Mask Profiles: The Scorpion People

Newest update: The Scorpion People. Inspiration for these enigmatic lovelies came from the mask stylings of Libby Appel. By studying the style of her neutral masks while racking my brain for a useful way to portray these guards of the Mountains of Mashu interestingly, I sketched these two. One is meant to be female and the other male, but I don't imagine it matters much if the gender of the actors beneath matches or not. They allow Gilgamesh to pass with little resistance ultimately, and their eyes are meant to cause fatal paralysis in mortals - such is why I love what the Appel masks' eyes do. Their emotion is neutral, but the dark eyes draw your focus immediately as well as the sloping features surrounding them. I don't believe I want much color in these masks, but if there -is- some, I'd want it to be from a neutral palette as well.

I look forward to playing around with the actors in devising the movement of the scorpion folk and the voices they'll have! They don't hang about very long, but I wanted them to stand out in their wake.

More to come!

"At high tide, fish eat ants. At low tide, ants eat fish." - Thailand

-Jo-

Mask Profiles: Humbaba

Greetings one and all! Great strides were had today in my attempts to sketch a certain guardian in A Man Sees Death in Things today! I've been sketching this entire week in hopes that my pencil could stumble upon the notorious "Humbaba", whom Gilgamesh and Enkidu fight in the Cedar Forest. I wanted this battle in particular to be quite epic in its own right, and deserving of a quite epic mask.

What I came up with is something along the lines of the "mask-headdress" utilization used to give a single actor (hopefully a very large actor!) as much as a whole extra foot of height with the mask worn -atop- the head. The actor would be able to see his surroundings through a veil at the level of Humbaba's shaggy beard.

Design-wise, Humbaba ended up an oversized mask. I wanted this to give his form size and weight otherwise not gifted to normal maskery tactics. I wish to provide some imposing gloves to the actor playing Humbaba so that his fingers and hand-size might also be increased. (If there's time, I'd love to distress/wrap some boots to do the same with the feet.) The mask would be made of VERY lightweight material and will probably have to be fixed to the actor using a chinstrap to counterbalance the weight and height. I anticipate though that whomever is big enough to handle this mask should have no problem with its weight, but I hold the actor's comfort as my priority regardless. Humbaba's features are very wide, primitive, horned features. I struggled a long time with whether or not I wanted to make him "bull-like", but settled on him being a sort of hulking gargoyle/devil creature instead. His horns, I've decided, will not look as pristine as they do here, but they are reminiscent of ram horns that curve to front like mandibles. His shaggy beard will be just chock full of disturbing goodies too -- bones, beads, leaves, spit...just awesome stuff. I adore him for his grossness and hope you do too.


"The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand."
- Frank Herbert -

-Jo-

Mask Profiles: Enkidu

Mask Sketch Profiles: Utnapishtim

Greetings all. Above you will see beginning sketches for the legendary immortal "Noah" figure in the tale of Gilgamesh as I've interpreted him for this project: Utnapishtim. I interpreted him with a bit of age to his features - since he indicates he's "decaying" - but I didn't want to make him scary. This might have figured into my original thoughts on his facial features, for my research images are a bit spooky in comparison, but I'm surprised and delighted that he's turning out rather warm. I believe this is because of my feelings on him emparting "fatherly" vibes on Gilgamesh when he visits. Also, Utnapishtim speaks of hope and reconciliation with one's fate and place in the world, so I wanted his face/mask to be one that comforted the viewer, even if it's a bit rough in places. Utnapishtim's right eye was "damaged", but I've more scarred it shut than done anything gory with it. I don't want it to be distracting to the action. I'm still trying to decide if I want the mask to be symmetrical around the mouth or no - I like the idea of him chipping away like an old monument...
Also, in the air of Libby Appel mask stylings, I've made his expression a bit enigmatic. I'll go further with this in sculpting, but I wish to give him an ambiguous enough face that the actor behind the mask will have some freedom to create who he/she thinks he is for -them-.

I'm excited - are you? More more more on the way.

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -Abraham Lincoln

-Jo-

Mask Sketch Profiles: Urshanabi

Greetings world! I realize it's been awhile since my last post, but you must forgive me. My laptop was experiencing some unpleasant malfunctions and had to be sent in for repair. All is well now, and I'm able to show you some sketches as they progress. Expect more in a more frequent succession.

These are beginning sketches for "Urshanabi", the boatman who traverses the deathly river that forms a barrier between the world and the immortal Utnapishtim. I've taken some of my design from flatter, more archaic and edgy African mask designs. Something about the flatness of the mask, the thin quality, and the slit nature of the eye placement fit in my mind when I considered the cynical gent who'd ferry across the would-be Styx with no one to entertain him but himself. I've tweaked the original image as the sketch progressed to be longer, thinner, and perhaps flatter. I imagine it'll be made from either bristol or foamcore board with paint to give it a shabby-chic chipped-paint look, as though the "ornament" of driving the boat has worn away with the paint itself. I consider him a charming Grim Reaper sort, and imagine him carrying an oar with him like a staff when on land, having grown so accustomed to rowing it may even be part of his gestures. (But that's for an actor to decide, not I. ^_~) Enjoy. More to come.

"All of these lines across my face, they tell you the story of who I am."
-Unknown-

-Jo-