No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on May 9, 2012

This week I want to discuss Hall Costumes. Hall Costumes have become a thing in their own right. And some of the Hall Costumes out do the ones that come up on stage. DragonCon is a great place to catch all kinds of costumes you will only see in the halls or at various points where photo shoots have been organized.

A couple of things to think about

Can you walk around a crowded space in the costume? How much space are you taking up? Can you see so that you don’t trip over small children or not see obstacles in front of you? Do you take up an entire elevator to get your costume down to the floor? Are you going to knock over displays as you walk through the dealer’s room or if you have to turn around? (I have seen this happen). Is your costume going to ride up or down exposing parts of the body that aren’t allowed in public in that state? Can your costume take the friction of just walking around? How comfortable are your shoes/hooves/furry feet on various surfaces? How heavy are your props? Can you carry them around for a long period of time? Can you drink water in the costume? Can you eat? Can you go to the bathroom or do you have to go back to your hotel room for this? How does your costume look from all angles not just the front? Are you willing to look at photos of this costume for the rest of your life on the Internet?

Here are some of my solutions to some of the questions I have just asked in no particular order.

If you can’t see all around you, I strongly suggest that you get a friend to be your handler and help you navigate the convention. Someone to watch your back especially when you have wings or a large backpack is a good idea too. This protects both you and the other convention goers from possible harm or costume damage.

Walk around in your costume before you bring it to the convention. Consider if things are going to ride up or bunch up over the simple movement of walking. I watched a Power Girl’s costume go from PG to an R while she walked from the elevators to the escalator at DragonCon. There are several schools of thought on skimpy costumes (including no costume is not a costume). I really don’t care if you want to coplay Red Sonja with the chain mail bikini, however I really don’t want to see parts of your body that aren’t allowed by local laws (check those laws before going to the convention).

Skimpy costumes aside, is this costume going to last for the period of time that you are wearing it? I have seen plenty of costumes that look great in the AM but are pretty homely by the PM. Paint flaking. Pieces ripping. Wigs riding up and off. Shoes that were painted that now have parts that have returned to their original color.

I have seen a couple of people that had serious damage to their bodies from shoes that didn’t fit to hooves that caused them to strain a hamstring to a tendon snap when someone toppled off their high heels. Can you walk in your footwear? Can you walk in your footwear comfortably? Can you walk in your footwear comfortably for an extended period of time without damaging your feet or legs or back? Last year I did a X-men First Class uniform. I had a pair of black hiking boots that I had used for other costumes over the years. They have always been a bit small. I wore them for close to 12 hours and my feet seriously cramped up in them by the end. I knew going in that they weren’t perfect but I also knew I could deal with the consequences of wearing them for long periods of time. Which is why I had a slight limp at DragonCon after Friday Night.

Hydration at a convention is hard enough when you are wearing just normal clothing and walking around. In a costume it can be harder. Before going to a convention make sure you have what you need to hydrate be that a straw or a hydropack. Don’t assume that you are going to be able to find a straw. I learned that one the hard way a number of years back. You are responsible for your health in that costume. Can you eat?

Going to the bathroom in a costume can be an adventure in itself. Much more so for women than men but still both genders have to think about that basic function. I have had costumes where to go to the bathroom I had to almost strip the whole thing off. Ariel was so grateful the first time I made her a costume that she could go to the bathroom in without taking off the whole costume. I plan for it now. Fitting into the stall can be a whole other issue. There are some costumers that wait for the handicap stall because that’s the only space they can fit into. The X-men First Class Costume was not too much of a problem but I did have to take off the jacket and the harness to get to the suspenders that were holding up my pants. Years ago I had a friend who couldn’t go to the bathroom because to make the costume look right, he had to be sewn into it. He held out as long as he could but eventually he had to get cut out of the costume so he could relieve himself.

Dealers rooms are a bit tricky to navigate any way. Trying to go through in a large costume is a whole new tricky. Wings make you wider and thicker than you think you are. Backpacks and props do the same thing. I watched a person coplaying Sora take out a spinner rack totally by accident with the Key Blade he had on his shoulder. The spinner rack was not in the aisle at all, he just tried to sneak through the crowd and cut a corner too sharp. Be aware of where you are in space and where your props are. It might behoove you not to go into the dealer’s room in costume.

