P. palaeosinensis

I made a big cat mask for Japan Expo using @paleopanthera's low-poly pattern (you can check my merch haul on my main blog from the con if you're curious).

I made the mask in a rush, in three days, as I hadn't been able to really work on it before the very last moment (I had the last finals of my life to prepare!). Because it was my first time doing something like this, I didn't want to make it my fursona, so I just modelled it after a puma and I have been saying that it's a Cathay khajiit (LOL). For such a rush job, I think it came out quite well, especially for a first! If I had to make any change to it as it currently is, it would be to add a tiny bit of padding in the cheeks. As it stands, it presses on my zygomatic arches and after a whole day of wearing it, I was definitely sore there the day after!

I also have monocular vision when I wear it, so I do have to take breaks wearing it from time to time in order to rest my eyes and "reset" them (I got to experience having trouble judging distances too: I'd reach for items in the artists alley and miss by a margin!).

(I got a little cardboard Qifrey's apprentice hat at the Pika Edition booth too)

The mask is fairly solid and light, but still has a little bit of give (possibly because I only had the time to make one layer of papier mâché and gesso). It is very breathable thanks to its mouth and nose openings (the open eyes likely played a part too). I didn't feel hot in it, except when walking directly under the sun during the heatwave (fair enough). I could drink while wearing it by using a straw (thank you fursuiters for the idea).

I made it using cardboard and a hot-glue gun, papier mâché with a homemade glue made from flour and water, gesso and acrylic paint (black, white, warm gray and raw umber) + an elastic.

Process shots below

playing around trying to make my horsie real

Acrylics on solid wood board. Roughly 20cm x 60cm, 2cm thick wood. Designed, sawed out and painted by yours truly.

Happy Hourly Comics Day! (It was changed from February 1st to February 8th in observation of Black History Month.)

instead ask:

is it SINCERE

was it CATHARTIC

was it FUN TO MAKE

is it MADE BY ME