Recently I came across [vicious-cosplay’s post about Open Book Cosplayers] and I thought it was RIGHTEOUS and KICK-ASS. So here I am going to offer what services I can! You might notice at the top of my page there is a badge proclaiming “PROP WORK."
Out of all the aspects of cosplay-as-craft, prop work is by far my favorite part. I’m keenly interested in developing and repurposing methods for making unique custom props and other prop-like objects.
Though I do have some experience with handprops (weapons and the like), I deal largely in things that are wearable though decidedly non-garment/non-tailoring-related. "Accessories?” Let’s go with that.
Though I have a lot of experience with Homestuck stuff (that includes makeup, making custom shirts, and tracking down pre-existing costume pieces), I can apply my know-how to other things, as well.
NOTE!! I should have some video tutorials going up in the near future, so keep a watch-out for those. In the meantime, I’m perfectly approachable!
please talk to me i’m a lonely pathetic man
For when you want to cosplay a character with a very tightly-controlled aesthetic and strict adherence to a particular group’s regalia but also think those ever-so-slightly-off flesh-tone silicone plugs look tacky.
I remember in Naka ‘14, it was my first convention ever, I saw you in a Homestuck panel and someone was waiting for a mic I think, so you did improv for the crowd and made a dick joke. You also explained in full how you made the codpiece. Tbh it made my Saturday
yep, that was 100% and entirely me. i am still so proud of myself for successfully juggling for the duration of that joke and managing to reach the punchline without succumbing to anticipatory laughter.
a collection devoted to my ratcatcher character Ichabod Marcellus Vermin (”I.M. Vermin”), pest control automaton for the 2015 season of WOF’s Halloween Haunt. as far as i know, he should be returning this year.
the shirt, base jacket, and trousers were thrifted. the trousers had to be modified with two-inch panels in the side-seams to accommodate my rather dramatic pear-shaped frame and constant movement. the back patch was self-designed and printed as an iron-on transfer which was pressed to a separate piece of fabric that was loosely sewn around the shoulders and armscyes like a storm flap on a trench coat. this year, i’ll likely be using the same jacket with a different patch.
i already had the felt top hat, which is a reproduction (of course. i would not dare sacrifice my genuine antique top hat for this filthy, sweaty job.) that was already crunched and structurally destroyed from being crammed in a box during the move home from school. i distressed it using a pen knife and various acrylic paints, then glued gold-accented cockroaches and worms to it. i also jammed a few moustraps in the hatband. since, you know. ratcatcher.
the waistcoat was bespoke in the cheapest of ways. it was made completely from scratch, pattern drafted from a standard body-block, in the space of roughly 12 hours. i was still sewing buttons while standing in the makeup line later that night. i chose to construct it as more of a costume piece than a historical reenactment garment. so while the front (visible part) was made from “the ugliest plaid Joann’s could sell me,” the rest was a one-way stretch polyester to once again ensure a perfect fit for my form and unrestricted mobility. the heads of costumes were pleased with the construction (despite the sneaky faux lapels), but found the colors to be too bright, so i dulled the flannel with a mix of gray-black acrylic and water.
as for the other pieces:
the net is handmade from a dowel rod, a wooden embroidery hoop, and decorative fishing net. points of attachment are stabilized with papier mache and epoxy.
the “claw-hands” are my previous babadook gloves. they’re creepy and gross-looking, but comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time.
the wig is the same one i use for babadook. i may end up getting another identical one because this one is starting to look busted as hell.
the socks are from the wonderful online paradise that is [sockdreams].
the cravat is a costume piece left over from my steampunk phase in high school. the fact it matched my whole “purple and green” thing was happily convenient.
the original shoes were a pair of thrifted pleather almost-chelsea-boots that fell apart halfway through the season. they were very comfortable and i’m still kinda pissed that they didn’t make it all the way because the best character-appropriate approximation i had available were a pair of very pricey custom winklepickers from a shop in London. every time it rained, i had to stand on a table to keep these shoes from getting the slightest bit damaged. they’re one of two pairs of dress shoes that i own, man.
lastly, i want to note that my makeup was always courtesy of any number of WOF’s extremely talented Haunt makeup team. the only i hand i had in it was the occasional re-application of black lipstick. the gears were three-dimensional foam pieces that were attached by popping them around the beads of my dimple piercings with the bars of the piercings acting as “axles” on which the gears could spin as i spoke. that was a fun gimmick.
this was supposed to be my “bait jar.” as you can see, i never finished the outside but the contents are pretty gnarly:
hunks of “rotten” cheese (hand-textured and hand-painted microwavable fimo)
rubber cockroaches
premade halloween store body parts such as an ear and a couple of severed fingers that i repainted for a touch of realism
handmade fimo eyeballs with textured irises, concave pupils, and little ocular nerves/blood vessels i made from braided embroidery floss
various hair clippings and dust-sprinklings to imply mold and god knows what else
each little piece was arranged in such a way as to have the more eye-catching objects facing outward, supported by some less-detailed filler objects. to keep each chunk in place, i poured some slightly diluted blood-colored gloss finish modpodge over the heap to bind it all together.
i couldn’t decide if i wanted to have this on my toolbelt or just carry it. my handprops as a ratcatcher already included a net and an awful-looking diseased rat in a cage*. i was eventually paired with another godsend actor who was supposed to act as the plague-ridden human rat-bait for our little “business.” i no longer needed this prop, so i never bothered with the label or distressing the outside.
*(“Mr. Templeton”-- this was a very nice, sturdy hand-constructed prop that i was super proud of, but i was so tired after one shift that i forgot him on the roof of my car and accidentally ran over him... still mourning that one)
i made these poison jars to go on the toolbelt of my streampunk rat-catcher character for the Worlds of Fun HAUNT last year.
“man poison” was the only one to get attached and fell off within the first night because i tend to be very ah, physically dynamic in my job. not to mention i am particularly susceptible to tripping and falling, so maybe having glass attached to my waist wasn’t such a great idea.
for a first time distressing/antiquing bottles, i’m fairly proud of these.
Finally I know who won Best in Show at Planet Comicon: Carley Bossemeyer as Nettle the Moth Fairy. Costume is legit. Bravo! [Photography by Bill Watters]
Planet Comicon was fun! I met Troy Baker as Rhys and I may have freaked out a bit.
Also Jack is a huge nerd who took a picture of me sleeping on his shoulder.
i debated making it look smoother and more manufactured, but then recalled an interview in which Jennifer Kent stated she wanted the monster to look “lo-fi and handmade”
that’s permission to be lazy if i’ve ever heard it
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