Maskcrafting

Hi! I’m Kira. I met Naelany online eight years ago (has it really been that long?!) when I was writing fic as in.a.blue.bathrobe. I’m still at it–I’ve even taken a hiatus from my crazy costume design jobs to focus on writing.

My latest story, THE DIRTY SECRET, from Carina Press, is a lighthearted and (very) sexy bit of home dec porn, containing coffee, Klimt, and a lot of eff-words.
You can find it at amazon and other e-book retailers, and the Goodreads link is here.

Writing is cerebral though, and sometimes I get that need to make something more tangible with my hands than just keyboard noise and pencil scratches. My “comfort art” is maskcrafting, and lately I’ve been doing collage work with found objects and junk-drawer items.This foxy valentine* guy was inspired by a beat-up pack of cards at the end of its game, and became the first in  a series of seedy poker player types.

Next came a rabbit who definitely cheats at Texas Hold’em.

I build my own blanks from  Wonderflex–a heat responsive plastic with a mesh backing–when I’m making pieces for stage. If your mask is meant to be a wall hanging or will only be worn for a few hours on Halloween, the inexpensive ones found at party supply stores work just fine.

You can use anything that will take glue for the base layer, but fabric and paper are easiest. I soaked the cards in hot water for a few minutes to separate them from the backings;  thinner  layers smooth over the surface better. The jewels came from a tiara that had seen better days. My favorite adhesive is called “Sculpt Or Coat” but watered down Elmer’s or Mod Podge works great, too.

When it was all dry, I gave it spray of gloss sealant, and added some details for definition. Matte black latex is good for edging (or use a Sharpie marker) but for the hearts I used pearlescent craft paint, to give it some of that old Venetian masquerade metallic-leaf feel.

Then comes the antiquing glaze. (You can find this in the paint section of the hardware store, or make your own with a drop of dark paint in a gel medium.) Slather it on  everywhere–a little goes a long way–making sure that that it gets it into all the nooks and cracks, and then immediately clean off anything you want to keep shiny–like the rhinestones–with a Q-tip dipped in glass cleaner.

After the glaze has soaked in for a bit, wipe it off with a damp rag. The creases and edges will appear and bring out the character of all the layers. I like to do several coats, drying between each, working it along the definition lines until they become blended into the surface.
She needed a bit of softness to offset the stark primary colors and the hard jewels, so I lined her ears with a few feathers ganked from a duster.

Let cure overnight before wearing!

Thank you, Naelany, for letting me share!

Come say hi on Twitter: @kiraagold
And I blog sometimes: https://kiraagold.com/category/blog/

*Wouldn’t Foxy Valentine be a marvelous erotica pen name?!