Pixie!

Well, here it is in all its glory! The bits I've shared over the last month of wings and mask-making come together in one fabulous Pixie King costume. 

Thanks to my brother for some helpful photography capturing the entire outfit. 

The finished mask - did a little selfie. 

Do not mess with the Pixie King.  

How to make super amazing wings!

A few years ago I made myself a pixie king costume. I was quite pleased with it but it lacked one fundamental element that would have made it perfect - wings! 

I decided to refresh this costume for 2014 and that entailed making wings for it. I was about to begin the rather complicated task of sourcing wire coat hangers (These are seriously difficult to find these days.) when I came across a tutorial online that claimed to be a way to make 'Amazing cellophane wings without wire!'

I watched the video and was amazed at the simplicity of the process and how utterly fantastic the end result was. 

So one weekend I gathered up the supplies (Which came to about £20 in total) and set to work! 

First step - take three layers of card stock and glue them together using a permanent spray adhesive. Then sketch out the wing you'd like on the paper. 

I chose a bee wing as my inspiration. 

Next, cut out the basic outline of one wing and use it as a template to cut out the template of the other wing. 

Using a utility knife and careful hand, cut away the ribbing of the wings. This stage requires quite a lot of elbow grease (three layers of card stock is pretty tough to cut through) and patience. 

Apply a strong adhesive or the spray adhesive to the cut out frames and place on bog standard cellophane (Not the shrink wrap kind). 

With the cellophane wrapped around both sides of the frames, use an iron on the lowest setting to 'stick' the cellophane layers together. You can put a towel down between the cellophane and the iron or use the iron directly on the cellophane if you like - but do a test first. Melted plastic is gross. 

Cut off the excess cellophane! 

There are many ways to mount wings and the video I found gives a good quick solution (as long as you can find a wire coat hanger). 

For this particular costume I've got a plan that involves attaching it to the shirt I'm wearing which should make them look like they're growing right out of my back...but that will be for another blog. 

Hallowe'en shenanigans!

Hallowe'en is in just a few days. I was on the ball this year with my costume making. Since moving to London I've found my resources are greatly reduced. In Calgary I had a very tiny room in the house I live in that I used as a studio. This allowed me to get quite mucky on a regular basis and have multiple projects going at once. It also allowed me plenty of storage space for scraps of material, bits of chicken wire, and other crafty stuff that worked well for costume design.

Just before I move to London I also made a big effort to purge my life of 'unneccesary' stuff. Anything I hadn't touched in a year was either thrown out, donated to charity or gifted to friends, depending on the state of it.

What I could bring over was stuffed into two large suitcases that couldn't weigh more than 50lbs each and everything else was put into storage to await my eventual (possibly, maybe) return.

I did keep a few things but they're all in Canada. I also had a pretty good list of stores where I could source supplies from and of course, I had that space in which to work.

Since coming to the UK my costume making has become far less fulfilling. I still have all the same great ideas and enthusiasm, but finding the space hasn't been successful. Regardless, this year I decided to get started sooner rather than later.

The first step was deciding on what I wanted to be. I have a long list of costume to make, and eventually I will when the time is right, but I knew that most of them were far too ambitious given a current lack of funds. Whatever it was would be clever and creative but also simple. 

I opened up my Book of Faeries - a childhood favourite and one of the few books I simply had to bring with me from Canada - and scanned the pages for inspiration. I considered Jenny Greenteeth but didn't immediately warm to it when I considered how I'd go about it. I scanned the pixies, although Pixie King has already been a costume I've done and I seek to do something different every year.

And then I saw the Phooka, an Irish Goblin that likes to shape shift into animal forms and often has the head of a goat. This reminded me of 'Snuff' the latest Discworld novel from Terry Pratchett, which also features goblins. Perfect. 

So, this Hallowe'en my costume is that of a Goblin. I'm quite pleased with the outcome. I've been commissioned to make the occasional costume for others and would love to do it again. If you like what you see visit www.FaunawolfCreations.com to find out about commissioning work from me.

First I build the basic shape of the mask on my face using plaster cast.
I use warm water so it will dry faster as the entire thing is done on my face
in one go so the sooner it dries, the less time I have to wear it. 

This is a new to me material - one of the problems with making plaster masks is that
they end up weighing quite a bit. I figured I could give this a go as it's a light, foamy material
and it air dries. The initial mask I did didn't work as, when it dries, it also expands the
plaster so it no longer fit my face. 

After some careful sculpting I have covered the entire plaster base with the Fimo.
I did a single layer all over and then built up the eyebrows, nose and lip.
I added the horns and ears last. 

When it was dry (24 hours later) I painted it using acrylic.
You can see that I still had some side expansion but it still fits nicely so I'm not worried. 

