Masks and other Art

[Buster's Uncle]

...I got a late start today, and am still not 100%.  I just found the DeviantArt page Mylochka set up, that I'd forgotten completely.  I need to sort through what we've got on hand to compare to the superior shots she put up there - there's stuff we gave away pictured and not everything I have included.

I think first, I need to go sign up at the Halloween forum...

[Buster's Uncle]

Done.  I'm writing something now, good Lord willing and my innerwebs connection stops acting out long enough...

[Buster's Uncle]

Hey - am I gonna have trouble if I post more shots of individual masks?

[Unorthodox]

Kinda depends how quick you do it and how many. 

They don't want to see someone bumping the thread every day for a month type thing.  Get organized and post a bunch at a time.  IIRC, there's a 10 picture limit per post, so you might HAVE to post several posts just to get them up. 

[Buster's Uncle]

...I need to get organized about this anyway.  I really thought Mylochka would do more, but she's already sweatshopping a million dolls to sale at the show, and I guess she's too focused on that right now.  I was never supposed to bother with the sales end...

[Buster's Uncle]

I struck a little gold with the DeviantArt account - there's eight slick pictures of masks that I've either never posted, we gave away, or are just nicer shots than what I have posted.

-Ordinarily, I'd post these one at a time, once a day, on the same strategic writer's principal Mylochka taught me many years ago of "Don't blow all your ideas at once in the same story", but here, I'm going all-in as part of a first draft for my next post at the Halloween Forum...

All of these have "A paper mache mask. Painted with acrylics. Sealed with a matte finish. Partially lined with felt." in the description.  I don't recall why she kept using my email for everything -I got spam from Etsy just the other day- when I wasn't handling any of that.  Probably because I was online all the time, and she was still trying to have a real life; also, that was several cyberstalkers ago - I'm tempted to alter the pics, but time's a-wastin', I've got too much on my plate at once, and I have unlimited blocking at that account.


Evil Eye DoD Mask



Green Day of the Dead Mask



Candy Skull Mask



Red Oni Mask



Heart of the Jungle Mask



(The rest of these are given away, as noted, or I don't remember seeing this next one in what I have, so not going up over there unless I find it.  Pity, too; its a much nicer mask under the painting.)


Heart of the Jungle Mask 02



UNT Eagle mask

"This mask was done as a present for a friend at school. Caw!!"  (Dr. Treat actually said "Caw!" when we gave it to him.)


Princess Mask

"Our niece asked for a princess mask. This one turned out looking a little like Peter Max threw up a My Little Pony... but we hope she likes it!"  (She did - I believe I posted a shot of her wearing it not long ago.)

First, I gotta go cook supper.  Next, get the mask out and look at everything.  Next, go back through the thread...

[Buster's Uncle]

Grilled steak, and it turned out very well.  Delicious.

Now to go get the actual masks and have a look-through...

[Buster's Uncle]

Crap.  No wonder I'd already taken pictures of everything I have - this doesn't cover more than half of what I'm sure we haven't parted with.  I'm sure this isn't even everything I pulled out to show people earlier this year, let alone what's still not turned up from Texas.  Need to do more rooting around...

[Buster's Uncle]

What a relief - two more boxes-worth in plain sight that I've been walking past for a month.  I count nine that I've photographed, and 28 to go.  Roughly four are blanks.

[Buster's Uncle]

Okay, one mask is a surprising amount of work/time-consuming to get one usable shot full-face and one usable three-quarter/profile with this camera, crop/size and post.  I am Officially Stressed Out - I wouldn't have started this if I realized there was so much Left To Do, and a need to Get It Done it last week.

[Dio]

Grilled steak, and it turned out very well.  Delicious.

Now to go get the actual masks and have a look-through...

Crap.  No wonder I'd already taken pictures of everything I have - this doesn't cover more than half of what I'm sure we haven't parted with.  I'm sure this isn't even everything I pulled out to show people earlier this year, let alone what's still not turned up from Texas.  Need to do more rooting around...

What a relief - two more boxes-worth in plain sight that I've been walking past for a month.  I count nine that I've photographed, and 28 to go.  Roughly four are blanks.

I remember saying something about that a month ago. My intuition has not failed me yet with regards to the situation over there.

[Buster's Uncle]

Officially Stressed Out...  I thought I had things lined up and ready, or I wouldn't have started this...

[Dio]

Officially Stressed Out...  I thought I had things lined up and ready, or I wouldn't have started this...

If you feel stressed out about a large project, than a method I use to deal with it is to think of it as an elephant in your head. You cannot tackle the whole elephant at once, but the stress becomes manageable if you cut the elephant into smaller pieces.

[Buster's Uncle]

Good advice.  Wise.

I took everything up to Mylochka's and she wasn't as much help as I hoped, but I got better sorting done sitting on the floor in an open space, left everything I'm certain we've got pictures of taken and posted there with her, 'cause I'm done with those.  -And we decided one painted mask was incomplete and crappy enough to only charge the $15 blank rate - and that a few others are too nice to do that with, but not in good enough condition to sell, so lay aside for repairs later and not offer now.  (More than one is a good job from me, and well-painted by her, but has been warped too much sitting in boxes for years.)

SO - I'm just not going to get everything done tonight that I need done yesterday, and not going to give myself a stroke trying - with all the, for instance, DOD skulls sorted together, I'm going to see if I can lay the lot in a neat row and crop individually from a group shot.  (Which won't take care of the need for profiles, but cuts down on time, work and disk space for the full-face shots if it works.)

[Dio]

Good advice.  Wise.

I took everything up to Mylochka's and she wasn't as much help as I hoped, but I got better sorting done sitting on the floor in an open space, left everything I'm certain we've got pictures of taken and posted there with her, 'cause I'm done with those.  -And we decided one painted mask was incomplete and crappy enough to only charge the $15 blank rate - and that a few others are too nice to do that with, but not in good enough condition to sell, so lay aside for repairs later and not offer now.  (More than one is a good job from me, and well-painted by her, but has been warped too much sitting in boxes for years.)

SO - I'm just not going to get everything done tonight that I need done yesterday, and not going to give myself a stroke trying - with all the, for instance, DOD skulls sorted together, I'm going to see if I can lay the lot in a neat row and crop individually from a group shot.  (Which won't take care of the need for profiles, but cuts down on time, work and disk space for the full-face shots if it works.)

A lot of the stress sounds as if it originates from wanting to have everything completed in a single day even if it is not reasonable. It appears you have managed to realize this fact and implemented appropriate stress management measures.