Project – Leto - Dark Trinity

Model: Nylh

Design: Nylh
 

Mask inspirations: Art nouveau stained glass and kokoshnik

Dress inspiration: 1908 La Mode Illustree (antique french fashio magazine) and Mucha work

Mask materials: Leather paper, gelatin for flash

Who is Leto?
Leto is one of the characters from Legends of Azcor. She appears in the second cycle of history. The same cycle as La Lijhline, my first self-published novel.

Is Leto mean?
Leto is a complex character. Like every human being, she has her dark side, but for most people, this darkness is constrained by empathy, benevolence, love and all those feelings and codes that keep us from killing each other. These are our social masks. And even though you really, really want to enucleate a person with a rusty teaspoon, you hold back. Leto is very self centered, she only lives for herself and doesn't have these feelings. She imitates them, out of social necessity, out of facade. But when she can indulge her lowest instincts and with complete impunity, she does not deprive herself ... And someone has a great interest in letting her do it.

Why the name Leto? The Greek goddess? Summer in Russian?
Because I like the name, like I like the names of Blodwen, Maebel, Dante, Syllah, Ioline etc ... I don't choose my names to make sense of them, just because the character is called that. I won't look any further.

Are you going to translate this book into … (insert other language than french) ?
No, it's not in my plans, it would take too much work

How do you make your masks?
I use leather paper that I cut with a blade cutter (I don't own a laser cutter for now), I clean the pieces one by one and cut them again if necessary, I glue photo gelatin to give the stained glass aspect and I assemble everything with neoprene glue. For the white mask I used holographic stickers for the rainbow effect

How long does it take you to make a mask?

A lot of time. I don't really count my hours. It took me two years to complete my trinity. Some parts take several hours to cut, and usually I have misfires (my cutter is finicky), which can double the cutting time.

Can you see well through it?
Yes, very well, I draw my designs in such a way that it does not hide the eyes and the photo gelatins are very transparent. It's like I have sunglasses ... red or purple sunglasses depending on the mask.

What is leather paper?
A resistant but flexible paper used to make pencil cases and small bags, an alternative to leather.

Can you send me a sample?
No

Can you send me the blueprints for your masks, I know someone who can remake them.
No !

Why don't you sell / rent / remake your masks?
Because it's the “face” of one of my characters, because this character is linked to my traumas, my bad experiences, and my anxiety and I don't want others to wear them and distort what they represent to me. Leto is a part of me. That part of my anger and rage that I want to explode but can't.

Will you sell masks later?
Maybe. I am working on the mask of the Adepts, the following of Leto. If I can, I think I would sell a few.

​

May I use your photos to illustrate a character in my roleplay game ? May I use it as reference to draw / paint a picture ?

Yes, as long as it's for personnal use and that you mention the source it's ok.

May I use it as a mod in a video game.

No, please message me on facebook of instagram  if you want to do such thing.