Tibetan Cham Dance Mask - a DIY free download

My first sketch of a Cham dancer.  The background is a piece of discarded architect's tracing that has layers of different colors of acrylics, with a thin top layer of white applied with a rib.

Happy New Year! This mask is inspired by Tibetan Cham dance costumes. Skeletons represent the disintegration of the body and states of mind. The stylized dance shows the liberation that follows acceptance of the impermanence of life. The dancers usually have crowns with 5 human skulls on their heads and fan shaped ornaments on their ears. I took some liberties to make the mask easier to cut out and fit in a regular sized envelope.

Tibetan Cham dance mask modeled by innocent but willing bystanders.

There is a video of the Cham dance here.

After testing several ideas for this year's mask, this one was the most appealing. Although Tibetans don't see the skull as terrifying, I think my western feelings about death and the current state of world affairs have crept into the mask. Yes we can be liberated by accepting the idea of death. But I am also thinking about the potential death of our world and our democracy. Is this a time to dance? Probably not in happiness, but maybe in protest. Download the mask here.

I hope you all find some peace and joy in these crazy times.

Judy

A Krampus Mask you can download and make yourself

For Christmas cards last year - in 2023 - I made a Krampus Mask. You can go here, download a pdf, and make your own mask. If you don't know who Krampus is  - He used to be Santa Claus's sidekick. Maybe a balancing of good and evil? He seems to have been part of pre-Christian Northern European customs. I believe he was called Knecht Ruprecht in parts of Germany. There was a fad for Greetings from Krampus postcards for awhile - and now there are modern, very creepy versions. Check wikipedia for more info.

The mock-up Krampus masks and sketches.

I started with several mock-ups and a quick sketch - trying to get the eyes in the right place and correct proportions. The sketch ended up looking sad rather than scary, so I took it into Procreate on my iPad and made some alterations.

After altering he may be a bit more scary, or angry. I'm not fond of creepy.

Then I added color by layering the sketch on a red gelli plate print - again in Procreate. The final step was to add some white hatching so there was more dimension. This one was much easier to cut out and assemble than last year's Green Man.

Enjoy your new identity. I hope you all had a great holiday. 

You can download and make this Green Man mask

 

Green Man mask Christmas card. You can download the pdf and make your own.

This was my Solstice/Christmas/New Years card this year. I still haven't mailed them all out. But here it is - you can download it from my website and make your own. There are instructions on the web page. It turns out the mask looks good either way. Turned over it covers your mouth and chin. It's a very effective disguise.

My book is purchased by McCabe Library at Swarthmore Collage

Life is short, suddenly it's over. Try to be present every day. 

I am so pleased to tell you my book, In Which Our Main Character Has a Revelation of Wonderment, has been purchased by the McCabe Library. I'm sure every artist is delighted when their work goes somewhere where it will be appreciated. I am no different. The book was purchased out of the Philadelphia Center for the Book exhibit, Looking Out/Looking In.

As part of the PCBA exhibit, Looking Out/Looking In, they now have a walk through video on YouTube. You can see it here. In the video you can see the library setting, and of course the books. It looks like a very nice space and a wonderful show.

There is also an online exhibit here, that has all the work in the show. It was a hybrid show, most of the work was exhibited in the library, because of size limitations a few pieces are online only.

Spectacles for Viewing Christmas on Mars free download - make your own pair

On my web site I have a pdf pattern you can download and make a pair of these spectacles. There is also a slip case and a plain pair you could use as a pattern to decorate your own. These have been around ten years. I think it's time for a new pair. 

The holidays are almost here. However you celebrate, I hope you have some time with people you love. This can be a hard time of the year. I am missing people who can't be here. If you are missing people and feel alone, when everyone is so jolly, you are not alone. I think under the jolliness, many people are feeling sad. I have no smart advice for you, but I hope you can find some time to enjoy the holidays and reasons to be glad to be alive.