Xothique

I have a tip - I don't use masking tape, but I do use low tack frisket for masking off designs for airbrushing. To ensure that it's even lower tack, I stick it to my t-shirt, or jeans, or whatever before I use it. It usually stays tacky enough to mask the area, and picks up enough fluff from my clothes to form a barrier between the adhesive and the leather which means it's less likely to lift the surface. Masking tape is far more adhesive than frisket, so I'm not sure it would still work, but it's worth a try on a piece of scrap?

My goodness, this is astounding. :D I've been working on a leather 'Dottore della Peste' for a while, as a private commission, and this beauty makes me want to go back to the drawing board and start over. Absolutely fantastic work, really beautiful. :D

I haven't been here for a while, and am just catching up. I love the marble finish on this. Really lovely work.

Fabulous work!

It's been a while since I browsed the forum here, but wow - your bird masks are rather spectacular. ~very impressed~ And inspired. :D

I'm fascinated by this topic as it would seem to solve the eternal problem of light-fast dye. So my question is - can you treat the leather this way and then wet-mould it once it's changed colour?

Now that's one smart piece of equipment. I can see loads of uses for one. A little out of my price range for the moment though... Laser pumpkin carving LOL, I love it!

Recycle - absolutely - and leatherwork is the perfect medium for doing this. Your boxes are really lovely, and now I'm intrigued about the laser. Can you buy equipment to do this at home, or do you take your designs to a firm to have them applied to the leather?

Thanks everyone for the lovely comments! Nick - The colours I use are mostly fiebings leather dyes - I layer several colours over each other with an airbrush to get a more three dimentional effect. The orange of the fox, for example, has oxblood highlights. I also add highlights with craft acrylics - the lightening flashes on the black mask were done like this - but where possible I prefer to dye, as I think the colours are far more natural. The intense orange on the fox is due in part to the fact that my digital camera really has a problem with displaying reds - it wasn't quite that luminous bright, but it wasn't far off. Leatheroo - Oh yeah, shaping stamped leather is not at all easy! I had quite a few failed results before I managed these. Thanks for the encouragement, it means a lot coming from another very skilled mask-maker! Tom - Thank you! It is good to treasure those difficult projects, even if they are the cause of much swearing at the time - each one is a learning curve that makes the next time so much easier.

I don't post here anywhere near as often as I should - considering I've read these forums over and over in my search for knowledge. You guys are all fantastically helpful, and I thought I'd just say a big 'thank you', from a (mostly) lurker. ... Here's a couple of my latest masks. The fox was a commission - it was a nightmare to create, but I was really pleased with the result. For the others I thought I'd get a bit ambitious and try stamping a design on a slightly thicker leather than I am used to. Helen.

That's rather lovely actually. Gorgeous colours, and a really nice design. :D

Thank you! It is great that there are so many mask-makers - and so many different styles, isn't it? It's great to bounce ideas around too. I must be honest, I feel a bit in awe of everyone else. I still have such a lot to learn with leather. That said - people here are so friendly and welcoming, I'm finding this a very enjoyable community.

This is truly fantastic! I'm in awe. I really like the antique colouring effects that you've achieved here too. It almost looks as though you've sanded the leather - but I'm guessing you've added some sort of stain and buffed it off in the highlighted areas? Anyhow - lovely work, well done! :D

Tom - a Raven certainly is a challenge with that huge heavy beak. Lovely looking bird though. I will have a play around with design and see what I can come up with.:D Everyone else - thank you for your kind words, they are very much appreciated! :D

That lacing looks so neat, and the designs are lovely. I'm sure your daughter will adore this and treasure it. Beautiful work!

Here's my latest completed mask, and my first attempt at carving the feathers in. I think that there's quite a lot of room for improvement, but on the whole, I'm quite pleased with this fellow. For those interested - I used Fiebings Aqua Green and Turquoise dyes, and painted the beak and the highlights with antique bronze acrylic paint. :D

Wow! I've never heard of a unicorn with fangs before either, and I've been circling around the edges of the Goth scene for years. It takes all sorts I suppose. Considering that you didn't like the subject matter - and I know how hard it can be to find motivation when commissions come in that you feel unsure about - you did an excellent job here!

I like him - lovely colours, and there's definitely something lizard-like or amphibian about his features. How about Dagon? ~g~ Or Newt...:D

Very nice work - this has the look and feel of traditional commedia. Zanni, perhaps? I do like the long-nosed masks.

I know what you mean! I think part of my fascination with masks has always been the slightly creepy aspect of them. Thank you! Helen.

Lovely work, Linda. I particularly like the dragon, and it looks as though you did really well to salvage the moth from gesso too. I shudder to think what that did to the leather - I use it on papier mache a lot and know how tough it can be once it has dried. Well done! Helen.

Hi Tom, Thank you and well met! You have some fascinating and lovely work on your website. I particularly like the idea of ambigrams.:D Helen.

Thanks Tom - I thought the same after looking at it afresh - a Raven should really have a much heavier beak, which has given me an idea which I will work on for the future. So I went for the blue, and will post photos when he's completed.:D Helen.

Hi Clay Brilliant - thank you. I've been a bit wary of re-working the leather in case I somehow over-worked it and ended up with a mess, but the way you describe this process makes it seem fairly straightforward, as long as I'm careful. I'm definitely going to give it a go on my next project. Helen.

Thanks Ken! It's good to be here, the community is very helpful and friendly, and I will try to make more time to post in future. I will admit to being still a little bit scared of the swivel knife. It's a fantastic tool and I'm still learning to control it - no doubt it will all come with practise. I have invested in a filigree blade today, and am looking forward to having a play around with that once it arrives. I went with blue, as I figured that I could always dye it black if the blue didn't work out. Iwill post more photos when it's finally complete. Helen.