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kelldar.com

The Agony of Dragon Con

The Agony of Dragon Con

September 10, 2015 /

I call this, “The Agony of Dragon Con”

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My Costume History, Day 119: Wonder Woman from DC

My Costume History, Day 119: Wonder Woman from DC Comics, made for Dragoncon 2009

After doing my Alex Ross-style Wonder Woman in 2007, I wanted to do another classic version - this one a little more cartoon-inspired.

I made the bodice out of some red matte fabric I picked up at Joann, with a cotton lining. It has spiral steel boning, lace-up back and built in bra cups. I like how it turned out but my one nitpick is it’s really short. I wish I’d made it like 2 inches longer.

To compensate for that, when I made the bottoms, I made sure I made them very tall. Found this blue spandex with white stars on ebay, and used a swimsuit pattern to make them. Under that bodice they come all the way up to my ribcage LOL

Chase made all of the “hard” parts. We took a full bodycast of me (during which I passed out, only time I have ever passed out in my life!), and he used that to sculpt this chestpiece. He cast it and painted it, and it velcros onto the bodice. The belt and tiara are heat-formed plastic - the belt velcros on as well, and the tiara ties on under the wig. He made the gauntlets as well.

Used my boots from the 07 version and my Zatanna wig, and also wore my Scarlet Witch cape with it later on.

I debuted it at Dragoncon 09 and barely got any photos, I just felt like it wasn’t completely done? Afterwards Chase repainted some of the parts and I felt like it looked better after that. Wore it a lot throughout 2010 and into 2011! It became a fav for a hot minute. Did the backdrop shoot in 2010.

Last time I wore it out was in 2014 for a local superhero event - wore it with a different wig that I really liked for this, kinda had more Lynda Carter vibes. But have not worn it since, except for a tiktok video back in 2020. It’s still in good shape, except the boots. Alas they are pleather so they are starting to go, but nearly 20 years was a good run. If I were to want to wear it out of the house, I’d also make a new bodice that fits 2026 me better, and make some new more sustainable boots!

My Costume History, Day 118: Black Canary from DC

My Costume History, Day 118: Black Canary from DC Comics, made for Dragoncon 2009

Since I’d done a more modern Black Canary costume the year before, I thought it’d be fun to do this classic style look too. And - like a lot of my Dragoncon 09 costumes, I thought I could do this pretty easily and cheaply (that was the vibe of my 09 costumes because we were buying our first house and moving that summer!)

I made the little cropped jacket out of some navy blue satin with a black taffeta lining. It went together really quickly and I really love how it turned out.

The bodysuit on the other hand was kinda experimental. I made a black cotton bodice with boning and a lace up back - then made a strapless leotard out of some black 2 way stretch pleather I had leftover from Chase’s Darth Vader costume and sewed that to it. So the top is structured because of the bodice underneath, but everything from the waist down is just the stretchy pleather. It would have worked fine... if I hadn’t cut the pleather in the wrong direction. Yep my 2 way stretch pleather was only stretching vertically and not horizontally like it was supposed to be. Didn’t have any more to recut, and I was able to verrrry carefully get myself into it, so it is what it is.

Bought the tights and wig online - the wig was NOT what it looked like online, but couldn’t afford another. The boots were some I had - I just made the upper cuff out of some black marine vinyl I had and they tuck into the top of the boots.

Despite my fabric oopsie, I was really happy with how this turned out! I thought it was really cute and more fun to wear than my other Black Canary (though that one is more comfy, so I liked them both for different reasons!)

I wore this one more time, at GMX 2009 later that year. Alas, I never wore it again - I did not think the pleather would play along anymore. I never got to do a proper white backdrop shoot. I do still have it... but I’m scared to look at it, because I’m sure the pleather has melted and it’s all just one pile of goo in the bottom of its storage box.

My Costume History, Day 117: Jean Grey from X-Men,

My Costume History, Day 117: Jean Grey from X-Men, made for Dragoncon 2009

This was another costume I wanted to do for ages that I figured I could put together pretty easily for Dcon that year.

