Spotticus!
Jun. 8th, 2010 12:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
furtechI got permission to brag about the latest costume: Spotticus, the Serval-Cheetah mix!
Here's the full Flickr set
I only take commissions where I know I can give the person their money's worth and the project would be fun or challenging. This is still a beloved hobby: I've made a concerted effort to keep costume building from becoming a job or a chore.
Once in a blue moon I get a commission where the person has both an interesting & challenging idea and wants ALL the bells and whistles (the last one for me was the Manticore for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
aeto). CheetahSpot wanted an idealised-realistic Cheetah-Serval mix and we did our best to give him the bells and whistles...
Head Details:
Steve G. did a fantastic job with the painting. One big problem we encountered was that the California AQMD has declared alcohol a VOP, so no more alcohol-based leather dyes! The water-based stuff is crap and my stock of dyes is older than I like to work with. My big job now is to find other sources of a good alcohol-based dye.
A lot of the R&D/new/schmancy stuff went into the structure, so it's not readily obvious in the still shots, but this was an opportunity to put a number of features into a single costume that I normally wouldn't have the time or justification for (when I do my own masquerade projects). There are also certain materials that are just so unpleasant that I don't use them much any more (requires almost a full iso-suit to use-- respirator, goggles, ear protection and a hyper-ventilated room, not just outside+fan). But...I can be bribed. Plus, a good challenge paired with the resources to accomplish it is just too hard to resist.
You can't see it in these pics, but the claws are somewhat translucent. Plus, if sharpened, they're strong enough to claw through a sheet of drywall...
Here's the full Flickr set
I only take commissions where I know I can give the person their money's worth and the project would be fun or challenging. This is still a beloved hobby: I've made a concerted effort to keep costume building from becoming a job or a chore.
Once in a blue moon I get a commission where the person has both an interesting & challenging idea and wants ALL the bells and whistles (the last one for me was the Manticore for
aeto). CheetahSpot wanted an idealised-realistic Cheetah-Serval mix and we did our best to give him the bells and whistles...Head Details:
Steve G. did a fantastic job with the painting. One big problem we encountered was that the California AQMD has declared alcohol a VOP, so no more alcohol-based leather dyes! The water-based stuff is crap and my stock of dyes is older than I like to work with. My big job now is to find other sources of a good alcohol-based dye.
A lot of the R&D/new/schmancy stuff went into the structure, so it's not readily obvious in the still shots, but this was an opportunity to put a number of features into a single costume that I normally wouldn't have the time or justification for (when I do my own masquerade projects). There are also certain materials that are just so unpleasant that I don't use them much any more (requires almost a full iso-suit to use-- respirator, goggles, ear protection and a hyper-ventilated room, not just outside+fan). But...I can be bribed. Plus, a good challenge paired with the resources to accomplish it is just too hard to resist.
You can't see it in these pics, but the claws are somewhat translucent. Plus, if sharpened, they're strong enough to claw through a sheet of drywall...
