Sunday, March 26, 2017

Fun Beauty & The Beast Builds

I took a little blogging break last week - sorry if you noticed. I wish I could report it was for something fun and worthwhile, but really I just sat around playing Magic Kingdoms, writing stuff just for me, forgetting to take and do the things that make me feel better, and then feeling bad about all of that, ha. 

Plus I miss conventions, dangit. We're in the midst of a long dry spell over here, which happily will be broken with Star Wars Celebration next month, but still. That's too long! Is it too much to ask that we have a large gathering of geeks in costume at least once every two months? Is it?

I know I'm spoiled, but cons feel like a great big family reunion, and I miss seeing my tribe en masse. So if 10,000 of you could just trek on over in your geekiest finery and hold panels on topics like "SuperWhoLock" and "Moana vs Marvel" I'd really appreciate it, kthx.
 
Not that it's all glum and gloom over here; John and I are actually neck-deep in a new project I can't tell you about yet, because that would jinx it. We're trying some exciting new things - most recently dying plastics - and hoping it all comes together in the next two weeks. Fingers crossed!

So while I don't have any process shots or new builds to show you just yet, I thought I'd share some online treasures I found while semi-hibernating on the couch. (Because my favorite thing to do when I'm not doing anything is watch OTHER people do stuff. Who's with me??)

First there's the fantastic build videos by Aoudie, who sculpted her own Lumier, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and even Babette the feather duster from Disney's original Beauty and the Beast:


Even if you never plan to make one yourself, these are SO FUN to watch.

 

And off topic, but her Evil Queen Mirror from Snow White blew my mind:


How trippy and perfect is that face? It uses the same trick as the library busts in the Haunted Mansion - simple, but incredibly effective. Love it.


Next there's this mini Wardrobe by The Square To Spare made almost entirely out of popsicle sticks:

 

WOW. Now I want to buy some jumbo popsicle sticks! She makes it look so easy!

There are truckloads of Enchanted Rose tutorials going around, but I really like the one from Cooking And Craft Chick of the live-action movie's version:


The video is a little long and has some focusing issues, but I'm so impressed by her use of glue for the glass frost, and the way she attaches the rose is so much better than the clear-fishing-line method I've seen before. Give it a watch:


The only thing I'd change is to twine the light strand up the stem and into the rose itself, just for that extra magical touch. I've also seen some people use purple lights instead of white, which looks surprisingly cool!

Right, I think I've wasted enough of your time for now. Have you seen any great Beauty and the Beast builds or tutorials lately? Made anything yourself? Share your links in the comments; I wanna see!

13 comments:

  1. I'm really excited that you'll be at Celebration too! It's such a great friendly, relaxed con. (Well, except for the lines to see the really big panels.)

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  2. wow, amazing talent!! thanks for sharing the videos

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  3. I just made an enchanted rose a few months ago. I drilled a small hole in the wood base then used hot glue to work as a plug around the base of my rose. I agree, wrapping the lights gives just a little more magic for me.
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BQJEB-5jxXH/

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  4. About 15 years ago I made two faux stained-glass panels using glass paint and liquid leading on picture glass. I should get some photos! They took forever, but look really cool.

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    1. I've always wanted to try that! I love the look of stained glass, but not all the time & expense to make the real stuff. :D

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  5. I eagerly await the dying plastic results. I need a way to color plastic stuff when it's too cold outside up here in the north to take a can of rustoleum to everything.

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    1. The trick seems to be polyester dye, which you can get at the craft store. Getting the temperature right is tricky, but if you do a little googling you can find some tips!

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  6. Wow, I know I am not the brightest French fry in the box, but I had no idea the mask would be inverted for the frame or the faces at the HM. That was the coolest thing I have seen in quite a while. Thanks for sharing such geeky goodness!

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  7. OK -- Forget Mark Hamill -- the guests I've been DYING to hear announced at SW Celebration have finally been made official!! :) I am ecstatic that you'll be at SWCO - I've been hoping you'd be there!! I have never gotten to go out of state for a convention before and I've experienced so many cons vicariously through your blog! I've followed Epbot since the day you began,and I'm so excited that *maybe*, just **maybe** I'll get lucky enough to finally meet you guys!! Will you be tweeting or the like with locations if you have giveaways? I'll have to add one more project to my huge "to-do" before the convention and make up a little something special in case I do see you. Yes -- I am TOTALLY fangirling over you guys!! Can't wait to see what your secret project is that you're working on too!

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    1. STAHP I'M BLUSHING. Ha! Easiest way to find us at the con itself is to send me a tweet, since I *try* to check that the most often. I can tell you we'll be there all 4 days, though, which helps!

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  8. To get you through your geeky dry spell next year, might I recommend JoCo Cruise? By the same people who brought you w00tstock, it's an entire cruise ship full of the friendliest geeks you'll find, hitting the Mexican Riviera for a week. Games, cosplay, concerts, and endless assorted wackiness.

    I'm pretty sure that if you contact The Home Office, they'd even make you a Featured Guest. Or not, if that's too much. Because trust me, we get anxiety and stuff, too.

    https://jococruise.com/

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    1. We have friends over at Joco, and (WARNING, NAME DROP AHEAD) Paul of Paul & Storm even invited us along once or twice, but that was during the height of my agoraphobia peak. I'm better now, but I think that environment would still be too much for me. I do love reading about it, though - and our friends who go adore it.

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  9. I love that she describes the rose as "bendy"!

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