Costume Blog

Know Your Venetian Masks

2010-02-23T05:44:00.000-08:00

The following article was submitted by guest-poster Brenda Hineman. Enjoy! -D.

While we mostly tend to associate freakish masks with Halloween, Mardi Gras/Carnevale gives us another celebration that openly embraces masks and costumes. While some may find them freakish, others find them equally beautiful. Whatever your stance on Venetian masks, knowing the different types of masks can help increase your appreciation of them. Without further delay, here is a quick primer on the different types of Venetian Masks.

THE BAUTA
The Bauta mask is one of easiest Venetian masks to identify. Characterized by a pronounced chin and jawline, the Bauta may even come to a jutting point at the tip of the chin. Different masks have their own historical adornment, and the Bauta traditionally features generous amounts of gilding and gold-leaf work. Interestingly enough, the pronounced chin feature of the Bauta also serves a very practical purpose, allowing party-goers to eat and drink with the mask still on, as to maintain their disguise at all times.

THE VOLTO
The Volto mask is also known as the Larva mask, from the Latin "evil spirit" or "ghost". Appropriately, then, the traditional Volto mask is all white and usually worn with a black cloak and tri-corner hat. As a more form-fitting mask, Voltos were made of a light wax cloth to ensure more comfort and breathability than some other Venetian masks. Over time, the classic white Volto has been seen as a canvas for decoration, allowing for much more ornate versions than its original conception.

THE MORETTA

The Moretta is a mask traditionally worn by women who were visiting convents. The Moretta is also known as the "Servetta Muta" or "mute maid servant". This name comes from the fact that the mask was held in place by a button on the inside of the mask that the wearer would bite down on, thus preventing the ability to speak while wearing the mask. Although invented in France, it became very popular in Venice for its simple black appearance that accentuated female features. This is the least common of Venetian masks still worn today, as it promptly fell out of favor in the 1760s.

THE COLUMBINE

The Columbine is a half-mask that is held in place with either a baton held in the hand or a ribbon tied around the back of the head. Whereas other masks discussed so far have been full masks, the Columbine is a half mask. Traditional decoration of the Columbine includes gold or silver, jewels, and a wide array of different feathers. The Columbine is the most popular Venetian mask in contemporary society as it is very light, comfortable, and makes talking, eating, and drinking very easy.

THE MEDICO DELLA PESTE

The Medico Della Peste is translated into English as "The Plague Doctor". This unique name has origins that are just as macabre as the mask itself. Characterized by a long bird-like beak, the Medico Della Peste was originally worn as a full-mask, but many half-mask variations exist today. Unlike some other Venetian Masks that were designed with appearance as the primary focus, the Medico Della Peste has its roots with Charles de Lorme, a French doctor in the 16th century who fashioned this mask to wear in his extensive time spent treating plague victims. While other Venetian masks don't usually have an identifiable accessory, the Medico Della Peste is, once again, very different. Because its roots lie with doctors during the plague era, the Medico Della Peste is often accompanied by a cane or stick that was originally used for poking dead or near-dead bodies to avoid contact and reduce the spread of the disease. CONCLUSION.In time, the lines that define the styles of Venetian masks have blurred. It is common for the once-white Volto to be very ornate. Indeed, we may have all done a mask painting project in high school art classes that involved creating a variation of the Volto. Likewise, there seems no limitation to the variations of the Columbine. One thing that has not changed in hundreds of year, however, is the availability of Venetian masks everywhere from your local costume shop, to high-end collectible artisan masks designers. Find one you love and make a statement this Mardi Gras / Carnevale season.

Brenda Hineman is a costume aficionado who also writes about Halloween Costumes at StarCostumes.com.

The Night Before Christmas

2009-12-14T06:13:00.000-08:00

I decided to re-write the classic Night Before Christmas with words of my own expressing my increasing frustration with the absurdities and trappings of the Christmas Season to which everyone in America is supposed to subscribe otherwise be treated as a leper! I read this at our first Halloween/Christmas party this past Saturday and it went over quite well. Enjoy!

The Night Before Christmas
(Why I love Halloween)
by Dale Morton

Twas the night before Christmas and for eight solid weeks
It’d been nothing but hell for us Halloween freaks.
Even before all our pumpkins had begun to decay
The Season of “Peace” was well under way.

The aisles of costumes were not even gone,
When dozens of Santas were selling by dawn.
We went from the season of witches and ghouls
Right into continual reindeer and Yules!

The round-the-clock music had started at midnight,
The same old tired songs, oh, this just can’t be right!
White Christmas and Frosty, Sleigh Riding we go,
Winter Wonderland, there’s not one flake of snow!

By the time the sun rose houses had their lights hung,
Inflatable snowmen from green lawns had sprung.
As I cleaned up the mess from my All Hallows bash
The holiday changed, oh, it switched in a flash!

The outcry for Christmas, it seemed so insistent,
It’s as if Thanksgiving was no longer existent.
The buying, the selling, a calamitous rut,
I’ve never even tasted a roasted chestnut.

Black Friday it came with media fanfare,
The bargains, stampedes, the greed laid so bare.
The Elmos, the Zu-Zus, when will it all stop?
This horrible, ceaseless impulse to shop?

We spend and we spend, we go further in debt,
Closer and closer to the edge do we get.
Until on the day when our credit bills come,
We wonder what did we spend it all on!

And how many times can they run those same shows?
We already know about Rudolph’s red nose!
A Christmas Story twenty-four seven again,
It’s a Wonderful Life, it should be a sin!

Miracle on 34th Street for the one-millionth time,
Once it passes a thousand it should be a crime!
Santa Clause I, Santa Clause II,
If they air them again I swear I will sue!

We’re supposed to hang stockings by the chimney with care
But if I see one more elf I’ll pull out my hair!
And all of the magic I knew in my youth
Has all been replaced by something uncouth.

We eat so much sweets, we drink so much nog,
We even feed this crap to the cat and the dog!
We stuff ourselves full, we pack on the pounds,
We gorge on fresh turkey, we consume it in mounds!

And on Christmas Day all the gifts that we got,
The shirt that someone apparently felt was so hot.
The kids they all sit amidst boxes and toys,
Their Wii games, their iPods and electronic joys.

And when it’s all over we look back and complain
At the thousands we’ve spent, at the weight that we’ve gained.
We’re tired, we’re exhausted, we’ve ‘bout had enough
Of Christmas, of Santa, of presents and stuff.

So at last when the day finally comes to a close
The madness is over and I’m starting to dose,
I think back again at this Christmas I’ve seen
And it reminds me just why I love Halloween.

