Alchemical Glove

So here is a photo of the finished Alchemist Glove that I made for my Clockwork Doll costume. I am overall happy with it, although it ended up looking very different than I thought it would. I actually ended up having the parts to make two hand jewelry pieces, and I will show the other one next week. I decided that I really wanted to get some of my ceramic components into this piece, so it ended up being much more ornate than I had envisioned. It really sort of looks like a henna tattoo when seen from a distance, full of filigree lines and detailing. It fits really well, and I can almost even move my hand. It felt really magical wearing it, like it was a thing from another world. It seemed to have the power to transport me to another place in my mind.

Three Gears in Motion

So somewhere in the midst of all this Con and costuming work, I managed to carve a new design. I have been wanting to branch out into some larger round components that are easy to string and versatile to work with, so I started with a triple round gear disc. I started making some for stock just before Con and they appeared in a few costumes over the weekend: on the necks of a couple of very lovely ladies, as well as a set of oversized buttons for a steamy vest.

I didn't really think of it at the time, because I tend to like triplicates as a design element, but I think that the three gears are sort of a good symbol for the Masquerade team of myself, Sheryl, and Limey, shown above in our costumes. Don't we make a fine and dynamic trio? It was great to work together and we got along amazingly well. Sheryl added it up and we put in well over 100 hours over the last few months for the Con. And we are still speaking to each other.. *laugh*...I am looking forward to future events with these two crazy freaks!

Above, a couple of close ups of the Triple Gear Disc on Limey's costume, made as buttons. I didn't think about buttons when I designed this component, but it seemed to work perfectly, and I got to use three holes for each button, which is a kinda neat, I think.

Happy Birthday to my favorite Tentacle Monster!

(A glimpse into the eye (err...mouth?) of the beast! Picture by Kat Burgett, see her full album here)

(An october evening of tentacle construction. Picture by Skennedy)

A quick blogging break from all of my own personal costume stuff to say happy birthday to my dear friend Skennedy! I don't think I ever really showed pictures from last halloween of the big project that we worked on together, for his Tentacle Monster costume. We spent an intensive and wonderfully fun week working on it, and it is time that I treasure. The Monster had been hibernating for a couple of months, but we got him out again last weekend for the Masquerade, and it was great to see and even bigger crowd respond to it. Of course, the Monster duo was not complete without Lucy as the Anime Chick, looking sassy and great as usual. What a fun thing to have helped create... I am so glad we got to spend that time together and share these memories! Happy Birthday, Scott!

So raise a glass for a birthday toast, or wave a slimy tentacle... whatever, for Skennedy today!

Yeah,That's Steampunk

(Me in my Alycia Von Kylnfyre look, which was also my 2008 Halloween costume. Picture by Kat Burgett, see her full album here)

So I am returning to my normal working mode, leaving the world of ConFusion and the Masquerade behind me and settling into my regular work routine before my next adventure. The pic above was from right before my "Yeah, That's Steampunk" panel at Con. I look like a steampunk chick heading off to work on some airship with my travel case (which actually held my Nerf Gun). I presented with fellow Masquerade assistant Limey and Cathy Raymond. I was a little nervous to present a panel, but I had some good solid ideas and had taken notes and written an outline about things I wanted to discuss about Steampunk costuming concepts. I was afraid I might be too quiet or shy or shaky when I started speaking, but I went into Earthenwood mode (the goggles helped, as always) which gave me a boost of confidence and a surprisingly strong voice (I think so... nobody asked me to speak up, at least) and the panel went very well, at least from my side of the table. Cathy helped flesh out some of my ideas and Limey brought his usual humor and charm, as I sort of led the topics along my outline. The audience had some great things to say too, and everyone was very polite and excited about the subject. It was a great experience! We got through all the things on my list and then went even further into a sub-subject that I had hoped we might venture into: feminism and gender fluidity in steampunk. It was an overall delightful experience and I look forward to the possibility of presenting it at another Convention soon (hint hint)

the details of ConFusion

Detail of my Steampunk Phone (or Coolest Phone Ever as Dave the photographer says. See more of his pictures of the Con here.)