Photography is cool. Getting your picture taken is a lot of fun for everyone except the people trying to get from point A to point B and there is an impromptu photo shoot in the middle of it. I don’t understand people who put on hall costumes and don’t want anyone to take pictures of them but there is a time and place for this. Last year the New York Comic Con set up a number of spaces to take picture in. They were accessible but not directly in the path of traffic. When allowing others to take your picture, consider where you are and what is going on around you. I try to pull out of the path of traffic and take the photo. If I have to walk a little further on, I do. Also figure out beforehand how you want your costume photographed. Pose a little to see what looks good and what looks goofy. Remember that the Internet is forever.

Hall Costuming is great fun but there is the added complication of the convention all around you.

I am grateful for all the cool Hall Costumes I have seen over the years.

Category: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Convention(al) Wisdom part 3: Costuming Part 2
Tags: conventional wisdom, conventions, costuming

Posted By Kathleen David on May 8, 2012

DragonCon is 114 days away. Yikes!

There are things before that including Shore leave which is August 3-5th this year because San Diego Comic Con moved its dates.

Now in thinking my way through what I am going to bring I also have to start thinking about displaying the objects I am going to be selling.

Presentation is important in an art show as the objects themselves as I have learned over the years. The customer has to be able to see what they are buying clearly. And tables are not exactly set up for that.

This is something that I have learned over the years.

When you get a table at most Art Show at Science Fiction Conventions, it is 6 ft. x 30″ with a white table cloth or possibly a plastic table cloth with some form of cover all around the table(s). There are variations and it is good to consult your Art Show Director as to the size of the table you are getting so you can plan.

A trick I learned a while back was to measure out with masking tape the area I was going to be putting my objects d’art. Then try to put them all in there and see if it works. Too crowded can be as bad as too few items.

Also remember that you need room for the bid sheets and for the customers to be able to mark the bid sheets. If they are so smack against the front of the table, it makes it hard to bid. Also makes sure that it is very clear which bid sheet goes with which object. I had a problem one year in that I was not clear which Phluzzie went with which bid sheet. Now I tend to put the number on the puppet so it is pretty clear which sheet they go with.

There are ways of getting more out of your table. You can choose the cloth that you put your art on and use that. You can have stands that allow you to present the objects at different heights so it is visually more interesting at a casual glance. You need that first look to make the person want to take a closer look. I tend to do that by having something that people find amusing so they have to take a closer look. It is one of the reasons I put the Phluzzies in every year. One caveat I would put on the display, remember that it is traveling with you or your art and it is returning unless you are selling the display with the objects. So think about weight and packing when piecing it together. I have found the cardboard can be your friend in this and you either take it back home or recycle it at the convention.

Assume at some point your table is going to get bumped into and make sure that nothing topples over. Also assume breezes as people walk by.

It is good to have a business card available for people who might not buy right then but down the road they might want to get in touch with you. I need to redo mine since some phone numbers have changed as has some of the other contact information.

The presentation is important but one needs to create the objects to show first.

I am grateful for what I have learned over the years about presenting my work to the public.

And since I am still learning, any clever ideas I should think about?

Category: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Crafty Tuesday: Musing about Tabling Things
Tags: Art, conventions, crafty tuesday

Posted By Kathleen David on May 7, 2012

This past weekend we went to the Super Wildpig Show in New Jersey. It was at a very nice Embassy Suites in Piscataway which still has the original idea for the interior with lots of live plant life which does make the lobby maybe a wee bit more humid but the air is definitely not as drying as it is in other hotels. My throat didn’t hurt by day two nor do I feel severely dehydrated this morning and I didn’t drink my usual amount of water. They maintain it very well.

Caroline loved the hotel. The breakfast met her approval. She loved the pool. She could watch her DVDs and read comics and run around. She had a great time and it was a very relaxing weekend for her.

