Creating some Pirate props for Halloween

Here's some of the specific flags and maps I created.  I used Culture Hustle powders and potions.  For the flags and maps, I used cotton fabric (cotton rag paper for the Madagascar Map), then waxed everything using Otter Wax, parchment paper, and a medium hot iron.  They withstood wind, rain, and stains perfectly.  The Blackbeard and the demon skull I took the blank template and painted, then sealed: 

 

 

 

  

   

Day of and here's how the outside looked:

 

 

   

Here's how the inside looked:

   

   

TeslaCon 2021: Making props for judging. Martian plants, and The Hidden Contrivance Chamber Under Chapeau de Poupe

It's a War of the Worlds at TeslaCon this year.  Here's the props I made for the contests this year.

Contest #1: Martian Plants!  

Tripods are invading 1890 Variant England/Europe and they have brought plants to help them terraform Earth. I'm making three of them for TeslaCon 2021 Martian Plants Contest.

Started off building the habitats: big Styrofoam base chunk.  I needed to glue 4 blocks together to get the needed diameter, trimmed down to the 8" diameter for my chosen pots, cut into thirds like a cake, and sized to my pots.  I used a serrated knife to get the rough look, and kept the pieces to use as rocks, pebbles, and extra soil particles. Then I worked to get the the look of red Martian soil and rocks, making sure everything is secure so accidental tippage doesn't spill anything.  Using: white glue, paints, inks, a little water to thin, and some fine red sand while glue/paint is still wet (remove excess sand).

  We have the starter stage, or better known as The Slightly Bizarre Cake Stage.  Then there's building the habitats and plants.  I go from here.

Habitat #1

 Rock soil is built, installed, and the sandy soil layered & glued down (with excess tapped off)

I'm making this plant with kinetic sand and resin. I used plastic to help hold the shape as the resin set, and then sort of pulled them apart a little. Added some paint and powders at the end.

 finished! 

I'm naming this one: 

•  Mycobiota Dikarya Ascomycota olympusmons

Habitat #2

 Rocks are built, installed, and the sandy soil layered & glued down (with excess tapped off).  Here's the progress shots of the plant build:

     And done! 

Untwisted embroidery threads cover 6"-7" of thin copper wire - white glue to bind. Insert 1" of wire into base - I added a drop of E6000 first to secure. Curled/glued the tendrils so they grab the rocks and drape over the pot. Tiny drops of epoxy with a touch of paint drip down each stalk to give it a toxic look.

This one is named:

•  Basidiomycota Basidiolichens Multiclavula demimos

Habitat #3

 Rocks are built, installed, and the sandy soil layered & glued down (with excess tapped off)

 I cut about ten 8" x 3" strips of that that brown packing paper that comes pre-cut with all the holes with four sheets of cloth that were the same size. I added two full lengths of wire to the inside for added structure and so there's something to insert into the Styrofoam. Glued the cloth and wire together first into a package that the paper could sandwich around to make three plant stalks.

Using alligator clips, I hung the the stalks up; poured over a mixture of water, white glue, copper and gold paint, finely ground eggshells, some red sand, and red ink, -pie tin underneath to keep the workbench somewhat clean and so I could pick up anything that gobbed down.

 

 All done!  It's scientific name is Euphorbiaceae Euphorbia Lactea twitea

Contest #2: The Steampunk Book Nook.  

The other prop contest is for book nook dioramas, and I'm making mine based off The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger.  Specifically, I'm basing it off Madame Lefoux's underground lair located under her hat shop.

Here's my start, and it's about two thirds of the way done here.  The paper props just take time to assemble, and that's where most of my time has been spent so far.  The shell is made of cardstock, worbla, and a little 2 part apoxie air dry clay.  The floor is made out of balsa wood strips.

 

 Walls are papered with tea stained paper vellum which has been coated in copper/black paint and let to with lightly crumpled waxed paper pressed into the paint.  
 Texture.  And I think it makes a continuous eye line though the length of the wall now.  Floor was covered with resin for added strength, then painted matte black.  The walls and floor were coated in a protective layer.  
I'm covering the book nook in book cloth to resemble the Subterranean Press edition of Soulless.   Mulberry paper, wheat paste, quick work, and then overnight drying.  
    Measured the book against the paper.  Pattern is cut out.  Wheat paste applied and book is covered. 

   It's drying into place.  You can see I have installed the two wall shelves and the OBO octopus as well. 

It's all done!! The Hidden Contrivance Chamber Under Chapeau de Poupe!