I am looking through all the great pictures taken this weekend at ConFusion and I wanted to share a few that I found of myself. I am still decompressing, as it was a wonderful but very busy and exciting weekend! The Masquerade was wonderfully successful, and I am very proud to have been a part of it. I am looking forward to more conventions and working on more costuming in the future!

(detail of my Goggles by Kat Burgett, see her full album here)

One thing that I noticed and talked about with a variety of people was about my attention to detail. I do come from a jewelers' background, so this is not surprising. I think as far as costuming goes, I am much more interested in accessories and details than the overall look (when it comes to my own costuming pursuits). I think these pictures prove this. It makes me wonder if I would be suited for doing work on photo shoots or movie props or something. hmm. Anyway, I am becoming very interested in costuming as a whole, and really developing a passion for it. Not just in my own costuming, but helping and encouraging others to work on their own creative endeavors, and helping to create events where they can show them off. I sort of stumbled into this, and this passion has been growing over the last few months. With the success of the weekend, it is obvious to me that I want to pursue it further, in some manner. Anyway, thank you all who made the Masquerade great! More about the big picture soon...

Detail of my Clockwork Necklace (picture by Kat Burgett, see her full album here)

Time's Up!

Quick picture of the clock hand necklace I made yesterday and an even quicker post. I wanted something very theatrical, and I think this qualifies indeed. Gotta be careful with it! All those pointy hands! whee! If I don't see you at ConFusion, I will bring back stories and more pictures next week! If you do come to Fusion, I hope you will say hello, and come to the "Yeah, That's Steampunk" panel on Saturday that I am doing with a few other fine artisans. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tick Tock

Anybody have a little extra time on their hands that they can lend me? Its crunch day, where I have to do some work and shipping and finish up all my projects for the Convention tomorrow. I got a shipment that I have been eagerly waiting for this morning from a company called KlockIt. It's a huge pile of beautiful ornate clock hands! I am going to have a lot of fun with them. The shapes are very pretty, they are lightweight, and they can be bent easily, which could make for some interesting crafting. I am envisioning a necklace with a bunch of black clock hands, around my neck and dripping down like tiny daggers. I can't wait to play with them!

I have many cool projects to show, but no time to photograph and blog. I will keep showing more things next week, after the Con. In other *hand* news, I did finish the Alchemist Glove and I am very pleased with it. I even did a simpler second one, more like a slave chain (ring connected to bracelet) with the extra parts. I am excited to show it to you soon. Until then, Tick Tock, time races on, and I must get back to work and play!

Cellular Steam

This is a very quick steam mod I did this morning, sort of as a warm up for all the other work I did today. I figured it was about time for me to have a steampunky cellphone. Some gold paint, Vintaj Brass, and an Earthenwood gear stone. Since it is on me at all times, I figured it should look the part too. I even switched the front clock wallpaper to display an old timey watch with hands, which is pretty neat. The phone attaches to a neat retro key keychain that I painted with pewter hammered spray paint.

Bootstraps

I watched the inauguration today, and while I don't often write about things political, I think today is an important day in history. I was impressed by our new President's speech, and it filled me with a rare feeling (rare, at least lately) of pride and patriotism in my country. I will leave the analysis and criticism of the speech to others more well versed in political thought than I am, but I did want to make a note here of one part of the speech that resonated with me. It was about the history of the citizens of this country, our forefathers, and those who came here from other places in search of freedom and hope:
"Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom." President Barack Obama, inauguration speech 2009

First of all, I absolutely adore the term "makers of things". Of course, as a craftsperson and artisan, that part immediately spoke to me. I have always felt a kindred spirit with makers and laborers of the past, working in many of the same materials and techniques of the old days. I also associate with merchants, workers, and those who have worked independently from the corporate machines to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to seek happiness. This is what the "American Dream", has always meant to me... working for individual prosperity and independence. So to hear this praise given to the hard work and unknown craftsmen, and feeling like I am a part of that tradition in a way, felt really exciting. I am looking forward to the changes that I hope we will begin to create in this country, starting today.
Also today, some pictures of the boots I decorated for my Clockwork Doll costume. Made with some inexpensive tall black boots, metallic paints, 3d paint, and fancy ribbon.

Facing the week ahead

I had a wonderful and relaxing weekend, and have been enjoying the extra holiday off today as well. I got a tiny bit of work done, on both Earthenwood work and fun costume stuff. I have a lot of work to do on costuming, and I am making a big list and going over it with a *fine tooth comb*. So... much work to do, thus a quick post for tonight. I have been thinking about how I could do my hair and make-up for the Clockwork Doll costume. I don't really know a lot about cosmetics, so I am a little out of my element. But I am going for a much more artistic and theatrical feeling, for the doll face, so it seems like it will be a fun challenge. Here is a little bit of video inspiration, for myself, and maybe for you as well:

"The daylight made to race right by, With paint and paste and stitch and awl"

A quick post today, as I head out for the weekend. I wanted to show a bit of progress on last night's costume work. I worked on painting my skirt and top for my costume. I am painting many gears with brassy gold paint onto black fabric. The skirt (shown above) was a basic pleated black cotton skirt, to which I added rusty copper lace along the bottom. I also put a few decorative brass buttons around the pleats. The gears are handpainted onto the fabric and I will add more, and detail them a bit. I think the skirt has a bit of a poodle skirt sort of feeling, which I rather enjoy.

So my inspiration for this whole costume is a clockwork doll. It didn't really start out that way, but it all sort of came together. So now I have more direction and focus on something other than a random steampunky outfit! It is even more exciting to work on now, and I continue getting more ideas for it! I also want to share a bit of inspiration that I have found... here is Abney Park performing "Herr Drosselmeyer's Doll" Hehe, don't expect to fine me dancing around on point, though! I will have combat boots instead.

a bounty of gears!

ooh look what came out of the kilnfire this morning! A huge pile of gear charms! These were made especially as prizes for the ConFusion Masquerade! The costuming chair wanted to have a very special Masquerade contest, with really great and special prizes. These charms are going out to each costumer who participates (while they last). I am happy to be be a part of the prizes by donating them, and to get to meet a bunch of people who have similar interests in costuming and steampunk.

Whew! I have a lot to do on my own costume in the next week. I plan to dress in my sorta steampunky clothes all weekend. But that is mostly just my normal clothes plus goggles, and a few more accessories. But I am working on a special costume for the night of the Masquerade. Its all new and it involves painting some ready made clothing to change the looks, plus some cool accessories (the alchemical robot glove will go with this ensemble). I will take pictures and show more next week as I progress.

Raw Materials

I did not get to work on any fun, steamy projects yesterday. It was a day filled with paperwork and photo editing and self promotion. *shrug* I have to do that stuff so I have time to play. I had a productive day and was able to unwind (heh) by playing with a spool of wire and my Coiling Gizmo, spending about an hour winding up some antiqued brass spring coils for unknown future projects! I am waffling a little between solutions for my alchemist robot glove, but haven't really been able to devote a lot of time to think about it. I have a lot of little fun projects floating around, in various stages of completion. Which is fun but frustrating, because I do have to work on actual work. *laugh* I also just ordered a bundle of fun ornate clock hands, so I am excited about working with those soon too! Whee!

I Have the Touch

Here is the first picture of process on my steampunk robot glove that I blogged about the other day. This is just the finger part, it took some time to make the filigree parts into rings and then "hinge" them with jump rings. They are not fully hinged, but I do have some movement. The rings will stay on just the way they are, but my next step is attaching them to a plate that goes over my hand. I am quite pleased so far and would be happy if this was all I did for the hand, but the whole glove will be very exciting as well.

So as I have been working on it, I have been thinking about hands and touch in mythology, particularly the story of King Midas and the Midas touch. Also, whenever I work with brass, I think of alchemy and the mystery of turning objects into gold (which I just learned is called chrysopoeia. yay new word!) Midas and alchemy are linked in my mind, all twisted together. I started thinking about a magic golden glove, one that has alchemical properties. But perhaps something beyond the ability to turn things into gold, for I am not impressed with mere gold. I would prefer ornate beauty over precious metal any day. And I was thinking of something that would be more steampunkish So I think in my story, having a steam punk fiction inspired glove that would turn things into brass filigree would be even richer than gold. Could you imagine having the magical power to touch something, perhaps something plain and ugly, and watch it come alive with ornament and flourishes? I adore that idea!

