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| 1. Do you do commissions? |
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Info
about special orders and commissions can be found here. |
| 2. Do you sell wholesale? / Can I retail your art through my store? |
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Please contact Monica for wholesale pricing and minimum order information for wearable horns. For masks, Goblin Art can offer a bulk discount (generally 15 to 35% discount per piece depending on type and quantity of masks ordered) to retailers. Goblin Art is not currently looking for new consignment sale opportunities. |
| 3. Can you make me a copy of a mask I saw somewhere? |
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If you saw one of Monica's masks somewhere, you may be able to special order a similar piece. But please do not ask for an unlicensed reproduction of another artist's design. This includes most mask designs seen in movies or on television*, as well as the unlicensed copying of design elements from original 2D or 3D artworks. *Monica does retain the rights to the mask designs used in the 2006 version of The Wicker Man, and for the Iron Maiden Dance of Death album cover. |
| 4. What do you make your masks and art out of? |
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Monica's art is created from a mixture of materials, including neoprene, thermoplastic, resin, paper mache, modeling compounds, acrylic paint, wire, feathers, leather, lace, gold-leaf, beads, and found objects. Cast pieces are often used in the process, but they are altered and combined with other pieces and materials, so each work of art is a unique creation. Neoprene is a semi-rigid synthetic rubber, far more durable than regular mask latex. It is frequently used by the film and theatre industries to create masks, puppets, props and costume pieces. The masks in the film Labyrinth were made from Neoprene, and 20 years later they are still in excellent condition. Rick built the Goblin Art vacuuform machine, which uses heat to soften a heavy-duty "thermoplastic" sheet, and a vacuum source to shape it over one of Monica's original sculpted designs. Monica has also developed a technique which uses a combination of paper mache and modeling compounds over a vacuuformed mask base to give the mask more shape, texture and character. |
| 5. How long do your masks take to make? |
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Sculpting a new mask design can take 3 to 10 hours, or even longer if there is a lot of back and forth with a customer. If a mold needs to be made, add another 2 to 3 hours of labor. Casting a neoprene mask (including trimming, reshaping, and sanding) is generally 2 to 5 hours, longer if multiple pieces are combined. Forming and paper maching a vaccuformed mask may take 2 to 3 hours, or longer if multiple pieces are combined. Detailed hand-painting of a mask usually takes 3 to 5 hours. Lastly, the mask needs to be padded and have elastic and/or ribbon ties attached, which can take 1 to 2 hours. Total time per mask: At least 6 to 12 hours (not including initial sculpting or moldmaking, or drying or curing time between steps). |
| 6. Is every mask different? |
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Most of Monica's masks are made with the assistance of a mold, but even her most popular styles can have a tremendous amount of variation from piece to piece. Firstly, her maskmaking techniques are very organic. Every piece is individually handcrafted. Features like ears, noses and horns may be stretched and twisted slightly differently each time. Modeling compounds take on a different shape from mask to mask, and the character of paper and the paint always varies. So each piece is always slightly different (or in some cases dramatically different) from the one before. |
| 7. How can I make masks like you do? |
Check
the resources page for some helpful maskmaking
articles. You might also track down a copy of the following book:
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| 8. How do I look after my mask? |
| Goblin Art's neoprene mask care guide |
| 9. How do I wear my horns? |
| 10. Do you have a catalog? |
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Monica is currently creating a website catalog that will display many of her mask styles along with pricing and variations. |
| 11. Would you like to have a booth at our Sci-fi convention / Renaissance Faire / Market, etc? |
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Most of the events Monica sells at are in the states of Oregon and Washington. If you have a Pacific NW Event that is not already on Monica's event calendar, you are most welcome to contact Monica with your event's date, location, cost, and attendance. |
| 13. Where do you get your ideas? | ||
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"Some ideas just materialize in my mind. Sometimes they are triggered by a shadow on a wall, or the shape of a knobbly branch or tree when the light hits it from a certain direction. Other times characters and designs magically appear when I pick up a piece of clay or a pencil and start to experiment with line and shape." While it is her desire to create truly distinctive art, Monica cannot deny the influence of the multitude of fantasy films, books and artwork she has enjoyed over the years. Significant influences include Brian Froud, Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, Jim Henson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Maurice Sendak, Mercer Meyer, Jan Svankmajer, and the Brothers Quay. Some of her favorite Froud books follow: |
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 Book-cover © Henson Associates, Inc. |
The
Goblin Companion: |
A
smaller version of The Goblins of Labyrinth without the full
page Labyrinth illustrations. One
of my favorites. US version is currently out of print. Find in the US via amazon.com marketplace |
 Book-cover © Brian Froud & Terry Jones |
Strange
Stains and Mysterious Smells: Terry Jones & Brian Froud |
If stains and smells
were visible in vindictive goblin-esque form. Another of my favorites. US version currently
out of print. Find
in the US via amazon.com marketplace. |
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Faeries Brian
Froud & Alan Lee (Illustrators) |
~200 pages, 1978, 1979, 1995,
2002 Buy the 25th anniversary edition (hardcover) for $16.97 from amazon.com (Normally $24.95) Buy the paperback edition for $14.70 from amazon.com (Normally $21.00) Order
the hardcover edition Buy
the paperback edition from the UK for £10.49 |
 Book-cover © Brian Froud |
Good Faeries, Bad Faeries : 2 Books in 1 Brian
Froud (Preface & Illustrations), |
Hardcover, 192
pages, 1998 |
 Book-cover © Wendy Froud & Terri Windling |
A
Midsummer's Night's Faery Tale |
Order
from the US Order
from the UK |
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