u/ZestycloseSide7646

So I have this giant slab of oak that I’ve been working on. It has two trees which grew into one, and then maybe a little tiny tree right above the right core. A few weeks ago, I built a jig and used a router to plane it flat and it worked after some trial and error (had never used one before) I took a level to it and it was perfect so I worked on the sides then set the slab to the side for a few weeks to work on something else. It was left sitting flat on the table with nothing under it (picture 2) and here you can see how underneath the slab on the right I didn’t completely plane it because it be on the underside of the table. Yesterday, I started sanding it and when I flipped it I noticed how warped it had become (picture 1). Pictures 4, 5 and 6 show the level after it warped, which to me it seems like the middle sunk in somehow.

What do I do? Is there any way to fix the warping without having to plane it again? Is there some kind of support or groove that needs to be added to prevent this? Is it doomed to forever warp? I have very little experience with woodworking so absolutely any advice is greatly appreciated.

I paper mached it with paper mache clay yesterday, set a fan on it, then painted it today. I’m not done, I’ll take it home and add a bunch of details but we’re getting there! I got really lucky with the sticks I found.

I kind of wish I’d have painted it green instead of orange

I’ve got the base pretty much finished, I made some altercations to the internal design so it fits my face better and won’t fly off when I jump up and down. I’ll paper mache it either today or tomorrow with paper mache clay.

I plan to add antlers, twine, feathers and beads to it. I might make the antlers out of sticks…we’ll see where the process takes me

I wanted to experiment after my sun mask, but I had no idea what I wanted to make until I went back to the ren faire for pirate weekend and watched a performance where the musicians wore masks. I thought they were so cool that I decided to make my own and go back the following weekend…so I did. I decided Wednesday of last week that I wanted to go back, so I made the mask that Wednesday (the pictures of the mask not painted) out of paper mache clay and left it to dry overnight under a fan. Granted, it didn’t dry fully but it was hard and light enough to where I could sand and paint it the next day and later go back and hand paint some of the finer details. That night I also attached the head-ribbon and chains/rope/etc. I added the green eye to match a ring I have that I love to wear. For a total of two days and using only what I had on hand, I think I did pretty well. I wore it all weekend, and I will say that the internal design needs a bit of work due to it slipping, but that’s only when I’m jumping around a lot, but other than that it was great. I might still need to seal it…but I’ll procrastinate that a little longer.

All in all, I’m very happy with how it turned out and plan to make some more masks in the near future.

Happy crafting

Ok I promise this is the last post I'll make in the community about the mask but, I wanted to once again say thank you for everyone who gave me the encouragement to not only finish my project but to wear it out to the GA ren faire. I got SO many compliments on my mask and costume that I now feel silly for ever feeling like not wanting to wear it. I even had quite a few people come up to me and ask to take my picture! Someone asked about the spikes of the sun poking me in the chest or how hard it would be to maneuver around people on one of the previous posts: The only time it bothered me was when I tried to nod my head, but I eventually figured it out. Maneuvering around people was tricky, especially with the mask on since I couldn't see that well but I also figured that out after a few hours and nobody got poked directly in the eye! I entered the costume contest on a whim while passing by the line and accidentally won 2nd place! Which I'm still buzzing about since this was my first trip to any ren faire. I plan to go back as the Sun in the fall and I'll have a friend who has agreed to wear a moon mask I'll end up making, and I want to make paper mache stars as trinkets to trade - so stay tuned for those projects.

Once again, I can't thank you guys enough for the amount of support you gave me, I'm crediting my win to you guys.

Ok, so it's still not "perfect" and I definitely want to retry next year with a smaller face shape BUT I finished it. I had some old acrylic and I took browns, golds, reds, yellows, and oranges and brushed those where I felt appropriate. I went in with the red like someone suggested and I'm so happy I did because it really did make the mask come alive. I attached the ribbons like I wanted and I love the way they fall and hang. For the back, I just went crazy with fabric since I didn't have enough time to paper mache it, and I really really like the layered messy feel (plus the inside feels better on my face now that it's fabric and not cardboard). I also attached two ribbons of the same fabric to secure it to my head, and I can move my head around with minimal issues, it's just a large mask. Once again, thank you thank you thank you for all the advice and encouragement to not trash it. Happy crafting!

As the title says. I tried to make a mask in less than two days and I’m on hour 12 right now from when I first started it. It’s not my first mask, but it is the first time I’ve tried it in at least 5 years. I’ll add some orange ribbons and drybrush some yellow but I need some harsh advice. My main question is should I finish it and wear it (I have today to finish it), or should I accept my loss and scrap it? The mask is huge btw, the lips are about where my chin ends. I can see out of it and there’s a smaller mask inside to actually fit my face. I guess I’m just not completely happy with it.