Alas, I seem to be crafting a monster of fable and mythology with my glove idea. I love when that happens. I have had one of my favorite songs about *touch* in my mind all day, and was quite pleased to find a fan video for it on You Tube that is just perfect for my story and mood today. The song for today is Peter Gabriel's "I have the Touch" set to scenes from classic Frankenstein!

Gold Chains and Granny Boots

I bought these brown suede granny style boots at the thrift store for $8. I just passed down the shoe isle and they jumped out at me! They look absolutely brand new, and fit me perfectly, and are a label I have even heard of (Newport News) This was a very good find! I liked the boots just the way they were, but thought I might fancy them up a little bit with some neat brass and tulle trim that I found at JoAnn Fabrics. I stitched the trim all around the top of the boot, so it would hold well, but could also be removed if I changed my mind someday. I was pretty pleased with them, it seemed to make them a bit more formal and Victorian looking somehow. I wanted a somewhat more elegant boot for my steamy clothing, more dressy than the muddy looking work boots that I usually wear.

So I was pleased...until I put them on with some kneesocks and a skirt and looked in the mirror. Not bad, but it gave me a different feeling, not so Victorian anymore. I dunno, it might be my mind paired them with the video I saw yesterday on 80's fashion (with Mr. T! for the win!) I cannot shake the 80's feeling from the boots now. And that's the 1980's, not the 1880's. Something about the granny boot + tulle + little brass brads. I am unsure about them now. I feel like I have tripped into two different times, and it is confusing.

But then again, maybe I can rock an 80's inspired steampunk look... what do you think? Big double belts (but with brass buckles and brown leather instead of the dayglo ones I had as a kid)? Lacey gloves and tights like Madonna wore (she totally stole that from the Victorian era, she just made them fingerless and with stirrup pants)? What about Mr. T's gold chain look, but done in brass? I am rather amused with not only the thought of mixing these two time periods and cultures. How would you make a 1880/1980 steampunk costume?

Ode to Your Hand

There has been some joking with my friends about how much I dislike Beyonce and her music, and her whole entertainment style. It just really grates me the wrong way. The dancing, the lyrics, the outfits... I don't know... I just get really irritated by her. We watched her performance on SNL a while back, for the "Single Ladies" song, and I was really disturbed by it. Not so much because it was an earworm the size of a giant Dune Sandworm, or that the dancing was so mesmerizing and ridiculous that I could not stop watching... I was disturbed that she had that robot glove thing on her hand, and that I was a little in love with it! This one:

Seriously? That thing is cool, and I was pissed that she was wearing it. It was just so surprising to see such a neat thing on someone who I dislike so much! Someone who seems so unlikely to wear such a thing. She is doing some alter ego futuristic robot thing, I guess. Sasha Fierce or something. And it sucks because it is pretty damn cool. The whole look. Come on, this looks like Metropolis! I want that. Really? Beyonce? *shrug* who knew.
So anyway, as a half joke, I was thinking it would be really neat to do a steampunky version of the robot hand, with leather and ornate brass and whatnot. I started dabbling on that today. I'll post some pictures when I have something to show. It's actually coming out kind of cool. I am a bit afraid that I will end up singing that insipid song when I wear it though. Or heaven forbid, break out with that stupid dance move where she points to her ring finger while saying "you shoulda put a ring on it". groan. *rolls eyes*

Instead I will envision it on a female performer that I think seems more likely to pull it off. Maybe Gwen Stefani, or Pink. And I am not going to post that "Single Ladies" song here on the blog. How about another song for today? One about going to the club with your girlfriends, and being single, not unlike the Beyonce song. And, because I think I am being clever, it is also about *hands*. But in a very different way... hee hee. Pink with "U and UR Hand"

