Weaving of the chimp inner sleeves

The sweater I was going to cut up is too light, as evidenced from this photograph of Kim Hunter:


So I improvised a loom with some prefabricated frames I purchased at Michael's. There was a selection of various sizes, and I went with 18 inches because I am only weaving the sleeves. The neck covering I will knit up.

I first started by wrapping my yarn neatly around the frame. Any sturdy frame would do I suppose....


Dylan took this photo of me weaving on the floor:


After a few hours, I have the beginnings of fabric that I could use for my costume:

Sideshow Premium Format Zaius

Zaius Riding Outfit:

He looks wonderful EXCEPT for the back. Note that the leather piece of his back has no curves (it is straight), and the length of the leather piece matches the fabric panels. Sideshow even managed to reproduce the back vents (Bravo, Sideshow!!)....but their Zaius Riding Outfit looks like he's wearing it backwards:

1/9 Scale President of the Assembly

This Mego scale sculpt was VERY fun to do. Here is the lower order of species, patiently waiting for his transformation into an ape. It is a Mego astronaut, I was told.



This is the goal:


Here he is, looking pretty fugly. Hoping and praying for some magic to happen:


Did you notice that only the orangutans have foreheads on the Planet of the Apes?


Looking a bit ducky:












This photo shows that the two apes I sculpted really look very different from each other:
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He's still looking a little ducky...not sure if this will be noticeable once painted:






This is El Presidente, waiting to be cured:

Dr. Galen's apron

Dr. Galen's apron was taken from this outfit found at Goodwill. There were a lot of shirts of white fabric there, but I chose this specific one because it had a 1970s texture and it was soft and hung well. It also was not see-through like most of the thin shirting material found there.

Laboratory Assistant's outfit

I just love posing these guys. Wish I had more time to recreate the laboratory scene in 1:6 scale....but that would take a lot of room, which is why I am staying with Mego scale for dioramas.

Orangutan minister

Dr. Zaius's outfit underneath just needs trimming/hemming on the bottom:

Going under the goop

What a bloody fantastic experience. All my life I have awaited this coming, and looked forward to it.

A smiling me after getting the bald cap placed over my hair, which was tied back as far as possible.



It was so hard to contain my excitement and not smile!


This is Tom working the alginate downwards, starting from my forehead. The alginate felt like refrigerated pancake batter.


I held the bowl of alginate mixture on my lap so it was easier for Tom.


Like a trooper, he saved my nostrils for last. Glad I stopped by the store to purchase some nasal spray and make sure I could breathe without effort through my nostrils.


More goop!!


Applying bandages which were soaked in salted water:


Tadah! The alginate with bandages drying on top of my face. Don't remember how long it all took. We got there at 11 AM, chatted for a bit and then started the mold process. We didn't leave until 1 PM.


And this is a smiling me, still feeling thrilled from the wonderful experience of it all. I would do it again and again. Nothing claustrophobic or freaky about it. The relaxing mood music helped, and Dan explaining that if at any time I freaked out at all, I was free to rip off the stuff from my face. That did not happen, as I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.

My 2008 Halloween Costume

This is what I want to recreate:



This is how my outfit turned out:




But....I can't wait to get my ape on!!

Halloween Costumes, 2008

Tadah!! Pretty cool for home-made, huh?



Can't believe I sewed this Nemo costume!

Another Zira Mask: Apemania economy pullover

I think this sells for $135 before shipping/handling. Got it off Evilbay. Love how the eyes are cut out--they fit so nicely over that part of the face, but I look like a giant Pez dispenser!! Also, because the vents are so far away from my face, I keep breathing recirculated air--my own!! One could easily get light-headed. The only saving grace this mask has is the coloring is GREAT! I will try to recapture the same coloring on my Apemania foam latex appliance. It's strange, but the teeth you see on the mask are her lower teeth. There are no upper teeth on this mask.

Funny how I'm wearing the rebel ape t-shirt I silkscreened. I mean, what else would a fashion-forward chimp wear, right?

Zira latex mask

Recently purchased from one of my ape buddies. An actual foam latex appliance for Kim Hunter was placed on a mannequin head. A mold was taken from it and a latex pull created. Kind of creepy, but neat. I want to make a pullover mask with this. I will probably cut out only the face and discard the bald part of the head when I create the pullover. Not sure yet until I cross that bridge. It is a nice fit though. Definitely still needs: hair, teeth, and general paint job.

Hopelite costume for Halloween

The helmet started out as a vinyl ball that I taped craft foam to. It was then sprayed with a metallic gold spray. The plume will be painted black. Still need to add foam padding inside the helmet and a lining. I had to hand embroider the cuirass because the foam would not sew well with a machine, and the machine was also messing up the gold fabric.





Still working on the grieves, which will probably be made of green foam padding and embroidered gold fabric. The tunic is 50% complete. I want to bang it out tonight and add more photos tomorrow.

Wig for Zira

Tadah! I think this is the perfect shape, and it is made of real human hair. I will order dark brown. I also need to order additional lace hair for the hairline. Even though I am trying to keep spending low, stuff like this adds to total.



Additional pics for photo references:


And, my prom picture: