Costuming Lovecraft
One of the things that can make or break a film is good (or bad) costuming. We’ll hear from people who do various styles of cosplay and costuming, from monsters to period dress pieces, talk about why they choose to make certain pieces and share some techniques behind it. This discussion can extend out to how to research and find period appropriate clothes for making your own films. LaRock (M), Bolivar, Lima-Steele, Hudson
Flori Lima-Steele shows off her Cthulhu Bustle. Photo courtesy of Todd Gardiner.
Michelle had been making costumes for herself and for friends for a few years when she had the crazy idea to try to create for herself a Cthulhu costume. After a journey to the fabric temple with only a vague idea she returned home with some green, mottled, scaled stretch velour and a bodysuit pattern. After reusing some old fairy wings and some stuffing she managed to create a costume that was looked upon with horror when Cthulhu Girl ventured out into Portland one Halloween. A brief appearance at Orycon won her some awards and much more favorable looks than the previous appearance but Cthulhu Girl went back into the closet soon after. Michelle has been attending the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival since some students took her along shortly after she moved to Portland, OR to work at Reed College in 2000. But it was a few years and festivals before she was brave enough to don the costume at the HPLFF and once again become Cthulhu Girl. She has since made many appearances at the HPLFF, welcoming the crowds, posing for pictures, and handing out awards. The first year Cthulhu Girl appeared at the festival was immortalized in the documentary Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown.
Heather Hudson has been a professional illustrator since 1994, working in the fantasy and hobby gaming genres. As the owner of Studio Wondercabinet, she creates traditionally-inspired artwork in traditional and digital media. Heather Hudson received degrees from San Jose State University and the University of Washington in the area of Theatrical Design and production. Subsequently she pursued art studies at the Gage School (formerly the School of Realist Art), Seattle's School of Visual Concepts, and TLC workshops. She is a member of ArtPACT and the Women In Fantastical Illustration on-line community. During her career, Heather Hudson has created artwork for game companies including Wizards of the Coast, AEG, Chaosium and Beamdog. Her work for the game Magic; the Gathering extended to nearly 200 cards. Today she focuses largely on personal projects, including the successful "Cthulhu Christmas Greeting Card" Kickstarter project of winter 2015. Heather is currently working on a Mythos-inspired illustration project and a personal project involving faeries. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
Adam Bolivar is a formal poet of folkloric fantasy, a weird fiction writer and a playwright for marionettes with a particular interest in alliterative verse, balladry and Jack tales. He is the author of THE LAY OF OLD HEX (Hippocampus Press, 2017), THE ETTINFELL OF BEACON HILL (Jackanapes Press, 2021), BALLADS FOR THE WITCHING HOUR (Hippocampus Press 2022) and A WHEEL OF RAVENS (Jackanapes Press, 2023). Discover more at https://adambolivar.com