Bare Bones

I have been thinking about bones lately, both in a literal sense of the skeleton and in a conceptual way as well. And its funny to me how sometimes when I get something in my head, the ideas and imagery keeps popping up all over the place. It started the other day, when I was thinking about how I wanted to strip my website down, to the bare bones of my line, to make room for new items. I was thinking of my work as a body, and I sometimes need to reflect and narrow things down to the basics in order to make room for new ideas. I am doing a serious job of this right now, a little at a time, picking through and choosing the absolute essentials, down to the skeleton structure.
And the interesting coincidence is that someone sent me a link to a blog this morning about a Japanese funeral cremation ritual (warning, a little graphic) about a very similar idea, or at least similar imagery. That made me think about a necklace I made in college that resembled a spine with a vertabrae pendant. I thought... I should get that out of storage and look at it again, I think I am interested in exploring bones and skeletons again for a new line. I have also been thinking about skeleton keys lately, as well as the boning in corsets, things that have been important for me lately thinking about costuming and steampunk. I was just sort of brainstorming those two things, and enjoying the word play...thinking of them made up of actual bones, instead of keys and metal.
Later this afternoon, I was at the thrift store looking for clothing to upcycle for my Confusion costumes, and I saw this necklace in the jewelry counter. It has two large (about 2 inches) vertabrae made into beads. I did a double take and immediately got back in line to buy the necklace (for a mere $2.80). I am not sure what I will do with it yet, but it seemed serendipidous that it was just there today, with all my thoughts lately. I wonder where this inspiration will take me...

Sanctuary Series: Creative Maelstrom

The Creative Maelstrom tile is a celebration of the creative thought process. A Maelstrom is a wildly swirling and churning whirlpool, and this is how I visualize the spinning of the mind when gathering up ideas and thoughts when thinking. The swirl of the maelstrom is accompanied by gears to represent process, and little dots of bright color to represent partially formed ideas, getting ready to explode. The books below are like the foundation bricks of the mind, a library of saved ideas and storage for the statistics and facts that we carry with us in our thoughts. This design represents the duality of the creative process and the logical mind, and it makes me think how these two elements work together, and how they are different. The Creative Maelstrom tile was inspired by a very dear friend, who is a poet and a very thoughtful person, and I am pleased to have been able to design and carve it in celebration of this friend.

In the background...

Aha! Check out the amazing progress made that was made on the backdrop using the stencil I made. I had a vision for the backdrop when I cut the stencils (which in retrospect, was pretty plain and boring), I left the stencils in the very capable hands of Limey, who really took off in an awesome direction. He used an airbrush and made the gears interlock and created an ornate background behind four huge decorative gears. It was surprising and totally exciting to see the design take form over the huge piece of fabric. On Saturday, Sheryl and I brought our brown and metallic paints and painted in much of the large gears, while Limey airbrushed more. There is a little bit more work to do still, but I wanted to share a few pictures of the progress so far.

I am excited to be working on this, and seem to be sinking deeper and deeper into volunteering for ConFusion as the days pass and it comes closer. So now I am working some hours for Ops, and helping with the Masquerade and I am even working on a Steampunk costuming panel, which I am rather excited about. We are making some great prizes up for the Masquerade participants and I have a lot of work to do on my own costuming for all three days of the Con. I am going to try to take lots of pictures and blog about it as I go...

gearing up

Happy New Year everyone! I am still on vacation, but one of my goals for the new year is to start blogging more again, so here I am. Vacation has been good: I have been spending a lot of time with family and friends and have been having fun. But since my art and my business are such a big part of my life, I never really go totally on vacation...I am always thinking and planning and plotting. I am excited about new projects this year, and new research. I have been thinking about the changes I want to make to my business, so I can feel more creative and work more on new ideas more frequently instead of just endlessly doing production. I have been thinking about taking classes or doing some research in art history, which really interests me, and I have a few promising projects that are motivating me to pursue that passion. Also, I am very excited about the work I am doing for some upcoming Conventions, which is a new part of my life. The Cons are mostly events which interest me primarily in a personal sense, as a form of social networking and making new friends, and I am not sure if and how my work/art life will intersect with them... but the way I work and think, it will probably end up relating in some way or another. At least I hope it will help me think about business in new ways, and get to be crafty in ways that are not solely for my own business, but for a greater goal. Today is a crafty day, and I hope we will be putting the stencils I worked on a few weeks ago (shown above) to use. I also got a huge garbage bag of clothing from the thrift store that I am using to repurpose and upcycle into costuming stuff. I am really itching to sew, honestly. The clothes are tossing around in the dryer right now, and soon I will gather all my supplies and head off for a day of crafting with friends. Whee!