Cat masks with all natural materials
I intended to make a one eyed cat mask for my sister whose cat was hit by a car and lost his eye. Because this was my first PM mask, I also made 3 prototypes which are now hanging above the shoe rack (my 4 year old did the design on the terracotta colored one).
Learned a lot along the way! The yellow mask was my first try and I used paper strips and removed it from the armature after the first layer - it caved in on me on the second layer. I used toilet paper clay for the black and white one and egg carton for the terracotta and all black final one. I used a template from Jonni at Ultimate Paper Mache to build the armature - great resource for newbies!
I made all of these with fully biodegradable materials. The glue was flour and cornstarch based. The paint was made with foraged clays and charcoal and a binder of either egg yolk or homemade watercolor. The green in the eye was a Primatek paint from Daniel Smith that uses earth pigment Jadeite. I am attracted to making biodegradable art as I endeavor to minimize environmentally harsh waste in my art. I also work in the kitchen near my children so non toxic materials are very important to me.
I’m still building my repertoire of natural art materials and considering making a sub devoted to this - reach out to connect!