Below: The name is Gransh. We see him waiting for his bus at his bus-station in his town.
The picture is from Kathrin Holighaus´ photo-project “Parallelwelten” (parallel worlds), where larpers are shown in non-larp- environments:  http://www.kathrinholighaus.de/ .
Since the screen adaption of “The Lord of the Rings” you don´t have to be a fantasy- expert to recognize these creatures: Gransh is an ork. In the bestiary of the fantasy-worlds orks belong to the “goblinoids”, meaning “puckish” creatures. But as you might have noticed, contrary to their runty brethren they´re neither small, cute nor furtive. Not at all, so to say.

This particular ork is one of the most well- known specimen of his race in germany. Why that is you´ll know when you´ve met him. Behind the mask is Uli, who can be found in the LarpeR- Ning. And I´m pleased that I may show some of his work here. Unfortunately what he does isn´t really suited for replicating (there´s just too much “art” in the “work”), but his masks and creatures show what is possible to transport into the game-worlds. These are no show- outfits: the critters have unimpeded sight, can run fast and fight effectively. One does not easily mess with them.

Below: In their natural environment. This is too near if your´re not in really well- armed superior numbers.
Photos by Verena Charlotte Heinrich; http://www.schokoseiten.com/

The orks shown here aren´t NPCs (“non- player- characters”) but players. This might be one of the reasons for the incredible high standard of their outfits: They´re not costumes- the clothes have to be functional.
In bygone days (which were not better days) orks in the game-worlds were just people with green painted faces. Then came half- masks & tusks which was generally considered a big step in the right direction. Nowadays orks have reached a level of which some movie-directors can only dream of.
And Uli´s one of the guys whose fault it is...

Above: Warcry.
I`d very much like to say at this time that it´s a pleasure to meet them inplay, but that would be somehow... unfitting. There is also no such thing as a “safe” distance; we´re talking about “more or less risky”. Orks are  - as it happens to be- extremely dangerous.

Above: These masks havn´t been made for a movie- production; you can meet them in the gameworlds.
And regarding their quality I`ll lose no other words but: if you try to replicate this standard at home, you´re in for a frustrating, disappointing experience. To achieve such results one not only has to be a good craftsman but also an artist.

Below: Masks. One of a kind, as all props shown here.

Until here was the first version of this page. From here on pictures have been added from Spring 2011 on, and I feel that this is a good place to - again- answer the question: “How the heck does he do this”?
Regrettably, the uncomfortable truth is (as already mentioned above): talent. Among other things.
For the technical aspect - sculpting, casting, painting, applications- there are tutorials (some of them at “other sites” on this website)- but what makes masks like this special is that they´re able to convey the impression of “alive” and evoking emotions. This magic is what makes the individual stamp of the artist. When it´s missing, you´ve got a bad mask- like most of the ones cast in mass- production.

Granted- it´s not that one would have thoughts like these when on a murky evening a horde of these heavyly armed pests chases you through a wood- so take the opportunity here to unhurriedly and without any thoughts of  “we´re all going to die” behold the details of the faces. Have fun!

BTW: all pictures can be enlarged with rightclick context-menue “show graphic”.

Below: Foam weapons

Above left: specially constructed helmet to be worn over a mask.
Above right: detail of forearm- armour

Oben: Drachenfest 2011. Mask and helmet worn together. Such combinations have to be specially built to fit together to avoid damaging one another.
From left to right: Stripe, Gransh (with helmet) und Kurgaa.

above und below: The man himself

Above: The true ending of a fairytale... (from a photo-session by Anne Fleischer:  http://home.fotocommunity.de/pelle_di_neve ). Have no fear, all is staged: no cute, harmless Red-Riding-Hood was injured or eaten for it. At least they told me so...