Texas Asajj Ventress - First Time Costumer

[Guest Nixa]

Hello All! A friend of mine got me into a lightsaber group and finally to a local Star Wars group that led me to the 501st. I want to do the AOTC Concept Asajj Ventress costume and this is the first time I've ever costumed before. I have the perfect skirt for it already and was pointed in the directoin of makeup and tips; especially thanks to this forum.

I was curious to two things if someone would be so kind to help.

 

1- How have previous Asajj's made the collar? Is it perfectly rounded or does it really hug the shoulders at the top giving a sloped affect to reach the rounded bottom on the front of the costume? My idea was to cut a turtle neck sweater in the shape of it and use it as a template. I would sew strips of pleather together to make the lined affect. It would have a zipper and velcro to hide the zipper in the back. Of course it would be 3 pieces: 1 front and 2 back parts.

 

2 - What shirts did you use or what material? I went to the local fabric store and there was no heathered grey stretched material there. I did find a heather grey shirt that I may be able to use but it's looks almost like that "sweatpant-blotchy" grey. I was considering obtaining a stretch heatwear body armor shirt and dipping it in dye for a few minutes to get the desired color. Think it would work?

 

 

Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated! I'll post pics of my costum as it's built. Thanks in advance!!

[Guest Nixa]

BTW - This is the skirt I have.

 

 

Again comments or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

[Guest mdb]

From what i can tell that looks like a really nice skirt indeed! Fullness at the hem and less so at the waist

 

For the collar, however you pattern it please use a fabric of the same kind of stretch or non stretch as the final product. It's one of those costuming annoyanaces that you work in a zig zag fashion between first and final steps to get the right balance

 

If you are using a minimal stretch but soft pleather you may find using felt is a good test material, you can get it in nice soft(ish) drape and you can also usually stretch it out of shape just that little bit like you can with most grades of faux leather (there are always exceptions!)

The nice thing about this method also is you can cut the felt and trace around it fairly easily to transfer it as a pattern

 

otherwise the other option is to see if there is a clearance of the same weight faux leather but in a not so fashionable colour and use that as a template

 

Good luck! This is my favourite version of Ventress and I'm always excited to see new people tackle her

[Guest Nixa]

MDB- Thank you! The skirt was the hardest part to find. Before your post I had attempted with a turtle neck sweater and sure enough you were right, it was too stretchy and I couldn't get the right pattern I wanted for the collar. I'm going to attempt your idea, thank you so much for the advice , with the felt. I know I have some scraps that would be useful.

 

The biggest issue I had in even trying to make the pattern is making sure it's perfectly rounded and not having one side higher than the other. I figured the collar would be the hardest, and after looking at other of the threads it's been tricky for everyone. Going to battle with it again today using the felt, and I'm going to search the house for something I could use that is perfectly rounded to help with the front and back for the pattern. Although the good news is I have the contacts coming in the mail, bought the make up, and made the shirt tighter since it was too baggy on me. I'll attempt the makeup after I have the collar done at least.

 

Here is a pic I took of the arm template and the collar (although that was the bad one) to give me an idea what I'm working with.

 

 

Again, any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[ladyb]

looking good. I really like the skirt.

[Guest Nixa]

Lady B - Thank you! The skirt was the most difficult find aside from the fabric! It's actually from a dance dress I found and chopped up. I used the rest of the dress as patterns for everything, which you see in the previous picture post with the grey shirt.

 

UPDATE: So I've made the arm wraps/glove/whatever they are called....I'm at a lot for words. They just need the peice that wraps around the inside and back of the hand.

 

 

 

Then this is the update on the collar. I'm making it in 3 pieces. Front, back and collar. I've got the front sewn down and done,

 

 

and then I need to thread the back one more time and sew it down.

 

 

Then sew down the sides, attach a collar, and then ...horrifyingly....add a zipper (which means cutting?!)...sew it down. Then the big pieces will be done!! I'll have at least the basics to wear for a parade this weekend....if I stay up on Friday...

