Although in the HEMA community the black color is still predominant, we have seen, over the years, our equipment take some colors: jackets, pants, and even socks have gained in diversity and allowed their wearer to stand out to affirm their style and identity. The practice of painting the grid of one's fencing mask spread more slowly as it requires more time, labor and inspiration.

This diversity of style brings a little freshness and novelty to the HEMA outfit and makes it easier to distinguish the fighters during a duel, or even more so during large gatherings. Some swordsmen are easily recognizable by the color of their outfit or the painting of their mask.

This need to differentiate is ultimately nothing new, the fighters through the ages have also needed to distinguish themselves by colors and coats of arms and it is most often on the shield that the colors were painted in order to identify their clan or house.

In some cases, the painting on the mask can also have a second interest, namely to impress and destabilize the opponent.

History brings us many examples of warriors who, to gain a psychological advantage over the adversary, used scary masks or painted their faces.

We obviously think of the Samurai masks (Mempo) which often represented the faces of demons intended to sow fear in the hearts of enemies. Another example is that of the Celtic warriors who painted their faces blue with Guede powder obtained by crushing the flower of the same name. We can judge the effectiveness of these subterfuges by the evocative power they still have today and by the imprint they have left on our collective imagination.

One could argue that this is nothing more or less than a visual artifice and that a veteran fighter would not be fooled by such subterfuges. But that would be to seriously overlook the importance of the psychology that works even before the fight.

If a fighter manages to take the psychological advantage over the other, by his attitude, his appearance or his reputation, he has already acquired a certain advantage on the outcome of the fight.

If you plan to paint your fencing mask, this element should be kept in mind when choosing the design.

Is it allowed for competition?

Within modern fencing we have seen the arrival of masks painted in the colors of the country represented, which made it possible to make the competitions easier to follow from the point of view of the spectator.

Nevertheless, free patterns are not yet openly accepted and the fencing federation recommends submitting your drawing for validation before painting your mask.

The future of this practice will depend on the magnitude of the phenomenon in the future. One can easily imagine that if all the fighters compete in inventiveness to create increasingly destabilizing masks, this could be considered an unfair advantage. In which case the fencing federation will have to look into the matter and define uniform rules.

In the HEMA community, freedom is greater and the painting of the mask is seen rather favorably. This allows everyone to express their personality and artistic talents in a fun way.

There has not been, to my knowledge, an HEMA tournament that has imposed the neutral mask in the name of equality between fighters. Conversely, we have seen events in which the competition for the most beautiful fencing mask was part of the events.

How can I paint my mask

Do you also want to start creating a unique mask?

So follow our illustrated tutorials to guide you.

There are two distinct methods and the choice will depend on the complexity of the pattern to be made and the number of colors

The simplest method is the stencil method. It will allow you to make the pattern of your choice relatively simply, but in return you are only entitled to one color (in addition to the base color of your grid)

How to paint a mask with stencil

If you are aiming for a more detailed design with many colors, then we advise you to opt for the technique of acrylic markers. For the tutorial it's here

HOW TO PAINT A MASK WITH acrylic markers

Finally for the most seasoned, you can use acrylic paint directly

HOW TO PAINT A MASK WITH ACRYLIC PAINT

Also be aware that if you do not feel like a Michelangelo, some artists offer their services online and will reproduce the pattern of your choice on your mask for a fee.