I made a set of papier-mâché masks for the commedia dell'arte class I was teaching, and am quite pleased with the natural color of the brown paper I used-- what would be a good treatment to preserve them? Wood-finish? Something else?
flickr.com/photos/ianth...601463301377/
flickr.com/photos/ianth...601463301377/
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Boston
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Re: Finishing papier-mâché masks
Tue, August 21, 2007 - 3:42 PMVery nice. Varnishes and sealants can out gas for a bit, so if you do use something like this let the mask dry and them wait a week extra before performing in it, if you're sensitive to these gases. Some are, some aren't.
Boiled linseed oil is a great all natural alternative that waterproofs without out-gassing, so you may want to try that. -
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Re: Finishing papier-mâché masks
Wed, August 22, 2007 - 6:57 AMWell, I'm not scheduled for anything for which I might need to wear these things for a while, so letting them dry is not a problem, my main issue is that I just want to protect the masks while also maintaining the basic look and texture-- especialy since they look like traditional leather masks from the audience. -
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Re: Finishing papier-mâché masks
Fri, August 24, 2007 - 6:28 AMYou might want to try boiling some rabbit hide glue (or gelatine alternative). Since this is what goes into gesso, this will make it super strong, still flexible to some extent and still preserve the natural colour.
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Re: Finishing papier-mâché masks
Sun, September 30, 2007 - 4:11 PM
You MAY not need anything so complicated. We found, when running a display business, that most natural fiber could be sealed fairly well using clear spray acrylic. I would give it several light coats and let it soak in, making sure to coat all surfaces and edges.
Sometimes, if too much sealant is used, we would get a glossing on parts of the surface, but a final light coating with a matte spray most often solved this.
This is probabaly stating the obvious, but i would suggest trying whatever you settle on with a mask that is a reject, or on a piece of similar test material. -
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Re: Finishing papier-mâché masks
Mon, October 1, 2007 - 9:38 AMWouldn't an acrylic give the papier-mâché a glossy finish? I like the basic look of the masks in question and don't really want to give them a shine. -
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Re: Finishing papier-mâché masks
Mon, October 1, 2007 - 7:10 PMMatte finish Modge Podge might do you well. Worth a try, anyway
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Re: Finishing papier-mâché masks
Mon, December 3, 2007 - 5:23 PMSorry, haven't been spending much time on tribe.
What i would do is create a test piece, maybe not even a mask, using the same techniques as your masks. Then cut it in strips and do several tests using various finishes.
I have found, that if you go lightly with spray acrylic, it will take several coats because it soaks so much into the fiber.
Using matte spray clear acrylic, even if just for the top coat, will avoid the gloss look, but your surface will look more closed or sealed and not as porous as it did with just the paper.
Experiment with it. It should be fun. -
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Re: Finishing papier-mâché masks
Sun, January 20, 2008 - 9:52 AMusing a straight on white craft glue through the process of making the mask may also give a natural finish, I have mixed matt acrylic medium into the white glue for a final finish and it came out somewhat natural looking, the best part was the water resistant quality though.
If you ever get the chance, I recomend using (cash register till tape) some time, its so strong, so strong that less layering is needed making a lighter mask overall...
cheers,
leah
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Re: Finishing papier-mâché masks
Tue, February 12, 2008 - 1:44 PMGotta keep in mind the sweat factor.
This thread in a puppetry discussion board mentions everything from attaching sweatbands to doping the mask in marine lacquer:
puppetsandstuff.com/community/index.php
Happy reading!