Halloween/Christmas Party

2009-12-14T06:04:00.001-08:00

This year we decided to have a mid-December Halloween/Christmas party for those of us who absolutely love Halloween AND Christmas...but are basically fed up with having the Christmas Season and all of its increasingly absurd trappings shoved down our throats beginning immediately after Halloween!!! Thus, we joined the Christmas Resistance and had this little party, which turned out to be a tremendous amount of fun. We read lists of grievances that we all have with the Christmas Season, wore creepy Christmas-themed costumes and basically had a great time. We're planning on doing it again next year.

http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb214/Vermthrax/Halloween%20Xmas%202009/

Halloween Gathering 2009

2009-12-14T05:53:00.000-08:00

Here are a few images from my annual Halloween Gathering, which was a tremendous success! The link is to the entire collection of photos. Enjoy!

http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb214/Vermthrax/Halloween%20Gathering%202009/

Studio Facebook page

2009-09-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

I would like to announce that DALE MORTON STUDIO now has its own Facebook page. So drop in, visit and become a fan when you get a minute. There are photo galleries of mascot costumes, specialty costumes, masks, make-up, creatures, monsters, models and all sorts of other weird things. Hope you like it! -Dale.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hurricane-WV/DALE-MORTON-STUDIO-MASCOT-COSTUMES/151817704697

The Robert G. Withrow Collection

2009-08-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone! I wanted to take a moment to share with you all a very impressive costume, prop and movie memorabilia collection that has been amassed by my lifelong friend, ROBERT WITHROW. Although his collection of toys began in his youth, his current collection was kicked off with his acquisition of the limited edition full-size Rubie’s Darth Vader display. This was quickly followed by the limited edition Illusive Concepts Han Solo in Carbonite and the Don Post full size Stormtrooper figure, after which the collection snowballed into what it has become today.

Some of the finer items worth noting in the Withrow Collection include numerous screen-used costumes and items acquired through various auctions. Some highlights include:

-Scott Glenn’s coverall from The Hunt for Red October
-Sam Elliott’s Thunderbolt Ross uniform from Ang Lee’s Hulk
-Chancellor Gorkon’s & General Chang’s costumes from Star Trek VI
-Admiral Cartwright’s uniform from Trek VI
-Various original costumes from Star Trek TOS, TNG, Voyager & DS9, including the original Technician Fisher jumpsuit from The Enemy Within with yellow space ore stain still visible.
-Background Klingon mask used in Trek VI & costume used first in ST: TMP.
-2 Microbe organisms from Star Trek III
-Original stunt knife blade used in the Trek episode Mirror, Mirror
-Original TOS Commodore Decker tunic braid from The Doomsday Machine
-Background Ape costume used in Beneath the Planet of the Apes
-From Titanic: officer’s jacket, life vest, sherry glass, First Class dinner plate and aged 20 dollar bank notes.

Additional costumes in The Collection include a number of re-created costumes used in James Cawley’s Star Trek: New Voyages/Phase II films. Also in the accompanying gallery is an impressive pictorial showing Mr. Withrow (Captain Kirk), Clayton Sayre (Spock) and Sam Batman (Scotty) in various poses on James Cawley’s Enterprise bridge set taken during their visit to the New Voyages/Phase II studio in Ticonderoga, NY in 2008.

In addition to the Vader, Han & Stormtrooper mentioned previously, other replica props and costumes in The Collection include:

-Illusive Concepts lifesize Yoda
-Lifesize Darth Maul figure
-Fan-made working R2-D2
-“Vader Revealed” bust
-Fan-made full size Cylon centurion costume
-Terminator endoskeleton made by Paul Francis Studios
-Lifesize Predator figure
-Fan-made Star Trek TOS Captain’s Chair
-Fully-lighted TOS & TMP Enterprise models
-Fully-working Icons Lost in Space Robot (very rare!)
-Fan-made ROTLA Ark of the Covenant
-ROTLA Fertility Idol
-Fully lighted Millenium Falcon from Master Replicas
-Boris Karloff Frankenstein figure assembled & painted by Clayton Sayre (head sculpt by Mel Tevis)
-Lon Chaney’s Phantom of the Opera figure assembled & painted by Clayton Sayre (head sculpted by Mel Tevis)

And finally there are a scattering of items including an authentic Goldfinger gold bar prop, various celebrity autographed stills, and an endless array of collectible toys, models, and props.

Here is the link to the full pictorial along with a few teaser shots. Enjoy!

-DM

http://s189.photobucket.com/albums/z114/RealGoldfinger/?albumview=grid

Wonder Woman FINISHED

2009-07-31T14:44:00.001-07:00

And here is Krystal's finished Wonder Woman costume which she debuted at 2009's San Diego Comic Con this past weekend. She was a HUGE HIT, not to mention totally gorgeous! Everything you see was made by me (except the boots). Every piece of her armor was first sculpted, molded, then run in fiberglass and professionally painted by my brother, who does auto body paint work. I am offering copies of these armor pieces, both painted and unpainted, for sale. Contact me through www.dalemortonstudio.com if you're interested. Hope you like 'em! -D.

Wonder Woman

2009-06-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of a Wonder Woman costume I'm making for a girl named Krystal in California for debut at 2009's San Diego Comic Con coming up toward the end of July. The entire costume is based on Terry Dodson's WW. The armor will be sculpted, made of fiberglass and painted chrome gold. I'll post shots of that as it takes shape. The corset is shiny red fabric on the outside but vinyl underneath for shapely support. Each star on the trunks has been individually applied. -Dale.

Sally Jupiter

2009-04-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

The shots above are the drop-dead gorgeous Carla Gugino as sexy crimefighter Sally Jupiter from Watchmen. The following shots are of the best Sally Jupiter costume I've seen thus far, made by a beautiful fellow costuming friend of mine named Tally.

2009-03-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today my friend Clayton Sayre made me aware of the fact that I had tragically neglected to include his fine costume of Dr. Carl Hill in my posts about DragonCon '08. So, instead of going back and working it into the previous post I felt it deserved a post all its own. For those who don't know, Dr. Hill (played by David Gale) was the villain in the classic '80s horror/comedy flick Re-Animator. In the course of the film he gets his head lobbed off after threatening one of his students, Herbert West, who then reanimates the doctor's body and head with his life-giving "re-agent" formula. The headless body, of course, then proceeds to carry around its disembodied head in a metal pan that it routinely replenishes with fresh blood. Clayton had talked about making this costume for some time but finally took the plunge this past year to absolutely hilarious results. He had acquired a copy of a lifecast of David Gale's face and from that created the latex head you see sitting perched in the bloody pan. Clayton could hardly see anything at all from his position inside the shirt and had to be guided into the hotel. But aside from these hardships it was an incredible hit and was one of the more unique and original costumes of the convention. "MORE PASSION!!!!!"

Plummy the Lighthouse

2009-02-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

Here's an unusual mascot costume we just finished, a lighthouse named "Plummy", which stands for Plum Beach Lighthouse, located in Rhode Island. You see the finished costume and the design drawing on which it was based.

