Arts & Crafts: Halloween 2017 Round Up

It's that time again...kiddie costume time!  I love it.  This year, Zachary and I agreed to choose a Mad Max-y, post-apocalyptic theme.  I was really excited about the possibility because I love to spray paint random stuff to look like metal--the effect is magical! But then, Zachary wanted to recreate a specific character and he chose one with whom neither of us were familiar--an NCR (New California Republic) trooper from the Fallout universe.  Much Google-ing ensued.  And this was the final result: 

Zachary as an NCR Trooper

I used some of my favorite materials and even had many of the materials on hand (left over from previous Halloweens). Here are pattern pieces for the bullet-proof riot vest laid-out on an EVA foam floor tile.  EVA foam is easily cut with an x-acto blade and can be shaped by hand with heat from a heat gun.

Patterns for LAPD riot gear laid-out on EVA foam.

Finished LAPD riot gear vest, painted and distressed as if it's seen a lot of battles.

The mask began with styrofoam and craft foam sheets.

Styrofoam for the center of the...I don't know....is it a respirator?  I shaped it and then sealed it with multiple coats of epoxy resin and acrylic filler.

Gas mask is taking shape.  The blue is craft foam "Foamies"

Gas mask.  Zachary complained that the paint job didn't match the vest, so (later on) I repainted this with more rusty-black colors and lots of dust over the top.  The speaker-thingy in the front was sooo hard to make.  It is really frustrating to try and create machined-looking parts from flimsy materials like styrofoam!

The helmet began with one of the few pieces that I bought ready-made--it is just not worth it, in my book, to try to craft something as round as the helmet--especially when costume helmets are so readily available and inexpensive.  But, it was plain 'ole, shiny, army-man-green plastic when I started and I added distressing, dents, bullet marks, scarring, and dust.  I also built-out the com-link and light/laser-sight.  One of the best parts of the transformation, In my opinion, was the com-link, which I built from the bottom of a "Glories" tomato container.  Do you see it, now?  I filled the container-base with insulating foam to make it a bit more rigid, carved the back to conform to the curve of the helmet, and cut the top straight in order to combine it with the mount for the light/"laser sight".

Helmet/com-link.

Distressing on the helmet.    

I melted areas of the plastic helmet with a burning match and then crammed the match against the surface to get good texture.  And I added dents by heating the plastic and tooling it with a melon baller.  Then I added "rust" with layers of orange, brown, silver, and black paints. There's a super-sheer coat of limestone paint over the top to imitate dust.

Zachary chose this costume largely because of the weapon.  Always with the weapons!  Anyway, given the political climate, we decided that it would be inappropriate and unadvisable to carry anything remotely realistic.  After much Googling, we identified this AER9 Fallout3 Laser Rifle as a "safe" option.  

I cut the frame from 1/4"hardboard and added bulk and detail with pink insulating board, EVA foam, craft foam, a piece of pipe insulation, assorted caps, bottles, plastic tubing, and random nuts, bolts, and other hardware. IMO, adding real hardware is the simplest and easiest way to add realism to faux-metal items.

Laser rifle during construction.

Laser rifle after distressing and application of stone-finish spray paint.

Finished AER9 Laser Rifle.  (High tech, homemade, Rubbermaid-tote spray booth.)

I made a duster coat (modified from a pattern for a girl's raincoat...shhhhhh...don't tell Zachary!) from remnant sand-colored twill and painted and distressed it.  There's an NCR insignia on the back and on the sleeve.  And I bought an authentic army surplus tactical belt from eBay.

Sleeve logo on coat.

NCR insignia on the back of the coat.

Here's Zachary, all dressed up:

Arts & Crafts: Media Cabinet Re-Do

Hey, all...I took some time away from the garden (it's frustrating me, anyway, right now) for a different sort of project.  Our media cabinet needed an upgrade and I finally pulled the trigger and bought a new one.  The new piece wasn't quite right the way it came, however, so the project also included faux finishing.

This is what we had, originally.  These photos were taken back in 2012 before we started using this dresser as a media cabinet / TV stand.

Memphis and the original dressser.

More Memphis

I liked the old piece.  I've always thought that it is OK to mix modern furniture with Shaker-style because both share a similar no-nonsense simplicity.  Anyway.  You probably wouldn't have guessed that the old piece is IKEA.  Yup.  It was a "Hemnes" dresser in medium fruitwood finish before I went to town on it with all my "antiquing" skills.  I sanded it, distressed it, replaced the original metal knobs with wooden knobs, painted it, sanded it some more, and (when I was all done) finished it with furniture wax.  

Here's how the "Hemnes" dresser originally looked in the IKEA catalog photo:

IKEA "Hemnes" dresser.  (Picture from the IKEA website )

As I said, I liked this dresser.  But a recent visitor made me feel bad about my decorating style by saying that it is "kinda all over the place." I don't agree--I think I have a pretty cohesive vision!  But that comment got me to thinking about the most efficient way to reduce the number of style influences in my home,  and I decided that the Shaker-style dresser had to be replaced by something more unequivocally modern.

Fast forward to more recent times...

After ages and ages spent looking for the right piece, I finally spied something I loved on the Anthropologie website but it cost much, much more than I was willing to pay.  I kept cycling back to the website, though, reassured that it was still available.  Until, one day, it wasn't.  It was discontinued and I was bereft--only realizing how much I'd wanted it once it became unavailable. So I kept looking and eventually found the same cabinet BACK IN STOCK at Anthropologie, AND on sale for 20% off, AND in a cheaper color as well ($500 cheaper!).  I decided I HAD to have it this time and congratulated myself on receiving both the sales discount and the cheaper price.  I purchased the cabinet, but never received a confirmation, only later discovering that the cheaper color that I'd ordered was no longer available and the order was in no-man's land.  So, with minutes left (literally, minutes) until the expiration of the 20% discount, I felt compelled purchase the more expensive cabinet at the previously unacceptable price.  Dumb, huh?  At least I got to take advantage of the 20% off sale.  At LEAST!  What can I say except that I was driven nearly mad by the need to own this thing.

SO, this is the Anthropologie "Boro Star" cabinet as it is in their catalog:

Anthropologie "Boro Star" media cabinet.  (Picture from the Anthropologie website )

 It's cute.  I like it as it is.  I especially like the raw-looking metal legs, which wrap around the top of the cabinet, and the rustic wood cabinet box.  But the front doors look very boho-chic and I wanted something more modern.  So, I painted the doors.  (And that's why I was so bummed to have to pay more for the specific paint selection.)  Here's how that went down:

First, I taped-out the cabinet box and the metal legs with painter's tape.  I removed the cabinet knobs.  Then I sanded the doors, primed them with a flat, gray primer, and gave them a coat of aluminum/silver colored paint.  I wanted the final finish to give the effect of a slightly-weathered, painted metal finish. 

 Then I boldly began to put on the first layers of color...

I kind of like the very bold effect of the initial layers, but I realized that it would overwhelm our small room, so I toned it down significantly as I worked.  

More color layers with sanding in-between...(Gotta love power-sanding in the middle of the main living area ;-)  but I tried my hardest to keep the dust wrangled.)

After many layers of paint and sanding in-between.

 Eventually, I decided to call it "done" and applied a waxed finish.

And here is the finished chest, in place in the living room.  

(If you look around, you can see that there is plenty of IKEA remaining:  The candle holders, the black and white pillow cover, and the sheep skin throw...)  I source items from everywhere!

I still need to tweak it a little bit, but I think this project was a success.  I feel like I achieved my goal, which was to make a unique furniture piece of indefinable age/origin.

Arts & Crafts: Halloween 2015 Round-Up

Well--it's that time of year again: Time for the Halloween costume post. I really enjoy Halloween. It is the holiday most conducive to letting the "craft monkey" out of its cage. I love to craft, but I don't like "crafty" things. And my appreciation of fine craftsmanship does not allow me to appreciate and display the items I make. But Halloween is different. My crafting skills are the equal of this holiday and I appreciate the challenges presented by each new costume. This year, Zachary wanted to be a Jawa. When he told me this he said, "Mom--I'm giving you a really easy costume this year. You'd better do a really, really good job on it." He was ready to micro-manage every costume element, but he was especially concerned about having an accurate Blaster weapon. 

Here's how I built a Jawa for Halloween 2015:

Jawa costume 2015. Including Jawa boots that I did not write about--they were simply an old pair of sneakers that I covered in strips of frayed robe fabric and heavily weathered and distressed.

