craft

Dave Riley’s Mask Studio tutorials

Posted by hil

Dave Riley is a mask-maker, puppeteer and playwright based in Brisbane. His Mask Studio tutorials have been of great help to me a number of times – thanks Dave! There are two mask tutorials:

The felt method is really interesting. It involves soaking the felt in white glue and then moulding it to shape rather like working leather. There are then different finishes to experiment with, including paint, and leather gloss and polish. The result is a very light strong mask.

A few years ago when I first tried it and made a series of animal masks, I built on a paper mache base because I wasn’t sure it would be strong enough otherwise, but recently in making some smaller masks for Hidden Corners’ ‘See Beneath’, I was more confident in using the felt by itself, with a muslin/white glue backing to make the inside comfortable and strong.

Masks before painting

 

The seaweed fronds had a little extra strengthening, just because the shape was not intrinsically strong like the shell. The fishy mask was done a little differently, without felt because I wanted finer detail. It is carved quite thinly out of styrofoam, and has several layers of muslin and white glue to give it strength.

Masks

 

These have a water-based polymer gloss varnish added to the paint, which kind of plasticizes them.

Month of Softies: June bug

Posted by hil

You know you are either going loopy, or your new creation has charm, or possibly both, when you find yourself taking it from room to room with you around the house, or with you in the car while driving errands. Especially when its a computer bug. And we won’t mention talking to it.

There are a few other images below. This bug was made for loobylu’s June Month of Softies. My thanks once again, Claire.

Two new recycled creatures

Posted by hil

After making a couple of recycled creatures a few months ago, I’ve become a bit obsessed with the idea, and have been haunting the local op shops and trash and treasure markets, looking for suitably interesting bags and belts. I’ve now got far more than I have had time to make up! One side effect of this obsession is eyeing-off bags that people are carrying in shops and on the street.

Month of Softies: May Flowers

Posted by hil

The theme for Month of Softies this month was ‘May Flowers’. My first thought was of daffodils, as I remember loving how they came up all over the place in lawns in the chilly spring in York and Cambridge; and I thought I might try to make Talitha, the brave daffodil princess from the book ‘The Mouldy’ by William Mayne, and illustrated by Nicola Bayley:

talitha

Then I decided to consider Australian May flowers. There isn’t much flowering here in May, except some irises which usually flower in July, but this year are muddled by our late winter and drought. But there are a few winter-flowering eucalypt trees, so I started planning a red gumnut flower fairy. I thought the stamens could make a kind of drop skirt, or hat fringe, but in the end decided that I liked the flower just as a flower.

Red flowering gum-2

Its quite big; including the leaves it measures just over 40cm (16in). For the stamens I used lycra, an idea that I had previously found worked well for making small octopus tentacles! I like the soft colours, too. There are few more pictures:

 

Recycled Monsters: Meet Patrick and Esmé

Posted by hil

I had a lot of fun with April’s Month of Softies theme, recycled monsters; thanks, Claire. Firstly, please meet Patrick, who is channelling Patrick White:

Patrick

And now Esmé (‘don’t mess with me… I play bowls’):

Esme

They were made from an old bag and belt apiece, and Esmé has half an old cricket ball for a nose. There are more detailed pictures below. And thanks to Belinda for helping me see some extra dimensions to their characters!

Month of Softies: Recycled Monsters

Posted by hil

These cool recycled monsters were made by my friend, Belinda, for April’s Month of Softies. I’ll let her introduce them to you:

gronka

Gronk: “I couldn’t think how to make him until I saw Hilary’s bag-monsters. Then I
found these things in various junk drawers around the house. His nose is
made from a rubber finger-stall pinned to a cork; his teeth are
toe-separators. His facial hair is chicken feathers sewn into a band – I
found this ‘braid’ in a local haberdashery and bought some so I’d have
feathers to add to my cat patchworks. I think he looks rather like Alan
Ginsberg, although as yet he hasn’t written any beat poetry. I posed him
with a cigar (my last home-grown tomato of the season) because I like his
raffish air.”

gronketc

Doris: “This is my first recycled monster. She started life as a tea-cosy. My
daughter’s drawer of “special things” was invaluable in providing the hat
(which used to contain lavender), the bangle for her mouth, the plait and
the flowers. I used polished stones and two star anise for her eyes. Doris
is demure, fragrant and very ladylike. She represents my long-lost
daintiness.”

March’s Month of Softies

Posted by hil

Scrambling under the wire again… this is my entry for Loobylu’s Month of Softies for March. The theme was self-portrait of the artist as a young child.

sd2

I can’t say it looks very like me, but the essentials are there – round face, blonde hair, button nose, tom-boy. The Fair-isle vest is made from an an unfinished jumper that I rediscovered when I was rummaging for fabric. I knitted it years ago in Scotland and I had completely forgotten about it. The vest is a kind of present to myself, because when I was young one of my aunts made stripy vests out of odds and ends of wool for my brother, and I always fancied one for myself.

Update: I took some better daytime photos yesterday, much better than the midnight one.

Tree climbing

 

My White Rabbit for February’s Month of Softies

Posted by hil

What a scramble – I forgot February was so short! But here is my White Rabbit for Loobylu’s Month of Softies, which this month was on the theme of Alice in Wonderland. He stands about 40 cm (15 in) tall, and is covered in a very soft kind of fluffy material, (I’m not sure what – its not fleece or
terry towelling). He was going to have a blue jacket and be holding a
pocket watch, but I ran out of time to make those today.

rabbitc

The rabbit is actually a very simple glove puppet, as he fits on your hand and you can turn his head with a rod inside his body. He is very cuddly, and its fun to cradle him your arms (without it being obvious that one arm is inside) and make him come alive.

rabbitd

Update: Here are some pictures of him now he is finished:

White Rabbit puppet

Patchwork and white rabbits

Posted by hil

Finding Loobylu, and a very pleasant morning at Tilley’s last week, spent drinking coffee and sorting through a friend’s collection of fabrics, has made me dig out a picture of the quilt I made for my daughter about 8 years ago now. Its still loved and in use, but getting worn in places, particularly the blue-marbled silk that is in the wavy sea section of the middle panel.

quilt

I’m all enthused about Loobylu’s Month of Softies. The theme for February is ‘Alice in Wonderland’, and I’ve started making a white rabbit puppet!