Today I present to you a step by step detailing the making of the plague doctor mask I used in two photo shoots back in college, a series of metal prints and my thesis work.
I know that for a lot of you this might be more easily handled with 3D printing nowadays, but this was from a time before those options were really viable (and I know some of you might still prefer to do something like this by hand for any number of reasons).
I used this guide as a basis for a lot of this, so go ahead and give it a look through, though mine is a bit different.
Firstly, I took a Jason-style toy hockey mask and some Styrofoam. I had cut and angled the cone to create a suitable bend, as well as hollowing out a bit of the larger end to make room for the nose of the mask, putting it all together using the most ever versatile of craft solutions - hot glue.
Next up are some welding goggles that I ordered online.
I removed all the strapping and attachments, disassembled the cups, and used silver spray paint and black acrylic paint to give the rims the look of worn metal. I got the goggles specifically because I wanted those highly reflective black lenses and figured they were a great twist on the traditional mask (and looked similar to what I had drawn in the series that inspired the mask's creation). The lenses came with some printing on them, so I simply turned them around when I reassembled them.
An interesting side note - I pulled these lenses from the mask a few years ago to take pictures of a solar eclipse. In a surprising bit of luck they fit perfectly over my Nikon lens.
Have to make sure to leave room for the goggles! I later cut, shaved, and formed the Styrofoam to make a smooth organic shape.
This part differs largely from the tutorial I was using. I knew I wanted a much more pushed forward "face," leading more naturally into the beak, something which would not be easy to do with just papier-mâché or spackle. I used an air dry clay, Das clay. I'd never used it before that point so hadn't known what to expect. It was sort of papery, like a really classy soggy newspaper. It dried white and fairly light. I was able to sand it down nicely to get a nice smooth transition and shape.
Oops! Skipped some steps. I was getting really into it I guess. Well, this is after I added my first round of spackle. Now, don't get me wrong, spackle is NOT a sculpting material. It was tricky to work with and stuck to my fingers more than it did the mask until I learned the best ways to apply it (let it slide under your fingers, don't push it along). However, in the end it made for a simply wonderful finish that was very easy to sand down. I used some 150 grade sandpaper, but even a hard enough pressure with my fingers sometimes did the trick.
The spackling compound I used. I am really glad I got the lightweight, in the long run.
A second round of spackle to cover up some of the trouble spots. Keep in mind that each of these layers had to dry before I could continue. I am not really a patient person.
The sanded form after the second application.
The shape was really good, but there was some various discolorations from Styrofoam poking through and other issues, so I applied a layer of white paint and then some Dulcote matte finish. Ok, a lot of Dulcote. I had some issue with the paint for a bit (only because of my own stupidity, the application is actually a dream) so be warned: the paint will soften the spackle, so it will take it right off if you do something wrong.
All that was left was to glue on the eyepieces. All done! Well... other than making some new straps for it. I had intended to anyway, for the look of it, but the mask simply became too heavy for the flimsy straps to hold up. I ended up epoxy gluing some leather belt pieces to the inside plastic of the original mask, one along the sides and one over the top for support, looping around the cross strap to hold it up. Like... a hat, sort of. Bondage hat. Ironically, I don't think the straps ever showed up in any of my final images.
Now you too can have your own metaphorical manifestation of chronic ailments to haunt you with it's ever present visage!
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