Plaster Masks

Garrison wasn't comfortable with the idea of wet plaster cloth on his face, and who can blame him? I gave students the option of building their masks on a ball of newspaper. While most students chose to make the life mask, one or two students in each class opted for the newspaper mask. Garret's mask with it's rectangular eye openings and dried palm fronds (from a sadly neglected house plant in my classroom) shows a strong influence from the many African masks we studied prior to the project.

Most students chose to cast just the upper half of their face in plaster. Kenna was brave and trusting. She allowed her partner to cast her entire face. This required her to lie patiently for about half an hour as the wet cloth was applied to her face. Her partner saved the mouth area for last.
When it came time to paint and add details, Kenna chose to emphasize just two features, the long eye lashes and bright red lips. The simple use of pure yellow and red highlight these features. Kenna's bright and beautiful mask matches her personality.