Ladro Mask

It's a spooky season surprise!  I have another release, just in time for October, and for Fallen Gods' 16th anniversary celebration.  Unlike me, the distinguished Mr. Baroque never took a multi-year hiatus which makes his achievement certainly worth celebrating.  He and his partner were kind enough to invite me to have a spot in the marketplace on Selidor and that was good motivation for me to finish up a project I've been working on in drips and drabs.

Something that surprised me, once I started paying attention to my market listings again, is that of all the things that I sell in my store one of my old sculpted masks from 2011 (!!) was still selling pretty regularly.  While that's quite a compliment, I realized if that's still selling then it's about time people have a mesh option.

The Ladro mask is a classic rogue's style bandit mask, made of supple leather and tied behind the head with a knotted cloth.  Included is a version of the mask without the sash as well, and two different fits for masculine or feminine faces.  One has a pronounced brow and wide forehead, the other has softer features.  If that's not enough options for you, I also am trying out something fun with Bakes on Mesh.

While it's been out for a few years now, Bakes on Mesh is new to me, and after learning about it and seeing what it's all about I decided to experiment with it.  I figure everyone else is used to it by now but just in case you're out of touch like me or haven't been paying much attention, here's the basics:  When you wear an object, instead of using a texture from inventory, you can now assign it to read a texture from a wearable clothing layer.  If you wear both the object and the clothing at the same time, the item looks to the clothing layer for its color information and updates it along with your skin and other worn textures to show the viewer one, "baked on mesh" texture to download.  Now, the cool thing about this is that there's virtually no limit to how many clothing layers you can wear, which means that, without any scripts or extra geometry, you can have a tintable base layer underneath a shading and highlight layer, allowing you to infinitely customize the color as you wish.

 

    In the past I've considered doing this with actual geometry layers, in fact I did do this with my ears, but decided against it as a common practice because that much extra weight on your character was... well, quite gauche.  Now we can have the best of both worlds: any color you'd like, but without losing the fidelity of the texture details.  You'll notice, though, that I am also still selling this as a scripted mask with my usual texture choices.  I am still experimenting with BoM and not willing to completely swap over just yet.  Let me know how this works for you, if it was easy to use, and if you prefer it to the scripts.  I think some of my pre-made textures are still nicer than some of the similar colors I got with tinting, but if people really like this I'm willing to start implementing this with existing designs.

And, before you ask, yes I've been working on this for the elf ears!  It's still in progress.

The Ladro Mask can be exclusively found on Selidor for the next few days, in the beautiful marketplace there.  It will be released more generally on October 5th at my store and at the upcoming  2023 Halloween Hop and Shop.

Ladro Bandit Mask: 325L

Civetta and Farafallina Curia

I'm happy to say that I did get a chance to do as I hoped, and have another Curia mask to share with you all. Two, in fact!

The Civetta Curia was the original partner to the Columbina Curia, and had the same issues with its construction that bothered me.  Despite that, it's been the "mascot" mask of my brand for many years, so I'm happy to replace it with this newer version.  Again, the geometry is much smoother and more efficient, the shapes a bit more defined, and I got rid of a central element I had been waffling back and forth over.  After six or seven years my blog banner could use a refresh, huh?

Speaking of refreshes, the Farafallina was the first mesh mask I released, in fact it was the first mesh item I ever released, way back in 2011.  I was just learning how to do things, and while the geometry was really not that bad, I had sort of goofed on the UV seams.  I decided to give it a refresh, give it the "basic mask collection" treatment, and update its color selection to match the other basic masks I have out right now.  I ended up adding in those metal textures after all.  Of course, if it's going to be a basic mask, it needed a fancier version.

The Farafallina is slimmer and more delicate than the Civetta, but they were similar enough shapes that it made adapting the pieces pretty simple.  This one has become a favorite to wear around.  I don't know if it has the surface area for the Barocco details but I like how this one turned out.

These are available now at my store on the Twilight and on the marketplace.

