Current mood:

contemplative

Swamp romp?

So I figure there's one of two ways I could go with a swamp monster costume...

1) the classic scaly, slippery, fishy Gill-Man type of Creature from the Black Lagoon... and predated perhaps by H.P. Lovecraft's Deep Ones

or

2) the equally classic "moss-encrusted mockery of a man" shambling humanoid mass of plant matter like the Swamp Thing of DC Comics, film, TV ("Do not bring your evil here! Bring me some cough drops instead!"), or the Man-Thing of Marvel Comics, or even The Heap from way back in the day...

There's probably more than two ways, really... I figure there could be some unholy combination of fish-man and man-plant...

Of course, while I like the Swamp Thing, the Gill-Man is one of my favorite movie monsters of all, no two ways about it. So... it's perhaps logical progression that I should get it into my head to create a swamp monster costume after toying with the notion of creating an ape costume, or a werewolf costume, or even an insect-man costume.

I still get a kick out of my mad scientist costume as well... though most recently, because of my most recent TV appearance, I did something rather spur-of-the-moment and radical, and then ran out of safety pins. See, I bought one of those goofy severed arm props from the local Michaels. Then, without thinking it through very much (though I really did think about this for some time) I cut a hole in the right sleeve of my white coat to stick my arm through, while the severed arm went into the sleeve under my real arm, with the hand (now gloved) poking out the cuff like normal, while my actual arm (covered by a black arm warmer) stuck through the hole I'd cut. Then I put on the iguana puppet... to create the illusion that I was carrying the iguana... only problem was, the fake arm looked a little... fake... weighing down the sleeve. So I pinned the arm to the sleeve... but I didn't have enough safety pins, I dare say. I figure it's something I can iron out in future... But as it was, I don't think I gave my best performance, even though I dare say none of us on this local late night LIVE TV show are professionals... They were all happy to see me and thought my fake arm thing looked pretty good. But I wound up taking myself out of the show about halfway, leaving my severed arm behind (which wound up being played with, tossed around and suchlike, so that was okay.)

BUT this got me thinking "Next time I do the show, I don't want to talk and I want to hide my face." I said as much to them, and added "Remember the original version of The Fly?" *mimed having a pincher for a hand* "Could we make a big insect head for me to wear?"

This might be something I still want to do... but then on Saturday the idea came to me for a new character... one who wouldn't have to talk... but could probably do more with body language... a swamp monster... a vacationing swamp monster...

When I was eleven, there was this mask at the KMart I wanted around Halloween... I didn't get it until after Halloween, but oh well... It was one of those slip-over-the-head latex rubber dealies with funky fake hair (green) and a neck flap you could tuck under your shirt collar... it was a sort of swamp monster, with an open piranha-like toothy mouth ( thick red tougue and green gums!), round red eyes, and a sort of stripy-scaly green and gray skin pattern. I wore it for a couple Halloweens, and wore it at least once when giving candy to kids one Halloween, then put it onto a dummy for a couple Halloweens... and after maybe having it for more than ten years, some of the rubber began to get all brittle and crumbly... I think it's still around here somewhere... in pieces... Maybe I could have found someone to restore it... I took a couple pictures of the dummy... I could scan them in... it was a favorite mask, even when I figure it didn't quite fit my face anymore...

So yeah... vacationing swamp monster...

There's some info about making swamp monster costumes on a budget, but it's mostly along the lines of "Get a track suit and glue all this stuff all over it and then paint it green." If memory serves, Paul Blaisdell (an underrated monster maker who did creature, props and makeup work for Bert I. Gordon and Roger Corman) started with a set of long johns when he built his She-Creature costume... So I was thinking long johns... or maybe even tights? Some sort of close-fitting body suit, but in two pieces?

I figure I might find myself fortunate that these people I know who do the TV show are kinda handy with the monster making, whether it's makeup or props or Godzilla-style monster suits...

Also, was thinking that a swamp monster who happens to be wearing a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts (and/or maybe a grass skirt?) would not need a full-body costume... The shirt and shorts would cover the body (though I entertained the notion he could unbutton the shirt and reveal the scaly chest beneath?), so the most work would be on the forearms and lower legs... and a mask over the head, of course... And for finishing touches we'd have a lei, a fishing hat, maybe sunglasses, and a drink with an umbrella in it...

Just doing sketches so far... Might go so far as to sculpt a little bust out of clay?

October's not far off now...