Posted on

Star Trek TNG: Lore Redesign

Scans 001scans 002

I’ve been playing with this one for awhile, to go with my Data redesign. Lore lacks an iconic outfit, I think his Borg costume was the closest he got but it fell short of what it could have been. It was felt Batman abs. This should be Lore coming into his own, becoming a cult leader, he’s powerful and charismatic. That is all inspiring for a costume designer. With this design I wanted to show that he dresses to look like his followers but the jacket has an air of authority while also being a bit punk. They are a renegade faction of Borg after all. In my TNG universe Data was incomplete, he looks less human than Lore.

Posted on

Doctor Who Kroton the Cyberman Cosplay

Another one from the archives, in 2013 I made my first attempt at foam armour. The Cyberman was a great project for a beginner as it is all incredibly simple shapes. I think the only real mistake I made was not buying good quality thin foam, those areas deteriorated almost instantly. Otherwise the latex paint was very resistant. It was a lot of fun walking around in character all day and interacting with the kids who were so excited to see me (or attack me with their sonic screwdrivers).

Wearing a costume that fully conceals you is a fascinating experience, when people can’t see your face and when you resemble the character well enough, you disappear, all they see is the Cyberman and they are more naturally inclined to play along with the fantasy. I have been looking for an excuse to do full body armour again for years, and I think I might just do that with Isaac from The Orville, perhaps some time next year… If I don’t get distracted by other costumes.

Kroton was an obscure companion for the Eighth Doctor in the comics, a rare Cyberman who retained his humanity. The only thing that made him physically distinct was a black face plate, which I incorporated in this costume.

Posted on

Star Trek TOS Uniform Redesign

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Throwback to 2016

I’ve always had a thing for redesigning Star Trek costumes, I think because the real ones are quite camp but have a lot of iconic elements. So it’s a lot of fun to play with as a designer. The intention with this redesign was to incorporate contemporary streetwear aesthetics. Something practical, versatile but that still feels like a uniform. It was also fun working with a replica of the velour used in the original series. It’s a textile so deeply stuck in the 60’s, it was a wonderful challenge to try to bring it into the 21st or even 23rd century.

I wish I still fit into that jacket, my chest and shoulders are broader now. Although it’s hard to tell because the jacket was designed to create a square silhouette. I can see where I made mistakes, where my tailoring could have been better. But one would hope to have that kind of perspective nearly four years later. I got a lot of compliments at the convention, including from Troy Baker! People genuinely wanted to wear a jacket like this, which is the best compliment of all as a designer, that it works outside the context of a costume. That’s the beauty of “Cosplay Couture” rather than cosplay, one is about accuracy and attention to detail, this other is about creativity and originality. Both can be equally impressive in their own right. But as a costumer, each allows me to express and explore different facets of my skills.

Posted on

Custom Doll: Honey Moonrising

After about three years I finally finished this doll. I was just suddenly hit with inspiration. Her name is Honey Moonrising, she is a 70’s space bounty hunter who has werewolf powers at all times because in space it’s always a full moon.
The costume was based on a rough sketch, then I taped up her body to create the pattern. She is 17″ tall so that presented me with more freedom with the costume, but it was still fiddly. Going with a tight weave cotton and vinyl made the job easier.

More photos below cut Continue reading “Custom Doll: Honey Moonrising”

Posted on

The Angel and the Android in the Blinding White City on the Edge of Time

img_20191015_214411This is a concept that I keep returning to in my dreams. It began when I was listening to Lustmord as I travelled through the city at that time of day when it’s so bright everything seems to shimmer. There’s something beautiful yet haunting about it. Horror doesn’t only happen in the dark. I envisioned this utopian city that was for some reason uninhabited. Humanity had reached its peak and then they inexplicably disappeared, leaving only their predecessors and descendants behind. These two in particular are on a journey to find the human race, during which they discover they have a lot in common.