Our page banner is a detail of a mask with scarification marks from the Makonde people in Mozambique.
Photo: (Creative Commons) © Andreas Praefcke
Designing an African Mask - Step 3
Designing the nose - 1
- Draw one half of a stylized nose on the light colored paper.
- The nose should stretch from just above the eyes to roughly halfway between the eyes and the bottom of the sheet.
- Stylized and simplified features are used to help express abstract qualities like nobility, integrity, courage, fear and humour.
Designing the nose - 2
- Cut out the nose shape and flip it over.
- Place it on the dark sheet and align it with the vertical edge of the light paper.
- This will complete its symmetrical shape and maintain the tonal counterchange of the mask design.
Designing the nose - 3
- This illustration depicts some alternative designs for stylized noses.
- Note how each nose has been stylized and simplified into a basic shape without much detail.
- Simplified features on a mask communicate quicker and are more visible from a distance. They also have a greater expressive impact than more detailed images.