But I have the makeup and lightsabers, plus it's a night parade so it'll be a little more forgiving and a good test run!

Comments and suggestions are always appreciated!!!

 

I have to thank Lady B again!! She answered my questions that helped me do the armbands and collars!! Thank you so much again!! I hope I look at least half as good as you do!! Your costume blows me away everytime I see it!

[ladyb]

Glad to see it progressing. I hope it turns out great.

 

If you can get your head in it without cutting and adding the zipper just do that. I only added it so I could get it on (shoelaces not so stretchy).

 

I hope the parade goes well, I'm sure it will be great. My first troop I was mistaken for the Emperor so I'm sure you'll do better

[Guest Nixa]

So I was able to finish my collar Friday night, but it was a pain. The bungee cord broke two of my sewing machines needles, poked my fingers and accidently cut a whole in the middle of my shirt -Not the side but the middle of my shirt! I had to order some more shirts, repair the machine a few times, and add bandaids but I was able to semi finish the collar. I worked the rest of it as best I could, and I think it might be salvagable but I'll have to add a zipper because it didn't hug my neck well enough. Thankfully I also had some proffesional makeup artists there who were able to help me out. Although they didn't have their kit, they did an awesome job with the stuff I had. So I was able to dress as Asajj Ventress for the parade after all and everyone said I looked awesome. I had a ton of people who actually knew who I was and even those who didn't thought I looked awesome!! Here are some pics and video.

 

Makeup Process

 

 

 

Here's the video of the parade a friend put together. You can see a little more of my AV in it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-HOQfiRfSo

 

So the things I learned from this:

1. Definetly need to put a zipper on the shirt/collar. It'll make it easier to snug up on my neck plus easier to paint my face without getting makeup on the costume shirt.

2. Really need to practice getting a ballcap on. A lot! Didn't even get a chance to do it before the parade cuz I was so intent on finishing the collar. Thank God I had people there to help and had bought everything I could imagine to do so.

3. Although Ben Nye is great makeup it kept comming off easily. It didn't seem like it made me look very convincing. I'll have to also buy something aside from liquid latex since it made the white look really bright. I'm thinking of doing an alcoholic based makeup that would to be sprayed on, and I know there's a paste that assists with the blending and attachment of the baldcap.

 

The only other thing that I learned from the parade was that I need to be careful with how I handle myself because I needed to hold back on the spinning. I went crazy whenever I heard people scream for me and did spins everytime that it caused huge blisters. I left skin all over the blade, but so worth it!

I absolutely loved wearing Ventress and can't wait to finish!

[Guest Nixa]

I was able to obtain a shirt that was better fitting for me so I'm going to start over with that one. Plus it's a BodyArmor Heatwear so it'll be nice for me to wear during the summer time. I was thinking of trying to black marker the sides instead of sewing on the fabric so I don't add to many layers, but I'm a little hesitant. I'll do a bottom portion and then we'll see how that turns out. I am going to take my time with the shirt though, don't want to rush into anything. I am going to make the belt next though so I don't psyche myself out to much on the shirt.

 

My husband was able to find a small airbrush kit and compressor on Amazon; it's on order as well as alcohol based paint. I'll let you know how that comes out as it'll be a trail and error process. Aside from that a friend is going to be attempting to build me working dueling AV blades. Since I'm a huge supporter of our lightsaber group here we like to do choreograhy with our costuming events too. Hopefully we can get the blades working and supportive enough to take a beating. All the parts are on order so those will take a while to build.

 

I heard that the video of the parade had been reposted so sorry if no one was able to view it from the original site. Here is the reposted video.

 

Also I found out we had a professional photographer and he took amazing pictures of us. I am so in love with the pic he took of me in full gear that I swear I'm going to frame it. It's definetly motivation for me to finish this build. Here's the pic I'm talking about and the site you can see the rest of the pictures he took of the parade.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tappang/se ... 989843334/

 

Your thoughts and comments about my building ideas would be greatly appreciated. I'm going at a slower pace now so not to rush myself too much and make sure it all comes out well. Thank you!

[Guest Nixa]

After a long absence, due to finishing my bachelor’s degree, I have returned and working hard on my Asajj Ventress costume now that I have free time on my hands. I had started on the new shirt, but after so many attempts at getting the black siding done well I have to start anew again. I had attempted paint pens, permanent markers and even the spray on silk screening paint – all did not make it look as great as I wanted it to be….plus it ruined the shirt. I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to get it to look the way I want is to actually sew the black part on a shirt I already have that fits well. How has everyone else done the black part on there?

 

I have started working on the belt the moment I had free time while I searched for the fabric for the shirt. I wanted a belt that looked like the one on one of the figures I have seen.

[attachment=0]AV belt.jpg[/attachment]

And this is what I have constructed so far. I’ll be heading out to Lowes to find the buckle soon and finding a way to keep the belt attached, especially if I gain a little bit of weight. What have others used for the belt buckle?

 

Any feedback or advice is welcomed and would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest Nixa]

Does anyone know if the Shirt needs to be black under the arms or can just the side panels of the torso of the shirt be black? That's the confusion I've been having lately. I have the statue and it shows just the side panels of the torso being black but nothing black on the arms. Do the panels under the arms (think you're chicken wings) need to be black as well? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[SuperFLY]

according to the 501st standards it has them under the arms as well so probably best to go for the same.

 

http://www.501st.com/databank/Costuming ... ss_concept

[ladyb]

I agree. The under part of the arms should be black or dark gray from the shirt. The same as the sides. With the statue as with many action figures they sometimes change or simplify things for easier production, which is why they are not idea as a primary source.

 

I did mine with a darker grey horizontally striped shirt and built the lighter parts on top as armour.

[Guest Nixa]

Ya'll rock!! Thank you very much for the clarification.

 

I'm redoing the belt again as the last one I posted was too angular and didn't look like a leather belt. I finally finished with the buckle though and have to just get the edges sealed/softened so it doesn't cut into the belt material. (see pic below) How do most people keep their belt on? I was contemplating rare earth metals or industrial strength velcro - in case I grow in size (that would be an oddity for me).

 

[ladyb]

I had a series of rings that I added a cross-bar to the back of and sewed the one side of the belt to the crossbar. the unattached side loops over and through and is secured by Velcro.

 

I recommend against the self-adhesive Velcro. The glue dissolved and bleed out after one photo shoot and had to be painstakingly sewed back on after cleaning the material. My build thread has images if you'd like to look.

http://alpinegarrison.com/viewtopic.php ... 4&start=15

[Guest Nixa]

Lady B - as always your help is priceless! It was actually your original post that helped in finding the perfect item to make the buckle. Looking at the belt design your recommendation actual may be possible to do and great idea in case adjustments need to be made due to weight gain. It would be easy to do this with a ring behind the original buckle.

 

Currently I'm concentrating on the belt as the shirt is the one thing I've ruined twice. I just want to take my time with that so it turns out like I want it to. I'm honsetly contemplating obtaining a small mannequin or making a mold of my upper body to have something to ensure the collar turns out well. That's the part that came out the hardest and most complicated when I orignally made the first shirt for the parade.

 

I'll post pictures of the belt when it's finished. Thank you all again for the advice and help! Any other tips or tricks that would help with this build would be greatly appreciated.

[ladyb]

Happy to help. I agree that the neck armor is one of the the most difficult things to figure out. I remade mine either 3 or 4 times. It was frustrating, but eventually I got it right.

 

I agree that sort of thing is so much easier with a mannequin. One thing I did was make a cast of my torso by wearing a tight shirt (one you're willing to ruin) then covering it with duct tape (you'll need help for this). After that you cut a slit down the back so you can take it off, then tape it back together and stuff it like a pillow. It's a poor man's mannequin, but I loved how I could try stuff on it and stick pins in it and so on. The other thing I did to figure out the shirt itself was to wear a fitted shirt, draw on it, then cut it apart to use as the patten.

 

Good luck with finishing the belt. I look forward to seeing pictures.

[Guest Nixa]

My progress with the shirt has been going well. I sought out help from a seamstress down here in Texas who sewed her own Boushh costume and is now apart of the 501st known as the Mad Seamstress. She's been such an amazing help! She took a look at my side panels and stated I just had to finish the ends as they were good. I had manually pinned the side panels onto the shirt while I was wearing the shirt and used my machine to sew them into place. To do the panels on the arms she recommended we make a duct tape mold and I would hand stitch the pieces to the shirt themselves.

 

I pinned the fabric to the shirt down the middle directly to the mold. I then stretched the sides to where they needed to be on the arms of the shirt and pinned them. I sewed them on with a zig zag stitch, each line consisted of two stitches so the stretchy material wouldn't come undone.

 

 

 

I'm almost done with the arm panels. I just have to sew the top parts of the arms to the armpits to finish it off. Once I'm done with that I will post a picture of it. Once that is done I'll start work on the arm will begin with the forearm wraps until I can meet with the Mad Seamstress again to begin the collar. In the meantime I went to the Texas Renaissance Festival back in November and bought some amazing boots that fit the costume extremely well. Here they are.

 

 

 

After all the fabric pieces are done I'm going to start on the face makeup. I plan to cut my hair a tad bit shorter so it fits perfectly under a bald cap. I need to order some more paint but I've got the air compressor pretty much down to a science now that it shouldn't take me long on how to figure it all out.

 

Thank you again all for the help you've given me so far. I hope to have this costume complete for All-con in Dallas where the Mad Seamstress will be getting married. Even if it's not approved I'll at least have all the pieces done for it and awaiting for approval.

[Guest Nixa]

It took me 4 different tries to finally get the belt right. My last one was perfect but it's a little big, I'll save it for when I get prego. This is the latest and greatest of everything I have done. I still need to finish the shirt - this is only with the front panel completed.

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... permPage=1

 

(For some reason the board is saying the attachment quota has been reached)

 

Going to practice on my baldcap until I can get another go at trying to finish the shirt.

I would love some feedback on anything that may need to be changed. I'm thinking I should cut the extra straps on the boots so they don't look so crazy, my legs are just super thin.

[Guest Nixa]

Here's an update of what I have so far. The collar back panels are on, the shoulders are stitched down now. All that's left is the collar and the zipper in the back. Then it's on to makeup/baldcap practice.

As always any advice/helps/thoughts/comments are appreciated.

[ladyb]

It is coming along nicely. I hope you're able to attach the neck to shoulder armour alright.

 

If you have any questions on the make-up and tats do tell I'd be happy to share what has worked for me. The templates my husband uses can be found here: http://mcapell3d.com/images/AsajjTats.pdf

 

We print them at 100% on thick paper and cut out the black and then use a wedge to apply thick black make-up.

[Guest Nixa]

I attempted to load pictures of my AV collar but the board attachment quota has been reached.

 

The only question I have is that the lines of the collar did not all line up when I added my zipper will this keep my submission from being approved?

 

Thank you.

[ladyb]

You can upload the pictures to an external sorce like photo bucket then link them here. I can't say for sure about the zipper without looking at it. If it's subtle then probably not.

[ionicdesign]

 

 

Are these the ones?

[CEGrant]

It is coming along nicely. I hope you're able to attach the neck to shoulder armour alright.

 

If you have any questions on the make-up and tats do tell I'd be happy to share what has worked for me. The templates my husband uses can be found here: http://mcapell3d.com/images/AsajjTats.pdf

 

We print them at 100% on thick paper and cut out the black and then use a wedge to apply thick black make-up.

 

 

I poached this file too. Thanks so much for making it available!