Elements of the costume were: Robe and Hood, Mask, Bandolier, Blaster-Holster, Shoes, Gloves (a ready-made item), and Blaster weapon. Although I'd planned to complete the costume elements in order of their discipline (fabric/sewing, leatherwork, hot-glue/plastic/fabrication, etc. ) I was eager to see how I'd do with the bandolier, so I started out with the that piece even though I knew I'd have to come back to leathercraft when I tackled the holster at the end of the process.

A deep dive during the research phase of the project acquainted me with the arbiters of all things

Jawa--the 501st Legion: Vader's Fist.   They publish a costume reference guide and maintain a procedure for certifying your accurately constructed costume. I quote from their website: 

Bandoliers--for 501st approval:

• At least one bandolier is worn.
• Acceptable versions of the bandolier consist of Swedish, British, NZ, Australian, Canadian, and German.
• The bandoliers may be purchased originals or accurately fabricated reproductions.
• Bandoliers are of brown/black leather or similar looking material.
• The bandolier(s) are aged and weathered. 
• All metal pieces are dull, worn and scuffed.
• The metal pieces do not appear new or shiny or have a shine to them.
• More than one bandolier may be worn at he same time.
• Acceptable configurations include:
• One bandolier across the shoulder to the waist.
• Two crossed over the chest to the waist.
• One across the chest and one around the waist.
• Two crossed over the chest and one around the waist.

I based the bandolier on the British P-1903 bandolier which was used in WWI and WWII. I made a few changes though, so I'm not sure that the 501st would agree to certify the final product. Also, I used our old and worn out cowhide rug as a leather source and the hair-on component isn't historically accurate although I'm sure real Jawas would not have cared.

Making the template for the bandolier.

I used leather from our worn-out cowhide rug to make all the leather parts for the costume. 

I weathered the leather by sanding it and by staining/coloring it with repeated coats of liquid shoe polish, acrylic paint, more shoe polish, india ink...you name it--if it adhered and created a good effect, I used it. I enjoyed experimenting with the different effects that could be achieved by varying the order of application of the same materials. I sprayed the finished items with a light coat of sandstone/fleck stone paint and smooshed that into the crevices and dusted it on the top surfaces where I thought real dust might have accumulated. This step really enhanced the stitched areas.

Jawa mask and nearly-completed bandolier. I continued to add more weathering to the leather parts. 

The mask began as an inexpensive hockey mask. I used epoxy to mount the eyes (made from those little coin-op candy containers) to the cheeks. Then, because the eyes looked as if they were on stalks protruding from the cheeks, I built up a layer of spray-on insulating foam and carved it to shape on the lower face. This step also allowed me to minimize the shape/prominence of the nose, which wasn't a feature of the Jawa's face. I painted the whole thing black, covered the eyes and ventilation holes with black scrim, and covered the rest of the mask with cloth grip tape. I finished-up by drilling holes into the backs of the eyes and mounting yellow LED lights so the eyes will really glow. To intensify this effect, I sanded the insides of the candy cups to diffuse the light and I painted the insides of the lids with chrome paint to reflect as much light as possible. Finally, I glued the candy cups to their lids and trimmed the edges with scraps of frayed fabric. I didn't invent the basic concept--a tutorial can be found here.


The hood and robe were easily sewn. The hood was lined in black flannel and I reinforced the front edge with sewn-in boning and a small triangle of stiff interfacing that I affixed with fabric glue between the lining and the hood fabric. I probably could have omitted the interfacing--enough stiffness would have been provided by the boning alone and I think the drape of the hood might have been improved without the added stiffener in the "brim-area". For the robe, I'd taken general construction notes from the internet but I still had to make sizing guesstimates and create the pattern myself. Cutting into the fabric was a leap of faith. Luckily it worked out. The fabric was brown monk's cloth that I purchased online. I washed/preshrunk it several times before laying out the pattern and cutting it. After sewing, I distressed the fabric by fraying the edges and by applying swipes and spatters of various acrylic paints in shades of terra cotta and tan. 

It's hard to see in the photograph, but I cut well into the fabric to make large, irregular frayed areas and I added layers of spattered and smeared acrylic paint in shades of terra cotta and tan to suggest dirt. I added the most "dirt" to the inside edges of the bottom of the robe and the forearms and backs of the sleeves--areas where soil would naturally accumulate the most.

