Black Hats, Halloween Dandies And A Couple Of Ravens, Just For Good Messures!

Good Morning All My Friends.....
Can you believe another week has past? It doesn't seem possible....but there it is.
I have been focused solely on DragonCon this past week...which hasn't been easy, since I see Halloween everywhere! :)

This past week has brought all my extra goodies to my door. I have everything here and ready to be assembled so that "The Traveler" can come to life....

My hair arrived on Monday. Wow, it's pretty amazing. I've been working on the styling but have not decided quite how I want it just yet. It's 100cm long and jet black. I think it will look amazing under my hat!

I have gotten a bag as well. The costume doesn't have many pockets...as in, none! I was looking for a messenger bag but couldn't find one that I liked that would work with the outfit. I finally found a smaller black bag that could be worn cross shoulder. It rides about hip length, so it should work wonderfully.

I was also looking for gloves....it started out with me looking for 'skeleton' gloves. The kind with the raised bones is what I was after. However, all the ones I found were extremely cheesy. But at the very end of my search I found a really amazing set! They're not bones per say....the are LED gloves that can be set to different sequences. They arrived this past week as well. I will keep them in my bag during the day and break them out when it gets dark! Here's a link to the video. They're really kinda cool. :)

I also sent for some clasps for the front of my jerkin / vest.....however, when they arrived I was not thrilled with the way they looked on the jerkin. The clasps are really nice but they just weren't doing it for me. So, the jerkin will be left open. Which is fine, with the belt and the bag no one will ever know there were going to be clasps. I have no doubt that I will find something for them to be used on....

these are the clasps that were ultimately not used

That being said....the jerkin / vest is completed! Hip, Hip, Hooray!! Everything is strung (laced) and I do have to say that it looks damn good! And not a moment too soon! DragonCon is only 10 days away. Talk about a speeding train. LOL. Here's some photos of the last bit of progress......what do you think? Not too shabby, huh? :)

here's a shot of the back lacing

the front - with the shirt

getting ahead! LOL

this is with the bag

Now for the hat progression......

this is where i left you last post.....

after some shaping and much contortion.....

you wet (soak it) the leather

after one coating of dye....a whole lot of 'see thru' spots.

and the underside hasn't been done yet, see the corner

on the right

and as of 11pm saturday night.....

5/6 coats of USMC Black dye

it still has to be sprayed with 'saddle tack' (so my head doesn't turn black)

i will be adding more to this today after the tack dries, assuming

the rain stops sometime soon. have to do the spray outside - smells really bad!

That's the updates on the DragonCon outfit. Can not wait to finish it and see it all together. I will be trying it on sometime this coming week to make sure everything fits like it should! I've been trying things on here and there and so far, so good!

This past week as I was coming out of the gym it started to rain....got really dark. As I came around the corner this is what I saw......freaked me out a little bit. I've seen tornadoes up close and my brain immediately pulled up those images.

see the big cloud - sky to ground - on the

left by the light pole? totally freaked me out

I stopped by Hobby Lobby this past week as well....they now have all their Halloween / Fall items out. They have some nice pieces. They have a lot of the 'suzy homemaker' pieces. Not really any thing for the die hard Halloween fans. But that's ok. Everyone needs a little Halloween in their life! :)  I did come across a couple of pieces that I liked....then I realized why. They remind me of my 'Patchwork Angels' and I had been creating a couple of years ago. Wow, now that I've gone looking for the link....I guess it's been a few years, not a couple. My, my, my...time flies!

on the shelf @ Hobby Lobby



And on a parting note....

I have finished my Huggin and Munnin piece. I am thrilled with the final outcome! Opinions? Comments? Praise (LOL)? I had to add the 'copyright' to it....I've been seeing where a lot of the people I keep tabs on (all my many internet friends) have been having issues with other people (dirtbags, thieves and unscrupulous scum) taking their images and passing them off as their own. It's ridiculous that artist can not share their work without fear of someone trying to steal it. Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now.....

HUGGIN & MUNNIN

*digital oils - 24 x 24 - completed August 2012*



I guess that's all for now. Just thought I'd put out an update so you can see how hard I've been slaving! Ha!!

I see there is a new member as well!

Welcome aboard. I hope your visit is a pleasant one!

You can see more of Mantan Calaveras at Voodoo Ghoul.

Til next time....

Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!

TTFN

p.s. that puts us at 40 & 121! almost there, can you feel the anticipation building? LOL