Well, after discussing my Elephant Head Mask during our crit group last week, I decided to make some alterations to it. I changed the profile a bit and reshaped the face so that the eyes are less frontal and more lateral. I finished grinding again yesterday and I think it is about ready for skinning.
Before I skin it, I would like to finalize the base, which will (I hope) be a circle of sheet steel, 5mm  thick or so, to which the trunk will be welded. Mark, the metal shop technician, is checking with a friend to see if there is something free available that is the approximate size that I need (fingers crossed). Then I can finally bring it upstairs and work on it in my studio.
Skinning is still in the experimental stages at the moment. I am considering using hessian (burlap) coated either in PVA Glue (Elmers) or resin, to give it an interesting texture without entirely hiding the structure underneath. I have built a small section of bent struts that mimic the shape of parts of the armature, and will try a couple of techniques out on that first.