My ultimate Santa Claus suit

2008-12-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

My son Sean's elementary school found themselves without a Santa this year for some unknown reason. My wife knew that I had always wanted to make an ultimate Santa suit for myself and she thought this might be a good excuse for me to finally tackle the project. So two weeks ago I threw myself happily into the creation of a costume based more on the Eurpoean Father Christmas rather than the typical Americanized Santa that you see in every department store, which I've never liked much anyway. My Santa has a hooded, floor-length red cloak trimmed in white fur, an inner cloak made of gold & pinkish stretch fabric overlaid with gold netting & gold corded fringe at its bottom, and the cloak is held together with gold chain and two faux diamond pendants. My very first appearance at Hurricane Town Elementary was today and was a tremendous success. Cindy accompanied me dressed in our Rudolph costume, much to the delight of the children. It was so much fun I hope to get other opportunities to don this fine costume and play jolly ol' Saint Nicholas for many more children. Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

Hotties from DragonCon '08

2008-11-30T15:39:00.001-08:00

Halloween Gathering '08

2008-11-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

My annual Halloween Gathering took place Friday night and it was a tremendous success! We had a crowd of 25 and a lot of very cool costumes. Here are a few shots from the evening. For the complete gallery of photos, click HERE.

DragonCon Super Heroes

2008-09-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

In order of appearance: Superman (Return to Krypton suit); Captain Britain; a group of Captain Marvels; Dark Superman (Kingdom Come suit); Batman (of course!); Captain America; Golden Age Superman; The Punisher; The Crime Syndicate (Power Ring, Johnny Quick, Ultraman); Iron Man; Batman Begins; Firestorm; 2 shots from the Justice League photoshoot.

DragonCon images

2008-09-15T07:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some random images of really unique costumes from this year's DragonCon. Many more to come in the next posts, so keep a lookout! They are, as follows: A Wraith from Stargate Atlantis; Angel from X-Men; one of the many Steampunk costumers there; a really neat-looking horned skull demon; soldiers from Halo; my friend Sam Batman in a very imaginative costume of an issue of Crime Suspenstories; a couple in some beautiful white battle armor; an excellent rendition of Two-Face; a collection of Iron Men; and finally the "Yip-Yip" monster from Sesame Street. As you can see, the costumes run the gamut from anything and everything. -D.

Jor-el costume

2008-09-13T08:53:00.001-07:00

Well, another DragonCon has come and gone, but this year I was in costume myself...as the father of Superman, Jor-El...as portrayed by Marlon Brando in Superman: The Movie. I did both versions of his costume, the black robes he wore in the tribunal sequence at the beginning of the movie and his more brilliant silver/white version he wore at the Kryptonian Council scenes. More pics from DragonCon coming up in the next post...

Victorian-era Joker sketches

2008-07-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some sketches I did of The Joker had his character existed in the Victorian era of the late 1800s. The first sketch was based off of a drawing of the French artists Horace Vernet; the second was based off of Sidney Paget's drawing of Professor Moriarty; and the third was based off of Gary Oldman's Dracula attire.

Comic Con '07

2008-07-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

Tribute to Stan Winston

2008-06-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

Today's post is in tribute to one of my great idols, legendary make-up artist & creature designer Stan Winston, who passed away last week at the age of 62 from a seven year battle with colon cancer. For those of you who don't know, he and his talented crew are the geniuses who created the makeup & creatures for The Terminator, Aliens, the animatronic dinosaurs for Jurassic Park, Predator, Pumpkinhead, Edward Scissorhands, Interview with the Vampire and many, many others. As a makeup artist he personally won Emmy awards for his work on Roots and The Autobiography of Ms. Jane Pittman. Winston had won several Oscars for his work and was one of the most influential makeup & special effects artists to ever live. He was in league with the great makeup artists like Dick Smith, Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Jack Pierce, Lon Chaney, Jack Dawn...men who created some of the most iconic and everlasting monsters to ever grace the silver screen. So, his passing has saddened me greatly. He was always one of the highest practical makeup luminaries to me simply because his design for Predator totally blew me away and it was that which inspired me to get into masks & makeup to begin with. Even though I never had the good fortune to meet Mr. Winston I did get to meet his Art Department Coordinator, a wonderfully nice and incredibly talented gentleman named John Rosengrant, when I visited Stan Winston Studio back in the summer of 1992. Here follows that story...

In 1992 I was in the middle of taking Dick Smith's Advanced Professional Makeup Course and had built up a pretty decent portfolio. My brother was stationed out at Ft. Irwin in the desert of California at that time and it was then that I took my second trip out West with the intention of shopping my portfolio around at the various makeup studios. I visited Rick & Bari Burman's studio, Lance Anderson's, John Beuchler's...and didn't really think I had a chance in hell of getting in at Winston's...but I called anyway. Luckily they said that they were in a bit of lull that day and gave me permission to drop by. I walked through the door on pins and needles, I must say, and was greeted by a model of the Queen Alien looming menacingly in the foyer. To my surprise it was Winston's art department head, John Rosengrant, who came out to greet me. I already knew who he was, of course, and I felt like a complete idiot in his presence. But he was extremely nice and invited me to sit down while he reviewed my less-then-stellar portofolio. I had already done a Predator mask of my own and he complimented me highly on it, then looked over the rest of my work, giving me advice and suggestions for improvement, information which I soaked up graciously. He then invited me to come back and see the workshop, something which I had not really expected (Stan Winston was not there that day...I would only find out later that he was in Hawaii while they shot the triceratops sequences). He led me through the drafting room where Crash McCreery's beautiful pencil sketches of dinosaurs hung on the wall, then into a work area that they had also set up as a sort of museum. It was nothing as elaborate as the showroom he has today but it still knocked my socks off. Before he took me back, though, he had to pull a large black curtain to block off the larger studio because he said they were working on dinosaurs for Jurassic Park and that I wasn't allowed to see those. What I did see, however, was an unpainted raptor skin hanging on a gantry and two raptor tails lying on a nearby table, which was really incredible. He then allowed me to photograph the displays as much as I wanted and I just couldn't get enough of what I was seeing. I only had the one roll of film and I used it up in minutes. That done I didn't want to waste too much of his time so I thanked him a hundred times and departed, still floating on a very high-altitude cloud. As my brother and I were driving back to the hotel I went to remove the used film from my camera...only to discover that I hadn't loaded the film properly. Not ONE shot had been taken!!! My spirits crashed to ground like a meteorite. I went from being on a cloud to wanting to crawl into the deepest, darkest hole, I was so dispondent. The next day I desperately called John Rosengrant back and explained what I had done and sheepishly asked if it would be possible for me to come back and re-photograph what I had shot the day before. Unfortunately, he said that that display area was now covered with skins that they were painting and that it would be occupied all day, but he expressed how sorry he felt that I had lost my pictures. It was all my own stupidity, of course, for not loading the film properly. Anyway, I thanked him for his time and spent the last two days of my trip in a very depressed state. I flew back to West Virginia and had to suffer through telling my friends this both wonderful and depressing story as well. I was depressed for the next week. And then....and then...something arrived in the mail. A package from Stan Winston Studio! There was a handwritten letter from John Rosengrant. It read, "Dale...Thank you for taking the time to visit the Studio during your visit to L.A. I'm so sorry you lost your pictures. I hope these will do as replacements." Inside the package was an undeveloped roll of film. I just about fainted! I rushed to the developers and in an hour I had the most wonderful shots of those figures and models as I could possibly ask for. John Rosengrant, as busy as he was working on the dinos for Jurassic Park, had actually taken the time to reshoot my pictures for me and then send me the film. I have rarely been the recipient of such kindness from such a person and this experience just underscores the kindness and consideration that Stan Winston instilled in the people that worked for him. John Rosengrant could have easily dismissed me as a complete nobody...but he didn't....and I will remember that act of generosity until my dying day. It's acts of kindness such as that that inspires us to act with equal kindness toward others, which I try my best to maintain, following the example of Dick Smith, Stan Winston, and John Rosengrant. And here are a few of the shots that John Rosengrant took for me. Enjoy them in the memory of Stan Winston, for there will never by anyone quite like him. -Dale.

