My Halloween Costume: Part 1

So, in an earlier blog I stated that I will be a mad scientist turned bug monster for Halloween this year. This will be a viewing of how I got there.

First, the stilts:

These are called power riser stilts.

They are basically exercise stilts. You can jump pretty high, and run fast in them. I originally wore them in a haunted house in Indy.

So, I decided to get my own pair. I have done two successful outfits so far with them...

The Big Bad Wolf:

And The Metal Minotaur:

So, using the same stilts, I stripped everything off and started again. First, with a base coat.

Now I will be adding more stuff to these to make them more bug-like, later...


Now, With the arms...

I really want this to reminds you of a bug's arms, Preferably, a praying mantis. So, Time to start with the pieces that started the idea.

This sword was on sale for $3.00 at Halloween City. And there were two of them. I didn't care too much about them as swords, but loved them as the arms for this creature. So I took a utility knife...

And cut the sides off. I will probably use those for another project.

I then shoved Styrofoam into the gap, and sealed with tape.

I removed two sleeves off an old hoodie of mine, to use as the arm extensions. I hot glued them underneath. then used duct tape to hod them in place.

Using the hot glue, I run lines of glue over the sweatshirt material, Duct tape, and sword piece, trying to blend it all with a new texture. I also added texture all over the sleeves.

I then start with a fluorescent green paint as my base coat. Probably about 1 or 2 coats, before I start making multiples...

TO BE CONTUNUED!!!!!

Each year, Halloween season gets shorter...

When I was a kid, the holidays were awesome, cause Halloween would start up so soon. It would be the first of August, and stores would already have stuff up for sale. It's almost the end of September, and  only  half the Halloween stuff is up. This season is dying. More candy is sold, but less is given out. Most houses around me aren't even available to trick'or'treat at. There are more people stealing candy and terrorizing kids than there are trick'or'treaters anymore.
And costume at shops are getting more and more Blah, now. The only way to find a decent costume is if it's based off a character in a blockbuster movie, or you plan to be a slutty version of something. Or you have to hit some horror, or haunt con to get good gear.
Yes, I'm complaining. And I have every right to. There is already Christmas Stuff up! Before HAlloween!!!
MAkes no sense to me. That's one of the reasons I do my costume home made. I try to spend as little money as possible that supports people that do very little to celebrate this great holiday. and then, most halloween shops are gone by the 2nd of nov. and christmas might as well be up year round! I want my holiday back!

My Costume Concept for Halloween 2012

I'll tell you, It's been a hard year for me to figure it out. Each year usually is pretty simple. I start working on a concept in mid august, and finish first of October, so I can start costume parties. I usually know what I'm doing a year in advance. Past six years have been my best.
Six years ago, I started my Dr. Steel Kick. I loved that Lab coat:

Took me 7 hours to put together.

Five Years ago I was Super Steel:

This outfit cost me under $15. Goodwill pants and shirts. Spraypaint. Boots that I already owned.T-Shirt Transfer.


Four Years ago I was Professor Black

Basically, Like Doctor Steel, but reverse colors.


Three Years ago, I was Sam From the movie "Trick 'R' Treat".

I also hand made the Lollipop:

And the Hidie-Ho Bar:

And then Two years ago, I was the Big Bad Wolf:

The Gown and Bonnet were hand made. So were the claws and legs. Well, the legs were stilts called "Power-riser", cost around $360. I then made the legs more wolf like. Mask was the only thing I bought Halloween-Wise.

Then Last Year, I was a Giant Minotaur.

 I Kept the Fur on the Stilts, and Changed the feet, to hooves. I also Custom made a double-headed ax, and made the head from scratch.

Well, this year, I finally got my Idea for my outfit Yesterday when the Halloween store finally opened up. We were actually going there, because we were looking for a costume for my son, Jace. Well, unfortunately, we didn't Find anything good. Then, when I went over to the weapon section and saw the swords that were on sale. They were only $3 each. What I liked about them was the odd shape. They looked like the arms of a praying mantis...

THAT'S IT!!! I know what I want to do! I'm gonna be a Scientific Experiment gone wrong! I Still need to get a Labcoat, Black Slacks, Button up Shirt and a Tie.
I have a good Idea for the Stilts, too. I just got to make them look like bug legs.
I'll post Progress, later!

Honorable Mention: Nintendo-nation.net

I just had a piece done on my shell mods by Nintendo-Nation.net, I looked at their site, and it is a great site. All things Nintendo! Which is my favorite Video game company. They saw some of my pieces on Etsy.com, and hit me up. No longer than a couple hours, I now have an article about my work on there. I'm happy to see people take notice and appreciate this craft. And what a perfect site to do so!

I Remember 9/11

Today, about 15 People asked me, "Where were you when 9/11 happened?"

I still remember.

I had just woken up. I was getting ready to go to work at the Halloween Express, that at the time, was located in the Greenwood Park Mall. As I was looking for my birthday money, so I could take care of gas, my mom called me downstairs. She was watching CNN, I believe. It was the shot of the Trade Towers, and one was smoking. Five minutes after I had left, the second one had been struck. I found that out at the gas station as I was prepaying.

Between the trip to the gas station, and the trip to work, I didn't hear much. Mainly cause I never got any good radio reception in my car, so I was blaring Music off the album "Daft Punk: Homework".
When I got to work it was weird. Most of the Shops had not even had the employees there to open. I was the Opening Manager of Halloween Express, so I was there early.

