Anubis mask: Progress pictures

(To see the start of the project, see this post.)

Here is the mask base, all dry and resting on the original clay sculpture. To make the mask form, I used muslin mache - basically just paper mache but with cloth instead of paper and a slightly stronger glue formula. To make it extra sturdy, I coated the mask inside and out with a super-thick layer of Sobo brand glue (non-toxic and non-smelly) and then lined the edges with black duct tape. It is quite flexible and surprisingly strong — it took over an hour just to cut out one of the eye holes.

The ears are not attached yet — they're just there to see how they look proportionally. Anubis is a jackal god, so his ears are quite tall and narrow.

Gold satin glued over the right eye. This will later serve as the swirly markings around his eye.

The ears are also lined with the same gold satin. I cut up a plastic Arizona iced tea jug to form their basic shape — the jug's shape is also the source of the ears' curvature, as well as the droopy tips... which, while I didn't plan for them, I kind of like the way they look.

The head is mostly furred here. The ears still aren't attached, and the nose has not been added yet.
(The deer-crossing sign, by the way, was found lying in the woods near the local college. I didn't steal it off the road or anything.)

With the nose added! It was originally going to be black, either folded leather or Sculpey covered with that rubberized tool-dip stuff. But I was in a hurry, and thought the gold nose added to the stylized look of the head.

Next on the list:

• Figure out an effective way to attach the ears
• Finish (or perhaps scrap and re-start) constructing the lower jaw
• Fur the neck and the back of the head
• Paws and tail!