I also wanted to share a nice tribute written by my good friend and fellow makeup artist, Clayton Sayre, who basically was the one who got me into mask & makeup at the very start. I thought his words about Winston were very appropriate:

After reading the various tributes, I thought that of all things, Stan Winston gave the field of makeup effects a face and a personality. Moreso than Dick Smith or Rick Baker, Winston "emerged into the sunlight", so to speak with his everpresent smile and buddy-buddy comraderie with Hollywood elites like Schwarzenegger, Cameron and Spielberg. This coupled with his immense diversity, be it straight makeup effects, makeup/animatronics, or straight animatronics leading into CG, he didn't just approach them professionally...he downright attacked them....and always pushed the envelope in doing so. I have always felt that his direction of Pumpkinhead went underrated. It would have been nice to see how he would have grew as a director as well.

BibleMan???

2008-06-14T08:46:00.001-07:00

BibleMan? BIBLEMAN??? Conceived of and portrayed by washed up actor Willie Aames??? I've seen some ridiculous concepts for superheroes before but this one takes the cake. What's he do, hurl little New Testaments at evil-doers? Does he have little crucifix throwing stars on his utility belt? A gun that squirts holy water? Or does he simply speak the Word of God and the enemy cringes in fear? I'm sorry but this is really a pathetically stupid idea. And what's with the lightsaber???

Han in Cardboardite

2008-04-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

Medieval Batman

2008-04-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

WOW! Great response to the Medieval Superman. Thanks everyone for the replies.

Okay, continuing my "RenPunk" superhero costume concepts, here's my medieval Batman design. Now the problem with doing a medieval Batman is the fact that the Batman costume is pretty darn medieval to begin with, so he's likely to look incredibly similar no matter what age you draw him in. In this drawing I have him wearing a leather hood with ears sewn onto the top that ties at the front of the neck. Over his face he's wearing a black theatrical mask crafted of leather attached to lengths of fabric tied around the back of his head, bandit style (such masks were quite common at the time and are still made today by pressing wet leather into or over top of a pre-made plaster form). His cape would probably be fabric of some sort covered by a leather piece draped over his shoulders and covering his upper chest and back, not unlike the type of leather chest protectors that were in use in the period. I'm thinking his chest symbol would be crafted of polished metal with a black metallic bat in the center. His shirt would be thin leather but his upper "body armor" would be much thicker, sleeveless, tied at the sides with the abs formed into it using the same process used to make the mask. His gauntlets would be leather with ties running up them with metal spikes at their backs. Fairly standard utility belt with pouches, rope with grappling hook, and sword or perhaps even a dagger. Finally I've given him the thigh-length riding boots with buckles up the sides. Anyway, I hope you like it and I welcome any and all comments. I'm also working on a more armored Batman costume, too. I would LOVE to make this costume and have someone wear to a Renaissance Faire.

Medieval Superman

2008-03-28T05:26:00.000-07:00

Here is an idea I've been toying with lately...a medieval Superman. I've been quite caught up lately in this whole Steampunk movement, the incorporating of turn-of-the-century design styles (Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Victorian-era type stuff) into modern-day apparel, technology, costumes, etc....but since I'm such a fan of Renaissance-era costuming I thought it would be really neat to go back even further and conceptualize what Superman would have looked like had his father, Jor-El, made a time-error and sent his infant son to Shakespearean England instead of 1940s midwestern America. What would Sup's costume look like? What would he look like? Well, here's my take on the idea, complete with Elizabethan mustache and goatee. I'm also working on two medieval Batman costume drawings as well as a medieval Wonder Woman. What an impressive thing for a medieval Justice League to be able to show up at a Renaissance faire! I would love to make this costume someday soon but I'd have to make it for someone else to wear since my physique is more aptly suited for Henry the VIII! :-)

Furries

2008-03-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some very impressive furries seen at DragonCon '07. I have no idea who made them or who the people are in the suits but they are absolutely exquisite work.

Nice Shadow costume

2008-03-06T09:30:00.001-08:00

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?"

Heath Ledger Joker costume (UPDATED)

2008-02-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

In the wake of the tragic death of Heath Ledger, a costumer on The League of Heroes posted these shots of his very own home-made Ledger Joker costume from The Dark Knight, this summer's sequel to Batman Begins. Aside from Ledger's incredible interpretation of The Joker, which promises to be very dark and unique, this gentleman (who goes by the name Electricsixx) is one of the first to duplicate the costume faithfully and has done an absolutely fantastic job of it, not only on the costume but on the all-important makeup and hair. If you wish to drop him a line and offer your praise you can reach him at electricsixx@hotmail.com. And if you want to see many other impressive comic-book character costumes then be sure to visit The League of Heroes .

Here is an updated Ledger Joker costume that ElectricSixx sent me this morning. I LOVE the socks and shoes!!!! Enjoy!

TEX

2007-12-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

This is "TEX", the most eloborate, most expensive costume we have ever constructed. It was made for the Lucasfilm subsidiary THX, the company that creates and installs the THX sound system in movie theaters all around the world. The character of TEX is a funny little computer generated robot that appears in the pre-feature THX promo animation that is shown in every theater that uses this sound system. This costume was commissioned for use at an electronics trade show being held in Las Vegas in January. All of the red pieces are made of fiberglass and had to be sculpted, cast and made here in the Studio. The silver parts of mostly acrylic and polycarbonate. All the pieces were professionally painted by my brother who does custom auto body paint work. The rocket pack was created by combining four different plastic gardening pots from Home Depot, as well as some other odds and ends. Overall, it turned out very nice and they were very happy with it.

Scottish Batman???

2007-11-21T09:32:00.000-08:00

I pulled this off of League of Heroes, a shot from the Wizard World Texas convention. I've seen some crazy costume concepts but this one is one of the coolest. A highland Batman, complete with kilt and utility pouch. N'now if he cun only get 'imself a bonny bot'tle o'Scotch!

