Art Day

[madbaker]

We spent yesterday at Tim & Laurie's place doing Art. (Get your minds out of the gutter.)

Dawn brought materials and a handout on how to make a coptic-bound book for them to playtest; unfortunately they were busy with other projects, so she didn't get to watch them fumble through it. I spent the day making a horn hammer. For such a simple project, it took a lot of time:

1) sand down the horn point to a round tip
2) carve a hole in the base of the horn the size of the hammer handle
3) ditto the top of the horn
4) carefully work the wooden handle into the horn, trying to avoid splitting the thing after working on it for so long
5) drive in the wedge and metal stabilizer
6) admire!

"Okay," you may well be asking, "why on earth would you spend hours making a horn hammer when there are perfectly good wooden and metal ones out there for easy and cheap purchase?"

And well may you ask.

Ah, you are asking. Well then, here is the answer.

It's a tool to make leather masks (in my case, generally for commedia, although I've made one superhero-type mask - The Raptor). Tim and Jeff have made several, but I want to be self-sufficient. Even more important now that it takes an extra hour to get to their places. You start by forming the mask out of clay on a pre-existing life mask of your face (okay, I suppose that's really step one, but I've already got mine...), then making a plaster negative, filling that with concrete to make a positive, then stretching wet leather over that to make the actual mask. The horn hammer is used to mash the leather surface and make it stretch more.

Obviously I think this whole process is very cool. It's something that I've been able to do, and I'm art-impaired.

Comments

*Snort*

[farmount.livejournal.com]

It's something that I've been able to do, and I'm art-impaired.

This from the man who holds a Laurel. Funny, I thought that award was for arts...

Re: *Snort*

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but mine is for baking and cooking. That's it. Unlike other people I know, both Laurels and non-Laurels, my art ability is minimal.
I can't carry a tune. I can dance if I practice through sheer bloody-mindedness; grace is not natural to me. I can't sew or paint. I can't carve wood (or meat for that matter).
I did cross-stitch for a while, but that's math, not embroidery.

I can't pick up arts very easily; that's one of the reasons I've been so enchanted with mask-making.

Re: *Snort*

[farmount.livejournal.com]

Let's see:
You act.
You cook, beyond baking. That's a pretty broad area.
You did cross-stitch.
You make masks.

I'd call that pretty damned artistic. Just because you don't excel in 18 different areas does not mean your "art ability is minimal."

Quit being so damn self-depreciating! :)

Re: *Snort*

[wingedcorset.livejournal.com]

yeah, what she said. You're an artist.

on another note, I've always had a block about cross stitching. Perhaps it's because of the math thing.

Re: *Snort*

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

Oh, don't get me wrong - I'm not handing the Laurel back. 8) It's more that whatever artistic skills I have pale in comparison to many of my friends.

You also should understand that when Garick and Talitha gave me a Rose Leaf in May 1993, that was my first real arts award... and prior to that, it never occurred to me that I might ever receive (or merit) any arts awards.

Re: *Snort*

[farmount.livejournal.com]

OK, remember that some of your friends are even less art inclined than you are, and when you try to be modest it just annoys us.

I only got an arts award (the Rose Leaf) in, what... 2000? 2001? And that was only because I was part of the GSP, not through any artistic merit of my own.

Shaddup already! :)