[Northkeep] Masquerade Ball At Harvest of the Axe

Charles Of Portsmouth sca_anthonyowen at live.com
Mon Oct 12 17:14:49 PDT 2009


Hear Ye Hear Ye

    Come one come all to the Masquerade Ball Saturday Night after Court at The Harvest of the Axe In any costume you may wish (Mundane or not). Masks would be appreciated for it is a Masquerade Ball. Many people have started classes in their respective areas. If you would like to make your own mask here are directions that Mistress Willow had sent to one of the list:

For the project you will need glue or flour and salt and paper and paints and aluminum foil.
Prepare your paper. You should tear it into small squares. Tearing is always the proper way  to work with paper mache or more properly carta pesta. Paper Mache is the French word for the paper pulp and it means "chewed paper". Since none of us are going to chew the paper let us use the word for the Italian way of making it which is older.and in period longer. Paper Mache is recorded only to the late 1500 in France  and we can only find it used in dolls heads. 
Carta pesta in one form or another can be found as far back as the 1400. The Venetian could have taught the process to the Persians. 
You tear the paper rather than cut it because the rough edges mesh together and form a stronger bond. 
Take your helmet and cover it with foil or clear wrap. Make sure it covers a lot. You can cut it down later. 
You can make your glue by taken white glue and mixing it with water to make it a little more runny but not too watery. 
Take each piece and put it in the glue and pull it through your fingers getting the extra glue off it. 
Starting in the center start layering the paper. Start with only three layer at first. Leave the piece on the helmet to dry overnight. The secret of good Carta pesta is to let each section dry before going on.
If you want a mask. You take a cheap mask and cover it with clear wrap or foil and do the same thing to it. 
To make a life mask 
Take the foil and shape it to your face with eyes closed. or over your glasses then take more foil and roughly shape it so you "face Mask" can rest on it with flatting down. Then cover with paper. Go past the edge of mask because you will be cutting edges. 
If you want your mask to have curls or whiskers you want to extend the foil past the "face" so your extra things will have strength. 

You can also contact Mistress Willow in regards if you have any questions on how to make the masks. We will try to have some A&S where masks can be made on site. (at least that was the plan). 

    We will have music and finger foods and much much more.

Charles Of Portsmouth
Herald of Skorragarðr 
(405) 445-8244
(918) 908-0226


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