A few Trick-or-Treat shots

2007-11-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

My 13 year-old son Bryant as a knight, my 6 year-old son Sean as Venom, and me in my black cloak. One of the most original costumes we saw was this snack machine costume that had actual snacks in it. The poor girl couldn't even walk in it, her parents just pushed her around in a wagon. Frankly, she looked quite exasperated with the whole situation! :-)

Halloween Gathering '07

2007-10-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

Well, my 4th Annual Halloween Gathering took place this past Saturday evening and it was a resounding success! In fact, it was the biggest crowd we've ever had with 21 guests attending. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time even though a few had to leave a bit early and everyone really got into the spirit of it, with nearly everyone arriving in costume. Without question the award for Best Costume Stunt of the evening goes to Ronn Smith and Tammy Lowers. Ronn arrived dressed as Dr. Who #3(Jon Pertwee)...but halfway through the evening he slipped away and regenerated into Dr. Who #4 (Tom Baker) without anyone having noticed. It was Tammy's idea for him to do this and both costumes and stunt were executed beautifully. We had various readings from Poe, Dracula, WV Ghost Stories, and Sam managed to totally offend one couple with his reading of the politically incorrect Godzilla's Twelve-Step Program. Good job, Sam, the evening wouldn't be complete without someone being offended or disgusted by something. The music segment went especially well with the playing of selections from Interview with the Vampire, Close Encounters, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Legend. We then watched some scenes from An American Werewolf in London, John Carpenter's The Thing, and Fantasia. Below are some images from the evening...and thanks to everyone who attended and especially to those who helped in cleaning up the next day. Happy Halloween!

More costumed hotties from DragonCon '07

2007-10-08T04:12:00.000-07:00

Lovely ladies of DragonCon '07

2007-09-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

As usual, the cadre of really hot babes at DragonCon was vast, as demonstrated by the following shots of some of the more awesome-looking ladies. The first shot is of one of the many women dressed as Queen Gorgo from the film 300, which was very big this year, Spartans everywhere it seemed. The second shot is of one of the hottest girls at the con, Margie, who is dressed first as Psylocke and then as Wonder Woman in the 3rd image, along with another girl dressed as Wonder Woman in her golden battle armor from the graphic novel Kingdom Come. The 4th shot is of a very sweet chick dressed as a Sith apprentice from the Star Wars universe complete with Darth Maul-style red and black tattoo make-up and yellow contact lenses. The 5th is a very elegant take on the traditional Wonder Woman costume. The girl dressed in white in the 6th photo is a character I'm not familiar with, although I've seen others dressed in this same outfit from past years. I have no idea what the girls in the 7th shot are either but their outfits were really neat and they were really hot, hence they are included in this posting. The girl in the green outfit in the 8th shot is a mystery to me as well but she's worthy of a showing, no doubt. And finally, we have a very sexy Black Cat. Everywhere you turned at the convention there were gorgeous women showing off their physical assets in one costume or another and that's one of the reasons why DragonCon continues to grow each year. I heard this year the turnout was around 53,000!!! I also want to give credit and great thanks to photographer Donovan Johnson who was kind enough to grant me permission to use a few of his photos that I lifted from his website. Please visit when you get a chance, his images are quite superior and he captured shots of soooo many costumes that I didn't even see. There were so many costumes and so little time that one can't possibly see them all. More shots of hot costumed babes to come in the next posting. Enjoy!

My new vanity plate

2007-09-20T11:37:00.001-07:00

After years of wanting one...I finally got one!

AWESOME CONCEPT

2007-09-13T10:50:00.001-07:00

The following mask and suit is a female variant of Tim Curry's character Darkness from the movie Legend. This is really one of the coolest concepts I've seen any costumer attempt to pull off and it just blew my socks off when I saw it. This wonderful suit is being created by a very talented artist named Melanie in California who I found on the League of Heroes website. I hope she posts more of her work because she is exquisitely talented.

DragonCon 2007

2007-09-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from my first ever DragonCon and may I say, it was a BLAST!!!!! Four days of sci-fi/fantasy/comic book costuming, forums, celebrities, costume contests, a massive dealer room, and COSTUMES, COSTUME, COSTUMES GALORE, all taking place across three major hotels right in downtown Atlanta, the Hyatt, the Hilton, and the Marriott. Click the link to my PhotoBucket album and you can see most of the good shots that we took: http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb214/Vermthrax/DragonCon%202007/

The ULTIMATE Superman costume

2007-08-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is, without question, the BEST fan-made Superman costume I've EVER seen! This is, of course, based on Christopher Reeve's costume from the movies. I've seen a LOT of Superman costumes and more often than not there's usually something not quite right about them, either the trunks are too big, the boots are too short, or the guy wearing it just doesn't live up to Superman's physique. But I've never seen a costume more impressive and accurate as this one. Everything about it is absolutely perfect and the bloke wearing it actually makes a pretty darn good Superman. I would give the man credit but I have no idea who he is, only that he calls himself Martin-El and is located in Birmingham, England. I found these shots on a really cool site called The League of Heroes, which is comprised of fans who are really into super hero and movie character costuming. Check it out when you get time, it's pretty neat. Great job on the costume, Martin! Up, up and AWAAAAAAY!!!!!!

A REAL Jaguar!

2007-08-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

Ken Epperly, one of the co-owners of Magic Makers Costumes in Huntington, was in a quandry as to what to do with an old 1975 Cadillac that had been in his possession for quite a number of years. Well, this was his solution: covering it in jaguar/leopard fur!!! He said he'd always wanted a Jaguar. Now he has one!

ABSOLUTELY BALD!!!!

2007-07-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

Who knew that Lord Vader was a member of Cue Ball Club? And here I thought he was hiding under that helmet a doo to rival Robert Wagner's!!!!

511 Guys!

2007-07-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a group of mascot costumes we just finished a couple weeks ago: The "511 Guys" made for The Hayslett Group in Atlanta, Georgia. The 511 number is an interstate call system where you can find out traffic conditions when you're traveling.

Interesting take on this much-loved outfit

2007-07-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

With a bod like that I certainly wouldn't mind seeing what's under the suit...but knowing what the real Vader looks like I'm not sure I'd want to see what she looks like under the mask!

Funny Masks

2007-06-16T09:01:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of really goofy-lookin' masks I found online that made me roar with laughter. The first one is a really lame Admiral Ackbar mask ("We can't withstand rubber masks of this magnitude!"). I mean, LOOK at those stupid looking eyes!!!! The second one is something called "Snow Beast". If I ever saw that thing in the Alps I'd probably spark an avalanche just by laughing so hard!

Phantom of the Opera

2007-05-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

I spent part of my Memorial Day weekend helping to erect this incredible full-sized figure of Lon Chaney's Phantom of the Opera. It was created by my very talented friend Clayton Sayre for the collection of another good friend, Robert Withrow. I had no part in the creation of this figure, I only helped install the steel support pole that is bolted to the base and runs up the figure's left leg to help him stand up straight.

