Head cast update
Head cast update
I am very slow at this, yay for the fatigue and the pain hitting at different times, anyway:
Casts trimmed and prepped for putting together:
Cunning use of a foam wig head to make the side match up:
Single layer of thick matting around the seam- yep it’s pretty open.
The neck does meet and that was where I made sure to get the two parts together.
So this is basically me with my hair being a bit of a pain and filling out the sides. My separate ear pieces are still in plaster.
The ears should be able to be tackled tomorrow. The plaster is breaking down nicely.
Still disconcerting seeing my stressed out smile. Sheesh. It’s actually in part due to my vampire fangs and in part due to jaw tension. If anyone ever sees me making faces while at a photoshoot, this is what I am trying to avoid.
Also it’s a bit genetic. My brother has the same turned up corners. I think we both get people assuming we are smirking.
No but seriously I thought I’d have a frown and pursed lips based on this thing, not looking like some renaissance painting of a saint.
Maleficent screen caps “Evil Fairy”
Sigh, the gown is closed up the front, but the stress folds do look like there is a facing on each side of the seam.
Nice view of the very molded and defined shape at the back of the headpiece. Very twilek in shape of the back of the head, curves up to an adze shape at the crown almost.
There is a very defined flare as a separate piece in CB. Also, I adore Aurora’s Ophelia gown. So I left her in this grab. I’m sad few people are wanting to do this costume as it is so beautiful. I’m not 15 so… Mal is more me 🙂
Synacthen test, dolls, and now to sleep. Maybe.
Synacthen test, dolls, and now to sleep. Maybe.
So Synacthen is an alternative to corticosteroids but that is not what I had the test for. The test is to make sure my own body is producing cortisol after more than a decade on steroids. There are no genuine long terms studies that I know of. Long term studies usually only cover months of use not years (osteopaenia shot out!) But I haven’t really delved PubMed for a while so some studies in the last few years may have popped up.
So the synacthen was painful. The nurse said right from the start it would feel like a punch in the arm. Yes. Yes it did. A punch with a thumbtack hidden in it. But it wore off so really was like a prolonged B12 injection.
It’ll take 5 days for the results as a pathologist has to look at it. I’m hoping it’s clear because this long term use has been preying on my mind for five years at least. So that was after 8 years of use… that may put in to perspective how long term this has been!
But then I got to catch a bus to Newmarket so I could get some fabric geek on. Centrepoint has moved their fabrics around and there is some glorious stuff there. Glorious. I wanted to hug everything. And at a reasonable price! They had $5/m fabrics! They have their $200/m stuff as well but wow! Also perfect pleather for my Maleficent Onsie. Her action suit. Sorry, I keep avoiding the term body suit because yes it’s very tropily me.
And I got alginate to get a cast of my face! Figure now is ideal. And I have enough resin for a really solid, solid cast proper. I don’t know if there is any reason to not cast resin in alginate- I suspect due to the porous nature- but a slick of release/sealer or whatnot will help. Just gotta determine what the whatnot is based on either chemical/physical properties or experiences. I just don’t want a cast I can’t move around myself. I have enough molds like that.
http://www.make-up-fx-forum.com/index.php?topic=535.0
My go to, love this forum. I am a lurker but read read read.
http://www.taxidermy.net/forums/FishTaxiArticles/04/l/04836EAE7D.html
And this is what I mean by don’t even rely on costume specific references! I am not in to taxidermy but hey, this covers many of the issues shared by trying to cast from a body. I have also used car modding forums and outdoor sculpture sites.
And today I have the side effects I was supposed to watch out for- itchy face and tired and a need to.. go. Go, go. So I may have a nap during this weird weather spell and see if I can at least tidy.
And I need this doll:
http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disney-toys-r-us-sdcc-exclusives-71544/
(Winged Fairy Maleficent — Relive the fierce and exciting battle scene from the hit Disney film Maleficent. Maleficent is ready to seek vengeance, dressed in a true-to-character fitted black body suit with knee-high boots, dramatic black wings and elegant horns.)
Reasons are obvious-references especially of the back. The headpiece is not the right one but wow they went the whole way with even stitching details (due to scale I didn’t expect some of them to be there.)
But it has also confirmed to me how I’ll make the wings (yay working out hinging.)
Quickie update, state of the Elsa, Maleficent and me.
Quickie update, state of the Elsa, Maleficent and me.
I need to leave soon to get the final of a three step vaccine. And next week have to go to hospital for a blood test (to make sure my body has not gone a bit skewy with the old cortisol and not producing any) which will take an hour and a half. Gah. But then I get to go to another lab and get tested for adrenal antibodies and then another for TB testing. Again! really!!!!!!!
So yes, my disease is nasty enough that we use hard core front line stuff that makes medical practitioners freak. Like this is seriously the sixth time I’ve had a test for TB of some sort (chest xrays, and the blood test before each request for these medications and then again once approval has been gained.)
I cannot have the skin test, again. We had them when I was 13 and with no follow up even though I presented with a rash for.. oh… a year after. So no. No we will not be doing that again. Mess with my immune system in some ways but not in ways I know will trigger an uncontrollable reaction.
Anyway so I’m possibly feeling the Mabthera slowing down/RA catching up as I have hot joints symmetrically across my body. So I’m slowing down even computer work.
So that gets me back to Elsa.
I have stalled her for a few reasons. First is above, second is all the Maleficent Feelz (I love me some flawed IPs I know, will post about it as there was a tumblr post that touched on it) and third is it is a hugely popular costume and I feel a bit worried about it all.
I don’t do popular costumes. I just don’t. So finding myself ranking high in google searches has made me pull back a bit as I haven’t even got anything cut yet. Well my tests yes.