I made the basic dress using a dancewear pattern and some green spandex - it went together really easily! I made the belt using a belt blank covered in my yellow spandex with an X-Men buckle I bought online.

The boots were a pair I’d been sent as a mistake - the seller told me to just keep them LOL. Came in handy for this! I covered them in my yellow spandex. I did not want to make gloves again, so these are my 2006 Rogue gloves - I just wear them with the upper part rolled down and hidden under the gauntlet section. The gauntlet sections are separate, made of interfacing and spandex, and I just pull them on over the top of the existing gloves.

The mask is vac-formed plastic. We made a mold of my face to use with our homemade vac table just for making things like this - it fits so well I can almost wear it without any kind of strap or tape or glue. I do have some ribbons glued to the outer edges I can tie under the wig, but it’s just for safety.

Debuted this at Dragoncon 09 with a wig I already had. Not the look I wanted, but I didn’t want to spend more money. I didn’t wear it as much as I expected to at dcon. I ended up with only one photo from the whole weekend. Did the white backdrop shoot with it not long after since I needed more photos!

Then it went into semi-retirement for several years. It wasn’t until I did my Kate costume in 2018 and I realized - hey this Kate wig is exactly what I had wanted for that old Jean Grey costume! So I brought her back to Dcon 2018 with the new wig, wore it to the X-Men shoot, and brought it to MCX later that same year to meet Chris Claremont and get my well-loved copy of the Phoenix saga signed.

I do intend to reshoot this on the white backdrop sometime in the future, with the newer wig. But alas, the interior of these boots is falling apart - they’re pleather and everytime I put them on, more of it falls off, stains my socks. Ick. So I may to make new boots before I do that.

My Costume History, Day 116: Rogue from X-Men Age

My Costume History, Day 116: Rogue from X-Men Age of Apocalypse, made for Dragoncon 2009

Rogue has always been one of my fav characters, though I’ve never done her classic yellow/green cartoon suit... I just keep doing weird side quests like her AoA suit here. I loved this variation on it, and thought it’d be fun (and easy) to put together for Dragoncon 09.

I bought a yellow long-sleeved leotard (with attached gloves!) for the top, and a pair of green leggings for the bottoms, both from River’s Edge Dancewear. Then I cut them up when they came in - cut off the leotard’s sleeves around the elbow, turned the hand portion into separate gloves. Cut the leggings off around mid-calf and used what I cut off to make the new green lower (fitted) sleeves on the leotard.

Made the puff sleeves out of some green cotton and shoulder pads and sewed it onto the leotard. Chase made the pink collar for me. I cut some strips of darker green spandex out and sewed them onto the leggings. Made the legband out some yellow spandex - kinda forgot about it, and that’s why it’s sort of hanging at a funny angle - I just barely tacked it on because I made it so last minute!

The base of the boots were from my 2006 Rogue costume - I just made new uppers to wear over them. Made the interior out of an upholstery foam for shape, covered in my yellow spandex, with some black spandex trim and a painted half of an easter egg LOL.

Bought the wigs online and accidentally sent the white wig to our old apartment LOL thankfully was able to go over and get it since no one had moved in! I didn’t sew them together, I just pinned them on when wearing. Trimmed the red wig shorter and styled the front edges.

Loved this costume at dcon that year - it was by far the most comfortable costume I brought with me, so I wore it a lot! And any time that happens, it means I get sick of it LOL “I wore this for ages at dragoncon, I don’t need to wear it again anytime soon.” So I didn’t. Didn’t wear it again until I pulled it out for the white backdrop shoot a few years later. And I haven’t worn it since. I do still have it though! I think it’s still in decent shape, so it’s here if I get the urge to wear it again!

Princess Leia project part 3: Hoth uniform I’m a

Princess Leia project part 3: Hoth uniform

I’m at the point in this project where I’m tired of drawing variations of this jumpsuit 😹

Princess Leia project - day 2! The ceremonial gown

Princess Leia project - day 2! The ceremonial gown.

Hey it’s new art! I was having so much fun redrawi

Hey it’s new art! I was having so much fun redrawing and simplifying my older Padme project pieces that I decided to draw some Princess Leias to match.

