So, I've given a review of last year - now here's what's on the table for 2014:
Post-Apoc Halloween Costumes
Including 3 or 4 props
RCCC
Tiki-Kon
New Halloween House Display
Orycon 36
Submitting a story for publication
Possibly a trip over to the Netherlands (fingers crossed)
I've already got the base of my post-apoc Halloween costume and am working on collecting all the bits I need to pull it together. Igor is starting by pulling together all the bits and pieces so we have things like his mask that needs to be modified and lacrosse padding that we'll use for the base of his armor.
Despite being distracted by playing Arkham Origins (I beat Slade on my second try!), I've managed to start on props. I have one set of rusted bottle caps, but I'm working on making more. A little hammering and a little patience and I'll have all the rusted bottle caps I could ever need!
Hammering metal into shape is also good therapy.
I lucked out and found this great parasol at a second hand store. It was only a couple bucks and has inspired me to make a tattered, weaponized post-apoc parasol weapon!
Sure it looks all sweet now, but it won't be when I'm done with it.
I also found this great, old distressed bat for a few bucks that I wanted to make into a prop, but Igor pointed out that we probably wouldn't be let into a bar with a real baseball bat with nails sticking out of it. Sadly, he has a point - but it's still an awesome bat so I'll have to find some other use for it, maybe as part of the house decor . . .
Finally, I put the first coat of paint on the Nerf gun and it's well on its way to being the apocalyptic BFG of my dreams. Whoever first thought of spraying a Nerf gun with matte black paint was a genius.
All it needs now is one more coat and some weathering effects.
Things are starting to come together! Now if I can just stay on schedule . . .
My poor, little neglected blog! Has it really been so long? Yes, yes it has. Frankly, I blame twitter - and my general disinterest in social media over the last year. But now it's a new year (2014 how the hell did that happen?!) and I want to keep track of all my projects again, so I hope this is going to be more regular (maybe). I also finally have a tumblr and it's called Doom Tiki! It's were I'll be indulging my tiki and all things kitsch obsession. It may also be where I post more regularly :-/
Okay, let's roll out the 2013 Year-in-Review!
In some ways 2013 was the year of the con. I went to three last year and had a blast at each one. First was Emerald City Comic Con up in Seattle, then Rose City Comic Con and finally Orycon again in November - and I dressed up for each one with friends. We were vikings. Awesome, awesome vikings.
This guy made an amazing Ray Stantz
Below is my favorite pic of the whole bunch because this Mandalorian's armor kinda stole my heart (Sorry, Ray).
The hammer I made
Most of my creative efforts last year went into vikings, whether it was mine and Igor's costumes or the troupe set I did with my friends at the annual Haflaween.
Also, 2013 was another successful year for NANOWRIMO! I got back into writing in a major way - so much so that one of my goals this year is to submit a story to publishers by December. I'm writing, editing and reading furiously to try and make this happen. So far I'm on track (I think).
During the summer months we also went to see Trek in the Park: The Trouble with Tribbles and to a Weird Al concert at the zoo. I had a moment when the local garrison participated in the encore song
I performed an Aliens themed set in December for which I made this headdress:
Pics from the performance at Offbeat
SUPER fun, but it will probably be the last time I perform for a while. This year I concentrate on getting back into Muay Thai and seriously getting in shape. Plus more cons and the costumes Igor and I have planned for this year are already off to a flying start, but more about that later.
What I did not do last year was play Arkham Origins because I was so
busy. Now that I have more free time I finally started the game. I am kicking so much Gotham ass already and will be ready for
when Arkham Knight comes out later this year.
I feel like I'm missing a ton (I think Igor and I went on a camping trip at some point during all the summer), but this is already a long post so I'll end it here.
Final thought, look at how awesome these cosplayers are!
Cobra Commander and Cobra PR - if you haven't heard of them check out the Commander's facebook page or the kickstarter mentioned in the video. They are hilarious and talented and if I ever see them at a con I will fangirl the fuck out. Even if I'm dressed like a tough viking.
Has it really been almost a year since I last posted??? I have no idea how that happened, except may that time flies when you're really frickin' busy!
Okay, so, here's what I've done over the last year:
Choreographed and performed a damn fun dance set with my friends in our aptly named troupe Caprice
Built my own computer: The Neon Beast - not pictured (although I should snap a pic of it with all it's lights and fans going - it looks like the future!!!)
Set our Halloween yard display again
And some nighttime views
Performed with one of my favorite teachers!
Made perhaps my favorite pair of Halloween costumes to date
I made both our costumes from commercial patterns, but my favorite part of my costume is this panel that I made sans-pattern:
I also modified my mask
But Igor made his from scratch (I just did the initial plaster mold of his face and he took it from there!)
The first weekend of November I went to Orycon for the fist time since I was a kid and had a great time. There were so many good panels on costuming and so many awesome people! I think I'm going to have to go to more cons next year and make some good costumes to wear at them (already scheming about a rule 63 Scarecrow and maybe an Early Ottoman Little Red Riding Hood).
2012 has been an amazingly weird year. It seemed to a somewhat lost year for me - not in a bad way, I just had a sense of floating in a sea of undefinable awesomeness.
Now, with the Halloween season over, it's time to ramp up for the apocalypse. 'How?', you ask? By stockpiling food and weapons and solar batteries? No! By making more costumes!!!
Caprice will be performing an apocalypse themed set on December 21st and of course we need the right costumes to go with it. I've started work on a bra and need to modify some dance pants. The troupe ordered three beautifully deconstructed (reconstructed?) military belts to use for the set and I need to finish embellishing mine.
So much to do - and so little time until the END OF THE WORLD!
Unfortunately not with things to show here, but with this:
Yay! Two friends talked me into it and I'm so glad they did. I got going on the last of the Melancholia stories again. Even though I realized there's more to be told I pushed myself past a very difficult point in the story and now feel like I'm free to move forward and really finish the sisters' stories (which can be read hereMelancholia & Her Sisters).
Now, into winter with thoughts of editing, new dances and new costumes.
And another fine, productive weekend! This time with pictures.
The biggest accomplishment of the weekend was getting the two largest pieces of our Halloween yard display up: the tree and the boarded-up window. While the tree isn't completely done, the hardest parts are up and the rest will be to easy finish.
Igor pretty much made the entire window dressing himself. He's definitely the top of my list for people I want on my team come the apocalypse. As you can see he's very handy with a drill. I think it took less than an hour for him to get it all together and for us to put it up.
While he was doing that I took the drapes I'd cut up the night before (so therapeutic) and tea stained them. I used earl grey and it made the house smell amazing.
Then we put up the boards and (after staining the drapes again with old coffee grounds, since the earl grey didn't make them quite dark enough) I hung the drapes up to dry.
The tree turned out amazing. We used chicken wire as the frame and then just stretched a curtain over that. I actually sewed the curtain onto the wire and then Igor painted the face. All I had to say to Igor was, 'Do you think you can paint it with an evil tree face?' and he knew exactly what I meant. Seriously, top of the list.
All boarded up and ready for the zombie gnome plague.
The tree still needs some branches and leaves added, but we got about 80% of the work done.
Sunday I worked more on the gnomes and various forest creatures. My mini zombie factory.
I arranged some brambles to make a secure little gnome patch and placed the first two zombie gnomes. The idea is that the dolls will be kinda hidden until nighttime when we turn on led lights that will show them off in an appropriately creepy way.
These two are my favorite The white, bleeding eyes were Igor's idea.
And that's it for now! Time to sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's seasonal movie: The Monster Squad.
After that I think I'll move onto something a little more sophisticated
