Tasha’s Costuming Blog

So tomorrow’s the day.

The day I take on a complete assload of free foamcore of varying thicknesses, and a veritable fuckton of free plastic sheets (thick plastic sheets, but still awesome). Also, some vinyl hanging signs and possibly some table vinyl. Oh yes, the end of the convention is near.

I found the perfect piece of foamcore, incidentally, to make the Rosso blades and weapon out of (the riggers have been saving me stuff since the show let out and we started tearing down – don’t they rock? I love my rigging boys). And Wednesday, I can finally buy Amethyst Angel’s costuming guides (she came out with a fourth one last week! I can’t wait for them!). I am on a motherfucking roll!

Incidentally, in order to finish Rosso’s weapon I’m going to need some PVC pipe. Must remember to grab some tomorrow – we’re throwing some away, I believe. I can also practice making weapons by making a buster sword or maybe Cid’s javelin (Oh my God, I just realized I could make the fucking Venus Gospel. How sweet would that be?) if I scored some PVC. Maybe I’ll just go buy some – it’s not that expensive at Lowe’s.

Which brings me to my next issue – storing my material. *sighs* Kenny’s going to shit a brick when he sees how much of this stuff I’ve got. Luckily, foamcore can be stored vertically and shoved pretty much anywhere.

I really need a two-bedroom place. Seriously. Preferably with non-assholic neighbors.

Putzing around on the Internet today I found out that Styrene sheeting is sometimes used in framing. Hurrrr, Tasha’s slow.

On the plus side, that means that on Wednesday, when I get paid (a HUGE chunk of change is coming my way, I’m probably gonna get a LOT of my costuming materials this week….) I can go right over to Michael’s and get some to play with. Along with the foamcore I’m gonna be getting (I got some smaller pieces today), I’m fairly certain I can make some small test props this week….assuming I don’t get show call on this gig I’m working (which is, incidentally, fucking exhausting).

So yeah…we’ll see how artistic I am soon enough. Gotta make up a shopping list.

I was annoyed these past few weeks because of how expensive foamcore is, and the concept of trying to find something to make a decent, reusable pattern out of, and oddly enough, work has fixed both problems.

I’m setting up a convention, which is part of the work that I do through my union. My husband is a rigger; this means that he hangs shit from the ceilings of the convention center (80 feet in the air) without it falling on people. He makes quite a bit more than I do, even though we belong to the same union and are working the same gig.

Anyway, I was talking about how I want to buy a roll of the table vinyl from the decorating company I’m working for, because I thought that it’d make good reusable patterns (flexible, reusable, waterproof) and also for making certain props, and my husband thought I meant foamcore, for some reason.

Then I was like “Wait, foamcore?”

“Yeah.” He replied, shrugging. “Half the signs are made of it and we’re tossing ‘em afterward.”

So I’m going to get an assload of varying-width foamcore in good condition and possibly a half-used roll of table vinyl after this show. Kick. Ass.

This is just a transcription of my notes from my pricing excursion, here for my own reference. Michael’s looks like it’s going to be the place to shop, for the most part.

Michael’s

Fimo – $2.49 for a small brick. They don’t carry the large bricks.

Sculpy – $1.99 for a small brick. They don’t carry the large bricks.

Sculpting tools – range from $6 – $30.

Foil tagboard – range from $4 – $5 per posterboard-sized sheet.

Polyester resin – $15 for a small canister.

Polyester resin catalyst – $5.

Paint brushes – range from $1 to $10 for a set.

Paint palette for resin casting – range from 50 cents to $5.

Resin dye – $10 for a set of three colors.

Resin mold release – $8.

Foamcore – ranges from $3 to $6 per sheet, depending on size and thickness.

Resin mold – $4.

Jo-Anne Fabric

Poodle fleece for Rosso’s butt-flap – $13 per yard.

They had big blocks of Fimo and Sculpy, but I forgot to price them.

Wal-Mart

New, bigger glue gun – $5

THINGS I STILL NEED TO FIND AND/OR PRICE:

A food scale. No idea why I’m still having problems finding one.

Pleather and/or vinyl covered fabric.

Styrene plastic sheeting.

Sewing mannequin.

Liquid latex.

THINGS TO BUY, IN ORDER OF PRECIDENCE:

1. Sculpting tools.
2. Blocks of sculpy and fimo – online seems the best route to go. Kenny wants some too.
3. Foamcore for Rosso’s weapon.
4. Paint brushes and enamel paint. I think a good primer would be good, too.
5. The CD’s that Amethyst Angel made on propmaking.
6. New glue gun and glue sticks.
7. Resin, resin catalyst, and mold release, because I can’t make jewels yet anyway because it really needs to be warmer than 10 degrees outside for me to do it.
8. Molds and paint palettes.
9. Foil tagboard.

If you read down, you’ll notice I made Pintsize from the webcomic Questionable Content. I figured he looked rather lonely, so I decided to make a Winslow sculpture to keep him company.

They’re busy having fun together and wrecking havoc. XD

So I finally got some Sculpy today and I was messing around with it, and I made this:

Yes, that is Pintsize from the webcomic Questionable Content. XD He didn’t come out very well because 1) I have no proper sculpting tools (I used an ex-acto knife) and 2) I only had acrylic paints. But for what I had, he came out okay.

I’m going to hopefully have some more of the equipment that I need for Rosso by the middle of next month. I can get a weapon and maybe a few other things done before Cally comes out in August, which is when the bulk of what I’m going to make will get done.

Gotta get some liquid latex.

Yes! I finally got some things done ’round these parts, namely, going and pricing everything I need. They cleared the snow in my area enough so I was able to make a foray over to Michael’s craft store, and Jo-Anne Fabrics.

I found exactly the fabric I need at Jo-Anne’s for the back of Rosso. It’s called poodle fleece and I can get it when it’s on sale for like $9 a yard. I’ll only need 2 yards, so that’s the butt-flap. I also priced everything I need from Michael’s and it’s looking like it’s going to be relatively cheap. I think every time I get a decent paycheck I’m going to spend $20 getting assorted crap together. I won’t need the fabric until August, when Cally comes out, but I can work on everything else I’ll need until then.

At Jo-Anne’s I also found exactly the perfect fabric to make kimono out of. Brocade silks, and really cheap! In such awesome patterns, too. I hope they have some by the time I go to make the maiko costumes.

Wal-Mart is all but useless to me, which is really sad, because I used to be able to get all of my costuming needs there except for some really estoric stuff. *sighs* I’ll be able to get a new glue gun and glue sticks there, and that’s about it. Well, I can still get fabric remnants, which I look at every time I go, and cording and elastic and stuff. That’s cheap there. But….*sigh* I remember when I made an entire, AWESOME Renaissance costume, for $50, out of stuff I got at Wal-Mart. This is just depressing. Thank you, Wal-Mart, for abandoning me in my hour of need.

I got some Sculpy – Michael’s carries Fimo, but not the big bricks – to play around with. I think I’ll make a little statue of Pintsize from Questionable Content to start. XD