I love working on prototypes. By their very nature, there is a spontaneous and creative freedom that comes to light to stimulate, excite and challenge the imagination.

In 1992, I was contracted to produce a 15-foot Oriental Dragon design that would be coiled onto the back of a studio musician, airbrushed to resemble tattoo art, and hi-lighted with 3000 fiber optic effects for 'Michael Jackson's World Tour 92'.

I was quite excited by this concept but the technician in charge of fiber optics felt he would not be able to thread the fibers through the foam skin. The project then reverted back to the prop department and the creature was vac-u-formed in rigid plastic.

Still intrigued by the idea, I decided to explore the potential of this design myself. As a result, a prototype mask of this scale and magnitude has opened many doors for me. I highly recommend this area of design to anyone serious about his or her art.

Approximately 3 foot in length, this Oriental Dragon Mask was produced in polyurethane sheet foam. The articulated jaw-line is designed to accommodate both hand and cable mechanisms. Additional eye and brow movement completes the effect.