And voila! My goblin face is complete! 

I got the vest in a charity shop and
picked up some faux-fur (Just half a metre) to make the loin cloth.
The brown 'body suit' is a cheap set of leggings with a tight fitting shirt.
I used a little acrylic paint to add the muscles.

For more of my artwork visit www.faunawolfcreations.com

Priorities and shifts

Since I finished my tarot card series I haven't managed to have much in the way of art to use as images on this blog. Naughty of me but I figure I can post pretty pictures I've taken of nice things and that'll do too...but don't think of me as a photographer. I do like photography in a 'my camera does all the work and my photos look spanking good when the light is right' sort of way, but start talking to be about the ISO and the filter and the zoom and I sort of glaze over. It's something I leave to the very talented photographers in my life. Besides, I have a lot of other things to get on with.

Which sort of presents a problem and was my round-about way of getting to the point of this particular post.

I have a lot of passions in life. I have a lot of ideas and creativity which sometimes feels so pent up that I can't seem to find enough ways to get it all out.

I love making costumes. I love designing and conceptualizing them and then making them real and wearable and magnificent.

I also love to sculpt and have a knack for it. I've often wondered about doing something on a larger scale and living in London can make me ache at the thought of it. Seeing a stunning stone dragon or the smooth, elegant curves of a sculpted silhouette makes my fingers twitch and my imagination run wild. Oh, the things I could do. And on a smaller scale too. I discovered Netsuke and would adore creating my own small creature to hold in my hand, carved with patience and love.

I want to revisit animation - as 'Affinity' gets more screenings I consider all the other ideas I have busting to be let out. A few cell animations, classic hand drawn ones which I think would be novel to try and fun to promote.

And of course there's my writing. I'm rapidly co-editing one of my novels, having another edited by a professional and getting ideas for new stuff which I'm jotting down here and there. I'm finding myself lost in the prose I've been dreaming of, wondering where to take it next and itching to give it another go.

Finally there is my painting - custom shoes and my tarot series, not to forget my Buddhist inspired work.

All jumbled up together these things feel like they should all come first, should all get my focus and time. But there are only so many hours in the day and unfortunately, at the moment a lot of them are spent doing menial administrative tasks so I can pay the bills and fund the supplies for this stuff.

Which is why I'm working on a shift. I'm evolving what I do to survive financially so that it not only meets something I'm passionate about, but gives me the freedom and flexibility (and funding) to continue with and truly pursue everything I want in good time. I may not be about to step into a studio with a chunk of granite awaiting my imagination. I may not be hunched over a drawing table putting the final touches on an animation. I may not be opening a box with a hard copy of one of my novels contained with in. I may not have that mascot costume I always wear entertain my cousin. But I do have the desire for it and that gives me a lot of motivation.

This motivation I have has led me to really look at my life, what comes to me naturally and what my options are for fostering that whilst creating a sustainable income. That was how I decided to look into this Life Coaching business, to explore it further. Now I'm realising that I need to look at how I'm using tools at hand, such as this blog, to promote myself. I've presented myself as a creative (which I am), but now I want to show my professional self.

This gives me a lot to think about as this blog has been an incredibly fantastic tool not only for sharing my art and writing, but for making connections and for giving me a sense of confidence in the talents I have. To that end I don't suppose it would be too different to use it for my life coaching, when I start to develop my career and put myself out there as such. The key difference will be creating confidence in others for their own incredible talents and limitless potential.

I'm mulling all this over and, fortunately, I have time to as my course doesn't start until the autumn. But in the mean time I'm practicing focusing my energy onto this one very important thing with the fact that it will be a fun, sustainable career choice for me that will allow me a great amount of freedom, as long as I go about it effectively. I know from experience that spreading yourself too thin is never effective, unless you want to suffer a nervous breakdown.

People aren't marmite.

Becoming whole

People seem to spend a lot of time separating their lives into categories according to what they think defines them and what they definitely don't want to define them. I know I do it, at least. I like to say that my job, what I do during the day, is something I'm good at and pays the bills, but it's not 'me'. My career, my calling, who I really am is an artist, a writer, someone creative.

So I go about my life downplaying my day job, excluding it entirely sometimes, to such an extent that people don't even realise what I do.

Recently that all began to change as a new line manager was hired. This man is incredibly good at his job. I think he could teach people how to manage if he wasn't so busy doing it himself.

He read my CV, listened to me when I told him this is not my dream job and there are no ladders I wish to climb in the charity sector. I've done my not-for-profit time. I gave my heart and soul to a brilliant organisation which has gained an unstoppable momentum. I've been there, done that. I'm ready for something different.

