Key West Publishing :

April 22, 2007

Couple Costumes

My parents were never very big Halloween people, nor were their friends. Although they would take us trick-or-treating, they would never dress up for the occasion. I didn't really understand that adults did such a thing until I was a teenager. When I was that age, I loved to dress up in spooky costumes. I would dress up as villains from slasher film's, such as Jason, Freddy Krueger, or Leatherface from the Texas chainsaw massacre. I'm sure I terrorize more than my share of little kids but it wasn't too long until I realized that those scary costumes weren't that original.

The first time I got into couple costumes was when I was about 17. I was in my first relationship back then, and was hopelessly in love. I guess all kids are in love when they have the first relationship. Anyway, my girlfriend was kind of a cheese ball. She loved anything cutesy and romantic. At Halloween, of course, she insisted on us getting couples costumes. My friends made fun of me, but I persevered anyway. I knew that couple costumes were important to her, and I didn't want to disappoint her. We went as Tweedledee and Tweedledum that year. Although a few of my friends had to make fun of us, it was clear that they thought the idea was pretty funny.

After that, couple costumes were a hit in my crew. Every year, we would go in costumes that complemented each other. Sometimes, we would be in pairs, but more often we would go as whole groups. One of the best couple costume events was when everyone dressed up as their favorite hero or villain duo. We had Batman and Robin, Superman and Wonder Woman, and a foursome dressed as the Fantastic Four. We also had a special appearance by Baron Greenback from Danger Mouse, surrounded by several of his most villainous henchman. All in all, the Party was quite a time, and we all had a lot of fun.

Sometimes, we would make our own couple costumes. It was a lot of fun to get involved in the craft aspect of it, even if it was quite a bit of work as well. Other times, they would simply be too complicated. We would buy them or rent them from Halloween stores. Sometimes, the best approach was to combine both. With all of the previous costumes I had worn, I had more than enough supplies to make a new, seemingly fresh costume from spare pieces of previous ones.

Posted by KeyWestPublishing at 04:48 PM | Comments (0)

April 01, 2007

Costume Design

Countless individuals around the world indulge daily in movies. It seems that our species can't get enough of action, drama, horror, romance, comedy and thrills. A major part of this industry revolves around creative costume design. Take a moment to imagine all the thought, work, effort and miniscule details put into some of the wild and beautiful costumes for major feature films. Just to give you a basic example that most people will be instantly familiar with, what about "The Lord of the Rings?" This is an excellent example of amazing costume designs for film.

More than likely you've enjoyed the intricate and amazing costume design found in certain feature films. Some that tend to steal the spotlight are "Batman," "Spiderman," "The X-Men" and "Harry Potter." There's even a chance that you craved a moment in one of these fascinating get-ups. You would only be human if that's the case. Wouldn't it be great if you could dabble in costume design and extravagant apparel on your own? You could purchase a few supplies, a sewing machine and get started immediately. Okay, so maybe it's prudent to do a little bit of research and homework regarding costume design prior to hopping behind the sewing machine. It's wise to begin with a basic book on costume design. You'll likely need to acquire a few tools and supplies to work with within your home. However, you might be astonished at how quickly you become accustomed to superb costume design clothing design. You never know; you could end up becoming a famous designer.

A wonderful place to begin your costume design journey is with basic Halloween costumes. If you have a child, then you already have a willing model to design costumes for. Needless to say, it's pretty awesome as a child to have a Halloween costume custom made for you. This way no one has exactly what you do. Try a beautiful princess dress, a ghoulish ghost outfit, or even a horrifying werewolf costume. Watch to see how your costume design skills are honed after a few tries. For those who do not have children, you can always create a unique get-up for yourself to wear.

Posted by KeyWestPublishing at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)

August 31, 2006

Artist Supplies

As an artist, you should know it is very important to find the right artist supplies for the project you intend to work on. Without the correct materials, the project will not turn out to be what you envision. So, when it comes to finding the right materials, how can you go about it?

There are many ways, starting with the most obvious. You can go to any artist supplies store in your area to find just about anything you may need for a project, but if you do not live close to one or the prices tend to be a bit too much for your pocketbook, you can turn to the Internet. The Internet is a great source for different artist supplies.

You should be able to find just about any kind of supplies you need on the World Wide Web and some at outrageously good prices. It gives you an opportunity to shop at outlet companies that may not be located in your area as well. All in all, it is a good way to save time and money. However, you can not just go and start ordering artist supplies online if you do not know who you are doing business with. When looking into artist supplies companies online, remember to make sure their website offers complete contact information along with other company information. Make sure that you check with the Better Business Bureau online to make sure they are on the up and up too.