Texas Jack

2007-05-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

This cool Jack Rabbit costume was made for Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. His boots are made of simulated brown alligator skin.

Cool mustache!

2007-05-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

I really like how this Engineer head turned out, especially the mustache. My cousin, Travis Morton, who works for me, did the covering work on this head and decided on this style of mustache, which gives the character a real macho look. Visit my cousin Shawn's tribute blog to the mustache at Viva Mustachio!

Angelic Vader

2007-05-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some more shots of that White Vader costume from the San Diego Comic Con. I'd like to include the gentleman's name who made it but I have no idea who he is. I particularly like the first shot of the black and white Vaders facing off. This also reminds me of an old episode of Battlestar Galactica where Starbuck & Apollo are waylaid by these angel-like beings in a crystaline ship. While in the custody of these beings their normally brown uniforms turn snow white. So my first thought was that this Vader had been overtaken by these angelic beings while trying to make his way back to the Imperial fleet after the destruction of the first Death Star. They then tried to turn him back to the good side of the Force but he rejected their attempts, so they let him go on his merry way.

Duped by Photoshop! Curses!

2007-04-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Photoshop is such an amazing program. I have it myself and haven't even scratched the surface in learning its capabilities. Smorty71 informed me that this image of the Hello Kitty Darth Vader, which I thought was genuine, was in fact a Photoshopped alteration. He even supplied a link to the blog of the gentleman who made the WHITE Vader costume which he displayed at the San Diego Comic Con. I pulled some shots of this absolutely OUTSTANDING Vader variant and will post them next time. Thanks, Smorty!

"Captain Kirrrrk! Thisss issss your opponent!"

2007-04-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Clayton Sayre directed me to these rare images of the costume of The Gorn from the Star Trek episode The Arena in which Capt. Kirk is abducted from the Enterprise by powerful beings called the Metrons and placed on a desolate planet to fight one-on-one against the Gorn captain in order to settle an impending war. The Gorn is certainly one of the better designed creatures from the Original Series and the makers were bold enough to give it scant clothing, exposing its full arms and legs in an era when it was common to put aliens in dorky-looking jumpsuits so they didn't have to spend the money to make full-body creature suits. The second image shows the costume without its clothing, displaying the airholes necessary to keep the performer from sweating to death in the California desert heat, where the combat sequence was shot. The final shot is of the orginal Gorn mask in its current state as part of a private collection.

"Give yourself to the Pink Side, Luke!"

2007-04-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, you're not on mushrooms, meth or any other type of illegal substance, you ARE witnessing the Hello Kitty Darth Vader costume. It made its debut apparently at the San Francisco ComicCon. But consider the investment this person had to make to create this costume. He had to buy the mask (and that ain't no cheap Don Post mask), the upper armor pieces, the belt controls, the boot armor, paint all those components the colors he wanted them, then have cape, gloves, suit and cloak made in those vividly ridiculous colors. A substantial outlay of funds for just about anyone. THIS DUDE is clearly the one on drugs!!!!! But, hey, it made a good post so I can't complain about it too much.

Professor Mouse

2007-04-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

This is a mouse character named "Professor Doojumfetchit" that we made for Growing Up Kidz Productions. Click the link and check them out! We also made a character called "Grandfather Rabbit" for them a year or so ago as well.

The Creation of a Sun!

2007-04-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting commission we were given by Batman Sign Art in St. Albans as part of a sign project for a restaurant called Some Kind of Wonderful. It's a little 8" diameter whistling sun! Pic #1 is the design drawing supplied to us. Pic #2 is the finished clay sculpture. Pic #3 is the urethane mold being made. The urethane is a semi-transparent amber color so you can see the sculpture underneath it. Pic #4 is the inside of the mold once it's been removed from the sculpture. Okay, now the real cool stuff. Pic #5 is the liquid plastic having just been poured into the mold. Pic #6 is after about five minutes. You can see the plastic starting to gel and turn an off-white on the inside surface of the mold. Pic #7 is at about fifteen minutes when the gelling process really starts to spread rapidly through the plastic creating the most interesting shapes. Pic #8 is about a minute later and the gelling is nearly completed. Pic #9 is the finished plastic copy of the Sun after it has been allowed to sit for about six hours before being pulled from the mold. Ah, the magic of chemistry! I don't have an image of the finished painted product because Batman Sign Art will be painting it and that hasn't been finished yet, but I'll post a shot as soon as get one.

Black Knight

2007-03-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a most impressive Black Knight costume we just created for Grace Brethren Christian School in Waldorf, Maryland. His armor is foam overlaid with black lycra spandex. Each piece is connected to the other by means of Velcro, elastic, straps with latches, and 10 leather straps with buckles pop riveted into the costume. There are also roughly 60 silver pointed metal studs embedded across the armor for a metallic, decorative effect. The red plummage atop his helmet is nothing more than a simple feather boa.

Little Farmer Boy

2007-03-02T05:20:00.000-08:00

This is a display dummy of a Farmer Boy made for Farm Fresh Supermarkets in Virginia thru Burford Company Advertising in Richmond. His "bones" are made from lengths of PVC pipe and his "joints" are sections of flexible plastic hosing. He was then padded with foam and the costume put over top of it. Totally poseable and very friendly. They have also ordered a completely wearable costume of this character.

SEGWAY Fly Guy

2007-02-12T05:15:00.000-08:00

These four very unusual costumes were made for a Segway promotion handled by Conspiracy Creative, a wonderful marketing firm in South Carolina. The coolest thing about them was that they had neon fiber optic cord bordering the designs on the sides of the costume and the helmet so that they glowed a brilliant aquamarine color in low light. It makes them "electric", so to speak.

Senior Folks

2007-01-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

I finally got a picture of both Senior Folks costumes that we made for the Senior Organized Services function down in Florida this past November. We were in such a rush that I never did get to properly photograph the woman costume in her patriotic dress. So, at long last, here they are in all their glory!

Crankin' 'em out!

2007-01-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

And here's a Blue Hippo named "Mo" that just went out on Saturday!

"Itza me, a'Mario!"

2006-12-31T10:43:00.000-08:00

Here's "Mario the Pizza Man" we just finished creating. Yes, the pizza's fake, too.

A time for sculpture...

2006-12-20T05:37:00.000-08:00

This is a bust of Governor Willam MacCorkle that I was commissioned to create quite some years ago for display at Sunrise Museum when it was still housed in MacCorkle's mansion on Myrtle Road. The bust was a centerpiece of an exhibit about Governor MacCorkle's life and remained there until the museum came under new curatorship and was turned into the science center. I have no idea what became of the bust once the exhibit was dismantled. The bust was sculpted of clay and ultimately cast in solid plaster and painted to look like bronze.

Old Senator

2006-12-11T12:08:00.000-08:00

My good friend, Robert Withrow, as himself and then as the "Old Senator" I made him up as. "Vote for me! I promise to...uh...I promise...uh...uh...I'm sorry, what was the question again?"