But it’s also popular here. And with my moderate position of “power” I hesitate to do something in case a contestant is put off or thinks I’m going to be thinking “that’s not how I’ve done it” because that is not how the judging process works. And not how I work. I love seeing how people tackle engineering issues and come up with different methods
I also feel guilty because at each show this year people have been asking when I’ll wear Elsa and so again the Olde Guilty “I’m taking focus” thing comes in. But then I’m also excited when I see other people doing things I love so….
Anyway, I have just fired up photoshop and will also fire up the Scan n Cut website to see how I can get the snowflakes laid up and also how to vectorise them (I may need to reinstall Illustrator though I am just not good at all with it…) so that I can get them in to all sorts of portable files. And I need to see how small the knife will go so as to see if I can get sewing holes in my sequins 🙂 And I will hunt out some sample from other stores after all and see how they work 🙂 I’m more worried about the shipping and customs of 25kg of sequin film than anything.
Anyway, I now also have a partial head cast- for making a perfectly fitted set of horns and cheek prosthetics. I soloed it, which is possible but so not safe! I only did because I know the product (how hot it gets and heavy and how far I can push proportions) and my own levels of panic and how to do things in stages so there was no risk of being encased in plaster. So what I have are perfect ear molds, a nearly great back of head (it fits perfectly just has big gaps) and what is essentially the mother for a face mold. It’s too big (did upper and lower in two stages) and so I’ll have to fill it with something that will take fine detail and not stick to my face. Or be something I’m allergic to. I also learnt that my ears are seriously defined and not very squishy.
So salt dough/play dough is my current option. It’s also biodegradable 🙂 But I’ll have to make, press and cast from it in one day so that may be a day where I have people around to get some help (hold my mold while I strap it together! Smash my ears!
Anyway so massive mess has been sorted and that was after a day of social times where people cae
Wings, or rather ZOMGWINGZ
Wings, or rather ZOMGWINGZ
Because I think I have worked it out. Flexible relatively light and I hopefully can make them fit my suitcase in pieces.
So I’ve requested some more urethane (squee!) and will test what I have already.
2 Responses to “Wings, or rather ZOMGWINGZ”
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Dare / 26 Jun 2014 9:27am #I found your site when trying to get better pics of the christening gown and it’s so exciting to see your progress. Especially bc my motto is similar to yours except it’s “overcomplicating costuming for 10 months and then half assing and last minuting the other 2″. As a former lover of costumes with wings (I don’t have the time to make them anymore) I’m excited to see how you made a “light” urethane wing and am looking forward to that post! I think I’d read in another costume post that you’d been to Dragon Con. Are you doing Maleficent there this year? I’d love to see it in person.
Was the fabric you’re using already textured like that or did you wrinkle it?
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/ 2 Jul 2014 6:54am #Hello 🙂 The fabric was already wrinkled. I’m in the process of acquiring more, there are only remnants of it left!
I haven’t made the wings yet and have two options, still debating between them!
I’d love to go to D*C this year, my one and only trip was 2012 and I don’t think the luck that played in to that will happen again. So much help from friends and family 🙂 ANd Celebration 6 was the weekend before that made it oh so tempting 🙂And thank you 🙂
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a few maleficent photos
6 COMMENTS
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You ROCK! As always.
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This is hands down the best maleficent costume I’ve seen! Wonderful job. I want one 🙂
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I love this!!!! Is the headpiece available for purchase?
it took some cutting back but……
IT TOOK SOME CUTTING BACK BUT…
I have horns. In fact I am wearing them right now. So light and well balanced! I may just wrap a length of fabric around to get a reasonable selfie.
There is a narrow support but that is just being held in place by a wide strap of elastic looped around my hairline. I need to decide on how I’ll make the join stronger (atm just some araldite) as the support flexes just enough to curve to my head (slightly narrower across the brow than the wig head though everything else is great.
And this is just making me really sure I want to do all the versions of her just to wear these horns.
Warped section and all. That’s about to be fixed anyway 🙂
I may have overestimated..
I may have overestimated..
The train may be about a foot too long. But I’m not sure how to take that in without seriously affecting the rest of the gown.. though…. possibly by unpicking the seams I will be able to angle in and stretch the pieces to shape. I think everything else is fine as it is. The sleeves are a little big as well. Basically I left a hem a good 10cm too long so it threw everything off scale 🙂
Meanwhile I am wearing stretchy jeans and am actually happy with them 🙂 Had to lower the seat so I could hitch the waistband over my hips (I hate feeling like they are falling off.)
Photos are processing. Horns worked this time but there is a bump that won’t come out. Even with heating so I will have to wedge a solid shape in there. Pity I hacked apart some styrofoam that would have been great.
2 Responses to “Quickie update, state of the Elsa, Maleficent and me.”
Meilin / 25 Jun 2014 3:34pm #I hear ya on Elsa popularity. But… If you love it and have invested so much effort so far (hello, sequins?) then just make the fricking costume already.
TB test, gah. Even with a seriously compromised immune system I have trouble figuring out where you would pick that up. Better safe than sorry I guess.
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admin / 26 Jun 2014 12:13am #Unfortunately I do live in a high risk area- an area with a lot of migration and people with low vaccination rates etc.
The effort invested so far is not so much that I couldn’t just pass the costume elements on and not be too far out of pocket (the experimenting has been a bit hit and miss.) I think it’s the specific way I want to do this and being burned out on corsetry having done so much historic stuff. But I have to remind myself this is more like testing out the 7 of 9 undergarment than yet another hourglass corset. 🙂 Yay spanks with a bra! Essentially. I want that effect of her dress being a floating layer- or two floating layers and the only way to do that is have the support completely separate from the gown and make the gown just barely skim. Difficult normally but extra difficult with a ridiculous wide lower rib, narrow waist and wide upper hip. There is so little room for vertical movement.
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