Emerald City ComicCon & Star Wars Exhibit

My friend was also feeling the Can’t-Quite-Get-A-Costume-Together blues too, so in the end we hit up the thrift store and I dressed as a MiB agent, and she went as the undercover alien tourist I was keeping an eye on.

I didn’t take more than a couple of pictures while I was there, because honestly, at a packed and crowded con like ECCC, it’s just too much trouble.  But you can see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155387041695597.1073741833.438494205596&type=1” target=”_blank”>pictures by the professionals here.

It was fun, but I really prefer smaller, more intimate cons.  The celebrity guests were a definite perk, though!  Alex Kingston, Anthony Daniels, and Clark Gregg were my favorites.  OMG Clark Gregg!   And Alex Kingston!

The next day, we went to the Star Wars Costume Exhibition at the EMP Museum.  Guys, I think my mojo is coming back!  After seeing all the gorgeous costumes, I want to start making some of my own again.  I had planned to take all of this year off, but who knows?  Maybe I might do a little something after all…

You can see all the pictures I took here.

We also took in the rest of the costuming stuff at the EMP.  Bowie’s Labyrinth costume, a couple from GoT, Princess Bride, and various others.  You can see them all here.

 

Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour

One of the most amazing things I did was visit the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. It’s a vast, incredible collection of about every costume and prop used in the Harry Potter films, as well as many of the actual film sets.  If you’re in the London area, it’s a must-see.

I took around 500 pictures while I was there, and I’ve uploaded them here, if you care to have a look.

It was great to be able to see some of the costumes in person that I intend to recreate one day.  The Grey Lady (which is a for-sure!) Fabric shopping is beginning for this one already. I have samples in the mail….

And Dolores Umbridge. Hate her. Love her clothes. Love to cosplay evil gits.

Tonks.  Fellow Hufflepuff!

Snape. I’ve always wanted to do his actual movie costume, but after seeing his Boggart costume, I really, really want to do that one too.

I mean, look at this cat stole????

Ron’s Dress Robes. I don’t know why. I just love this.

I also blogged about visiting here on my other blog. Interested?https://liselfwench.wordpress.com/2015/10/18/warner-bros-studio-tour-harry-potter/” target=”_blank”> Read it here.

 

Victorian Zombie Corset

I really, really liked this costume!  It’s weird, because I’ve never been a gory costume kinda girl.  But I had so much fun figuring out to make this work, and it was so different from anything I’ve done before!  I don’t know…I may have to make another gory costume sometime….I have this great idea for fake intestines…..  *shudder*

Anyway, it had a great reception at Steamcon IV.

The finishing touch ended up being this 3D gel blood I bought.  It’s amazing stuff!  You warm it in a microwave, and then apply it.  After a few minutes it sets into the most realistic blood – sort of rubbery to the touch.  You can let it drip, etc, to make it look real.  You can put it on your skin as well – and if you “roll” it off your skin and put it back in the bottle, it’s actually reusable!

I used “Living Nightmare” brand.  I’m going to have to go back and get another bottle for the Steampunk Ghost.  This stuff is wonderful!

These pictures aren’t very good; I had something else on the dummy so I couldn’t show you how it looks on a body.  The color isn’t right, either – my camera is complete crap at capturing true color.  The broken bone shows up better in real life, too.

But overall, I’m super happy with how this turned out.  I want to do MORE gross costuming now!  *grin*

 

Steampunk Vampire

I’m calling this one done…although I may make a few more tweaks before Steamcon (if I have time!).  I’ve worn it once already: to the first of five Halloween-themed dress-up days at my library workplace.  The first theme was…big surprise…vampires!

Here are three of us, at work, terrorizing a co-worker who wasn’t wise enough to wear fangs and take herself off the lunch menu!

When I got home, I had someone take a few quick snaps in the front yard.  I will hopefully get better ones next time I wear this….these are so bad I really don’t even want to post them – but since you’ve all been begging for more pics…here they are.

I have a pair of fingerless, over the elbow black leather gloves that I will wear to Steamcon with this; I wore ordinary fabric gloves to work because: 1) I didn’t want to risk injury to the gloves, and 2) It was quite warm inside the building. We’re having our second summer just now….   I did manage to wear the boots ALL SHIFT without experiencing an intolerable amount of pain!  Yay for comfortable 5″ heels!

 

Sea Witch

Finished! 9/4/14

The last thing to finish on this costume is the ruff.  It had very special requirements, since the model will be wearing as she floats in water.  Most of the usual ways I’d have made a ruff were therefore not doable this time.  After some consideration, I decided to use plastic canvas.  I couldn’t buy it in sheets large enough, so I used three, wired together.

I also gave it a large back support piece, to give added stability.

Next, I covered it in fabric, then spray painted it, so add additional stiffness and sheen to the fabric.

Then I added a trim of pearls around the edge, and put on a system of straps to hold it securely on.

And then?  Just put the bodice on top!

And there it is.  The final costume I’m making for the Steampunk Monster Book.  The photographer has started taking the pictures for it this week, he’s going to post a few every day on the blog, here.  Check it out.

Sea Witch 8/1/14

This one, even though it will be one of the monsters in the steampunk book, is not a steampunk costume.  The concept is of an Elizabethan-era witch, who drowns at sea and becomes a ghost.  Thus, her outfit is almost pure Elizabethan – with many fantasy elements.

I still need to make the collar, but here is the finished bodice and choker.

I just made a simple skirt, because she will be photographed only from the waist up…and she’ll be floating in water, so that gave me added problem of making everything on her costume waterproof.

These are very crap pictures, because it’s very bright and sunny outside.  You’ll see better ones later on, after the actual photographer gets his hands on this.

All of the ghosts in this book need to be grey, so I spray-painted some fishnet, pearls, silk leaves, and shells to match.

Baba Yaga Witch

Baba Yaga Witch – 5/8/14

The idea is, she’s this creepy old witch living out in the forest…and I’m pretty sure she’s a cannibal.  Or at the very least, she likes to use various body parts on her costume.

The blouse is made from an old pair of lace curtains, much distressed.

The bodice has real leather panels – I put some canvas panels in there too.  Both for effect, and because I didn’t have enough leather to do the entire thing.

I also did some leather sculpting, which was a TON of fun.  And easy too.  Look, I made this eye:

I just soaked the leather in water, and while wet, sculpted it into the shape I wanted around a taxidermy eye I found on Ebay.  I held the sculpt in place with pins until it dried, then trimmed the edges and applied it to the corset with tiny brads.

I want to use this technique on another costume again, soon.

I also made this “skinned face”…which is actually a pouch.

I bought a “bag of bones” off Amazon.com, and used the jawbone as a frog to to hold a weapon.

Also hanging from the belt are these little jars, filled with creepy things.

I really enjoy working with leather.  I need to do more of it.  I distressed the corset as well…leather and all.

The white underskirt is this fabulous vintage petticoat that was used by Warner Brothers, and given to me for the purpose by Tyson Vick.  I wonder what film it was in?  It was incredibly beautiful, it was exactly my size, and I DID NOT WANT to cut it up and distress.  You guys.  It was SO PRETTY.

Sigh.  I  would have revolted against using it, except that when I started handling it, it was in such fragile condition that it just began to shred apart on its own.  I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to salvage enough of it to use it at all, but I managed.

I took a ton of reference pics, because I want to recreate it one of these days.

The overskirt is linen, and the bustle/train is made of many many strips of different fabrics…taken from the clothing of her victims.

And is that more bones?  Why yes!  I put the rest of the Bag of Bones to use as a frame for her bustle!

Tyson Vick has already taken some photographs using this costume.  There are more pictures of the model wearing it on our shared book blog:

http://www.steampunkmonsters.com/blog/2014/02/03/witch-photos-behind-the-scenes/