"An eternity of THIS before your eyes."

2006-12-07T06:36:00.000-08:00

Here I am in my Phantom of the Opera makeup. It's a well-kept secret that it was I who briefly took over for Michael Crawford when he stepped down from the role. :-)

Burn her as a WITCH!

2006-12-05T15:47:00.000-08:00

This witch prosthetic mask was made for the Charleston Light Opera Guild's production of Into the Woods waaaay back in 1992...or '93...heck, I forget the year. Anyway, it's made of foam latex and glued onto the actress's face. These photos were taken by Craig Cunningham for a Daily Mail article they did and he graciously gave me copies afterwards.

"What...the hell...are YOU!!!"

2006-12-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

Venturing away from mascots for a few posts and into the world of masks & make-up. Here is my own Predator mask and costume that I made waaay back in 1987. This was only the second latex mask I had ever attempted, the first being a rather crude Freddy Krueger. I also made the Predator's face shield from fiberglass (not pictured). The armor for this costume is basically cardboard and model parts. The shoulder cannon was moveable by means of two servo motors attached to it and was remote controlled from about twenty feet away by a second person. It was cool because people would come up to me, the cannon would raise up and point at them...then follow them as they moved. Some people would wave their hand in front of the cannon thinking there was some sort of electronic eye it or something.

Wolfie!

2006-12-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Here is my original design drawing for "Wolfie", the mascot for Charleston's radio station 96.1 The Wolf. They took my drawing, flipped it, and put it on their billboards, which is really cool. Here's a shot also of the finished Wolfie costume.

"Exact change?"

2006-12-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

One of our Reindeer costumes was used last Christmas in an ad for Metro Public Transport...out in California, I think it was. This image was posted on the side of one of their buses. I thought it'd be a neat thing to post.

BIIIIIG Senior Man!

2006-11-17T05:31:00.000-08:00

This costume just shipped out yesterday evening. They didn't give him a name so we're just calling him "Senior Man". He's an 8' tall oversized mascot costume created for Senior Organized Services in Florida. You can see how much taller he is than me and I'm 6',2 & 1/2". Nora only comes up to his shoulders! The costume itself is being modeled by my other employee, Travis Morton. We're also making a Senior Lady costume which will stand 7' tall. I'll post shots of her tomorrow.

4th annual Halloween Gathering

2006-10-30T05:34:00.000-08:00

My 4th annual Halloween Gathering took place Saturday night at the Studio. This Gathering is not your traditional party, it's more of a low-key gathering of friends to celebrate what Halloween truly represents: ghosts, monsters, creeps, jack-o-lanterns, demons, spine-tingling chills, & the dinginess of a damp crypt in the midst of a neglected cemetary. We decorate the place up quite scarily, my wife, Cindy, makes dinner for all, we read selections from classic & modern-day horror literature, tell personal ghost stories, take part in a mock seance, listen to selections of some of the creepiest music from movie scores and the classical repertoire, and finally cap the evening off with viewing of scenes from some of our favorite horror films. This is all enjoyed in a non-alcoholic environment where our imaginations can roam the deeps of the underworld as words and music mingle to pull us into the darkness of our own minds. In attendance this year were myself, Cindy, my cousin Travis Morton and his girlfriend Carrie, my mother Peggy, my sister Melissa, Anna & David Frazier, Sam & Jennifer Batman, & Nora Frazier. Our medium for the seance was performed by the wonderful Jennifer Smith who pulled much information from the depths of the magical and electrical plasma ball! Scroll down for more on The Gathering. If this looks interesting to anyone viewing this blog and they are within driving distance and would like to attend next year, then provide me with your name, phone number, e-mail address, and mailing address and I will be happy to send you an invitation in '07.

Halloween Gathering 2

2006-10-29T14:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some more shots from this year's Halloween Gathering: illuminated skulls on a shelf; Sam Batman dressed as the Grim Reaper ("Mr. Death is a reaper!"); a very interesting wax formation spilling from the mouth of a pumpkin candle holder (it looked like it was vomiting ectoplasm or something equally disgusting. The wax stalactite got progressively longer as the night wore on); Sam & Jennifer Batman as the Grim Reaper and Egyptian Queen. Finally, me in my costume of black cloak, armored "Ringwraith-like" hands, and wooden serpent staff.

New costumes

2006-10-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Because John Wallaby asked, here are a few of the recent costumes that have issued forth from my modest studio: The first two shots are front & back images of SUPER SQUARE, made for Center in the Square, an arts center in Roanoke, Virginia. This costume was very elaborate, especially the cape; The second is a child's PICKLE costume; A WHOOPIE CUSHION and TOILET BRUSH made for Careerbuilder.com as part of a five-city street advertising campaign (note the blue & brown stains on the top of the brush); and CHARLIE the CRIME STOPPER, a character for a "get tough on crime" campaign down in lovely Barbados.

A cock & bull...er, I mean, balls..story

2006-10-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

After we made a hasty departure from NerdCon...er, I mean CharCon, we opted to cruise over to Bennigan's at the Town Center for a late lunch. Now, I hadn't been to the Town Center in quite a long while and in my absence a restaurant has gone in there called The Chop House, which is located directly beside Bennigan's. I looked up at the awning and did quite the double take. Uh, was that what I thought it was on that stylishly-drawn bull??? Holy shit, they had put a dick and balls hanging off that bull!!! This is at a public restaurant! At least that's what I think it is, I'm still not sure if it's a eatery or some well-disguised joint where you can take your bull for circumcision or neutering. I couldn't believe they were getting away with that. Anyway, I had to stop and take a shot of it. I got laughed at by some youngs girls sitting nearby: "Are you takin' a pitcher o'that cow's penis?"

Other Costumes from DragonCon

2006-10-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

Strange & unusual

2006-10-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some very unusual costumes. The first is an EXCELLENT rendition of the Witch King of Angmar from LOTR: The Return of the King; #2 is WAAAAAY out there, I have no idea what inspired it but it's damn creepy (Note the vein makeup on their arms and legs); #3 is Red Death from The Phantom of the Opera; #4 didn't load properly; #5 is just really disturbing; I'm not sure who #6 is supposed to be but it's pretty neat.

Beautiful dresses

2006-10-04T05:56:00.000-07:00

God, I love costumes! A well-crafted dress transcends mere patterned and sewn fabric when draped elegantly upon the form of a stunningly gorgeous woman. I'm not sure what the first dress is from but it's extremely regal. Dress #2 is just a fantasy creation, I think. The dresses in #3 are the various ones that Padme wore in Attack of the Clones. #4 is Jadis, the White Witch, from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I have no idea what #5 is but it's very impressive nonetheless. #6 & 7 are opposing views of Eowyn's white dress from LOTR: The Two Towers. #8 is an other Padme dress (and Lord knows there were many to choose from!).

Awesome Armor!