 

Civetta Curia: 295L

Farafallina Curia: 295L

Curia... again

 When I first started getting comfortable with making mesh items one of the first masks I made was the Columbina Curia, a meditation on pretty, curly flourishes that I can't seem to get enough of.  I had fun designing and sculpting and tracing pretty swirls all over my new mesh masks.  Unfortunately, now that I am looking at all of my mesh items as a collection I realized it's a weak link.  As I took new pictures of my masks to update all of my vendors I just couldn't quite get myself to give the Civetta and Columbina Curia the same treatment.  At the time, I just didn't have the chops to do the concept justice, so I made some clumsy mistakes. 

With the new standardized basic shapes providing a potent platform for pretty permutations, I wanted to revisit the Curia.  I opened up some 10(!) year old files and threw my improved skill and experience at a new version to satisfy my insatiable perfectionism.

The new Columbina Curia uses the same base mask and color options as the basic Columbina, along with my six metal trim colors for the flourishes.  The geometry is smoother, the textures are silky smooth, and the mask is a single object now to make fitting much easier and more customizable to your avatar.

For comparison, here is the old version in the same color combo:

I won't pretend it's terrible, I can understand it still has some appeal.  Where I see the flaws, I know some people might see the charm.  The two versions are distinct enough from each other that the old version could be missed if I did away with it completely.  Because of this, I'm going to keep the old version for sale, but the vendors will not be updated to the new standard and the prices will be discounted.  

I think it's funny that in that original blog post I predicted that one day I would look back with the "facepalm of hindsight" at this mask.  Well, now that we have reached "one day" I will be more kind to myself, and recognize that it held up pretty well considering its age.  I just can't help but always want to strive for better.

Like the Barocco pieces, I plan on creating Curia versions of some of my other basic masks, starting with the Civetta and I'll see where I go from there.  

The new Columbina Curia is out now at my store on the Twilight and on the marketplace.

Columbina Curia: 295L

Civetta and Civetta Barocco

 I can't explain how or why but in the past month I've had a bug, an itch, to fiddle with things on Second Life.  This hasn't happened to me in a long time and I've seized upon it in order to get some things done around here.  

It was long overdue that I update my mesh items to my "new" vendor system (from 2017 oh my god how was that six years ago?) and took a good look at my store inventory.  I got rid of some things that were still up at the Twilight that I think were truly obsolete and reduced the price on many older sculpted items.  I am still in the process of going through those and plan on reducing more items to reflect their vintage.  I was happy to see some things still look pretty good in this day and age of fancy bento stuff and newfangled animesh but I still felt like making some tweaks where I could.  

I've added some new colors to the Bauta, Mezza, and Columbina masks, and their Barocco counterparts.  I decided to add orange and brown, but since I can't leave well enough alone I also added more metallic options than just the gold and silver so they now have all of my six metal options too.   It makes for a very luscious effect and... oh... right... yeah, I made another one. 

 

I know, I know, another release?  Has it been a year already?  No, I just stayed up late every night after the baby fell asleep because I realized that I had never just released a simple mesh version of the Civetta mask.  There was the Civetta Curia, the Civetta Musica, but where was just the Civetta?  Gotta have those simple options.

"Civetta", the Italian word for owl, is a nod to the shape of the mask and how it frames the eyes.  What once was too simple to be exciting to my novelty starved brain is now totally in my lane for my current limited time budget.  It too got the extra color treatment, and now my simple masks all have the same metal and color options.  If I get a chance I might even update the Farafallina to have metal options.  Are you getting sick of the barocco masks yet? Maybe I'll do a version for that one too....

In any case, it's nice to work on things again.

Civetta Mask: 125L

Civetta Barocco Mask: 325L

Columbina and Columbina Barocco

As you can imagine, this past year has gone by in a blur of diaper changes and sleepless nights as I adjust to motherhood, as well as settling in to our new home.  Yet things have calmed down enough in the past month or so, that, with some help, I was able to make some time to make a new thing.

It's been a while, I had to blow the dust off of my programs and remember all of the hot keys.  I decided to do something easy and quick that would still be very satisfying.  Ever since mesh was released I kept saying to myself I'd make a run of simple, flexible, infinitely versatile basic mesh masks, but I kept putting them off to do more ambitious projects.  Since saying I'm feeling unambitious lately is an understatement, this was a good opportunity to do just that. 

