1) I have no painting/manual skills. How can I decorate a mask?
You don’t need to be a trained artist to decorate your own mask! We will teach you easy (but not simplistic) decorative techniques and you will be the one to decide if you are satisfied with your work. There’s no “pass or fail” in our courses! If you’re not completely happy with your work, we will help you change the decorations until your mask is exactly how you imagined it!
2) Am I too old/too young for this course?
The minimum age requirement is 4, but if a child is helped by a parent, there is no minimum age. Nobody is too old or too young. The techniques you will be taught are easy, but not trivial. This means everybody is able to use them according to their abilities with plenty of room for personal creativity.
3) What should I wear? Will I spot my clothes and damage them?
Waterproof aprons will be provided. However, you will still have to be careful as you will be using paints and other professional products of the sort that we use in our everyday work. These are not toxic and you can easily wash them off your skin, but they are quite hard to remove from clothes once they dry.
4) Will I use sharp or cutting tools?
No, you won’t use any dangerous tools.
5) Are colorings toxic? Will I use any toxic substance?
No toxic material will be used. You will be use the same colorings we use every day, and they have never caused problems.
6) Can I take my mask with me after the course?
Yes, at the end of the experience, your mask will be dry, and ready to be carefully packed and transported.
7) What are masks made of?
All masks in our worksops are handmade from real cartapesta (papier-mâché). They are made from the very same materials we use for our normal production.
8) What kind of mask can I paint?
You will find masks of every kind: traditional Venetian masks, masks for theatre (Commedia dell’Arte), fantasy masks, Venice Carnival masks, masks for children and for parties, etc.
9) Are courses only in English?
The 2-hour courses are held in Italian, English, French and Russian. The 1-hour “ABC” course is given in Italian only, but it is just a practical course and no verbal explanation is required.
10) I have another question.
If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us through our online form! We will get back to you very soon.