Break

That was quite a while between posts. Things have been pretty crazy. I spent all of September working diligently on my tutu for the National Ballet of Canada which had to be near completion before the Word on the Street. I didn't get it completely finished but I don't think you could tell. Anyways, I attended the Romeo and Juliet premiere on November 16th and my tutu was on display, completely finished. Afterwards, it's going to be professionally photographed and on exhibition with the Tutu Project, which will be at the Design Exchange and the Four Seasons center next summer. Then all of the tutus will be kept online on the National Ballet website in a digital museum of sorts. Sounds pretty awesome.
I spent October working on Resident Evil 5 which was really great. I worked on Total Recall earlier this summer but I wasn't there for too long and thus didn't get to see a huge amount of the costumes. But I got to see quite a lot on RE5 and it is just amazing to see those detailed and elaborate garments up close. You also learn quite a lot working in a costume shop which you will never learn from fashion school or in a production setting. And I love learning new techniques and experimenting with new materials. I'm actually taking a leather-molding workshop in about 2 weeks time which I am terribly excited for. YAY AMMONIA. The class is being taught by Adam Smith who I met working on Total Recall and also worked on Resident Evil 5.
November has been pretty slow. I decided to take some down time because I was just so tired and I needed to focus on finishing the tutu. I've just been doing some part-time theatre work and I'm also doing costumes on William Shatner's 'Weird or What' for December. ALL THE NERD CRED IS MINE.
Other than that, I am playing Skyrim and it is awesome. I totally dismissed it at first because I am a hardcore old-school RPG nerd and I was unimpressed with the lack of party characters, the non-linear format and the vast sandboxiness of it all. But now I am currently eating my words, running around as a badass thief wood elf with a penchant for destorying faces with my trusty mace.
I think I will now make dinner and finishing building this crazy creature costume.

TUTU MADNESS

So my whole life right now is working on this tutu for the National Ballet. Which is AWESOME, but stress-inducing as I want it to be absolutely perfect.
Moving right along on the tutu so I don't have much time to write an entry. However, I'll be attending the premiere of 'Romeo and Juliet' at the National Ballet in November (fancy) and my tutu will be there on display for the event! So EVEN MORE PRESSURE to do amazing work.
So far, I did some sample embroidery to know what I'm going to do. After purchasing the felt, I dyed it all myself at home with an acid dye. There's another skill for the ol' resume. Afterwards, I cut it into the pattern pieces and quilted it onto some polyfill batting. And that is where I am right now! Next step is to add all the lace, the cording and then begin beading.


Oh yeah, they asked me to gear my design towards 'Romeo and Juliet' as they wanted a specific tutu for that project. Which is why it is no longer the tree-branch idea I originally had. I retooled it to be more appropriate for Romeo + Juliet. Here is the initial design:


Anyways, maybe another post after this project is well under foot. OR PERHAPS NOT. (There probably will be another post.)

National Post article

Hey all, the sci-fi short I worked on in June, 'The Ballerina' got a write-up on the National Post website! It was a great project with an even better crew. Read all about it and look at the costumes as well.

National Post Article

Everything's comin' up Milhouse

So things are pretty dang awesome lately. I'm going to Montreal from July 29th-August 1st! I'm going to the Fantasia Film Festival and I am really looking forward to it. And since I now work in the film industry, I'm going to fling my business cards like ninja stars at everybody I meet. But in a non-deadly fashion. And in a professional way, somehow. Yes.
Also, I had an interview with Cirque de Soleil this week which went really well. My second interview is next week. They are looking for crew to work on the new show, 'Totem' which will be opening in Toronto early August. Wish me luck with the next round!


As well, I entered a competition with the National Ballet of Canada for their 'Tutu Project' which I was selected for. So I get to build a tutu! It's very exciting. To me, at least. Because I love making things. This was my entry:


Also, some friends of mine are doing a short film, slated for shooting this October. I'm doing the costumes and I get to design/sew an awesome outfit. More details later on, maybe. Confidential!
Cloth and Ink is going really slowly. I got sick, then I was sick AGAIN and my schedule was just wacky, so I've missed 2 weeks. THIS WEEK, FOR SURE. Must get back on bandwagon!!
I went to a life drawing session at the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop yesterday which was great. I'm going to try and make them a weekly thing, I think. Get better at drawing and all that jazz. I highly recommend it to anyone in the Toronto area wanting to do some life-drawing.
Another project is drawing to a close shortly, so stay tuned for that information.
Now I'm going to eat guacamole and play video games, because it's my day off and it is so hot out I can't even deal.

New blog!

Huzzah for progress! A few months ago, I had the idea to start a fashion illustration blog and focus on the unique people of Toronto. Since I'm having a bit of free time at the moment, I decided now was the time to put it up. Still needs a better banner, template and many other things, BUT IT IS UP and that is that.


Cloth and Ink
That is my first entry. Ya'll should go and follow it, if you like.
ANYWAYS - I got invited to be a guest speaker at the Design Exchange again this year. I'll be talking to 12-14 year olds on costume careers and the like! It was really great last year, I'm looking forward to going back.
Just finished up my current theatre gig for the most part, so now I'm waiting on replies from some other film opportunities.
I really need to get internet back at my apartment. I am tired of paying to sit in coffee shops.

Are we not MEN?

Yet another long overdue update.
Things have been really crazy, this is my first day off in about 3 or 4 weeks. I've been doing daily/weekly calls on 'Total Recall' in the sewing department, which is really great. I'm enjoying it immensely and I hope I can go back again soon. As soon as my week was wrapped up there, I went into 7 straight days of building for 'The Ballerina', a sci-fi short with an amazing crew. Then I was on set for 3 days to dress the actors, maintain continuity and all that jazz that Costume is all about. It was my first time ever doing design and build for a film, so I was incredibly excited. And I think it's going to turn out quite amazing! I'll post a lot more about it when I am at liberty to do so.

I had to build a VFX suit as well. Basically, a gray jumpsuit and cap. I also had to silk-screen all the trackers and create markers. I hope I did a good job and that rendering the CGI will be a bit easier because of my attempts at perfection. This image is a sample of one, but I basically mimicked it in every way. And now I have a silk-screen with that tracker image, I can always make one in the future.
Afterwards, I did a commercial and another BravoFact short film. I've also been working as a costume designer assistant to Michelle Bailey for a 'MacBeth' production with the Driftwood Theatre. It has been very tiring indeed.

About 2-3 weeks ago, the screening for the CFC short film 'Silent Cargo' happened downtown. I did the costume on that and it was a really great experience. I hope the film gets to play at a few festivals. I also can't stress how awesome all the actors were. Especially considering I had to make their wardrobe filthy and throw make-up dirt on them on a daily basis. I definitely wouldn't have been as amiable.
Other than insane amounts of work, I saw DEVO perform in Toronto as part of NXNE and it was rad as hell. I wish I could say I've done more but I have literally been working like a mad woman for quite a bit, so my social life has been non-existant.
Anywho, I really gotta get started on all that art I wanted to do and also eating and sleeping properly.

A little bit of down time

As the title suggests, I am actually getting a little bit of time off lately. Which is lovely, because I need it creatively and I also need to sit on my butt and shoot zombies while eating macaroni. These are things I feel every human needs.
I've been busy with permit work with IATSE and it's been really good. Hoping to get even more busy as the summer progresses.
I attended the Toronto Comic Arts Festival this year and it was amazing, as always. Didn't get a chance to volunteer this year as I was busy during the training sessions, but there is always next year. I bought a copious amount of prints which are now all over my studio's wall.

I purchased a print from Hellen Jo along with some minis and I am in love with her art. It is seriously beautiful and makes me want to work with watercolour forever. I also purchased art from Phil Rynda, Micheal Cho and Adrian Alphona. Plus lots of minis and the like. I'll post a better picture when I manage to recover the cord for my camera (aka never or until I buy a new one, also never.)
Currently I am in go mode for a sci-fi film I am working on slated for June. It is going to be AWESOME. It is very refreshing to work with a director who is so passionate about the visual elements of the film. Not that this is rare (I really don't know), I just haven't had much chance to work with very many. I am a newbie at all this, after all. You can view the script, some awesome CG work and some awesome initial costume designers over at their tumblr.
Finished up about 2 short films in the past month, and I have another contract with Michelle Bailey coming up for June which I'm looking forward to. I'm also working on a production for Bravo Fact at the end of June as well! I'm also going to be starting a new illustration blog very shortly which I hope will go well. Time will tell!
Trevor Henderson is starting a new illustration project over at this blog, which you should definetely be following if you A) love monsters B) love movies C) love art or D) you are awesome and love all of these things.
Also, we are planning our trip to Italy in September (fingers crossed we save enough) so it is very exciting. I think our plans at the moment are Milan, Rome/Venice (or both), Paris, Madrid. That is the goal, at least. Actually, the real goal would be to go all over Europe and finish off in London so we could nerd about Dr. Who. But we'll see.

Smelly garbage standing around being useless

I am incredibly tired. I know I say that a lot, but I really am. It seems whenever I have an incredibly busy period of work, I look forward to the time afterwards when I can sleep in and relax. But there is always more work to be done!
Since last month, I have been:
- Working at the Tarragon theatre as a sewer for a stage production of 'Forests'
- Costume designer for a short film which just wrapped Sunday night
- Sick with a terrible, terrible cold.. again.
- Registering for some design competitions and planning some later entries
- Various contract work
And then there is my ever expanding to-do list, which I feel will never be conquered. Or maybe just not be conquered until I have a solid month off (see: never).
Me and Trevor went out a week or two ago with Kat Verhoeven for her Drawn and Devoured food blog. It was delicious and pretty reasonably priced. I would say more but I'm sure Kat will do a much better job of it than I, plus my brain is so tired and worn out the only things it can think are 'food', 'sleep', 'boop', 'buh', and 'guh'.
I am currently playing Portal 2. It is amazing. I wish GLaDOS would stop insulting my weight and telling me I smell like garbage.. What a jerk.

Aid for Japan

So since last summer, I've been tinkering with the idea of opening an Etsy shop where 50% of all sales goes towards different causes I'm passionate about. I wanted to start it initially when the flood in Pakistan struck, however I was too financially troubled to invest in any new creative ideas. And I've wanted to do it time and time again when other events happened, such as the current uprising and turmoil in Libya. So, I've created some small pouches I'm selling on Etsy with 50% of the sales going to Red Cross for Japan disaster relief.

Japan Disaster Relief Pouch

I'm going to expand in the coming weeks, hopefully creating one to aid victims in Libya, to gay rights groups, to support planned parenthood and many many others.
$5 goes directly to the Red Cross. The other $5 covers materials and supplies. The 70 cent fee is the lisitng and transaction fee that goes to Etsy.
This pouch is perfect for change, receipts (which I am constantly hoarding for budget breakdowns), your iphone, ipod, any loose knick-knacks in your bag, etc.

Donate to Japan here:
www.redcross.ca
www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Things keep happening

Wow, it's March already. But it certainly isn't any warmer. I'm fine with rain, I'm just pretty sick of the snow/ice situation. I want to be able to go outside in leather boots and sneakers rather than having to wear my giant rubber snow boots everyday. Soon enough, I hope.
I'm incredibly exhausted. I just got the craziest month and a half of work I've ever had. Basically, I started work on another Stage West production mid-January. It was a really fun production to work on but the hours were quite demanding to get everything finished.

I've never seen the show, but it was a musical adaptation of the show 'Happy Days'. I sewed so many dresses and altered so many waistbands. I actually sewed Joanie's prom dress from start to finish myself for the production, and I was really proud of myself. It was a beautiful mint green stretch-satin with a voile overlay. The voile was rose pink with flower embroidery all over it. The voile was also decorated with rhinestones.
I also had another sewing contract I agreed to prior to my Stage West gig. Which would have been very simple and easy, but I got an offer to be costume designer for a CFC short about 3 weeks ago. So from mid-February to last Friday, I was working like mad either sourcing fabric and constructing garments for a marketing company, or I was running around buying clothing for the film, doing alterations and making them all looked aged (which is actually a very time-consuming process. Making things look authentically aged and dirtied requires lots of time and different materials.)
So last Friday was the wrap party for the film and it was lots of fun. I had drinks, there were nachos, people congratulated eachother and were generally merry, it was great. I'll post news when the film is finished and there is a screening. I'm very excited, and all the cast and crew were totally amazing.

A bit of bad news - I withdrew from FAT this year. There was no way for me to financially support myself and to get all the funds together for the show, and I'm a bit heartbroken over it. However, I'm going to design an even better collection for next year, get some sponsors and so forth. I'll also spend this new free time doing some competition entries and creative projects on the side. YEAH!
Trevor is organizing a show for the next few months. I don't know how much I can say, but it is very exciting and I think it'll go very well.
As for me, the next few months will be great. I saw Mother Mother yesterday at the Pheonix, which was a great show. There are lots of good concerts coming up I'm super excited for: TV on the Radio, The Mountaingoats, Bright Eyes, The Pixies, Architecture in Helsinki! It'll be finally spring, working as a daily with IATSE, softball, drum lessons, art shows, freelance film work, and hopefully planning a few trips. I also might be picking up some part-time courses in film to get a better understanding of the industry. But we'll see!
P.S. My brand-new amazing website by the fabulous Gillian Blekkenhorst will be up in a matter of days, hopefully!

I AM (ALMOST) A QUARTER CENTURY.

So this Wednesday is my birthday. It is Groundhog day. It is also Chinese New Years Eve! How about that. When I was growing up, I thought my Chinese zodiac was 'The Tiger'. I always thought this was very uncharacteristic of me, since the Tiger is described as a born leader, outgoing and a people-person. Years later, I discovered that since I was born before the Chinese New Year, I was technically born on the very tail-end of 1985, making me an Ox. The characteristics of an Oxen are typically obstinate, quick-tempered and motivated. And honestly, that is 100% closer to my personality than a 'born leader' or an 'outgoing personality'. THE MORE YOU KNOW.

So I'm kind of sort of having a mid-mid-quarter life crisis? Although it's a very calm one. It's more like, 'okay, I need to decide where I am going now. Do I go back to school for my Masters? Do I move to the US? Do I just focus on work with IATSE? Or do I just become a rolly derby girl / kung-fu disciple?' So many decisions. I'm sure I'll make up my mind.. someday?
Things have been good. Started work on 'Happy Days' at Stage West. Just finished work on 2 short film projects. Trying to get everything finalized for Alternative Fashion Week this year. Also very excited about a CERTAIN FILM being filmed in Toronto this Spring.. Silent Hill 2. ONE OF MY FAVOURITE GAMES. Oh yeah, joining my friend Sheila's softball team for the Spring, which will be fun! Hopefully I don't get beaned in the forward and die.
Have you been reading Kat's new blog Drawn and Devoured? YOU SHOULD. It's great. And me and Trevor are going to go on a dinner date with Kat in the next few weeks! WHEEEE.
Anyway, to summarize - Birthday, questions, theatre, film, nerdity, softball, food.
P.S. Thanks to all who came out to the art show at the Steamwhistle gallery this past month. <3

Steamwhistle Show

Just a reminder, tomorrow is the 'Space and Time' Art show at the Steamwhistle Gallery! Come out and see some art from some poor art / design students.
BlogTO linked to the show!

The Steamwhistle Brewery and Gallery
255 Bremner Blvd
Toronto, ON
7pm - 11pm

Artists featured:
Featuring:
Abe Nelson
Erin Ornstein
Gillian Blekkenhorst
Jenn Woodall
JJ Tebrake
Kaity Hill
Katherine Verhoeven
Laura Harte
Mary Verhoeven
Molly McCracken
Trevor Henderson