tk6232

There's already a Traitor Barriss approved in the 501st.

If anybody managed to get to C7 - that was me strolling around the circus! Now to improve some of the awkward things that I found, so I can submit approvals!

Did you want to do the hooded version?

Getting closer!

I've started on the hard stuff!! Sorry for the rubbish quality images. I have a fairly old and outdated phone!

Well... I figured, why not continue my obsession infatuation admiration of Ventress? I spent a fair bit of time trying to work out the tabbards, and I've managed to get a working pattern made from black calico: I've then hunted around for the right fabric - and some lovely wonderful person has already uploaded the design to Spoonflower. I purchased 2 yards of fabric, which turns out is 1 yard too short. (1 yard now on order to complete tunic). I also found some perfect bias binding to trim the pleated tunic as well. So then... comes the pleating. This is the approximate pleat dimensions that I used. I now hate pleating with a passion. I've finished the first two parts of the tabard, but awaiting the third yard of fabric before I can attempt the wedge-skirt/Obi. Got a tonne of work to do - and I want to try and complete this by C7. Yikes!!!

This was our 4th year of invating the local theme park, and raising money for charity. Had an unbelievable time as Ventress again this year, and got some stunning images from our local Photographer pals! Once again, we also did a live stage-combat show - and I got to snarl and glare at everybody with two sabres swinging!

Well... starting to get a bit more tracktion with the Sith Stalker helmet - I've got a friend doing all the 3D renders, and then I'm going to have to produce a Prototype version. A little excited about that! When I have the prototyle (with working visor _of course_) then I'm going to put together a small run of these for sale. I'll put up an interest thread, as I'll need to know numbers. The more people interested, then I guess the cheaper it'll be for everybody!

SENSATIONAL! Your pics look fantastic, Frankie! And your bald cap looks stunning! I hope I helped in some small way...

I'm about to start making the armour for this version of Ventress, as I've fallen in love with the colours and styles! Is anybody else looking to make this costume?

Thanks for posting this up ! It was fantastic to meet you all and I'm already looking forward to CVII.

I'm contemplating what costume to bring over to CVI, and I'm not sure I'll have enough room to bring over all of my special effects stuff to get my Asajj up to standard while I'm travelling over from Australia. I certainly wont be able to pack my airbrush compressor! Is anybody else going, and will anybody else have an airbrush compressor?

Cant wait to see this up close, Bextar. I know you and Phantom make some high quality costumes, so this will be no different. I'd love to do a matching Nightsister Ventress to match!

Hi there Guys, I thought I'd share this video with you all - as it's the final cut of our last battle demonstration for 2011. This year has been a big year for the team! The video was played out our Garrison Awards night over the weekend and was a huge success! Hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it!

Hey there Guys, I'm going through the process of creating a new collar. This will be version 4, and hopefully, will be a bit better than all of my previous attempts. My existing collar is pretty comfortable, and sits flat reasonably well - however it's made of pleather which makes it quite hot. It's also not as durable as I'd like - especially as we're getting a little trickier with our choreographed saber fighting demos. So, I thought I'd bite the bullet and make one out of proper garment leather. I've found a really good leather supplier here in Australia that supplies a lot of film studios both here and overseas. When I told them what I was making, they got really enthusiastic and found the perfect piece of supple cow leather, thats just so incredibly soft. (Everybody loves the 501st Legion!) I will be making a few sets of Collars and Vambraces out of this soft leather, and a few contoured belts from a heavier grade to match. I'll post some more images of the Vambraces and Belts once they're finished. I'm really happy with the way this first collar has come out - it moulds to my shoulders perfectly, and is incredibly comfortable. The last thing to add is the circular details - which I'm going to add to the collar in the next week or so. [attachment=2]SAM_1223_small.jpg[/attachment] [attachment=1]SAM_1225_small.jpg[/attachment] [attachment=0]SAM_1228_small.jpg[/attachment]

Wow! That looks really good! It's really coming together nicely! Good idea about the metal zip - just dont get yourself caught in it!

At this point, I'm only makeing really small batches so that I can test the colours. There'd be no reason why I couldn't make other colours, so long as the pigment/ingredients also come in those colours. The trick will be finding a batch that can be sponged on easily and evenly. I'll test them both again today (without boxing gloves) to see how it goes!

I've been working with one of my Chemical Engineering buddies to develop a long-lasting alcohol based makeup, kinda like Reel, except without the painful price tag. So, I've made the first batch - and I'm ever so excited! I decided to give the two makeup types a bit of a road test. I thoroughly cleaned my arm, then applied some good primer. I got a q-tip and swabbed a sample of the Reel. With a new q-tip I then swabbed a sample of my own. They both dried in the same amount of time. I think mine had more pigment, which gave it a more opaque finish. When they were dry, both were smudge proof. I washed the dishes, and got ready for the ultimate test. 2 hours of sweating my butt off in the Gym! Results:

Glad to have another potential Ventress in the Redbacks!! I'll follow your progress with interest!! Cheers, Moxxxie

I'll let the other ladies fill you in on materials that work well. I've just completed a huge troop here in Queensland, Australia - where temperatures were around 35C Degrees - and boy, did we sweat! I used a product called "SweatStop" around the edges of where I stuck the baldcap - and I didn't have a problem. I used Prosaide to glue a Graftobian baldcap down, and it was still 100% 8 hours later. I also used some alcohol-based makeup, which wont sweat off - and I had very few problems. I needed a quick lipstick touch-up after lunch, and I was back into it! Post photos for us!

