Gallery Quest

Inspired by friend and fellow prop-builder Jimmy Woody (and shamelessly "borrowing" some of his ideas-thanks, Jimmy! :D), I've started building simple PKE meters to use in the Junior Ghost Hunting workshops I'm now doing at conventions. They're made almost entirely of things I found at the dollar store, or have in my prop-building "junk" box, and even have working lights. And while they don't actually find ghosts, obviously, they do give the younger kids something tangible and fun to hold and interact with while I'm showing the real investigative equipment (which I prefer they *not* hold and interact with, just in case of accidental breakage. As one parent at my last workshop jokingly commented, proton packs are expensive).

One of my "wish list" prop projects has always been the colander headset prop worn by Louis Tully in the film Ghostbusters. Finding some of the gizmos that go on the colander, however (in particular the various colors of swirly cord,) has taken some digging.  However, I've finally gotten the chance to start on this project, and as a sort of warm-up have started building smaller "field" versions of the colander, with similar but not necessarily exact representations of the wiring and other embellishments.  The one pictured here is more or less complete, although I may add a few more trimmings for good measure.  Coming soon to a convention near you! 

Some years ago, I had the opportunity to work with the Darice craft supply company on contributing designs for a line of puppet kits they sold at fabric and craft stores nationwide. They were inexpensive, easy-to-construct felt puppet kits that came complete with all the supplies and instructions. Those kits have long since been discontinued, but inspired by that, my puppet book, and the unexpected success of my recent puppet workshop at AtomaCon, I am in the process of designing my own line of puppet kits (the working title of which is Puppet Peeps--yes, it's silly, but it's just a working title!). I'm going to start making these available at conventions, workshops, and other events they might be appropriate for--you'll be able to get either just the patterns/instructions (where you purchase your own supplies), or a kit that comes with the supplies as well as the pattern, or even a completed puppet if you wish! Shown here is the first design in the Sci-Fi Puppet Peeps line--there will also be Action/Adventure Puppet Peeps, Fairy Tale Puppet Peeps, and many other genres. Watch for the Ghostbusters coming soon!

Earlier this year, a new web magazine focusing on the genre of costuming, both professionally and just for fun, was launched on-line, and had over 65,000 downloads of its first issue. Called Cos&FX Magazine, this publication was put out by the creative folks who also manage other genre periodicals such as Pyrate's Way, and features interviews with costume/prop builders, photos of costumes from events all over the country, and great resources for those looking to build their own creations. Issue #2 was just released the first week of December; not only am I a featured costumer, but I also have an article published in this issue discussing Ghostbusters costuming in honor of the film's 30th anniversary. You can download the magazine here and read my article on page 34! In addition, I'll be joining the Cox&FX team as a contributing editor starting after Issue #4. I'm looking forward to being on board!

I just received the first advance copy of The Well Dressed Puppet this past weekend! The actual release date is set for September 23, but it's available for pre-order on Amazon here, and I was glad to see that it's also going to be available on Kindle. It's exciting to see a project I've worked on for so long finally come to life!

In other writing news, I've been in discussion with the publisher/editor of Cos & FX Magazine, Steve Kimball, about the possiblity of working as a contributing writer for this on-line publication. It's fairly new (having just started earlier this year), and I'm excited about the chance of getting in at the start, as it looks like it may do very well. Steve is also the creator/publisher of Pyrate's Way Magazine, which has attracted millions of readers since it first began; hopefully Cos & FX will do equally well!

Just learned that my book on puppetry, The Well-Dressed Puppet, is now available for pre-order on Amazon, and it looks like it's going to be out even earlier than originally scheduled.  That's exciting news!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Well-Dressed-Puppet-Creating-Costumes/dp/113802533X

After over a year of having my "fun" costume and prop website set up and in progress,  Gallery Quest is finally about to launch!  With over 25 years of costumes and props to wade through, both personal and professional, and new projects coming along every day, it's been quite a task to get all the photos organized and ready for the site. Many photos of my earliest projects and cosplays are hard copies, taken in the days before digital cameras, and required a pretty substantial amount of digital clean up before they could be posted (I've learned quite a bit about Photoshop, the hard way). But the job is close to being complete, and I'm looking forward to having a website where I can share my finished work as well as post new finds and projects as I work on them.

I've also been working on my companion Facebook page, Gallery Quest Costuming and Props Photo Gallery, as well as my deviantart page (user name GalaxyQuest).  I plan to launch both of those in conjunction with my website; they'll have pretty much the same photos/albums, but each will have a slightly different focus.  I'll be posting the links for those as soon as they launch--please visit those as well as the site!

There are just a handful of gallery albums left to complete before the site is ready to go.  It won't be too long now!