I did actually start trying to do a Leia version of my Padme project back in 2018. I got about six of them done before I got distracted and quit. So it’s nice to finally revisit this idea. While these versions aren’t done to the same level as the original Padme pieces, I do now have all the line work if I ever want to go back and completely paint them.

These Leia pieces I’ll be posting over the next few weeks have been really fun to do - they’re much faster to draw than Padme, not only because they aren’t as complicated but also because I have all of my own costumes to reference 😹

My Costume History, Day 115: Ame-Comi Poison Ivy f

My Costume History, Day 115: Ame-Comi Poison Ivy from DC Comics, for Dragoncon 2009

I was still loving the Ame-Comi series of statues, and that summer I decided I could pretty easily make my own version of the Poison Ivy look - because I still had a ton of ivy leaves leftover from the wedding, and I could reuse my Starfire wig!

I bought a bikini and started gluing leaves on. I did decide the leaves were a little too vibrant, so I painted them all in some darker green and olive tones. I made the little “butt flap” part out of some leftover suede and added leaves to that, too.

I wore some platform boots I had, and made the “leg warmer” boot covers out of suede, with lots of faux moss and vines glued and stapled on. The vine “wings” were made out of some vine I bought at the craft store, added some more leaves and things too, and designed a harness that would attach to the back of the bra straps to hold it in place.

I had planned to only do partial body paint - I bought leggings and dyed them to match my green body paint. Painted my arm, and then sat outside with dye getting the color exactly right. At home, they matched perfectly. I got to the con, and I dunno if it was the lighting or what, but it didn’t match anymore, so at the last minute I scraped the tights and had to paint my legs and butt LOL. Thank goodness for @lindenash who stepped up like a true BFF to help get me painted, because by then I was now running very late for my shoot!

Fun fact - I had intended to also do a She-Hulk costume for that same Dcon. I was going to get double duty out of that body paint. I had made the leotard. I had the wig. But I didn’t have new shoes in my budget, so I set it aside. And then I lost the leotard in our move. DANG.

Anyway, this was the only time I ever wore this costume, because it was such an ordeal to get painted. I do still have it all - no clue what kind of shape its in though. Maybe one of these days I’ll feel confident enough to put on that bikini again and get those shot on the backdrop... even if just so I can then throw it all away LOL

My Costume History, Day 114: Huntress from Birds o

My Costume History, Day 114: Huntress from Birds of Prey, for Superman Celebration 2009

There was a big lull in costumes for me - finished Sally in Feb, & then didn’t do another costume til June. This is pretty normal for me NOW, but back then, it was because I had a medical thing come up & I was wiped. No energy for ANYTHING for a while.

Finally got myself together & decided I wanted to make a Huntress costume for Superman Celebration that summer. In particular I wanted to base it on some Bruce Timm art I had saved. I bought this purple knit fabric online, intending to dye it darker when it came in - but I actually loved the vibrant tone of it once I saw it in person, so I left it as is!

I made the basic suit by copying a leotard I had, & made the cape by just draping it on my dressform. Made all of the white trim out of some white stretch knit & got it all attached. The cape velcros to the suit in the front to keep it in place. Made the upper part of the gloves out of the same fabric, & covered a pair of boots I bought online in it as well. I did NOT want to make the actual gloves, so I bought some purple ones online. They don’t match exactly, but whatever, just glad to not make gloves LOL

The belt is painted leather with a belt buckle and boxes Chase made for me. The little things at the top of my boots and gloves Chase made for me out of some star wars greeblies he had sitting around.

I reused that Zatanna wig for this - even with the wonky extensions, but I liked the shape of it for this! The mask we made by vac-forming plastic over a cast of my head - something we’d use a few times over the next few years. Its nice and lightweight and fits my face exactly! I glued some ribbon onto the sides that tie under my wig to keep it on.

Debuted at Superman Celebration which was really fun. Also took it to Dcon and GMX later that year. Chase had a white backdrop set up at GMX for anyone to use, so we did my white backdrop shoot of this there. It wasn’t exactly like all of my others though, so I’ve always wanted to reshoot this... but just never have. One of these days I’ll get it out, clean it up and get that reshoot done.

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