u/Sweaty_Designer7450

I've always loved using wood veneer to reinterpret things I'm drawn to — traditional Chinese motifs are a big part of that. This time it's a Jingju (Peking Opera) facial mask.

For the frame of the face I used purpleheart — it's mysterious and deep, and gives the piece a strong base contrast. Lacewood's scale-like grain adds some movement and variation to the darker areas. For the lighter parts I mixed in beech, hard maple, and boxwood to create contrast and bring out a silky texture in the upper half of the face.

One thing bugging me: there's a visible gap along the chin that throws off the look, and I'm still figuring out how to fix it. If anyone here has dealt with something similar, I'd really appreciate your advice.

Finished this one after three very long days. I say "days" but honestly it was more like three nights — I kept telling myself "just one more scale" and then it'd be 2am.

Materials: purpleheart, two kinds of walnut, cherry, and ash.

Halfway through I ran into a problem — some of the veneer had picked up moisture and warped slightly, which threw off the fit on a few of the pattern pieces. Had to pull them back out and recut. Not fun when you're already deep into a piece and just want to keep moving forward.

The real patience test was the head though. All those tiny scales, tight curves, everything has to line up or the whole thing just looks off. There were a couple points where I genuinely considered leaving it "good enough," but I'm glad I didn't.

Now that it's done, the part I keep staring at is actually the color. That purpleheart has this natural purple that gives off a kind of mysterious, almost regal vibe — no stain or dye, that's just the wood. And the ash catches the light with this subtle metallic shimmer that makes the pattern pop way more than I expected. Those two together are honestly why I keep walking past it and stopping to look.

Framed it in a dark stained wood to let the colors pop a bit more.

Would love to hear what you think, and if anyone's dealt with veneer warping before — is there a good way to pre-treat it so this doesn't happen again？

Getting lost in the process: 12 veneers combined, and the shirt pattern turned out perfect. That final coat of shellac was SO satisfying! What do you think of this style?

Which one do you prefer?