Columbina is one of the classic characters from commedia dell'arte, her name meaning "little dove".  She often poses as a love interest and the only functional intellect on the stage.  The mask is elegant and characterized by the smooth line from nose to cheek and upswept sides. 

 I did warn everyone though that when I released the Mezza Barocco mask that I'd be using those pieces again.

Along with the Bauta Barocco, the Columbina Barocco offered a sumptuous way for me to capitalize on previous work done to make something new.  It was something that I was able to put together in the time that I had, generously donated by my mother as she kept my rambunctious offspring at bay. Along with this, I realized I had another quick and easy project I could release with a bit of spit and polish.

Another basic mask was hiding all along underneath that Mezza Barocco.  I cleaned up the textures a bit and added a gold and silver version, to match the others, and put that together as a simple, clean alternative.  Can never have enough options, and of course the more basic mask shapes the better.  Different shapes will look good on different faces!  As always they are all modifiable, I still leave them unrigged so you can stretch and reposition them to fit your avatar's face, as long as it's vaguely anthropomorphic.

 

While I had originally hoped to have these done in time to participate in Fantasy Faire, I decided to take the win of finishing anything at all.  These masks are now for sale on the marketplace and in my in-world location at the Twilight. 

Columbina: 115L

Columbina Barocco 325L

Mezza: 115L

Illusions @ Fantasy Faire 2021

It's certainly been a year, hasn't it?  I hope you and your loved ones have been staying safe, hiding inside, basking in the dim glow of LED screens staying entertained in quarantine.  Once again I have come out of my own hole in the ground in order to release something for Fantasy Faire: the one event in Second Life I simply can't bear to miss. 

Are you guys sick of masks yet?

Well, I guess I could always make "I Survived a Pandemic" T-shirts, but I get the feeling you guys might like a mask better.

 

The Vaporbecco is my interpretation of the popular steampunk vision of the Plague Doctor mask.  "Vaporbecco" literally means "steam beak" in (bad) Italian.  I wanted to model the brass goggles, the machined metal beak tip, and of course everyone's favorite steampunk motif: rivets.  In case you missed my old post about the Plague Doctor, the distinctive beak shaped mask was developed in the time of the black death.  They had the general  idea that being around sick people was a bad idea, but they believed that the reason was because of "bad air" or "malaise".  To protect themselves, doctors would clothe themselves in oiled robes and a mask stuffed with sweet smelling herbs.  Rather than having the herbs right up against their faces, they created the beak shape for a pocket, and thus we have the eerie bird-like silhouette of the Dottore Pestere.  For what was known about sickness at the time, it was a rather reasonably engineered piece of personal protective equipment.

Steampunk culture seems to have embraced the plague doctor, who might be seen seen as a tragic hero of a bygone era.  A plague doctor muddled through a harrowing time, using their best understanding of the science of disease, while protecting themselves as best they knew how.  You know, kinda like how we're doing right now.  

 

 

 

For RFL I've put out two unique colors not included with the original mask, for roughly half the price.  They still allow you to change the rivets and metal details, but not the mask itself. 

These will be available for sale on the Fantasy Faire sim of Tempest Bay, where you can find my store from April 22nd to May 9th.  It's sort of pirate themed so I've also put out a couple of my old pirate hats and the Niobium Alato mask from 2018.  I would love to have done more this year but truly real life is just kicking my butt.  This year has been so crazy in a lot of ways, and has certainly kept me busy.  As always I appreciate your patience, and I hope you enjoy this spooky and iconic mask in honor of the... (hopefully) unique experience that was 2020.  

Illusions @ Fantasy Faire 2020

 Oh hey there. 

With all that's going on in the world at the moment, I'm relieved and happy that Fantasy Faire is happening again this year.  With so many of us having to stay home and avoid gatherings, Second Life can provide a way for people to come together and socialize safely. It's also a celebration of the fantasy genre in Second Life as well as contributing to Relay for Life, so of course I crawled out of my hole once again to make a few pretty things.

It's been longer than I'd like to think about since I last released a Bauta, a classic Venetian mask that's long been a staple of Venetian Carnivale.  I'm long due for a new rendition. 

