Jul 31, 2007

Mask for Japanese band, ONIKIRIMARU (Ogre Slayer)

I WAS CONTACTED IN JULY 2007 FROM ONE OF THE BAND MEMBERS, (THERE ARE ONLY TWO) WHICH THEY INSISTED THAT I KEEP
THEIR NAMES CONFIDENTIAL, SO I'M GOING TO NAME THEM, HANK AND ROY. HANK GETS A-HOLD OF ME ON THE PHONE, TOLD ME THAT
HE HAD SEEN SOME OF MY ART WORK IN THE PAST AND WOULD BE HONORED IF I COULD CREATE TWO MASKS FOR THEIR BAND, ONIKIRIMARU, (OGRE SLAYER).

HANK SAYS THEY WOULD LIKE THE MASKS TO BE A CROSS BETWEEN SOME KIND OF JAPANESE ART AND WEREWOLVES. I ASKED IF THEY NEEDED TO SEE SOME SKETCHES BEFORE I GO KNEE DEEP MAKING THESE THINGS AND HANK TOLD ME NOT TO SEND HIM ANY SKETCHES AND THAT ANYTHING I CREATED HE WOULD BE HAPPY WITH. SO WITH A GIANT GRIN, I TOOK THE CHALLENGE.

I SPENT A GOOD TWO MONTHS RESEARCHING JAPANESE ART AND WEREWOLVES. MY TIME WAS LIMITED TO WEEKENDS ONLY. DURING THE WEEK I WORKED ON A PROJECT AS AN ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD TECH, WHERE EACH WEEK WE LEFT FOR KOSATOCHI LOUISIANA NATIONAL PARK TO FIND INDIAN ARTIFACTS.

AT THE MEMPHIS PUBLIC LIBRARY I FOUND SEVERAL REFERENCES ON KAMA KURA SCULPTURE JAPANESE ART (1185-1392) QUITE IMPRESSIVE! HERE'S A COOL SITE TO LOOK INTO SOME OF THAT: http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/japanese-buddhism-guide-top-menu.html

I FOUND THE FIRST BEST WEREWOLF REFERENCE FROM THE EARLY 1980'S FROM THE MOVIE, THE HOWLING (1981), AND THE SECOND WEREWOLF MOVIE TO BE FROM THE EARLY 1990'S; MERIDIAN: KISS OF THE BEAST.

SO HERE WE ARE IN MY STUDIO/ROOM -

THAT'S A PICTURE OF ONE OF THE WEREWOLF MONSTERS FROM, THE HOWLING UP ABOVE.

TOWARD THE BOTTOM ARE TWO LIGHT BLUE TEETH DRYING. THE PICTURES ARE OUT OF SEQUENCE, BUT WANTED TO SHOW THE SPACE I WORKED IN AS WELL AS SOME OF THE MATERIALS I USED AND REFERENCES.


HERE IS THE WIRE FRAME I STARTED WITH. I STARTED CREATING THIS AROUND AUGUST OF 2007.
IT BECAME MORE INTERWOVEN AND COMPLICATED - EVENTUALLY THERE WASN'T ANY MAJOR NEGATIVE SPACES. ALL THE SPACE WAS CONTOURED WITH WIRE. I REMEMBER TELLING HANK, THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE HIM A LATEX MASK OR SOMETHING LIKE PAPER MACHE - I WANTED THE MASKS TO BE DURABLE, ORNAMENTAL AND TO BE TAKEN CARE OF WHEN NOT IN USE.


HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE GUMS - THEY'VE BEEN COOKED AND ARE AIR DRYING.


HERE I'M STRETCHING THEM INTO SHAPE SO THEY FIT INTO THE MASK.


HERE ARE THE FIRST SET OF TEETH FOR THE TOP ROW. UN-COOKED.


HERE ARE ALL OF THE TEETH, RIGHT OUT OF THE OVEN.


BOTTOM ROW. NOT PAINTED YET.


TOP ROW, NOT PAINTED YET.


HERE IS THE FIRST LAYER OF WHAT I CALL SKIN.
BEFORE I ACTUALLY STARTED ADDING ANY FILLER, THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL 15 LAYERS OF SKIN ADDED.

THIS IS THE TOP VIEW OF THE HEAD.


SIDE VIEW OF HEAD.


INSIDE VIEW OF HEAD. I WAS SENT HEAD MEASUREMENTS SO THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY FITTING ISSUES LATER.


FRONT VIEW OF HEAD.


FIRST LAYER OF PAINT BEFORE FILLER.


THIS HAS PROBABLY THREE OR FOUR LAYERS OF PAINT NOW WITH SOME FILLER ADDED AROUND THE EYES, NOSE, AND CHEEK BONES.


TEETH PAINTED AND ADDED.



THIS IS MUCH, MUCH LATER. I WENT THROUGH SEVERAL DIFFERENT EXPERIMENTAL PHASES OF WHAT THE MASK HEAD SHOULD LOOK LIKE
- THIS IS ONE OF THEM. MOST OF MY FOCUS AT THIS TIME WAS AROUND THE MOUTH. BEHIND THE TEETH I INSERTED A SCREEN SO WHOMEVER WAS SINGING COULD BE HEARD WITHOUT THEIR TEETH OR PARTS OF THEIR FACE SHOWING.



AGAIN, THIS IS AFTER SEVERAL LAYERS AND EXPERIMENTAL PHASES, CHANGES - THE EARS NOW HAVE BEEN COVERED IN CLOTH'LIKE HAIR. MOUTH HAS BEEN REWORKED SEVERAL TIMES AND FACE AT THIS TIME, MOST LIKELY GOING THROUGH IT'S TENTH STAGE.


IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THERE COULD POSSIBLY
BE AS MANY STAGES AS I HAVE SAID, HOWEVER A STAGE FOR EXAMPLE CAN BE AS THIN AS PAPER - A STAGE FOR ME IS A LAYER OF EITHER GEL, FILLER/TYPE OF CLAY MEDIUM, SILICONE, PLASTIC OR SOMETHING EXPERIMENTAL THAT I'VE CREATED IN THE STUDIO.

THIS IS THE LAST PICTURE IN THIS PROCESS, HOWEVER IS NOT THE FINAL OUTCOME OF THE MASK HEAD. IF YOU GET THE CHANCE TO SEE THE BAND, ONIKIRIMARU (OGRE SLAYER) PERFORM, YOU CAN GO SEE THE FINAL OUTCOME FOR YOURSELF.


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