Thursday, July 31, 2014

Cake or Death Eater?

"Um... Death Eater, please."

 

Yep, it's time for John's big Death Eater reveal!

Ready for your close-up, Sweetie?


Oh yeah, he's ready.

 

Epic side-eye.

I've already done tutorials for the mask and wand, so the rest of the costume was relatively simple - assuming you can sew. (Which I can't. Good thing John can!)

John sewed the tunic from heavy embroidered upholstery fabric. It was pricey stuff, so to conserve fabric and provide a little ventilation, he used an old black t-shirt for the back panel. The pants are cheap cotton dress pants, and he's also wearing a cotton balaclava to hide his neck and ears. (Whose idea was it to have Leaky Con in August in Florida, again? ACK.)

The tunic fabric was solid black, so to make the embroidery stand out I gave John a good dusting with Fuller's Earth - the fake dirt & dust scenics use on actors. If you have a specialty paint store around, they may have it - it's quite cheap and SO FUN to use. (Just make sure you're outside; it's fine as flour and very dusty!)
  

 

We made the hood and robe using a pattern for a wizard's robe, just leaving off the sleeves and making the hood a bit longer & pointier. (I cut, John sewed.) It took a whopping five yards of fabric just for what you see here, so it billows out quite dramatically when John walks around.

 

The bracers are plain black vinyl which John hemmed & set with grommets on the inside edges. They're held on with black leather cording wrapped through the grommets and around. (The vinyl still looks quite new, so John may still rub on a little grey paint for age.)

John made the wand holster out of old leather belts, a large steel ring, some patterned vinyl, and metal duct tape for the decorative bits in the middle. (The tape looks great, but is pretty fragile; one end keeps peeling up. For my own belt I used a heftier glue, though, and it's holding up so far.)


To grunge up John's hands I swiped a little black craft paint over his nails and knuckles, and then had him wash his hands. The paint sticks in all the skin creases even through gentle hand washing, so it's a nice option for conventions. (And if you REALLY want it to stick, use black primer. That'll stay on for days.)

And finally, my favorite shot!

SO COOL.

Coming up next: my own Lady Death Eater! 

28 comments:

  1. Dang. DANG. I was suddenly in the Hall of Mysteries, scared to death. That costume is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, Jen. You're such a tease. John's hunky and all, but I really want to see yours!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am constantly in awe at how creative you and John are! It's a fantastic look! (I also love how it looks like you two have a blast with the costume reveal photoshoots.)

    Any chance for a tutorial on the wand holsters? I'm trying my first round of leather crafting and I am hungry for details.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure, I was kickin' around the idea of doing one anyway! I'll see if I can get one together in the next week or so.

      Delete
  4. This just makes me smile. The detail of it all is amazing, and it just looks fun to wear! Ya'll did a great job and I can see pics of you guys flooding the internet after LeakyCon!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love love love! Cannot wait to see yours. You two are so stinking creative.

    Also it looks like the blog mention didn't doom your project :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. You guys are the coolest! I want to be you when I grow up!! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! As always, I am in awe of your skills. And by "your" I mean both of you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm in awe! Really, wonderfully creepy.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Everything about that costume is perfect. You guys are going to be a huge hit at Leaky Con.

    Can't wait to see your costume, Jen.

    Oh, and fantastic photography, as usual!

    KW

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love that John looks suspended in the 4th photo - it makes the costume even creepier! Can't wait to see your costume. Better yet, I can't wait to see you in costume together!

    ReplyDelete
  11. So cool, Ms Jennizzle! It looks like you guys have so much fun putting these costumes together. Fabulous!

    Does John have a blog too? I follow yours avidly, and would be interested to see what he blogs about.

    ~ Rachel ~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He does not, no - but I'd be interested in that, too. ;) I'm lucky to get him to guest post on Cake Wrecks & do projects for Epbot; he's not so much the blogging type.

      Delete
  12. Beautiful costume! The dark richness of the costume with the blue details is just stunning. Great job John!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You'll scare every little kid there! Oh wait, that wasn't what you were going for? Oops.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Totally what we were going for! Heeeere, kiddies.... ;)

      In all honesty, I find *I* scare easier than most kids these days, so I'm sure they'll be fine. Plus we're not the type to give chase. Unless maybe there are cupcakes involved. Mmmm, cuuupcaaaakes....

      Delete
  14. PERFECT!!
    I have some sewing projects I could send John's way. :) Think he'll mind? What's he charge by the hour? haha
    --Piper P.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I feel like John's eyes are too kind to really pull off the "I Love Lord Voldemort" look. Maybe tell him to scowl all day long... and then go home and put some lotion on his forehead to smooth it out again.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I know you;re wearing these to LeakyCon; will these be your DragonCon vestments, as well? If so, maybe I'll be too terrified to say "Hi" afterall! Just kidding. Mostly. Maybe. :-)

    But seriously, this is absolutely stunning! I've always wanted to use some of that upholstery fabric like this, but, I could never handle the heat under that. I'd love to hear how effective the t-shirt back is in cooling it off.
    For metallic effects on leather, I guess for you I could share one of my secrets... Tandy Leather has a product called Eco-Flo Super Sheen; it's a clear sealer. I mix metallic Pearlex powder into it, and (sometimes after a few coats) it looks awesome, while still keeping the leather's flexibility, and no peeling!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John wants to bring them to DC, but I'm more interested in playing photographer there, so... I'm not sure yet. Maybe we'll reach some kind of compromise.

      Honestly not sure how John didn't pass out in just the 20 minutes it took us outside to take these photos, though he claims he was Ok. I'm guessing he'll lose a few pounds of water weight tomorrow, even in the AC!

      And thanks for the tip on the Eco-Flo; I'll have to look for that!

      Delete
  17. Looks fantastic!! Are you two coming to DragonCon this year and bringing these? I'm sure you'd be a hit at the Sunday night Yule Ball. :)

    ~Becky

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maaaybe? Jury's still out, but Sunday would be the day if we do decide to Death it up at DC. ;)

      Delete
  18. next time you visit your local auto parts store, ask if they have self-adhesive metal muffler tape. awesome for decorating stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Fuller's Earth question: does it come off once you apply it? Like do you have to remember to not drape your capes on the light colored chair because you'll get the chair dirty?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Awesome costume you guys. Small input though: on the last pic you kinda see the skin around the eyes. I feel that you should smudge and darken that too. Obviously you don't want to use craft paint there, but you could apply some black eye shadow all around the eyes.

    ReplyDelete

Please be respectful when commenting; dissenting opinions are great, but personal attacks or hateful remarks will be removed. Also, including a link? Then here's your html cheat sheet: <a href="LINK ADDRESS">YOUR TEXT</a>