[mesmark]

Edited post Halloween 2009:
This is the finished product. For how it all happened read on below





************ the process ************

Here's the start of our costumes for this year. My wife has gotten 3 pretty much done for the older kids.


My wife still has 3 more costumes (me, her and the baby) to put together and we have accessories to add as well. Hats, crowns and swords.

I started work on 2 swords last weekend.


I took two wood rods and using a table saw, cut them into sword shapes. I left a bit on the end as a handle and I sanded them down smooth.

Using a jigsaw I tried to fashion a hilt. Didn't work with plan A, so I'm going back to the hardware store for plan B, maybe this weekend.

Anyway, I bought a wood ball I'm going to glue onto the top of the handle. Then i'll paint everything and hopefully it will look better than the plastic toys but not be as dangerous as a real sword.

I'm not on costume duty. I'm on set design, which will see a lot of work done over the next few days as the plan goes. Hopefully we'll have more news on both fronts after the weekend.

[SuperSonic]

how is hallowen where you are mesmark where do you live (i know its kinda stupid 4 me to ask since i should know already)

[nosferatu]

Costumes look as good as the set and I can't wait to see the full, finished effect.

[mesmark]

Not a stupid question, as I changed my location to try to prod Ryan into making the gargoyle pattern asked for back in ... what was it ... 2006? oh! no, I was mistaken ... I just checked ... 2005!

I'm in Japan, out in the mountains of Nagano where they held the 1998 (maybe) winter Olympics.

Halloween is definitely gaining speed out here. When I first started my English school and having Halloween parties (2002), I couldn't find anything in any stores; no pumpkins, no decorations, nothing. Over the past five years or so it has really grown. There are decorations in many of the shops as well as some costumes here and there.

I can get a hold of pumpkins pretty easily as a few farmer friends have started growing them (with me as their main customer.)

For now, it's pretty much just decorations at the stores. A lot of cute things.

Many English schools have Halloween parties and there's actually quite a big Halloween parade/festival about an hour from me, but I can never go because I'm too busy with my own Halloween party. Often, they're on the same day.

No trick or treating. I'm not sure if that will ever catch on, but who knows ....

Maybe a couple decades from now when all these kids today have grown up with a little Halloween and start having kids, they'll get even more into it to share some of their childhood fun with their own kids. Kinda like me.

[SuperSonic]

thats pretty cool how its gained over the years im usre if you spread the words of candy and such it weill manifest uts self in Japan

[OogieBoogie]

Your kiddos are so stinking cute! The costumes look great!

[nosferatu]

I'm all for a gargoyle pattern. I suppose uou could use netsuke masks.

As a side note, our local cathedral is medieval and undergoing extensive renovation. It is covered with gargoyles and statues of Kings and Queens. In August you could pay a nominal fee to work alongside a stonemason for an hour. Shame I didn't find out about it until after the event.

Anyway, who knows? That gargoyle pattern may rear its ugly head yet

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

Mom's making dresses, dad's making swords. Sounds about right. But I know you're not a slave to traditional gender roles, Mark... I believe you were the first to suggest liquid eye liner in my topic about costume makeup.

Okay sorry... I just wanted another excuse to use the kissy emoticon.

Anyway, the costumes are looking quite classy indeed. The gals seem to be pros at the cute princess head tilt. What a regal family you shall be!

[mesmark]

Mom's making dresses, dad's making swords. Sounds about right. But I know you're not a slave to traditional gender roles, Mark... I believe you were the first to suggest liquid eye liner in my topic about costume makeup.

Okay sorry... I just wanted another excuse to use the kissy emoticon.

Anyway, the costumes are looking quite classy indeed. The gals seem to be pros at the cute princess head tilt. What a regal family you shall be!

Thanks. Yeah the girls are eating the princess thing up.

I was actually going to point out the little side-step that happened there with the whole gargoyle thing

I was also going to go for some Angel butt kissing, but decided against it.

It does pay to keep your mouth shut!

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

Yeah Mark, when I saw your location was listed as a "land without gargoyles" I felt especially compelled to fix that.

Subtle prodding does get my attention. Overall, I have to do patterns that I think will be generally popular (as this one will, as well). But when deciding which pattern to work on next, sometimes all it takes a clever request to spot my eye and inspire a whim on that day... or sometimes 4 years of requesting.

[SaneInsideInsanity]

Great costume i love them so cute.

[mesmark]

I finished the swords.

First I used a jigsaw and cut out a piece to go beween the blade and the handle. Then I glued on two small styrofoam spheres on the ends and a large wooden ball on the very end of the handle.



I was going to have all of the blacksmiths beheaded. I wasn't all that happy with the swords, but time is running out and you can't be too picky as we head closer to Halloween.

I also had to remind myself that things always look better once they're painted.



After painting them, they look pretty good from a decent distance.

Notice I didn't get you a close-up of the fine detail crafted into the sword

[nosferatu]

By the Power of Mesmark.........

Fabulous!

[mesmark]

Nos - Thanks for takin' a look and for the nice comments. It's great to be able to post this stuff here and share the insanity



add a shield and our knight is ready for battle ...

What else would I work with ... It's a styrofoam shield!


I cut out the shape from an old cardboard box I had lying around. It was good to check the size with and also works as something my son can play with until Halloween when I'll let him near the actual finished prop.

I sanded down the edges to give it a rounded look.

before:


after:


We had a crest design that we're using on our costumes. I blew that up with the copier and then using a couple sheets cut it out to make the base for the crest.






We're going to skip a step because I didn't take pictures. But, using a thinner piece of styrofoam I cut out a center cross. We painted it metalic silver and glued it over the painted section above.






I thought it'd be good to do it that way to give the shield more depth by being a bit 3D.

Here we are done with our knight's costume:


This is the we're-winning picture:




This is the forward-attack picture:




This is the take-cover-babies-are-attacking-from-all-sides picture:



We know when he's happy with the costume when he wants to put it on and take pictures. He's really happy with the costume when he gets into character, as above.

Styrofoam was a good choice because it's as light as cardboard. If we had tried something sturdier, like wood, it would have been too heavy for him. The only bad part is it snags at his costume. It has sort of a velcro type thing going on. Anyway, it looks good and he won't be carrying the shield around from much more than a few pictures.

[nosferatu]

Where I live, every year they have a medieval jousting tournament and they encourage fancy dress and sell swords and shields.

None of the costumes are as good as those of yours. The swords are brilliant but the shields are an absolute work of art.

Superb - all you need now is a Round Table