The Bauta has a unique shape that, when worn, actually changes and deepens the sound of your voice.  So if you're out and about and up to some discrete debauchery, not only does the mask disguise your face, but your voice as well.  Plus, you can drink wine while wearing it, which is a part of all good debauchery sessions.

 

But of course I can't do anything so plain without elevating it with my favorite thing: curls and swirls.  The Bauta Barocco might seem a bit familiar, because the Mezza Barocco is kind of its sibling. I've been wanting to use the library of pieces I made for that mask for a while, so this project was a way to do that.  I still intend to elevate a few more basic mask shapes with these details in the future, so you can expect more members of the family.... eventually.

Of course, for Fantasy Faire, one needs to have an item that donates the proceeds to Relay For Life, The Bauta Diamonte is a classic pattern often found on Bautas, evoking Arlecchino (or more often known as Harlequin).  I've also put out the Shikoba necklace from last year out for just 25L.

These items can be found at my Fantasy Faire stall on the gorgeous Zodiac sim.  It's such a treat to once again be on Alia Baroque's build, as he always does a gorgeous job and I find our respective styles complement each other beautifully.  I recommend exploring the entire sim, there are many details and picturesque views to enjoy.

See you there :)

Illusions @ Fantasy Faire 2017

It's been almost exactly a year since my last post... that's a bit sobering. However, I'm alive, and well, and my life has finally been configuring itself in to something that looks like it could maintain me being more (aka, at all) active on SL again.

My long time friend Selos Dae has both nudged me gently and shoved me stubbornly in the direction of getting back into making things, and she convinced me to sign up for Fantasy Faire this year. It's an adjustment, coming back and seeing all of these new conventions and revelations and things that have changed while I've been gone (bento? mesh heads?!) but within the overwhelming unfamiliarity there have been some moments of amazing warmth. As I poke my head meekly back into the world, everyone I've spoken to has been more than welcoming and kind. Honestly, I'm surprised you guys remember me at all, yet I've had people enthusiastically greet me and tell me they're happy to see me. When I express guilt and sadness that I haven't been able to make anything in such a long time, they've said that if I even have one new thing they're happy for me.

That makes me especially relieved, because that's literally all I have. One new thing. Well, that and a new vendor design.

The Mezza Barocco is a mask I've been working on for a while now. I told myself to get back into things slow and work on something that I love: curls and swirls. I adore the baroque carved plaster style of certain traditional Venetian masks and I just went wild with this one. Lots of iterations of different pieces and shapes and refinement have ended up with me having quite a library of little baroque pieces I look forward to peppering into other creations.

The new vendor design is inspired by the minimalist look I'm noticing with a lot of my contemporaries.  I actually really like it, I love doing detail work and having so much of the space of the image focused on just my creations feels decadent.  I also wanted to simplify things and just go ahead and show color options right there on the vendor image.  I think this will work great on the marketplace and on wherever I end up in world.

I want to re-work my in world vendors to use a new system (one that does automatic loyalty points and re-delivery) but one thing at a time.  For now, I made a thing.  I think it's a pretty thing.  It's at Fantasy Faire, if you care to join me there ♥

Joker & Jolli Musica

I'm working hard on the new sim, and I hope to have an update about that soon.  In the meantime, I got into We ♥ Roleplay for June. Since I needed something new, it gave me the opportunity to make a variation on the Joker and Jolli I had planned since the start.  When I originally made them, I had wanted to make a "musica" version as well.

 They look so sinister with the eyes hidden, which is one of the things I love about them!  That's an option you can toggle on and off with the other Joker and Jolli masks as well, and it adds a certain mystique to them. 

They're currently only available at We ♥ Roleplay, and for 25% off of their price!  You can pick them up for 400L each, and they include my usual metallic selection of colors which includes sterling, antiqued and tarnished silver, and bronze, copper and gold.

We ♥ Roleplay @ Evanda Island

Joker & Jolli

It's been ages, but remember my Mardi Gras Masquerade? I've been sitting on my event masks for that party, working on colors and tweaking them mercilessly.

