Bigger is Better

And we are back at it folks, with more wings; bigger and better than ever before. So here starts the round custom ordered wings I'm digging up from the archives. 

The "Paladin" 54" tall Fixed Frame Wings

First up, "The Paladin"
These wings are the most basic layout available for 54" tall wings. (54" being the tallest I can ship non-freight) They are essentially the super large version of the very popular "Sentinel" wings. These wings are still one of my favorite designs to date. 

The best part is they are durable enough to run around in and they, like all my wings, are ultra light weight. In fact, the thermoplastic harness weighs more than the wing themselves.

I am happy to reproduce these wings upon request. 

Halcyon

Halcyon - 6.5ft span

I was recently commissioned to make a pair of fairly large Fixed wings for an angelic warrior character. Here's what I came up with. 

Yes, Faux Feathers! Yes!

 Finally, I've managed to come up with a way to make faux feathers that I am just about completely satisfied with. I'm still keeping the specifics under wraps but the gist of it is such: I've switched from fabric to foam.

"Celaeno" Dark Angel Wings available at TruWings

The results are:
1. Saved Time by Not laminating with glues or epoxies and waiting for the multiple layers of fabric to dry, hoping there wont be air bubble spots on the reverse side.
2. Shape. Finally achieved a compound curve, the shape I've been striving to achieve for months now.
3. Texture. I'm still playing with this one, and I think I've got it right on the next batch of white feathers.
4. Durable and still super light weight. Maybe not more durable than laminated fabric but certainly more crowd friendly. Flexible and forgiving.
5. Color. Okay so the black is still not as black as I would like. It's an issue of reflectivity. Real feathers reflect light in a manner which is extremely difficult to replicate accurately in black. This is why I started with black, knowing it would be more difficult to get a satisfying result than working with white.

Purple Fairy

Purple / Pink Fairy Wings available at TruWings

And the list goes on and on...

Yellow Fairy

Yellow Fairy Wings available at TruWings

 Because I just never stop.

Halloween Wings

My favorite pair yet.

Fairy Wings: More & More

I'm gearing up to hopefully sell many pairs of wings this Halloween season through my etsy shop TruWings. In other news I'm also in the process of updated my portfolio website.

EITM Halloween Bash pics

Pictures from Elliot in the Morning's Halloween Bash are now up!
See pictures not only of the phoenix costume but also the many costumes worn by other guests. There were many excellent costumes chosen by judges to participate on stage in the audience vote. Photos #162-237,317-320
me: Photos #1,2,3,162,202,280

Elliot in the Morning Halloween Bash album
(no guarantees on level of taste, remember, it was Halloween)

The Phoenix: Halloween 2010

Phoenix Costume 2010

I've finished the Phoenix Costume. It took a total of approximately 250-300 hours over 5 months to complete and, a mere $600 for absolutely everything.

I attended Elliot in the Morning's Halloween Bash 2010 in Clarendon VA on Oct 29th. I was awarded first place in the audience judged costume competition. The competition was run very professionally and handled smoothly. It was a wonderful event to attend and there were many very skilled costumers at the event. This party is the only in the DC area I've found that takes their competition seriously, even though it does not boast the largest prize. Venue, people, and party were great.

Phoenix Costume at Elliot in the Morning's Halloween Bash

Expect many more pictures and video clips to come!
I've held back on releasing any in-process information on this costume until after the competition as is always wise to do when competing when you don't know who else is on the field with you. As such, I've a flood of in-process photos and tips & tricks on how I created this costume, my most elaborate to date.

FAQs
Yes, that is me in the costume
Yes, I made everything that I am wearing with the exception of the stilts
No, it is not heavy. the wings are about 10-15lbs, like a moderately filled backpack
No, I'm not from Harry Potter (although I do enjoy the books) The Phoenix is a long time favorite symbol for me. I've worked with the imagery in multiple media on many occasions and have not grown weary of the subject yet.

The Phoenix Begins

Phoenix Mask

Surprise, surprise, as busy as I am at the hangar this season I've still got a few side projects going on. For one, I'm already working on next year's Halloween costume (shock!), oh and, it has wings too. (of course)

I'll be living in an area with some pretty major costume contests this Halloween. Not only would it be a great publicity opportunity but, it may also help fund my graduate education *fingers crossed*

My first idea was to create a harpy costume but, I changed my mind and decided to work with a more familiar subject: a phoenix. For many reasons the phoenix is a better choice for me including...
- imagery, color palette & materials with which I'm very familiar
- more "flashy" and attention grabbing than a black harpy
- as much as I'm fascinated by dark imagery, I do not want to glorify it. The Angel of Death costume is quite dark and scary...As It Should Be! It was a portrayal of a terrifying yet beautiful character (which according to my own interpretation is in actuality a servant of God, not evil.) On the other hand, a harpy would simply be, um, dark and scary for darkness sake. It would be cool but not necessarily good - for me at least.

