Tribal Mask Inspired From Japanese Noh Style.

This mask is a creation inspired from the Japanese Noh masks. I wanted it to have a touch of simplicity instead of extreme grandeur and black is the best one available to make a mask mysterious.

1. Paper clay or any clay of your choice
2. Paintbrushes
3. Foam board
4. Cloth rags
5. Paper and pencil
6. Cutter or clay tools
7. Newspaper
8. Paper tape
9. Primer

Sketch out the basic design of the face. Make sure the elements are in symmetry.

Now, we need to take a whole lot of paper and crush into a dome shape and make it as our base of our mask. On top of this base, our paper clay is going to settle properly.

Now, after creating the base for our mask, we need to knead the paper clay gently and start applying it on the base of the dome. It should be evenly spread out so that our mask is going to be uniform throughout. Then, we need to cut out the eyeballs and the mouth out of the clay.

Our mask is getting a good shape! Small kinds of detailing should also be done. Scoring is useful here. Also, take a little piece of clay and gently add on to the mask and convert it to a nose by kneading. By now, all the basic details of our mask have been completed! You can also observe that I carved a line of spark on the forehead just like Harry Potter!

Let the mask dry. The time of drying depends on the type of clay used. Mine took about 1 week to completely dry.

Now, its time for the designing the mask. First we must apply primer for painting. Let it dry for about 1 hour or so. Since I wanted the mask to be simple and enigmatic, I would be painting it with clear black and then a few touches of detailing with orange and red around the eyes and hair. Finally, spray coat with varnish to get a glossy effect!

Now, for the display purposes, we need to create a stand for displaying the mask. Thats it! We have successfully created a Japanese Noh Mask!