I like to do traditional Venetian masks for Mardi Gras, and this is no exception.  This year, I decided to do Joker and Jolli masks!

The jester motif is a popular one amongst mask makers.  It's playful, ornate, and beautiful but irreverent.  It's based on the medieval tradition, the crest emulating the classic "ass's ears" hats of jesters.  They often have a chin piece as well that emulates a pointed collar, however I felt it would be awkward when actually worn by an avatar so I didn't bother.

The male version was a pain in the ass's ears!  I completely remade this guy from the ground up after the party.  I had a lot of trouble balancing the exaggeration and stylization I wanted with my natural instinct to try and make things more realistic and flattering.  The first mask I didn't take far enough, and some other pieces that ended up on the chopping block went too far.  This, I feel, is a good balance.  I wanted it to be sly, mischievous, almost evoking a goblin.

Both of these masks easily change from being playful and whimsical to rather mysterious and sinister with the "eye blanks" I put in.  I made it so you can have the option of blacking out your eyes, and it makes for a spooky effect:

I went overboard on the colors for these, doing nine colors for each color accent (gold and silver) as well as three extra colors each which are mixes, like gold, green and purple for mardi gras!

I especially love how the texture for the crest came out.  I printed on that luscious damask with alphas in Zbrush and it was so worth it.  I also utilized specular and normal maps to bring up the details so the damask shimmers a little and the metallic trim on the mask shines when the light catches it.  Have I mentioned how much I love having specular and normal maps?

Anyway, the mask is currently available at Fantasy Faire, and on the marketplace.  It'll be out at my store on Carnivale after the faire is over!

Out now at the faire
On the marketplace:
Joker: 550L
Jolli: 550L

Alato Mask

After the Luminous Masquerade I had some people asking whether or not I was going to sell the mask I gave out as a party favor.  I usually don't, to keep the masks unique, but I really liked the shape so I decided to revisit it and turn it into a simpler, classic and versatile mask.

Alato means "winged" in Italian, but of course when I read it I keep reading "a lot o'" mask, heh.  However, the name suits the shape.  The points coming down the cheeks are flattering on both men and women, and I went for a soft, gritty metallic look with the texture, with muted colors. 

 

This is actually the first mask I've made utilizing the specular and normal maps,  and I love the detail and effect they add.  My items from now on will be using them, so that's something to look forward to!

Out now at the store
On the marketplace: Alato Mask: 185L

Civetta Musica

Happy Mardi Gras!  Or Pancake Tuesday, however you want to look at it.  Today I had pancakes while wearing a mask so there's no reason you can't celebrate both.  Today is the actual day of Mardi Gras but of course I'll be celebrating with you guys on the 15th. 

To ease back into working after my absence (which I do owe you an explanation for and will probably write something up later) while not having a huge project with potential to run away with me, I browsed through my inspiration folder and found a simple and elegant mask in the musica tradition of Venetian mask making.

There's a tradition in Venice of making some masks with old sheet music.  Very often it's Italian opera, perhaps because it's romantic.  Personally, I think it's because if you're making masks out of paper anyway you might as well make it pretty paper.  But in any case, it was high time that I made my own "musica" mask.

  I love the baroque look of so many detailed curls and swirls, here I used some PS brushes turned alpha by the talented Coy Dreamer, whose work I also used in my Volto Altezza and Altezzoso masks.  But, I also love the three-dimensional look of my usual curlicues and sculpted filigree that I think I've become known for.  With this mask, I tried to marry the two so they could blend together to compliment and enhance each other.  Plus, it lets me add stones! 

Twelve different stone colors

Six different mask colors

Happy Mardi Gras!  Maybe I'll see you wearing it at my masquerade.

Out now at the store
On the marketplace: Civetta Musica 225L

Olokun Helm

Now that I'm finished with the Mystic Chains, I can finally shake off some of that frustration and get back to working through commissions.  Next one up is one designed by Darlingmonster Ember, who sent me a sketch of a concept she had in mind, and let me run with it.  She described a dark Mer helmet, a sort of unseelie headdress with tendrils and scales.

When she said Mer, my mind went to iridescence and the colors of abalone.  I wanted the tendrils to be a part of the helm, and while I tried the stone in the center, it didn't seem right with a half-mask. I added my own flare to it, giving it a polished, armor-like definition. 

Darlingmonster suggested we name it Olokun, for the West African goddess of the deep sea.  She's associated with the underworld, as the ruler of the sea floor where all dead sea creatures eventually lie, and rebirth and renewal, for those dead sea creatures become food for others.  She's depicted as a beautiful, black mermaid, and is known as the guardian of secrets.  For what was originally dreamt of as a mer helm, it seemed the perfect name.

In addition to the iridescent peacock colors shown in the picture, it also includes my usual palette of metal colors: copper, bronze, gold, and sterling, antiqued and tarnished silver.  You can also set the tendrils or the helm itself to be invisible, so if you'd like to simplify it you're free to do so.  There's also made a male version fit for classically masculine features, with a thicker brow and harsher cheekbones.  It's made to be worn with "half shaved" styles of hair,  such as Wasabi Pills' "Morgan" style, or no hair at all. 

Out now at the store: 150L
On the marketplace: 175L

Curiata

Since I still feel like I'm in my motivation dry spell, I decided to ask my friends for inspiration.  The ever helpful and lovely Evangeline Miles suggested I do something like laser cut masks .  One of the images clicked with me and I realized I could probably do something like that now with mesh.

It came a lot easier to me than I was expecting.  I sketched out some lovely curly prettiness in Zbrush, then followed the design in Blender to get my final geometry.  When I got it into Zbrush for sculpting, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it had worked!

 I might have gotten carried away, but I love the results.  Admittedly, it turned into something similar to the Columbina and Civetta Curia trim I did, which is why I gave it the name Curiata.

Unlike the Curia masks, this one has no "backing" which makes it more delicate and feminine.  For colors, I did my usual range of black, gray (silver) and white, and red through purple and pink.  I had eleven out of twelve colors after that though, so I decided to have fun with the last one.

Have you ever heard of Niobium?  If not, you might not have seen the beautiful and crazy colors that come out when it's anodized.  It's generally a gradient of purples and blues to cyan, but can sometimes have golds and pinks in it as well.  I thought I might have a bit of fun and include Niobium amongst my usual metal options.

I'm aiming to make more masks in the time leading up to Mardi Gras.  After all, it's only a month away!  I'll keep you guys updated on when the masquerade will be.  And of course, that'll be the perfect place to wear this one ;)


Out now at the store
On the marketplace: 315L

Unseelie Mask

In my Unseelie Masquerade post, I posted teases of the mask I wore that was subsequently awarded to Lady of the Unseelie, Yukio Ida.  Now I can happily present to everyone the mysterious and otherworldly mask of the Unseelie.

Creating this mask was an exercise in overcoming a creative block.  I pulled it like a stubborn weed out of my head, and it fought me every step of the way.  Fortunately, with my friend Selos and the freedom of Zbrush's Dynamesh feature, I put together every permutation I could until I found something that I loved.

The Unseelie mask is inspired by the delicate leather masks of more modern mask makers, and inwardly I've always associated the intricate tendrils and airiness leather allows with dark fairies.  I came up with the basic shape of the mask very quickly, but put it aside as it lacked the regal complexity I was after.  However, after trying a dozen other ideas that I didn't like anywhere near as much, I came back to it.  I decided to try and jazz it up more, but I still liked the original's sinister simplicty.  I realized with a very easy adjustment I could compromise and have both the version that was fit for the royalty of the Lady of the Unseelie and the more conservative base.

I separated the mask into two pieces, a mask and a headpiece.  They fit together so that when both are worn, it looks like one fabulous mask, but the pieces can be separated if need be to have a simpler mask or a delicate diadem.  They compliment each other but look lovely apart.

This mask is just one of the two I made for the party, but unfortunately I'm having a bit of a creative fit over the male mask.  Usually, I release the two together, but seeing as how this one is ready to go and the other still needs work, I decided not to keep you waiting.  Plus, this mask is unisex, and certainly holds well on its own.