So, the first part I started to work on was the mask. I began with an oil-based clay model.

Angel of Death photos

Photos of my Angel of Death costume worn at the Salem Witches' Ball are now online. Photography by John Hurley (no relation)
The Angel of Death costume was awarded the grand prize at the ball. I hope to be able to compete again next year. It was a blast!

Gallery One (pages52-57)
Gallery Two (pages 8, 20-21, 23-24)

More photos will be added to Gallery Two very soon.

Halloween: The Angel of Death

The Angel of Death, Salem MA

On October 30th I attended the Official Salem Witches’ Ball in Salem MA for the purpose of entering the costume contest. I went in my Angel of Death: Version 2009 costume. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to bring the matching scythe that I made especially for this costume. On the other hand, the replacement prop lantern that I brought turned out to be quite a hit. The lantern was also more “crowd-friendly” and as a whole worked out better for the environment I was in than the scythe would have. I won first place in the costume contest at the ball and am already planning on going again next year. Sadly, my wings were broken by the crowds of Salem on Halloween night. Next year I’ll be wearing something more durable that can withstand the pushy crowds. I’ll also need to go downtown much earlier in the day. It’s just too packed out at night and large/delicate costumes are in constant danger.
More pictures will be coming soon.

Last Minute Prop: Lantern

Angel of Death Lantern

Salem now has a number of rules in place for Halloween night. At the top of the list is the No Weapons rule. Anything that looks like a weapon, real or fake, will be confiscated. Unfortunately this means I can not have my scythe with me in town on Halloween. The authorities chose to overlook my scythe from last year however I was only in town during daylight hours (not to mention the old scythe wasn’t nearly as menacing). I’m sure the police are stricter about the no weapons rule when it gets darker and harder to distinguish between the real and fake. So, (sigh) I’ll be leaving my Angel of Death Scythe at home and have doctored up a quick replacement prop because, I mean, I have to be carrying something and the scythe handle, cool as it is, is just not enough for me to carry on it’s own.

I quickly put together a lantern that can be bolted to the scythe handle (good thing I made that blade easily removable). Thank Goodness for liquid latex: the easiest way to make something look old and creepy in a matter of minutes. With a bit of latex and paint I was able to make this brand new electric lantern look a bit more like something the Angel of Death would carry around.

The Helmet: Foam Base

I used a basic foam wig mannequin for the base from which to build the skull helmet for my updated Angel of Death costume. Fortunately my head is almost the same circumference as the foam mannequin so I didn’t need to build it out very much. When making hats or helmets it is always important to measure the size and shape of the wearer’s head. This can be done quite simply by cutting a hole in a piece of cardboard and adjusting it until it fits comfortably around the wearer’s head.

Foam Mannequin with Horns

I started sculpting the helmet in foam beginning with the horns. Symmetry is very important in a lot of my designs so I wanted to make sure that the placement of the horns was symmetrical from the very beginning. I started with two identically curved pieces of wire. Then I covered the wire with scored pipe insulation foam. Foam is a great choice for sculpting the core form in if you especially if you intend on leaving the core from inside the finished product as I did.

Spray Insulation Foam Base

The rest of the form was roughed out in spray insulation foam (GreatStuff) and a chicken-wire armature for the beak. Again, the idea here is to keep the materials light and easy to carve down later. Note: spray foam expands a lot! So don’t fill in gaps too heavily and expect to carve the form down later.

The Summer Project: Helmet

Angel of Death Helm Sketches

During my spare time this past summer I decided to do some significant revamping on my Halloween costume from the year before. The Angel of Death costume was a big hit in Salem in 2008 but I knew it could be bigger and better for this year. The ’08 version included a sort of veiled head covering, which I wanted to hide my eyes (There’s something very intimidating about not being able to see someone’s eyes) So, I started my upgrade beginning with the headdress. I designed a helmet that would bring the costume to a whole new level. The design is a hybrid crow and ram skull helmet with lace veil. Like all my new projects I started with a series of sketches and reworked them until I had what I wanted. Even very detailed sketches are subject to change though. A few alterations occurred during the construction process but, for the most part, I’m a major planner who sticks pretty closely to my initial designs.