A Soothsayer for your Saturday.
I found my camera, so I thought you guys might like to see one of the more. . . umm. . . interesting items I built for the Shakespeare Festival this summer. The Soothsayer mask and cap combination was supposed to be vaguely gimp-mask-like, because of course it was. So, I started with a clay sculpt, then formed Fosshape over it.
I added the mesh to try to disguise the eyeholes — as you’ll see in a second, it had to be 86’d in the end. It worked fine until the follow spot hit it, at which point it lit up like the sun and blinded the actor (not permanently, I swear). We had no budget or time for scrim, so I just clipped the mesh out and trusted the shadows + the huge stage to hide the holes. It worked out fairly well.
Anyway, since the mask was supposed to look leathery, I covered it with paper towels and glue — the cap too, but I seem not to have taken any early process pics of that.
Again, I may have been too fancy for my own good. The mask and cap were connected with magnets I embedded into them until after first dress, when the actor asked my to just connect them permanently. The cap was, luckily, cut just high enough that he could take the whole thing off in one go.
Obviously there were a few more touch-ups after my last process photos. I am THE WORST at remembering to adequately photograph things. Anyway, here he is onstage!
I can’t even tell you how miffed I am that he’s not wearing the spandex hood that goes under the cap and hides his skin. Imagine you can’t see that neck, ok?
Look out for more soon – I still have a vulture cap, tiger mask, and giant drag queen Hymen collar to show off.
Shakespeare, everybody!
Oh, right, and this.