But my CV is now full of years of not-for-profit work and it was that which got me this job in the first place. What's kept me at the job has been the slow (sometimes agonizingly so) but steady changes to my role which have allowed me to be more and more creative. At first it was little things - designing a 'merchandise' catalogue, creating a layout template for a registration form, having input into the website. But recently, thanks to the best manager I've ever had the good luck of working with, those changes have been more significant.

As a result, I've been starting to think of this job less as something separate from me, and more as a place where I can express my creativity and earn a pay cheque for it.

This change in my usual resistance came to light on the weekend when I attended the London Marathon. This is arguably the most famous marathon in the world, albeit one I'd never heard of until I started at the charity. Of course, why would I? My athletic interests include things like Belly Baseball, Kick The Can and Dodge Ball, stopping short of anything truly competitive or physically demanding. The entire idea of running 26 miles, never mind on concrete through the streets of London, makes my legs hurt and my lungs twinge. A runner I am not.

But an artist, and someone with great enthusiasm, I am. So, this Sunday, for the first time, I incorporated my art into my work. I attended the marathon to cheer on those running in aid of the charity, to show support and gratitude for the money they've raised and the months they've trained, and I went in costume. My zebra costume, to be exact. And it was fun to be asked about what I was wearing - a vest supporting the charity and a costume I made myself for Mardi Gras some years ago. I handed out my business card to a few interested people, shared details about the team running for the charity and felt quite whole. Quite a lot like me, as I am. Not like charity Kait or professional Kait, nor even just like artist Kait.

I was just me, through and through.

And I have to say the best bit, the bit of the day which really put a grin on my face, happened as I was walking up the street to my house.

I'd left for Tower Hill at 9:00, a trolley loaded with supplies in tow. I stood for hours along a crowded street in direct sunlight in a plaster mask. I shouted my throat hoarse. I walked through the thousands of spectators and caught crowded busy tubes, all the while towing a cart. I didn't eat well. I left to go home at 5:00, to endure more crowded tubes.

As I was finally nearing home, the contact lense in my right eye sticking and burning, my feet screaming to be released from my hot, sweaty Doc Martens, a man driving past pulled over. He leapt out of his car and crossed the street and I became aware that he was talking to me. I turned and looked at him, bleary eyed and dazed, "Sorry?"

"Did you come from the marathon?" he asked again.

"I did, yes."

"You didn't run in that, did you?"

"No, no," I laughed, "I didn't run in this. I was cheering."

"Well you look bloody fantastic. I just wanted to tell you," he grinned, shaking my hand with both of his, the compliment genuine and heartfelt. And then he turned, walked back to his car, got inside and drove away.

And I grinned through all the pain and exhaustion and hunger (and by this point, a very full bladder) because I looked bloody fantastic, enough for someone to stop their journey to come tell me so.

London Journal - A Year ago....

A piece of public art in Cambridge

It's the 31st of October. A day for wee ones to don costumes of all shapes and sizes, a day of carved pumpkins, a day of crisp fallen leaves and a touch of frost.

It also marks the day a year ago when I first boarded a plan to the UK. I was a bit mad with my scheduling for that trip. I rose at 6:00am, dressed in my Halloween garb and headed to work. I worked a full eight hour shift before coming home to a well decorated house. Loads of people came over for a party, during which too much candy and other sugary things were consumed. I was bubbling with excitement and a sense of anticipation.

At midnight my parents arrived, there to provide transport to the airport. I bid the party-goers farewell, loaded my suitcase into the car and was whisked away.

At the airport I said my goodbyes, gave my kisses and headed for security. Once through on the other side the fact that I'd been up since 6:00am began to hit me full force. I was exhausted and my flight wasn't going to board for an hour and a half. I found a quiet corner near my gate, set my backpack down as a pillow, and tried to get some sleep.

It's amazing how much can happen in a year.

That first trip was a test to see if London was really the place for me. It was a gauge of where I'd be living, how I'd be able to find a job, what sort of stuff I could explore. I knew then that I loved it here. It was new and exciting for me. It was fizzing, bubbling potential. I was bursting with ideas and hopeful for what would come.

I've not actually been living here for an entire year yet. This just marks that first step into the life I'm now leading. I shan't review my year until January 7th, but today I did feel like reflecting on that initial discovery.

This year my Halloween celebrations have been far more subdued. I think this is largely due to Halloween just not being a big deal in the UK, but it's also difficult to replicate that anticipation that was an undercurrent last year.

Change is good. I do like that this year has been more relaxed and involved far more sleep. There was still a fabulous new costume to unveil and a party to attend. Some things never really seem to change, even when everything about them is truly different.

Happy Halloween.

Halloween

This is what a Pixie King looks like.