Out now at the store
On the marketplace

Volto Pierrot and Pedrolina

I've been busy working on something exciting for Fantasy Faire (coming up April 21st - 29th), which distracted me from finishing and releasing a couple more mesh masks. I meant to get these out shortly after the Volto Altezza and Altezzoso, but better late than never!

There are some beautifully painted volto masks out there in the real world, with elegant patterns and creative looks, but all of them start with a simple white mask. That's what I found myself with, and so I set to work playing with designs. I did my own take on some classics, and invented some entirely new ones too.

Pierrot, as a Commedia Dell'Arte character, was a sad clown. He was the lovelorn and naive innocent who pines with unrequited love. Traditionally dressed all in white with black, his was a human face with either white makeup or a human mask. His character was more human, he was an underdog and had more flexibility than others who had set roles. One day he would be a tragic patsy, the next a crucial catalyst of action. But, he was always in black and white.

This let me play quite a bit with patterns, especially with the male version. I admit I got a little carried away, the "Tribal" and "Noh" patterns you see in the male previews (lets just say the spiky one and the dramatic one) are my having a bit of fun. The female version features changing lips, in six different patterns with a black and red option for each. It's a lot of fun mixing and matching the different patterns with the different lip styles, and it changes the attitude of the pattern entirely.

Speaking of which, for a mask like this I'm so glad I have a bit of extra space in my vendor images now. It allows you to see the various patterns at a glance when its more than just a recolor, so that even if the one the model is wearing doesn't catch your eye, one of the other patterns just might.


Out now at the store: 295L
Volto Pedrolina (f) on the marketplace
Volto Pierrot (m) on the marketplace

Mezzaluna Puro

An oldie but a goodie from way back in the ancient days of 2007 is my Mezzaluna mask. Despite being over four years old it still has looks pretty decent, I have to say. It's exotic, beautiful, and well in need of a meshtastic remake.

The picture is a little homage to its ancestor. I think you'll notice though, that this one is a bit simpler, without tassels or chains like the first one. That's where it's earned the "Puro" in its name, this one is just the shape for those folks who like to keep things simple.

You now have the twelve color options I offer with all of my masks, instead of just being locked into purple, and this one is properly unisex! I did a special shape just for men with a more prominent brow and nose.

I have plans to make a more ornate version, but just for now I'm going to try and offer as many basic shapes of masks as I can. So the tassels and chains will come later! (wow, that sounds pretty raunchy...)


Out now at the store: 175L
Buy it on the Marketplace

Volto Altezza and Altezzoso

When mesh first went into beta, I wanted to give it a try and see what I could do with it. The first thing that came to mind was a volto mask, because I have never been happy with my attempts to make a full face mask with sculpts. I had a lot to learn.

For about eight months all I did to play with mesh was mess around with a volto. I made literally dozens of them, starting over and over again until I could sculpt a pair of decent lips in just a few minutes. Every time I did, I learned a bit more about topology, how the polygons could work together and what to aim for.

The evolution of my topology, from left to right

You can see how the picture on the left has a lot of points and lots of "snags", parts where the lines aren't neat squares. That's the sort of thing that would get ugly if you tried sculpting on it, and would prevent a smooth and consistent surface. I finally got the hang of getting rid of those and managed to figure out how to make neat loops and keep my detail where I needed it most.

So believe me, this mask has been a long time coming.

After so much tweaking, revisions and refinement and then finally another round of neurotic scrutiny, I am very proud to share this mask with you. The Volto Altezza is an ornate and elegant visage, with a proud crown of coque feathers. Altezza is Italian for "loftiness", and "sua altezza" is an equivalent expression to "your highness". With the refinement and detail of the delicate metal work, no one will doubt that you're worthy of the title.

We can't have a fine lady without an escort though, and so a worthy gentleman had to be produced.
The most notable difference aside from the features is that he doesn't have customizable lips. I found it just far too feminine on him, so I hope you'll find the feather crown enough color. Speaking of, I've made the mask and crown separate. If you like, you can wear just the crown or just the mask, and I've even included an option for just the crown with no feathers if you want to wear something in your hair.

For the first time, I used Photoshop brushes as alphas for the details on the crown and center mask. I had to, to achieve the detail and intricacy I hoped to. I'm happy to credit the incredibly talented Coy Dreamer. I used selections from her Decorative and Floral sets as imprintable patterns on to my high detail model. I doubt I could achieve such a beautiful effect without her efforts.

When you try to create a neutral, beautiful face, it's amazing how much of a challenge it becomes. There are so many little details that our minds are especially attune to being able to detect the slightest error in, and they end up needing scrutiny and heaps of patience to fix. After all this time I'm finally happy with my work, and I have something I can be proud of for hopefully a long while. I hope to use this mask a base for other patterns and variations in the future, and I look forward to seeing where I end up next.

Out now at the store: 450L
Volto Altezza (f) on the marketplace
Volto Altezzoso (m) on the marketplace

Scaramouche

I'm making up for lost time, can you tell? I'm on a roll with traditional Venetian masks and I'm absolutely loving working with unrigged mesh. Weight painting and rigging is another matter, but I just can't get over the freedom and flexibility I now have for masks!

While I was working, I watched one of my favorite movies: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. I knew immediately which mask I had to make next.

The Naso Scaramouche is another classical Commedia Dell'Arte style of mask in the same vein as the Naso Turco. Like many traditional carnivale masks it's based off of a character: in this case, Scaramuccia or Scaramouche. His character was a dashing lady's man who was clever and witty, and always ended up turning tricky situations into an advantage. Scaramouche was first and foremost a comedian and was always well received by audiences.

For this mask, since I wanted a lot of detail but not to tax people's systems too much, I'm experimenting with it being only one sided. That means in the back it's transparent, like a plane. This is just an experiment, so please let me know how you feel about it not being able to be enjoyed "360°" like my other masks.

I had quite a bit of trouble getting the texture to a point I was happy with. I wanted it to be rather matte like papier mache, yet I couldn't get it at a point that looked crisp, matte, and had enough contrast to be interesting. I finally got it to a point that I'm happy with, but it may not be as luxurious and amazing as the rest of my textures :)~

So, only one thing needs to be asked. If you buy this mask, will you do the Fandango?

Out now at the store: 250L
Buy it on the Marketplace

Curia

As I'm getting more comfortable sculpting with mesh, I realized that compared to my newest creations my signature mask, (the Velodorno), was starting to look a bit dated. So, I set out to create a new one.

My signature mask is always something traditional, elegant, and with ornate and delicate curls. Making that in mesh was an interesting challenge and taught me many new things about efficient geometry and UV mapping a complex shape. But of course it resulted in something beautiful I'll be proud to put in my header.

I think you'll notice that along with this release I've changed up my vendor layout a bit. I was getting a bit dissatisfied with my other layout and wanted something crisper, cleaner and more modern. I also wanted to start showing off the mask! I won't be updating the vendors of older items, but I did go back and change my other mesh creations to this layout. It also helps add another visual cue to people who might still be unable to see mesh items that these are different.

The differences between these two masks are subtle, the most noticeable of them being that one has a nose piece and the other doesn't. I simply couldn't decide if I liked it better with or without so I compromised. The other difference is in shape: the Civetta is always more "owl" shaped (Civetta actually means owl) with a pronounced pinch in at the nose. The Columbina is a more feminine line that goes straight across the face and curls up to a taper by the temples.

Doing all of the little curls was a delight and a torture at the same time. Playing with high definition to add little flares and definition to each little taper was fun, but then facing the ordeal of UV mapping it wasn't. If you're not familiar, UV mapping is the process of trying to "unzip" a 3-dimensional object into a 2d one for texturing. Imagine a map of the world, and how it's a bit distorted because it's trying to describe shapes that are a part of a sphere. That sort of map is very simple... a map for all of these curls on the other hand, looks like this:

I wasn't even able to stack islands due to a glitch D:

That took me literally all day, but it was well worth it. I had another draft of a map that was more clumsily done, and saw a dramatic improvement in the invisibility of my seams as well as detail which is always nice to see!

I'm sure I'll get better at it as I continue, and look back at this with the facepalm of hindsight and wonder what I was thinking.

Out now at the store: 300L each
Buy the Civetta Curia on the Marketplace
Buy the Columbina Curia on the Marketplace