The dragon is one of the central figures in Chinese mythology. In the Chinese theater, which plays various episodes from folk myths on its stage, an unusual image of a dragon has developed, which is sometimes assembled from parts of different animals. Like most theatrical masks, the dragon mask is very bright and graphic. It is characterized by the use of contrasting colors - red, yellow, black, white. Large dragons with long, variegated tails, controlled by several people, are an integral part of folk festivities in China and are popular in many countries.
It is necessary
- - a lot of wire of medium thickness;
- - old newspapers or unnecessary cotton rags / gauze;
- - PVA glue, diluted in half with water;
- - paints;
- - a small feather boa;
- - colored plastic plate;
- - glue gun;
- - glitter / metallized spray paint.
Instructions
Step 1
Make a large skeleton ball out of the wire. Once you have determined the size of the dragon's head, wrap the wire around the imaginary ball, while leaving the bottom of the frame open so that the head and shoulders of the person can fit inside the dragon's head. Wrap as much wire as possible in this way so that there are no large holes on the surface of the ball.
Step 2
On one side of the resulting ball, make holes for the dragon's eyes by pushing the wire apart. Squeezing the ball with your hands, give it the shape of a dragon's head: flatten it on the sides, make the nose area more convex, the brow ridges, push the upper jaw forward (resembling a duck beak). For greater volumetric parts, you can add more wire to the existing frame.
Step 3
When the shape of the frame suits you, glue it over with pieces of torn newspaper or strips of thin cotton cloth, soaking them well in PVA glue, diluted in half with water. Dry the first layer of papier-mâché for about eight hours.
Step 4
Cover the dragon's head with a second layer of paper or cloth. Let the product dry. Two layers of papier-mâché are enough to keep the dragon's head strong.
Step 5
Cut out two semicircular dragon ears from the cardboard. Glue them onto your head with a glue gun.
Step 6
Paint your head in bright colors with paints (gouache, acrylic). The head can be decorated with any intricate designs. Using a contrasting color combination, highlight the individual features of the dragon's face - the eye sockets, nose, cheekbones. Also, some parts of the head can be covered with shiny self-adhesive tape.
Step 7
Cut out the dragon's eyebrows from a bright plastic plate and glue them over the eyes with a glue gun. Also glue a thin feather boa (white or colored) along the upper jaw and eyebrows of the dragon.
Step 8
Seal the eye sockets from the inside with a thin black cloth or fine mesh, through which you can clearly see. To make the eyes, glue circles of thin felt or cardboard onto a black cloth. Draw the pupils. The Chinese dragon can have long eyelashes, which can be made from improvised means - paper, thin plastic, colored wire.
Step 9
If you want to make a movable lower jaw for your dragon, then make a semicircular frame of a suitable size out of wire and cover it with a cloth, or glue it with papier-mâché. Attach the lower jaw to the head with a wire.
Step 10
Paint the lower jaw with red paint, glue around the edge of the boa. Draw or glue big teeth on the dragon. Complete the image of the dragon with the final touches - sprinkle in places with metallic paint, sparkles.