Then I moved on to making the Blaster weapon. For guidance, I must have looked at a hundreds of Googled images and dredged through tens of forum threads. There are serious Star Wars nerds out there who are obsessed with tracking down every exact, authentic component that went into making the original movie props. I wanted accuracy but, reluctantly, I decided that I'd have to be satisfied with achieving the general effect. Achieving authentic, movie-prop accuracy appeared to be a daunting (and expensive) task. 

Completed Jawa Blaster weapon.

I made the majority of the Blaster with PVC plumbing parts, craft foam "foamies", a plastic drinking glass, miscellaneous hardware, and a bit of plastic needlepoint mesh. One of the best parts was a piece of plastic that I cut from an air-freshener canister.

Component parts of the Blaster including PVC plumbing parts and a plastic drinking glass. 

The air freshener lid mounted inside the Blaster muzzle. 

To create the Blaster's stock, I laminated together two thin sheets of styrofoam and carved the shape. After I got the shape right, I coated it with 5-minute epoxy to harden the surface and impart strength.

Carving the shape of the stock from a piece of styrofoam.

Close-up of the connection between stock and barrel. 

I worried about how I would attach the heavy-ish barrel assembly to the lightweight styrofoam stock. In the end, I opted to pull out some of the styrofoam from inside the stock and fill the shell with additional 5-minute epoxy. Then I drilled holes from top to bottom through the epoxy-reinforced area and used threaded rod to attach the two elements. I decorated the threaded rod (and provided the gap that was called for in the design) by threading various washers and knurled nuts and other things onto the rod. It held up on Halloween and is still in one piece--success!

Close-up of Blaster weapon--a lot of junky bits and pieces contributed to this build. 

I painted the Blaster with multiple coats of flat-black paint, silver metallic, dustings of terra-cotta and beige pastel dust that I sealed with flat polyurethane, and sandstone/fleck stone paint. Painting is the fun part--paint magically transforms everything.

Last of all (once I had a completed Blaster weapon to measure) I made the holster. 

Close-up of the holster showing the effect imparted by the fleck stone paint. 

I really liked the faux stone paint which was labeled "Krylon-Stone-Fine Texture-limestone". It was different than I'd thought it would be. I was expecting a "Hammerite" type of finish but the paint (it was aerosol) came out more like granular stone dust in a clear binder. When I applied a light coat to the fabrics, it looked just like a thin layer of dust. And when I applied it to the hard surfaces, I was able to smoosh it around and wipe it into the crevices. I was a bit surprised at first, but I ended up really liking this product. That's the fun of crafting--hypothesizing about what might work, trying new things, and learning about new techniques and products.

Jawa Costume--Halloween 2015

And that's Halloween 2015--Jawa costume. It was a big hit during Halloween trick-or-treating. Lots of people asked Zachary to pose so they could take selfies with him. One guy gave him the whole candy bowl. That's become the mark of success--someone has to say, "Wow! That's the best costume I'll see all year. Here, you deserve ALL the candy!" And, lucky for me, that happened this year. Glowing with his trick-or-treating success, Zachary was feeling generous and awarded me an A+ on his costume. A few days later, though, and he's already down-graded me to "an A- or even a B". That's how it goes in this family. :-(

Arts & Crafts: Halloween 2014

Next year, I SWEAR IT, Zachary will go trick-or-treating in a costume of make-up and fabric.  I am just about done with displacing my kitchen (and my whole life, practically) for the crafting of a Halloween costume!  But I do enjoy the challenge of designing a new costume and the new skills and techniques that I discover and learn through completing it.  

This year, Zachary dressed as Marvin Martian from the Warner Bros. cartoons.  Marvin Martian was always my favorite Warner Bros. character.  After the idea of the Marvin Martian costume was floated, I was pretty sure that SOMEONE in our family would have to dress like Marvin and I think that my husband is glad that he didn't have to do it.  

Here's the finished product:  

It all began with a hippity hop.  I needed something absolutely round and about 14 inches in diameter to use as a form for the head.  I hadn't decided whether I'd make the costume using EVA foam or paper mache or something else, but all methods seemed to require a form of some kind--a collapsible form in case I chose to use paper mache--and a hippity hop was what presented itself.  In the end, I decided to craft with foam because I have some experience using this material.

So.  Here's how the costume got built.  I found a scaleable mathematical template online for a sectioned sphere and I adjusted it to the appropriate size.  Then, I cut sections of EVA foam and warmed them in the oven until they were malleable.  (You could choose to heat the foam with a heat gun or torch but, given the softness of the foam, the large size of the sections, and the fact that I wanted to heat it evenly, I chose to use the oven.)  I stretched and shaped the sections over the hippity hop and when they cooled they permanently retained the curve of the hippity hop.   Then I cut them to shape with a hot knife, carefully beveling the edges inwards.  I pinned the sections together and hot-glued them on the inside edge.

I placed each completed half back over the hippity hop and coated it with, first, a layer of 5-Minute-Epoxy to act as an encapsulant and stiffener, and then layers of heavy-bodied acrylic to even out the surface.    This part was tedious and more difficult than I thought it would be.  Even though I'd taken pains to make the surface as smooth and regular as possible, the seams still poked up and the human eye is very good at detecting out-of-roundness.  The foam I purchased for this project was medium-soft.  I'd had some misgivings about that at the time, but couldn't find a source for stiffer foam in the thickness that I wanted.  In hindsight, I sure wish I'd located some stiffer foam.  The softer foam really didn't do a good job of supporting the spherical shape and caused a lot of angst throughout the project.  It probably would have been cheaper, easier, and more satisfactory all around to use play-tile foam for everything.  Lesson learned!

Tools of the trade.  Mod Podge, can you craft without it?

Several more coats of acrylic "filler" and we are starting to get there...

I hot-glued on the collar (lots more filling and sanding to try to erase the join), and temporarily positioned the visor and eyes templates.

The eyes are cut out!  I backed them with white buckram so that Zachary would have ventilation and a large area to see out.

I didn't take any in-process shots of making the "brush".  I made it from a chunk of styrofoam that I cut to shape and sanded smooth.  I covered it in 5-Minute-Epoxy to harden the exterior and give it strength.  I drilled holes into the top of the brush into which I poked tufts of cut pipe-cleaners.  One hundred-nineteen holes/tufts!  

One of the things I liked best about this project was my decision to flock Marvin's face.  His face, after all, is a black sphere--almost just an emptiness.  I didn't want shine to distract from that effect and I wanted to minimize any lingering out-of-roundness, so I flocked his face.  It was fun and easy--but messy!  Even though I made a temporary spray booth in the corner of the kitchen, I still had flocking fibers settling on every adjacent surface.  Fun fact!--if you want to purchase a small amount of flocking, go to a woodworking supply store.  Wood crafters use flocking on the heads of duck decoys and insides of jewelry boxes.  Automotive companies (like the ones that customize hotrods) also use flocking, but they use a lot of it and use specialized equipment to apply it.  For a small flocking project (you might have one!), head to a woodworking supply store (Rockler, for example) for your materials.

How many power tools do YOU need to make a Halloween costume?  It takes me...uuummmm...at least four or five?!  Hot knife (wood burning tool), Dremel, pad sander, hot glue gun, blow dryer...And, as you can see, I am not a tidy worker.

I'd planned to use mattress foam inside the head to give a firm fit, but that didn't work very well.  As I wasn't going to be the one wearing it, it was hard to figure out where support was needed inside the head and it was hard to work inside the sphere.  In the end, I mounted an old bike helmet inside the head, supporting it with chunks of mattress foam cut-to-fit, and that worked pretty well.  

I also made a space-style gun from a plastic water pistol, a bunch of assorted plastic parts, and shapes cut from craft-foam "Foamies".  I painted the rings with glow-in-the dark paint--that was a fun touch.  The "skirt" was made from a single piece of foam--a floor tile left over from last year's costume.  And I finished it all with a purchased, red skin-suit and gloves.

The only thing I really regret about this costume was that we spent the whole night (and took ALL the pictures) with the visor pushed up really high on the forehead.  It was installed with stiff snaps so it was moveable, and it looked best when pushed down low.  Dang.  Oh well.

Here are a couple more pictures of Zachary trick-or treating.  I know it's horrible, but we attend the trick-or-treat event sponsored by local merchants so that's why he's going into a shop.  Thank you, Wedgwood Business District!

...and one, final picture...

That was Halloween, 2014, everybody!  Hope you had a good one!

***  Edited to add  ***

As I'm re-reading this post, it occurred to me that it might have been better to coat the foam head sections with epoxy resin BEFORE attempting to glue them together.  I bet the seams would have stayed flatter if I'd hardened them first.  Or maybe not...it's an untested idea.

Illustration Friday: Space

Well, here's my Illustration Friday post for the week.  The topic was "Space".  In fact, I just checked and I see that this topic is still active so I guess my submission is not technically late yet.  Yea!  Normally, I'd awake on Friday to find a new topic posted and accumulating submissions already.  I try to check-out the topic early so I won't be influenced by other people's ideas.

Illustration Friday.  The topic is "space".

The week's topic was a bit of a struggle.  I guess I just wasn't inspired.  I thought about "needing one's space",  about having a lot of space (as in a huge home or on a long sofa or in a prairie), about having precious little space (as for storage or in a box or tiny apartment), about parking spaces, and cosmic vistas.  I just couldn't seem to find an angle that seemed original or inspired.  I was gonna quit.  Give up.  But,  I knew that if I failed to post something this week, it wouldn't be long until I gave in to perfectionism or procrastination and dropped out completely.  So I manned-up and drew this.  Although it might look like an evil space alien is threatening our planet, it's not.  It is a scene from a creation story in which the elements of our solar system are juggled around and around in their orbits by an enormous space octopus--not so much of a stretch if you allow that Indians, Chinese, and First Nation peoples share a creation story in which a giant tortoise walks around bearing the Earth upon its back.  The scene depicted is actually quite benign--a divine octopus doing the Harlem Globetrotter spin with our planet.

As usual, I learned a lot by doing this work.  I learned that masking fluid is useful for protecting the foreground while you work on the background.  But, I also learned that masking fluid does not yield easily when used on cheap watercolor paper purchased in a tablet from Fred Meyer.  I also learned that ink does not dry well when it is layered onto masking fluid and will smudge everywhere if you are not careful about (somehow) drying it up.  I learned (relearned, d'oh!) that taking the masking fluid off with an eraser will erase your pencil sketch from underneath.  And then you won't have any idea what the lumps and bumps on your drawing are supposed to be and you will end up drawing some weird, unintentional bits and pieces onto your space octopus. 

So, that's it--another Illustration Friday DONE!  

Illustration Friday: Prehistoric

This week's topic for Illustration Friday was "Prehistoric".  I went with my gut and drew the first thing that came to mind--"What happens in prehistory STAYS…in prehistory".  It was a drawing that took a long time to complete and even though I was not happy with it, I stuck with my new focus on finishing projects instead of abandoning them at the first moment of dissatisfaction. 

However, because I was unsatisfied with "What happens in prehistory…", I went on to draw a second picture in a very different style.  The second is first (below)…

Baby Dino

This piece is part of an ongoing experiment in making textured backgrounds to accompany simple, childlike illustrations.  For this piece, I used multiple watercolor washes, salt, alcohol, and various resists. I have yet to discover an appropriate tool for doing the line work--the paper gets roughened by all the watercolor activity and pens or brushes tend to catch and wreck the line.  Then again, it's been quite a while since I last picked up some of these tools, so maybe fluency will return with practice.  And I'm also thinking that maybe I should just draw a little bigger so I have more room for movement and can work with bigger, bolder tools.  The scale issue has stymied me before, so I should definitely experiment with going bigger…or smaller…to get it right.

But...there is still that first effort to discuss--"What happens in prehistory…."  

What Happens In Prehistory STAYS…in Prehistory

This was my initial idea--a thoroughly debauched dino partying like it's Vegas!  I like the idea, but not the execution.  There is a lot of linework, so I thought I should keep it light but that decision didn't work out so well for me.  I wonder, now, if I could have simplified the line and made it thicker and more expressive. I also had problems with the color. If I were to do this over, I'd choose different colors AND different products to work with.

All in all, I think I see another iteration of this drawing in my future!  It kind of kills me to put these less-than-perfect drawings out there for others to see, but it is part of my new commitment to letting go of a need for perfection that has, until now, prevented me from finishing many works at all.

:-)