M Y T H O

I made both Rynn's crown for Rue, and my own for Mytho, so that they would match when we got them to Japan. They are made from craft foam, puffy paints, and a few well-placed rhinestones for a bit of added depth. The entire thing was painted in resin (unnecessary in hindsight, and could have achieved the same effect with a normal sealant) and then spray painted gold, with a gold sponge-paint over top. The wig is actually TWO wigs in #60, with one being dis-assembled and sewn into the second one. The tunic is made from a purple brocade that I got an excellent deal on, from a fabric store in Portland. I started with a commercial pattern but modified it so much, that I may as well have drafted it from scratch (including changing the shape of the neckline, lengthening it, and adding the jagged edges). The sleeves are three layers -- the outer purple shell with the gold trim, the hand-dyed silk dupioni inserts, and the lining of the entire tunic. At each 'point' on the diamond cut-out, I sewed a small cluster of gold beads and a single pearl, to give it a little something extra without detracting from the design. All the gold pieces are made of silk dupioni, and satin-stitched with a combination of rayon thread, and then a wide zig-zag of metalic gold thread. It's also then trimmed in a gold braid, even though I wasn't able to put it all on for Japan (I did, however, get it added on for SakuraCon 2011). The collar was heavily modified, and snaps into the tunic -- it's covered in tea-dyed turkey feathers, all of which I acquired from the leftovers after Rynn made her ear-wings for Miaka. The cape is a bridal acetate, lined in a dyed crepe-back satin, and is sewn to the shoulder and snaps at the waist. The tights are real men's ballet tights, and the slippers were also purchased. The sword was made by my friends as a commission, since I did not have time or the skills to do it myself.

The RAVEN costume, was made purely for this performance, and thrown together in about 3 days (which, was all the time I had left for it, and even that was pushing it) -- the head is made from a baseball cap, split open to accommodate my wig, and with a mesh of posterboard strips to construct the head structure. The beak is made from another posterboard mesh, and then covered in paper mache and resin. The whole thing was covered in a thin black fabric, and each feather was cut out of poster board, and glued on with fabric glue, so that it wouldn't melt off in the heat (A real concern back in the days when WCS was at an outdoor venue). The shirt is made of muslin, and stuffed and padded in the shoulders, so that it created the illusion of a body -- the head of the raven itself had to be wide enough to fit over my large feather collar, which put it nearly to the edges of my shoulders. Sadly, he got badly damaged between the trip over to Japan, and the trip home -- thanks TSA.