Caroline and I went to see Pirates: Band of Misfits on Sunday. My spoiler free review, not quite the plot I was expecting given the advertising but a lot of fun all the same. The characters were great and Caroline loved it. Not Wallace and Gromit but not a bad picture in the least. Does have some cartoon violence but that is about all. If your child is sensitive to the death of animals (even made of clay) there is one scene that is a little hard to watch. I still have Caroline’s finger prints in my arm from how hard she was clutching me. Just know that everything does turn out OK. And the voice choices are just spot on including Brian Blessed.

Kitty politics seemed to have gone well over the weekend. Fig is part of the cat pile sleeping on the other couch.

This week is a little bit of every thing. Big event for the week is that Ariel is coming back home from college at the end of the week. So part of the week is cleaning up from the past adventure and getting ready for Ariel to some home.

This doesn’t mean that I won’t be making things this week since I am still behind the 8-ball on two projects.

So Tuesday will be crafty, Wednesday will be convention related, Thursday will probably be introspection, and the rest of the week will be whatever I feel like writing about. I might sneak a Dark Shadows review in here.

I am grateful for relaxing weekends with Caroline.

Category: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Monday Musings: That was a nice weekend
Tags:

Posted By Kathleen David on May 4, 2012

I will tell you that you need to stay ALL THE WAY through the credits of the Avengers for an extra scene. There is one halfway through and then another at the end.

Going to a convention this weekend with Peter and Caroline. Caroline insisted on going because she didn’t see Daddy for a whole week. Not much to do except the convention I think. Caroline is already talking about selling pictures and I might bring along my sculpting stuff to get started on some critters for DragonCon. I may bring a couple of things to sell as well including the calot.

Peter and I are seeing the Avengers this morning. We are going to use our Avenger Approved 3-D glasses to watch it. I figure he can use the Hulk and I’ll use the Iron Man pair.

More rain in the forecast today. The leafy green spring look is only greener with all this rain. It is good for the plants. The humans are just getting soggy.

Had a weird dream last night. I dreamt that I was having an impossible time falling asleep. Never had that one before that I can remember.

Got also an odd idea that I need to try to make one to see if it will work. More on that later.

TV series are winding down. The one Caroline cares the most about is “Once Upon A Time” because she is really interested to see where we land by the end of the season. I have not informed her that this show was done by the same people who did LOST so I am not expecting much.

Well off to the Avengers.

May the Fourth Be With You. (Yes, it’s Star Wars Day)

I am grateful for things to do as a family.

Category: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tags:

Posted By Kathleen David on May 3, 2012

There are times in my life when I try my hardest and do everything that I need to do and it is not enough. Those are probably some of the most frustrating times for me.

When things happen that are totally out of my control it can be very maddening.

I am a pretty trusting individual. I tend to take people at face value and let their actions inform me of the kind of person they are. For me actions speak louder than words and have done so for many years. I know Peter loves me because not only does he say it to me but he does things for me and takes care of things for me which show me how much he does love me. He knows me very well and I know him very well.

To lose my trust takes quite a bit since I tend to be a benefit of the doubt kind of person as well, but it has happened in the past. And once my trust is lost, it can be hard to get it back but not impossible. I do believe that people can change.

I learned the hard way that not everyone on the planet is going to be one’s friend or even friendly, but there are ways to work with them on a professional level even if one doesn’t think much of them on a personal level. There are also those people who may be screaming for something that was done but the reason they are screaming has nothing to do with that but something else entirely.

I learned to admit my mistakes. If I screw up I will own up to it rather than trying to deflect the blame/disappointment. That was another hard lesson to learn but it made it easier when someone was yelling at me and I knew it was not my fault and they knew it too but they needed to yell.

I have been a little frustrated recently at several things that are going on around me. None of which I have any real control over so I get to sit on the sidelines and hope that everything shakes down soon. I really get angry at myself when I can’t figure out how I can help but I can also realize when anything I try to do is going to make things worse.

And I am a little frustrated with myself. I have been letting things get to me that shouldn’t be of any worry to me and that has led to my not doing some other things I probably should be doing. I am falling behind on some stuff I wanted to do and a couple of deadlines are seriously looming over my head. So I need to kind of clear everything thing out that I can’t change and work with what I can. And, of course, the wisdom to know the difference.

I am grateful for situations that change for the better.

Category: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Introspection: When It Just Isn’t Enough
Tags: