President's Banquet

Here're some random shots from th'NCA Convention closing night party, me maties. Th'theme was Fancy Pirate. ARRGGHH!!! Th'shot o'th'buxom pirate wench is just a statue...but methinks plenty o'th'mates still tried t'drag her back t'their cabins! I don't 'ave any shots o'Cindy n'I in our costumes yet. Th'official photographers were taking studio shots o'everyone but th'ones I ordered o'us 'aven't arrived yet. I'll post 'em as soon as I 'ave 'em in hook & hand.

Opening Night Party

Being in Savannah the theme was the Old South, so naturally I had to dress as a Union officer, thumbing my nose at the damned Confederacy. I had three badges on my uniform which read, "It's just a Union thing (you wouldn't understand)", "Emancipation begins at home", & "I've got your states' rights...IN MY PANTS!". That's my wife, Cindy, with me in the first picture. The ladies in the second shot wearing the scorched dresses were southern belles who had barely escaped the burning of Atlanta; the two southern gentlemen are Ken Epperly & Ken Fox, owners of Magic Makers Costumes in Huntington; the guy with the chicken on his head is Dennis Markel, co-owner of Illusive Skull/Costume Castle in Fairmont; the mammies are two guys dressed in drag and makeup. A great time was had by all.

Animals aplenty!

Here's a quick shot of my booth space at the NCA convention market. I sold the Brown Wolf at the end of the table, the Green Dragon, and the Grizzly Bear sitting just beneath the Dragon. The sale of these three costumes more than paid for the trip. I also had numerous requests for cost estimates on animals I didn't have at the show.

79th Annual NCA Convention

Hello again, fellow bloggers! I have returned from wonderfully hot-n-humid Savannah, Georgia, where I and my wife were attending the 79th Annual National Costumers Association Convention held this past week. Here are some random images from the Showcase Competition. Enjoy!

Blog at rest

Just wanted to let y'all know that I won't be posting again until next Friday. I'll be away at the National Costumers Association convention down in hot-n-steamin' Savannah, Georgia, for the next week. I'll have plenty of posts of really cool costumes upon my return, though. Hope everyone has a great week! D.
(My five year-old son, Sean, took this picture of me, btw)

There is a BEAST living within each and every one of YOU!

Okay, after all the catfish, movie reviews, comics and such I think I'm back on track with the COSTUME blog! This is a mask I just finished for Theater West Virginia's upcoming production of Beauty and the Beast, which opens on July 18th, I think. It's a hard, paper mache shell just like my mascots but it conforms to the actor's face. The chin piece is entirely seperate so he can sing. The horns are rubber. The teeth are plastic. The fur is all synthetic except for the longer fur on the sides of his cheeks and chin which is Icelandic sheep's fur.

It's a grand ol' fish.....

As the Great FestivALL Catfish Project comes to an end, here's a Fourth of July-themed fish ordered by Museum in the Community and painted by my cousin, Travis Morton. The Roman numerals in its mouth translate as 1776 and quarters serve as its eyes.

What is it? #2

Well done, me hearties, ye all guessed well within the ballpark although I didn't really expect any of ye to know what sort of mold i'twas. As ye can see, ye were a'lookin' down the neck of a plaster head I ordered for sculpture purposes, but the head 'twas made of light plaster and 'twas hollow, making it too light to put a bunch o'clay atop, so to rectify the matter I poured it full o'plaster t'make it solid and heavy. My gracious thanks to ye all for participatin'. NOW GET BACK TO SWABBIN' TH'DECK OR I'LL HAVE YE KEEL-HAULED, EVERY ONE O'YA!