Commedia dell'Arte leather mask workshop with Roberto Andrioli

I was fortunate enough to take a mask making workshop from Roberto Andioli in Florence, Italy.  The workshop took place over two weeks and I was able to cast my face, sculpt, and create two leather masks in the style of Commedia dell'arte characters.  

From Roberto, I learned some of the history of Commedia and how the masks were used to create the various characters.  Often the characters were inspired by different animals to help create the characterizations.  Below are some illustrations that are from a book by the master mask maker Donato Sartori.

Images from the book Maschera e Maschere by Donato Sartori & Bruno Lanata.

I choose to create my first mask based on the Arlecchino character, which is a commic servant character who is light hearted, nimble, and clever.  I choose to have the shapes of the face inspired by a fox for it's sly character and quick movements.

Creating the mask

The first step in the process in creating a custom leather mask is to cast your face in plaster so that you can create a mask that fits your head perfectly.  

Roberto casting my face with plaster bandages.

Next, you will need to use a plastilina clay sculpt your design onto the plaster cast of your face.  This clay is used because it doesn't harden in the air, and it is soft and easy to sculpt.  Once the sculpt is finisher, you create a "moat" around the head that you will be casting.  You will make a negative mold and the moat helps to keep the plaster contained making the walls of the negative mold about 1 1/2"- 2" thick.

Once the negative is created you fill the negative with a hard material that can be used to shape the leather.  This material is a plastic that has the ability to hammer small nails into the form so that you can stretch the leather.

 

Once the form is created, the leather is wetted and stretch over the form.  Horn tools are used to hammer the leather and press it into the form.  Throughout this process you are stretching the leather more and more over the edge of the form and adding more nails to hold the leather in place.  Slowly as you continue to hammer the leather and leather dries it begins to take the shape of the form.  

Once the shape is complete and the leather has dried, you can cut the outer edge of the mask and the eye holes.  I painted the mask with some leather dyes and finished the surface with a wax.

The finished mask holds it's shape and is comfortable on the face and ready to perform.

The second mask that I will create will be a Pantalone mask, which is a "master" character in Commedia dell'arte.  The Pantalone mask will compliment the Arlecchino servant mask.

Arlecchino and Pantalone