I saw my Buddy Justin at the Hot Topic, and he even told me they were gonna lock back up in another hour. There weren't even mall-walkers there. I thought mall-walkers would always be there, even after the apocalypse. So, I unlock the gate, and started putting product out from the shipment from the night before. After about an hour of that, one of the mall guards actually came in and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was doing my job. He told me all the other shops have closed and left for the day, and he suggested I leave, too.

When I told him I wasn't going because of something that happened in New York, He told me of another crash, that I later found out to be the Pentagon attack. He asked me to leave for my safety. So, even though to me it sounded ridiculous, it finally hit me on the magnitude of the day. So, I worked for another hour, called my mom, was escorted to my car, and went back home.

I got home, fixed lunch. Played some video games till about 1am, then went to bed.

Now, most people that know me, would believe that I would have turned this story into some kind of a joke. But I don't care to make a joke out of this. It was serious, and people died. Above all else, remember people lost there lives. Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, and Grandparents. Aunts, Uncles, Husbands, Wives, Cousins, Nephews, and Nieces. Gone still. We need to remember those people above all else.

I didn't think of any of that at the time.I was worried about keeping a job. I think about them now.

Cardboard Goggles Tutorial

Hey there Everybody! Time for another tutorial. And Since people know by now that it is my specialty I will be showing you how to make...


Cardboard Goggles!
What Items you will need:

• Cardboard tube(Paper towel or TP tube)
• Long rubber band(For the headband)
• A transparent piece for the lens(Like an old cd or dvd jewel case)
• Dogtag chain

Tools you will need:

• Glue gun or tape or a type of adhesive
• Scissors or X-acto knife
• Permantent marker

Step 1: Take the card board roll, and measure two equal sections to cut off to use at the eye pieces.




Step 2: After cutting the two sections, Take your marker, and draw a line to cut out the eyepiece. You'l want the area toward the ear to be longer than the area by the nose. After you draw it, cut it out.




Step 3: Using your newly cut Eyepieces, and the marker, Put the front of the eyepiece under your transparent item you will use to make your lens.) In this scenario, I am using a blue transparent plastic DVD case.)
Then take the Marker, and on top of the piece, trace the circles of the eyepiece. Then cut out both lenses.




Step 4: Using your Adhesive(I used a glue Gun for this one) Put a layer on the edge of the front of the eyepiece, then place the Lens on top of it. Let cool/dry.




Step 5: Using the Chain from a dogtag, I then put a hole on each eyepiece on the inside. I then fit one ball through the hole of each piece. I then used my adhesive to seal it.




Step 6: I then drilled two holes, on on each piece on the outer part of the eyepiece, and fed an end of the long rubberband through. I then tied it off to finish the head strap.




And there you have it! a new pair of goggles! great to have as a piece for a laboratory, or an industrial scene. It can hel an actor get more of a personality, without the confines of a mask, or the messiness of full facepaint.






You can also have more fun by changing it up a little bit and decorate how you feel. Like the two pairs I made:




These pair I did a couple months back. Instead of using hot glue, I used masking tape to hold the lenses in place, and Eyelets to hold the bridgepiece and headstrap on. I also used elastic for the headstrap, and a cutout piece of black pleather for the bridgepiece. And I spraypainted the eyepieces gold before cutting out the images for the front design.






And the new one is identical to the top tutorial, but I added the pieces I cut off from the eye pieces, and hot glued them to the ops of the eye pieces. I then used black and red paint pens for the design.








I hope you enjoyed the tutorial!


And please, feel free to post pics of yours, if you decide to make you a pair as well.

And here is a video tutorial as well:

Have fun.

Old Man Cecil Speaks

Hey! For some of you guys that know, I just had a birthday this past Saturday. And I had a lot of Birthday wishes. Some on Facebook, some over the phone, some text. And some in person.
I would like to thank all that wished me a happy birthday:
From Facebook.com:

Sarah Wager Donovan

Vivian Finecy Barnitz

Stacie Finecy

Stacey Clifton

Matt Brandon Barker

Casey McGuire

Randy Duncan

Vicki Agee

Shandi King-Dickinson

Sarah Harris

Earle Butterworth

Linda Neice

Adam Jenvey

Natalie Sue Gibson

Adam Alexander Smyth

Angela Redd

Rayfield Johnson Jr.

Nicole Danielle Johnson

Jacob Mooke Smith

Jenny Mayhew Mortamur

Anietra Thacker-Mccombs

Jessica Lynne Mason

Angie Cecil

Debora Beaty

Marley Tsu

Pam Cecil Zeigler

Alicia Yantis

Sarah Beth French

Phyllis Miller

Carol Jedimom Gilbert

Jeannie Schmidt-Lukins

JohnandVeronica Gauthier

Erin Cataldi

Curtis Wood

Nuke X. Grimm

Scott LaRussa

Ethan Hughes

Kristen Ewbank

Kelly Horvath Hunsicker

Tim White II

Eric Vysther

Trish Jones Skeen

Drew Arbuckle

Barry Welling

Bettye Ruth Quillen Anthony

Dee Thrasher

Amanda Wiliford Selwitschka

Dawnetta Shelton Taylor

Beth Braun

Jon Parrish

Michelle Cecil Martin

Adam Smith

Matt Yagle

Matt Ragland

Hi-Way Lanes

James Aulby

Mariah Holton

Tamara Mason

Byron McCullough

Solomon Mortamur

Thank all of you For the wishes online!

And to the ones that texted, called and told me in person, thank you as well.

And a BIG THANK YOU my wife, Brandy; my Mom and Dad, Sandy and Tony; and my son, Jace; for helping me have a wonderful time yesterday.