The Malachite Cat Mask
a Dharma featured tutorial
Carnevale - Mardis Gras - Faschings: It's that time of year! My friend and I set up a couple of work days in my home studio to do this and 5 others. We used a spray-dye technique, with a Preval Portable Spray Gun and Procion Dyes and Masks from Dharma Trading. The way I'd intended to decorate this mask didn't happen. The outcome was a complete surprise! See below for my partner's Very Clever Way to cut air holes in them, because they fit so closely to your face.
Shopping list:
Let's get started!
To cut breathing holes in your mask:
1. Draw pattern with pencil.
2. Cut with exacto knife. Score lightly at first; punch and saw after 3rd full cut.
3. Smooth edges with metal nail file.
To decorate your mask:
Step 1: Spray several coats of green dye, letting it run off and pool on a diagonal. Let dry between coats because surface mask coating absorbs unevenly.
Step 2: Spray red-violet, also on diagonal, and let it absorb between coats.
Step 3: Brush thin coat of mod podge to seal.
Step 4: Add "veining" with acrylic gold paint, along the flow lines. Edge eye and nose holes in gold.
This passes the "Torchlight Test" for Mardis Gras. The combination of metallic gold and high gloss finish catch the ambient light.