And another awesome one! ... And then this one. I know it's not strictly canon, but well, there were face-painting faeries at Dreamworld, so after a long weekend of glaring at people I had to take the opportunity to "let my hair down"!

Just as a foreword: I use Graftobian baldcaps applied with Prosaide. I've never had a baldcap come unstuck yet. Attempt #1: Kryolan Aquacolor I did a bit of research, and it looked like one of the best water-based options on the market was the Kryolan Aquacolour range. I bought a large white pancake and a small black pot. The black is really awesome - it has so much pigment in it, and goes on really nicely. The white? It's a pain in the ass to get this stuff even. It took me 90 minutes of padding, and blending, and stuffing around - and even then, I wasn't really happy with the outcome. I covered the whole lot with some Fixier Spray from Kryolan, which really helped keep the makeup from sliding off my face. Price: AU $30- $40 each Pro: Great long lasting colour, does rub off after 3-4 hours. Con: Realy difficult to get an even cover of white. Verdict: I still use the Black pot as my lip colour. Instead of mixing it with water, I mix it with the Fixier Spray, and I have lovely black lips for hours on end! I wont rely on using the White Kryolan again, because it's just too much hassle. Attempt #2: Random White Acrylic Body Paint After reading up on some of Pam's tutorials, I decided to go down the airbrush road. I bought myself a little portable unit (this one here) and then went to the closest hobby store and bought the cheapest acrylic airbrush paint I could find. I slathered my skin in barrier cream first, then went about spraying my face with it. My first run through the airbrush, and I was super impressed. It went on so evenly! It was so fast! I could even do eye shadow with it! Even from this early attempt, i recognised that Airbrushing is the way forward. The acrylic went on pretty thick, and cracked pretty easily - but for a backup, I'll be keeping some of this in my makeup kit. I mixed this with the black Kryolan aquacolour pot for the lips and tattoos, then sealed it all off with the Fixier spray. Price: AU $4.50 each Pro: Cheap. Quick to apply. Even colour. Con: Requires an Airbrush. Will crack easily, and feels like your face has been set in cement. Verdict: I wouldn't use this for a proper event, unless I was really stuck. It's still cheap enough to keep as a backup though. Attempt #3: Reel Creations I know why Pam recommends Reel Creations. This alcohol activated makeup wears so lovely on the skin! It's comfortable, and doesn't rub off. I was wearing this during the day, and temperatures got to 37 degrees C (100 degrees F) - wearing so much black, I sweated up a storm without having makeup run anywhere. God bless alcohol based makeup. I had some on my hands, and it lasted for about 4 hours (of constant wear and tear) before I needed a good touchup. The makeup did start to smudge around the 6 hour mark around my nose and chin (oily parts of the face) so needed a touch up to last the rest of the day. Price: AU $40 - $50 each Pro: Great long lasting colour, doesn't rub off on costumes, Con: REALLY expensive. The coverage of the white wasn't very good when compared to the acrylics. I had 2oz, which barely got me through one day. Verdict: I think this might be out of my price range. I'm going to explore other locally available options before going back to Reel. Attempt #4: TBA

Hey there Guys, I thought I'd post a few pics of our latest troop at Dreamworld. On each day, we had a parade and a lightsaber duel - the highlight of the parade was having grown men take 3 involuntary steps backwards when I glared at them!! Falling more and more in love with Ventress! I never expected to be involved in a full on Jedi-vs-Sith Lightsaber battle, so I'm so very glad my costume was robust enough to withstand all the combat. I did break a lightsaber on the Friday night before the whole event, so my next big project will be rebuilding the electrics... In any case - here's some pics for you to see! Here's the Youtube link to see the choreographed fight: Day 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGaaNTCi0XY Day 2: (No - that's not fake blood! Dont worry, nobody was seriously hurt!) And yes, I did the whole thing in my crazy-high heels, with a charming snarl! Enter the sith. Revan, StarKiller and Ventress - arriving to sort out the Jedi Academy. Stand off. Love this shot. Sabers flashing all over the show, and my lovely floaty skirt!! High kick to the face! Ventress Snarl!!! I got so many great comments on the costume, that I cant wait to do it again. I'm also going to be posting up some reviews of the makeup that I used - I tried two types, and I'm not entirely happy with either. Oh well... my search for the perfect makeup continues! Til next time, Mox

Love the cloak! I've just finished mine, also - and will post photos soon! Love reading about your progress!

Great news! My GML sent over my photos and they've been approved!!! SL6232 at your service!!