rAveN CoStUme pROjecT

The poster I was working on a few posts ago was for the festival I later performed in. The character was that of a ravenoid figure, something I wanted to make quite feral and maneuverable for creepy capacity. I aimed for something between both the bird and human form, and to be quite morbid/skeletal, as the character reflected aspects of death quite strongly in the festival. I had taken a wire outline of a pauldron I used for a previous character costume, incorporating it as a distinctly human trinket to offset the otherwise very animalistic appearance. The headdress and breastbone were to distort the human form and bring out the chest as much as possible; unfortunately no good clear photos have turned up of the details on the chest, but here is a slip of the general idea with the boney chest piece.



The finished piece, complete with masses of scraggy muslin fabrics and bindings looked something like this.

ELveN rObE ProJeCT

I've had plenty of hobbies that in one way or another involve costuming and designing and fitting out of a character. I love to make clothes, though (having never attended a course, read my sewing machine manual or had some textiles jedi master knocking around) I'm not very good I still enjoy the process and even the failed experiments are fun in the doing and educational. Bog-standard clothes are all well and good to produce (though I can't say even my normal garb projects end up 'normal') but it is costuming and designing clothes for weird and wonderful purposes that get me and my sewing machine back that loving feeling. It is the process of using texture, colour, lines and motion and all the little details that go into costuming to portray a character that I find so much fun. Having said that, the only image I have of my current project is one of the many relatively plain under layers of the intended final robe.


The style of the dress/robe is for high fantasy elven nobility... type thingie. She has a back story and all the gubbins but I shan't bore you with it here. The concept sketches for the full costume will follow with more parts as they get reeled off but what with the festive season, this character concept is taking a bit of a back seat to other craft projects.

Phew, its been ages since I updated. So many things to add, but bed first.

FinISHeD ThiNg

A few weeks on, and a couple of finger calluses later...

I'm currently going through the phase of having seen a piece too many times to like it anymore though still happy enough with the result. Didn't take very long to do, the fun new phenomenon of 7am-6pm dominated through the working week I find does get in the way a bit!

sAmHuINN PosTER 2O10

So my current major project is a poster. It is to advertise a festival which happens on the 31st of October in Edinburgh; Samhuinn. I've done a couple of posters for the two major pagan festivals presented in processional performances by Beltane Fire Society now and have had great fun with each. I'm noticing a transition in the style and complexity of my poster designs as I've gained more experience with this media style. I've had plenty of challenges with fitting details around images, colouring such that certain points become more focal than others, attempted computer colouring (and failed) and as a result, reverted to my preferred hand to pen/paint neanderthal ways.

This poster is by far my favourite to work on. I've previously played things safe visually speaking. My last poster was relatively simple and made very bold with a segmented 'stained glass' style inking. Although I've carried on with strong black outlining of figures, I've let myself get a lot more dynamic with movement/shape/composition.

Just thought I would pop up a little sampler of Winter's Dance. Done with the inking, now on with the colour!

HeLLo wOrld

Having just graduated from the degree and feeling that new sense of intellectual freedom; I have finally decided to get down to a project that has been a long time coming. I wanted a repository for inspiration, thoughts, other prospective projects and all those little things that I write on a beer mat or bus ticket in a fit of motivation and creativity and then find a few weeks later to have been erased from this world by the great evil- The Washing Machine. I had two options; stop washing my clothes to avoid pocket (or content thereof) purging or poke some very kind (and pretty l33t) friends to help me create a place I could share most of it online. Much as the sound of no more laundry appeals, the threat of loosing friends and gaining yeast infections has lead me to the second option.

I had originally intended to get under way with a webcomic I have been wanting to produce for the last 6 years. A lack of time and talent, commitments and a yearning to be playing outside with the cool kids hindered this ambition. A mass of false starts; beginning a particular story-line just to find it wasn't what I wanted to follow far into the future, has meant a few times I have stumbled on my attempts to get it all going. I'm still fumbling about but I figure throwing things up here until something sticks may be a plan. Like creative spit-balls. Most things I'll probably be playing with will likely be semi-biographical cartoons, but at least its a starting point. The more fantastical stuff I would like to do requires either simplifying or my abilities to sky-rocket, and I know which scenario my money is on happening first. So maybe in the future with plenty of editing and figuring out where my imagination is taking me I can try some of those out.

I also want to use this space to get down ideas, projects (and follow their progress, if any) and things I've learnt along the way, like a retroactive self-tutorial, that if anyone shares such interests may just benefit them too.

Maybe on a road trip, currently somewhere in Idaho (USA) isn't really the best start I could give this, lacking reliable internet access- but its as good a place as any to start. Especially when you've just read through about 800 pages of zombie comics!