Design Resource
Masks of Raghurajpur
Papier-Mache and Cowdung Masks
by
Cowdung
Cow-dung (or sometimes other bio-waste) is added for making the body and reinforcement of the mask. It is layered on top of the paper pulp. Sometimes, another coat of paper and cow-dung is done to make the mask even stronger. Spreading cow-dung on the layer of paper results in a medium that is extremely malleable, having the possibility of being molded into countless forms. While wet, the dung can be chiselled or shaped with a knife to add facial features on the mask like eyes, nose, lips etc. This is then left to dry in the sun before it is coated with a mix of chalk powder and tamarind gum.
