wait 24-48 before it sets.
From the overspilling, I had to cut the excess off. Although, the shape of the bigger piece of resin is for where my mouth is because when you are surprised your facial expression are big eyes and an open mouth. The oval shape at the top and bottom of the resin piece is an abstract form of the shape of a mouth and I placed blue-green acrylic paint because that is the color for the expression: surprised. In addition, I made “rings” as a jewelry element to unite the resin with metal aspect.
Making the Structure
Neckline
To stay consistent with my design of organic abstract shapes, I created my neckline the same as my masking piece. Also, I soldered the pieces together.
Resin & Metal ( The Mask + The Neckline)
In this process of the making of my composition, I conjoined both the metal wire frame and the individual resin pieces by using the soldering gun to burn holes in the resin to then thread the metal wire through it and wrap it around my composition.
Furthermore, I added pieces of resin in the back of the neckline to where it will tie because my composition was very top heavy and to balance out was to add them.
Joining the Neckline and Mask
Methodically, for binding both of these parts together required me to solder the wire in the middle of the neckline and face mask to hold the structure.
The Ribbon
I used the ribbon so that the wire does not poke my face and neck when it is tied around and also for the mask to have the ability of being taken on and off as well as adjustable to size.
Final Composition
Here are the final images of my composition from the front, side, back, and top view.
These images show the details of the resin and the solder connections.
The Photoshoot
Liann, Aaron, and I wanted photoshoot as our presentation for our individually crafted masks that gave a Euphoric ambiance. In the photoshoot we expressed the emotion as related to each color.
View Photoshoot Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/fiGE7mPp3Xs?feature=share
Eye Makeup
In terms of the color blue-green associated with the emotion ‘surprised’, I did a glitter wavy makeup look on my eyelids to emphasize my eyes for the emotion. I did a wavy took to connect it with my organic shapes on mask. This intensifies my composition in color.
The Team
My collaborative partner, Aaron, he did swooping line work on his right eye and check area due to his design to highlight that side of his face as well as express the emotion ‘joy’ from the color yellow. With my other collaborative partner Liann she took the subtle route of winged dark blue eyeliner to further her blue sad for ‘sadness’. She wanted the color focus on her tear droplets rather than the eye makeup itself.
Reflection
From this project, I learned how to take all of the compositional elements in this piece such as, color theory, abstract, industrial, various materials and techniques while combining them together to design a mask. The challenge I had during the process was time management and not rushing through this piece by taking the “wait time” for the resin to set. I discovered that patience is required to achieve what you imagined. Yet collaboratively working together with my partners, we all understood our concept and learned how to manipulate the wire to our advantage. We all worked very well together and managed to pull off our masks with the intentions creating cohesive pieces among one another.
Portfolio
View final project at: Project 2: Mask-Up