As a child the year was not divided by months nor seasons but by holidays. Summer was a significant one, obviously, followed closely by Christmas. But one of the holidays I looked forward to most was Hallowe’en. I’m not a huge fan of candy and if I never saw a single horror film in my life I wouldn’t see it as a loss. For me the appeal of Hallowe’en is rooted in the making of my costume.

Each year I would seek to create something unique. As all of my friends would prepare to be de

ad brides, zombies, devils and ghosts, I would plot and plan and often agonise over the perfect costume. Instead of a black cat I’d be a white one. Instead of buying a mask from a shop I would build my own from papier mache. I would choose characters from books like Harriet the Spy or Gollum (Long before Lord of the Rings was made into a film, when none of my classmates knew who I was or had heard of The Hobbit.) or I would make characters up, like a Killer Marshmallow or a personification of the night sky.

This year my costume is actually still in progress. I made the top and bottoms myself and put together a crown of ivy. I used my prosthetic mouth and ears and grease paint for the face. It's not done but it was done enough to suit me for this Halloween. I need to make wings yet, and perhaps some nice Pixie feet, but I like it as a working project as I want it to be wearable again and again. To tweak it each time I wear it out will involve unveiling another bit. Perhaps this is a costume that will never quite be done, especially as Pixies really do come in great variations.

The Pixie King and the Devil

I am a pixie king!

For those of you who don't know, I'm a Pixie King. Always have been, but until this weekend I've not had the outfit.

It's not complete yet as I still need to make my crown, but for now I'm quite chuffed with what I've done in just a few hours. I'm especially pleased given the fact that I didn't have access to a sewing machine and I had to do the tail by hand.

Yesterday I went shopping for paint, make-up and the perfect top and bottoms. I did quite well, sticking to a budget of 20 quid*.

*Sometimes I really wish I had a UK Keyboard so I could type the pound symbol instead of writing 'quid' all the time.

Today I painted the stripes...

...hand sewed the tail...

...and assembled the trousers.

Next weekend I'll do the crown and if I have time and can find the right supplies, I may do wings as well.

How to Make a Mask

Step 1 (Supplies):
Get some plaster cast and some Vaseline.

Step 2 (Prep):
Cut the plaster cast into strips of different sizes and widths.
Apply Vaseline to the face of your model.
(You will also require a bowl of water, preferably warm for the model's sake.)

Step 3:
Soak the strips of plaster and build them up on the face of your model. No need to do a lot of layers. This is just to make a nice mold to work from.
Let dry for about twenty minutes or until the plaster cast no longer feels like it can bend.
Remove from your model and leave to one side for at least 24 hours to harden completely.

Step 4:
Determine what animal you will be creating. A good way is to ask the model/customer what they want. If they really don't know then ask a few probing questions to determine what animal would suit them best. Build on the mask as appropriate.

Step 5:
Problem solving
Ears can be a challenge. There are many options. You can build them off of the mask you just made, but this poses the risk of making the mask too heavy or difficult to wear.
You could make faux-fur ones, which are usually easy to rig up as head gear. But faux-fur can be expensive, difficult to find and require a sewing machine for assembly.
The other option is to improvise. Dig around and see what you can find. In this case, an old top hat will do.

Step 6:
A solid frame is essential to well developed costume ears. In this case I used wire and some card stock...

*note*
This is messy work. Doing it indoors or out, make sure you lay something down on your workspace to minimise the mess. Unless you have a studio space, in which case have fun, be liberated and make as much of a mess as you like knowing you can shut the door on it when the day is done.

Step 7:
Build up the ears using strips of plaster. Make sure to minimise the amount of plaster cast you're using. It's a lovely durable and easy to use medium, but it can get hefty and if someone is going to be wearing it for a prolonged period you want them to be comfortable.

Step 8:
Painting!
In this case the mask is that of a hare so I used a stiff bristled brush to help create a furry look on the face and back of the ears.

Step 9:
Attach the ears to the hat and viola! Finished product! A lovely hare mask suitable for a tea party.

From Start to Finish!

Oh joy!

So I was commissioned to make a costume for a six year old. A Venus Flytrap with the Fly included.

I do so love making costumes. I've always done them for myself, though. This is the first time I got to make one for someone else. At first I was a bit apprehensive. I knew exactly what I'd do and how to do it, but I chose a material I haven't often worked with. Fortunately, I was inspired by having a subject. I create art with so much more enthusiasm when I have an idea of who it is for. I love doing artwork for myself, of course, but the inspiration to do so isn't always there. The second you give me a subject, someone to have in mind whilst I work, the flow of creative energy is practically unstoppable!

So, done in a day, I present: Venus Flytrap.

Now it just needs a fitting. I'm certain the person who requested such a costume will give it full approval. If she's anything like me, and she sounds like she just might be, then the result should be just what she was looking for...fly and all.