Rising New Moon Studios

Hey there all you cos-crazy people!!! So... something I've wanted to do for quite some time is to start my own costume pattern line. And recently I made a goal for myself to get the first one ready by no later than the end of March. Well, at least to the point where everything is drafted... maybe not all put together and packaged. But tonight I've started the first one. Here's a sneak peek... I know... I know... it isn't very much... just a waist band and a pocket yoke... so obviously I'm drafting a pair of trousers... but for what??? Well... that's a secret. But if you were wanting a certain military uniform to wear in a fantasized post-industrial revolutionary Europe wherein alchemy is utilized by the government and scientific fields... well, this would be a pattern for you. It's actually pretty challenging since this one has to be a unisex costume and the sizes will range from XXS-XXL. (that's SEVEN different sizes!) So I'm hoping

Okay, so not really... Saturday, I spent the day at work... then hung out with my sisters who were in town. Sunday I went to sword fighting practice -- yes I play with swords! Did you expect anything less? Maybe I'll film some stuff and post it... hmmm.... I also finished watching all of the Boukenger series and have moved on to Gekirenger. BTW... I really love the fight choreo style for Geki... it's so fluid and lyrical... costumes are a little plain though... but I guess that's to give the stunt persons room to move. Also I'm assuming that since the suits are made by an athletic wear company (in the show) the quite sporty style of the suits should be expected. You'll soon learn that I'm a huge sentai fan. (for those of you who are going "huh?" the sentai series are the original Japanese shows that Power Rangers are borrowed from) One day I hope to own a sentai costume or 2 or 4 or 12. I also watched the latest episode of Once Upon a Time. Aga

Okay not really a Duchess... actually the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. (even though there IS a duchess in the story). Anyway, I started working on the pattern for the Queen. And here's a picture of my favorite place to work... .... sitting on my bed with a big work desk (aka piece of cardboard). Yay for stocking feet in the pic. I have an area set up in my den, but it's by a window and it gets cold in there. Plus on my bed I can stick pins through the cardboard and into the bed to hold down patterns and stuff. By the way, I use Husky 3.5 Plastic sheeting (the clear kind) to transfer my patterns onto. It's less than $10 at Wal-Mart for 250 square feet and makes perfect, indestructible pattern pieces. Just lay the plastic over your pattern piece and pin (this is where pinnable surfaces come in super handy) and trace away. Here are all the bodice pieces traced and cut out. I'm using Simplicity 3782 as my base. I'll need to alter the col

there was a costumer named Jason. During the fall primetime lineup one season, he started watching a little show based on fairy tale characters who've forgotten who they are. Yes. That is the plot line. Due to the evil queen's curse, all of the happily ever afters never happened and the characters are now living in modern times with no recollection of their past lives. The series cuts back and forth between the present and the fairy tale times -- filling us in on how the characters came to be the characters we love. I love this show. Not only is it well written, heart-warming, and engaging, it manages to do so without being trashy, raunchy or risque--making it an actual "family friendly" show. But let's get down to what I love the most about this show. The costumes. The costumes are fantastic!!! And what I really love is how the show has opted to portray all of the witches, and evil queens as glammed out hotties instead of shriveled haggy old women. I also like

Hey all!! So, for those who don't know... A turducken is apparently a kind of new thing where your stuff a chicken into a duck and then stuff that into a turkey and roast it. It's probably delicious... and horrible for your cholesterol. But anyway. I thought of that because in my costuming class, I'm working on costumes for the upcoming opera--which is a children's opera about barnyard animals. Don't ask me, I just make the costumes. In this opera there's a turkey, a duck, and some chickens. (along with other various barnyard animals). And that's what I was working on today. The turkey, the duck, and the chickens. So the turkey and the duck are married in this show, and they're both going to be dressed in a sort of stylized Victorian look--which will hopefully look cool when it's all done. And I started drafting the duck's tailcoat today. I'll have to remember to start taking my camera to class so I can photograph everythin

Hello all! So one of the things I want to do is a series of makeup tutorials specifically for cosplay. I’ve looked on YouTube and, surprisingly, there really aren’t that many... And they’re mostly for a shoujo girl look. So my plan is to show you how to do several kinds of makeups for specific character types... And probably certain characters, too. To start off, you’re going to need a basic makeup kit. And I’m going to break down the list of everything that a basic makeup kit needs. I’ll also give you some optional products as well. P.S. The suggestions here are going to build a kit for a basic, natural looking makeup and will be the basic kit I’ll use for all future makeups. Now, if you’re new to makeup, you’re gonna quickly see there are TONS of DIFFERENT kinds of makeup out there like creams, liquids, powders, etc. There are also TONS of different brands, like MAC, L’Oreal, Urban Decay, Ben Nye, Cover Girl, etc. Whether you use powders or creams or whatever, the res

I don't know if it's the idea of school, or the new year, or the upcoming conventions, or maybe just the stars in the proper alignment (if you really believe that) but I've been feeling so creative this past week. Or maybe it's just the fact that I know the next several months are going to be super busy for me. BUT.... I've got some great ideas for tutorials and videos that will correspond with this blog -- like how to make a duct tape dress form and stand, how to put together a cosplay makeup kit (plus tutorials on different makeups), and even a few tips about sewing patterns. Hopefully I can these all filmed pretty soon. I've also got a few costume projects in the works that you'll see lots of progress pictures of... (more on that in a bit). Also, today was my first day back at school. On my drive over I was actually excited for my costuming class. And I realized that maybe I made a smart move by enrolling in a class that I know that I'll

And as soon as I write this blog I'm going to go to bed. I just paid my tuition for this semester of school and I'll actually be taking classes on campus... Which will require waking up early and stuff... I used to be okay with getting up at a decent hour, but it's been so long that I'm not so good anymore--just these past couple of days of being up for early shifts at work have been killer... or maybe it's because I started walking with my dog to try to get the both of us back in shape... Anyway... Cool thing is I'll be taking an Intro to Costuming class. Crazy, huh? A guy who's been costuming for 15 years is taking an Intro Costuming class? Well, the truth is, what I know, I've more or less taught myself. And back when I first enrolled in college, back in 1996 (yes, 96) the class wasn't offered for theater majors. Well, after many, many, non-college years, several false starts, and a few years more of playing stagehand, I've been back

alright, so I've been meaning to do this forever and just haven't done it.. but now with the costuming and such moving along, it's time I started. Actually, I set this up back in March of 2010 but never used it. In fact I've literally just spent the last hour trying to remember how to get back into this account. So, what's new with RNMS? Well, this year -- all 13 days of it -- nothing major. I just took on a commission for Disney's the Red Queen, so expect to see that soon. Also, I'm going to attempt to make a new mask for Jack Skellington. I'm thinking bottom left corner, but Top left got a lot of votes on facebook. Alright, so it's 3 am and I have to be at work at 8 so I'm gonna try to sleep. Look forward to more posts and stuff. Queen of Hearts and King of Pumpkins, Jason