2006-10-02T05:41:00.000-07:00

From DragonCon '06, some of the most incredible armor imaginable. Some of it is re-creations from specific films, some of it's strictly fantasy, but ALL of it is beautiful. I have no idea what #1 & #2 are but they are absolutely smashing, especially #1's use of the decorative fabric and tassles; #3 is a re-creation of Boromir's armor from Fellowship of the Ring; #4 is the Elvish armor, also from Fellowship; I have no clue what the rest of them are from but they absolutely knocked me out. #5's armor looks great but it does look a bit like she has hubcaps on her breasts. I LOVE the Celtic knot design on the chestplate of #6; #7 is very impressive, and #8 is just kick-ass. I mean, how can you go wrong when you decorate your armor with skulls??? The costumes in #9 are obviously from Spawn and probably something else as well; The armor AND the babe in #10 are both simply drop-dead gorgeous.

Super Heroes!

2006-09-26T05:47:00.000-07:00

A cadre of Supermen, Zorro, a very nice Wolverine, "V" from V for Vendetta, a hip-n-happenin' Buddy Christ, and finally...uh...The Greatest American Hero. Well, maybe not.

More unique costumes from DragonCon '06

2006-09-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

A very nice Jack Skellington and Sally Stitches from The Nightmare Before Christmas; a very unique "Pimpin' Vader"; and a family of Sandpeople. The only reason I really included this last shot was because I thought the little Sand-baby was quite funny!

More costumed hotties

2006-09-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

Yep, times they are a'changin'. Hotties like this need no longer be seen with mindless jocks. Instead they can boldy wear black leather, spandex & latex and hook-up with out-of-shape geeks who have no concept of hygiene and still live in their parent's basements. Heaven on Earth for the average Con Nerd! :-)

Slave Leias GALORE!!!!!

2006-09-12T05:23:00.000-07:00

Every year the number of girls in Slave Leia costumes increases. Luckily, this year they seem to be of a much higher quality since some of them in years past have been a bit...well...not necessarily suited for the wearing of such a costume. And yes, that IS a Burger King stormtrooper in the center of the first picture. We couldn't figure that out either.

DragonCon babes

2006-09-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

Need I say more? This ain't all, believe me. That Wonder Woman is one of the hottest things on two legs.

Crispy Vaders

2006-09-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the first in a lengthy line of postings showing costumes from this year's DragonCon in Atlanta, which took place over Labor Day weekend. The first is some dude in a nice Darth Vader costume but without the helmet and with elaborate burn makeup. He's posing with Dave Prowse, the body builder who portrayed Vader in the Original "Star Wars" Trilogy. My only criticism of this costume is that the guy looks just a bit too happy considering he's singed beyond recognition. The second guy is in Vader makeup as he appears in "Return of the Jedi" after Luke has removed his mask...although this attempt looks a bit too much like Uncle Fester. Notice also that his right hand is cut off, with wires and mechanical stuff protruding from the stump.

"We are...RON BERGUNDY!"

2006-09-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post this shot of my friend Ronn Smith who had the good fortune of being an extra during the shooting of "We are...Marshall!" in Huntington this past summer. Ronn furnished the jacket (Goodwill, $3.99) and the production furnished the shirt, tie, mustache and OH! So SMOOOOOTH sideburns!

Please don't squeeze the...uh...Charmin!

2006-08-31T05:50:00.000-07:00

Here's sketch of the next costume we'll be making. Can't tell you who it's for yet, though.

Ah, the noble deeds of war!

2006-08-31T05:46:00.000-07:00

Travis brought this in, torn from some magazine. I thought it was quite hilarious.

"By your command!"

2006-08-16T04:42:00.000-07:00

This is also from my friend Rob's collection, a CYLON from the original Battlestar Galactica series. It is NOT just a display piece, it IS, in fact, a costume. He's worn it a couple of times but it's extremely difficult to move in and vision is terrible. However, it does have that wicked red eye that moves back and forth, a sound f/x chip that makes that eerie "warble" sound, and a voice synthesizer. I would say that it makes you sound like Dr. Stephen Hawking but the effect is much more sinister than that. In fact, Hawking would be well-advised to get one of these babies for his own voice synthesizer, it would make him sound waaaaay cool! As it is, he sounds like on of those Cybermen from the old Dr. Who series.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing!"

2006-08-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

This life-size Vader figure resides in a VAST collection of movie memorabelia belonging to my good friend Robert Withrow. The damn thing stands well over seven feet tall and all the lights on his chest panel and belt light up and blink. Imagining oneself as Luke Skywalker facing off against this behemoth wielding a red lightsaber is intimidating, to say the least. And I absolutely refuse to accept the image of Hayden Christensen under this incredible costume!!!!

The Big Man himself!

2006-08-08T05:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's me shaking hands with the Voice of Darth Vader himself, JAMES EARL JONES, without question one of the greatest performers to ever walk this earth! I was so fortunate to have met him at a Verizon function at the Embassy Suites last year. Since I was at the time a member of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, I landed tickets to see him speak. HOWEVER, it was due to some quick-talkin' work by my good friend Robert Withrow that enabled us to attend the VIP function where we met him personally and had our pics taken with him. While everyone else rambled on about his performance in "Matewan" (a film made in West Virginia some years ago), I lauded his performance in a wonderful film called "Cry the Beloved Country" in which he co-starred with the great Richard Harris. He couldn't believe I had actually seen it. Let me say that as soon as he opened his mouth to say, "Hello", the deep resonance of the man's voice just OVERPOWERS YOU! To think he uttered the line, "The Force is with you, young Skywalker...but you are not a Jedi yet!"

Super Sean!

2006-08-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

This is my 5 year-old son, Sean. Two Halloweens ago he wanted to be Dollar Dog, a character we routinely make here at the Studio, so I whipped this little version up for him, stuck some ears onto his Superman cap, and he was all set! He got candy aplenty!

"The Sculptor" Episode III

2006-08-04T05:22:00.000-07:00

Another crazy costume

2006-08-03T05:05:00.000-07:00

It's......a YOGA MAT! A purple yoga mat named "Yogo", made for Streta Power Yoga in Massachusets.

Convention Studio shots

2006-08-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

I finally got the shots taken by the professionals at the NCA convention. That's Cindy and I in our Civil War garb, me in my pirate outfit (I lacked a proper pirate hat), and Cindy in her pirate wench digs. The tattoo on her leg is not real, it's one of those nifty henna tattoos that eventually wears off. However, the little cat-o-ninetails she's holding IS real!

Chatty TEETH

2006-08-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

One of the craziest costumes we've every made, this enormous set of Chatty Teeth was made for Triple R Dentures in Spokane, Washington.

President's Banquet

2006-07-28T04:15:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-07-17T05:55:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-06T03:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-07-06T03:43:00.000-07:00

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.....

2006-07-03T04:37:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-03T04:33:00.000-07:00

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!

What is it? #1

2006-06-27T04:11:00.000-07:00

For those of you who guessed, the revealing picture is above!

Even MORE catfish!

2006-06-26T15:00:00.000-07:00