By taking these steps, you can ensure a good business relationship when it comes to purchasing the artist supplies that you need, without the hassle of having to lose money or products with companies before you find one that will treat you right. After all, we are talking about the Internet here and anyone can hide behind a Website. That is why it is so important to check up on the companies you will be spending money with. You certainly do not want to pay for artist supplies that you will never receive, and you do not want to pay for items that are shipped, but are not the right supplies or even close to the art supplies that you ordered. By making sure the company is legitimate, you will be doing yourself a favor in the long run by saving time, energy, and hard earned money.

Artists are said to be much like athletes. When an athlete finds the right shoe or equipment they stick with it for years. The same can be said with artist supplies. If the materials are good quality and give the desired results an artist will want to use the same brands over and over again, so it’s crucial to find what you need at a price you can live with.

Posted by KeyWestPublishing at 05:17 PM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2006

Artist Resources

Some of the best in artist resources exist online now, facilitating technical, general, creative, and other needs and practices. While I am not an artist (I leave that to my mother, a painter, and my sister, a botanical sculptress), per se, I am a writer; and many writer and artist resources are offered together…so I will turn my findings over to you.

ARTIST RESOURCES for INSPIRATION

Worth1000 (www.worth1000.com) – Fantastic, wonderful, brilliant Photoshopped photography…by category, by creative rank, by contest, etc.. Must see.

Deviant Art (deviantart.com) – Freaks. Love em. Love it all.

WebMuseum, Paris (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/) -

Deborah Dague-Barr (http://www.lafterhall.com/ddague.html) – a solo artist’s brilliant gallery online. Always good to watch the masters…or mistresses.

Design Museum, London (http://www.designmuseum.org/)

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MOMA) (http://www.sfmoma.org/) –

The Guggenheim (http://www.guggenheim.org/) -

The Online Diary History Project (http://www.diaryhistoryproject.com/) –

Diego Goldberg: Time (http://www.zonezero.com/magazine/ essays/diegotime/time.html ) – I suspect Goldberg started the uncommon trend to photograph the self chronologically, repetitively, artistically… for what is also known as the photo essay. Fascinating.

F. Rubinstein Photo History Project (http://fotos.fliarubinstein.com.ar/)

Inspired (http://rajnair.com/time/) – another lovely photo essay.

Fractovia (http://www.fractovia.org/) – Stunning fractal art.

ARTIST RESOURCES for EDUCATION

RCW: Real Color Wheel (http://www.realcolorwheel.com/tubecolors. htm) - What it is.

FireLily Designs (http://www.firelily.com/opinions/color.html) – Discussions of web usability, color-sight-deficiencies, and more.

A Spotty History of Who’s Who of Computer Graphics (http://web.cs.wpi.edu/~matt/courses/cs563/talks/history.html) -

The Media History Project (http://www.mediahistory.umn.edu/) –

What is Copyright Protection? (http://whatiscopyright.org/) –

Ten Big Myths about Copyright Explained, by Brad Templeton (http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html) –

Art History Resources (http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHLinks.html) – Links to links to links….designed and maintained by Art History Dr. C. Whitcombe.

Art History (http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/ ) – Also comprehensive…and searchable.

THE QUINTESSENTIAL ARTIST RESOURCE

RefDesk.com – Built and maintained by a man who has devoted decades to gathering all reference materials/sources available on the web—from encyclopedias to almanacs to well-known databases or best-kept secrets. Must use.

ARTIST RESOURCES for INFORMATION/PROTECTION

R.I.G.H.T.S. for Artists (http://www.rightsforartists.com/)

GENERAL ARTIST RESOURCES—PORTALS, AGENTS, JOB BOARDS, ETC

National Arts & Disability Center (NADC) (http://nadc.ucla.edu/CaliforniaOrganizations.htm) – A directory of programs, organizations, and centers for the disabled artist…organized by discipline.

Artists & Artisans, Inc. (http://www.artistsandartisans.com/) – a literary agency, really.

PSPZ Links for Artists with Disabilities (http://www.pspiz.net/pspplus /index.php?action=displaycat&catid=91) - Just what its header says it is: links. Many links.

Guru (www.guru.com) – Freelance networkers.

ELance (www.elance.com) – Freelance networkers.

Telecommuting Jobs (http://www.tjobs.com/jobopps.shtml) –

Artist Resource Job Listings (http://www.artistresource.org/jobs.htm) – I think just for the San Francisco Bay Area, but always worth trying to connect…or make connections from there to elsewhere.

ARTIST RESOURCES/TOOLS

While I have no affiliation with any art supply shops, I do love, love, love the following:

FLAX Art Design (http://www.flaxart.com/) –

Michael’s: The Arts & Crafts Store (http://www.michaels.com/ art/online/home) -

Posted by KeyWestPublishing at 03:13 PM | Comments (0)