Mastodawn

My current project is a commission from my friend Josh, who will be cosplaying Princess Rosalina from the next Mario Bros. movie. I am building and printing the 3D models for her various accessories. The reference that is available is not spectacular, but I believe I have been able to do these pieces justice so far.

Hammerhand Workshop Dec 25

My brother-in-law is a big Nirvana fan, and I got his name in this year's secret Santa. So one of his gifts was this brass and steel ornament based on the In Utero cover art. I cut, etched, soldered, and polished it over the course of about 3-4 days.

Hammerhand Workshop Dec 15

Michael Whelan Dec 15

THE MULE (1985)
Acrylic on Canvas 32” x 20”

For book two of the Foundation series, there was once again a clear choice for the central subject.

Outwardly a buffoon, the Mule is the greatest concentration of power in a single individual in the Galaxy, the one variable Seldon overlooked in his massive plan. 1/3

#sciencefiction #scifi #scifiart #sff #illustration #foundation #isaacasimov #delreybooks

Hammerhand Workshop Dec 11

Packing up another batch of Strider buckles to send out. I never get tired of making these.

Hammerhand Workshop Dec 9

I might be building another crown for a commission soon, so I started noodling around in Blender to figure out how I might do it. I used a model I already had as the base shape and... I kind of love this?

Hammerhand Workshop Dec 5

As part of my metalwork presentation at #ChicagoTARDIS, I wanted to make something special that could not only help me demonstrate different metals and patinas, but also be something I could give away as prizes for participation.
I modeled this Seventh Doctor TARDIS key in Blender, and cast several copies in both pewter and Zamak. One of the Zamak ones then got plated in brass. I don't know how well I ended up utilizing these as educational materials, but I did give them away at the end of the panel and saw one person wearing theirs the next day. So hopefully people enjoyed them.

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Hammerhand Workshop Dec 4

Second, they assigned motivation to our decisions without consulting us. I don't think I would have competed this year even if I felt I had made enough of my costume to qualify, but that is not a decision anyone except my wife would know about.

Finally, and this is MAY have been intentional, the statement sort of implies that if we DO come back to compete in the future, we're being selfish and/or robbing others of the chance to shine. What I will say about this is that when I competed, there was often no prize or just a trinket or two from a sponsor. This year the top prize was two passes for next year, which is significant. So will I compete again in the future? I don't know, but I don't think I should be shamed for doing so.

I know this could come off as arrogant, assuming I'm who they were referencing, but I think that even if I'm not, my point stands.

3/3

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Hammerhand Workshop Dec 4

"You have seen some amazing costumes tonight that are not going to get awards. This is because some cosplayers who have won many times, have graciously decided to step aside, in order to give others a chance to shine."

I understand why they felt the need to say something, but I think that the particular phrasing they used unfortunately ended up implying things that were untrue and/or borderline insulting.

First of all, this is undermining the people who did compete and ultimately win. Exhibition entries do not need to submit documentation or present themselves for in-person judging, so there is no reason for anyone, even the judges, to assume they would have won if they competed. I think saying something to this effect would have been a good idea.

2/3

Hammerhand Workshop Dec 4

A post about something that happened last weekend at the convention I attended. I'm posting here exclusively because I don't think the parties involved are on Mastodon, and I don't mean to call anyone out.

I go to this con every year, and I often compete in the masquerade. I am in the masters category, and have won several Best-in-Show prizes over the years. This year, I decided to enter the show as "Exhibition", meaning I am not competing but still participating. In my case, my decision was based on the fact that much of my costume was bought, not made, and to a lesser extent, that I don't feel I have anything to prove in this particular contest. But I still want to go on stage for the fun of it and to help make it a good show. At least one other master-level cosplayer made the same decision.

Everything went well, and near the end when the judges were about to announce the winners, they made a statement to the audience that I believe was well-intentioned in every way, but might have gotten away from them. Paraphrased, it was something like:

1/3

Hammerhand Workshop Dec 2