Thank you for your help in the last batch of questions. I did like the yellow portrait and the colourful, spotted one, but you got me thinking about other options.

I do not know how much I can physically do with the masks. They have a waxy finish that seems embedded in the fibres rather than a removable coating like the milk cartons. I did do some playing around though.

I thought about using the masks as a portrait and drawing what you can see of the face in the top third above the fold of the mask. Drawing hair did not seem necessary (upper right), but it seemed to easy to fall into formulaic drawing if I drew only people’s eyes. I tried adding yellow watercolour (upper left), blue as an eye colour (lower left), and water after I discovered that the pen’s ink was water-soluble (lower right).

A friend pointed out that I was discussing air. That made me think of doing things in a lighter, airier way.

What if I drew on sheets of clear plastic? I learned the hard way that it is hard to control water-soluble coloured pencils when drawing on plastic. It can be done but great care must be taken. The pencil cannot be too wet nor too dry. So for this experiment, I created patterns instead. Grey scribbles (upper left) to represent the dirty, polluted air, yellow scribbles with a bit of grey to represent the polluted dust from the Gobi (upper right),  yellow blogs that I had meant to cover the entire sheet with but instead left partially covered (lower left), and the yellow and black plastic sheets combined and placed over a drawing (lower right). These create all kinds of looks. Some work; some don’t.

Here is the yellow portrait (coloured pencil on gessoed wooden panel) untouched (upper left), covered with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

Here is the colourful portrait (coloured pencil on gessoed wooden panel) untouched (upper left), covered with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

One friend who likes drawing in charcoal reminded me of that possibility, so I decided to play with that and see what would happen if I brushed yellow paint on top. Would the lines run with the addition of the liquid? Would the drawing be ruined?  (All of these were quickly drawn without much thought or preparation by the way. ) The lines in the charcoal drawing covered in paint without fixative (upper left) ran a bit. Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

Here is a charcoal drawing that has been sprayed with fixative and then covered in yellow paint (upper left). Note that the lines do not run. Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

I also tried drawing with a waxy, water-soluble crayon that makes a pencil-like line. The colour is off in the photo, because you cannot see that I drew on some brown paper samples. I think I sprayed it with fixative (upper left) before covering it with yellow paint, but I am not sure. The yellow paint seems to sit on the surface rather than be absorbed, so I assume this one has been sprayed. Note that the lines of the water-soluble crayon were not affected by the liquid paint.

How about more expression? I tried to open my mouth and use my face to express shock about the air pollution, but the mask limits what others can see. This almost expressive one is drawn in the same water-soluble, waxy crayon that resembles a pencil, and I think it has not been sprayed with fixative because the yellow paint has been absorbed into the brown paper (upper left). Note that the yellow is not visible on the brown paper. Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

Here is a drawing with the same water-soluble crayon on a sheet of heavy paper that is the same type as the brown but this one is white (upper left). It was not sprayed with fixative before being covered with yellow paint. Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right). The white paper works better than the brown if I add patterns to the foreground.

Then I scribbled a portrait with a limited colour palette using only a water-soluble reddish brown pencil and a blue one. This one was sprayed with fixative before I covered it with yellow paint. Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

Once again with a limited palette, I decided to try stronger lines and eyes of a different colour with the water-soluble coloured pencils (upper left) Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

Then time to try one that is not so harsh and a few more colours (upper left). Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow blobs (upper right), yellow scribbles (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

I wanted to try another variation of the yellow portrait but simplify the face (upper left). Too much like manga? Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

This one was water-soluble, yellow pencil that was sprayed with fixative before covered in yellow paint (upper left). Maybe not such a good idea. On the other hand, the smog and dust does prevent a clear view of everything, right?Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

Here is another variation, limiting the palette to yellow paint and brown pencil (upper left). Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

What if I keep the yellows and browns but made the mask yellow (upper left)? Not bad. It does not resemble manga as much as the other one did. That is good. Then I added the acrylic sheet with the grey scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with yellow scribbles (lower right).

A portrait by Yayoi Kusama at Tokyo Opera City made me wonder what would happen if I drew a more geometric face (upper left).  Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

If I really wanted to do something airy, wouldn’t it make sense to have to drawing float in the air? So I drew on an acrylic sheet with an oil pastel (upper left). Not bad but it gets lost when add to the foreground with patterns on other acrylic sheets, such as the one with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

Next I tried black pen on an acrylic sheet. Surprise! The ink was not permanent! I could smudge it if I liked. Good thing to know! Then I added the acrylic sheet with the yellow scribbles (upper right), with yellow blobs (lower left), and with grey scribbles (lower right).

I also tried a black background with the yellow pastel on acrylic. Photographing it was difficult! My iPhone looks like my nose!

I also tried the yellow acrylic drawing on top of a strong and simple charcoal drawing. The drawings are both self-portraits but the sizes are different. As a result, nothing lines up. It is a bit unnerving but in a good way.

What do you think? Let me know. I honestly do read and ponder everything.