2017 Halloween Costume Contest — Stan Winston School of Character Arts Forums

The Keeper (The Evil Within)

Keahi Transfield — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 21:36:43 +0000

Head is EVA foam floor mats with a mesh screen and 3D printed dials on the front. Barbed wire is irrigation tubing with aluminum wire inserted inside to make it rigid.

Hammer is PVC pipe and EVA foam mats.

Apron is a sheet covered in 3 layers of latex house Paint and a custom blend of red acrylic paint.

Abe Sapien from Hellboy

Lizeth Ruiz — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 02:07:12 +0000

Made Abe Sapien costume for my husband.
Mask made of gelatin, painted with acrylics, water based colors and eye shadows.
Gills made of latex
Goggles made of foamy.
Greetings from Mexico!

Bastion Overwatch Halloween costume

Jiovanie Velazquez — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 02:33:43 +0000

This is the costume I made from Eva foam for my 10yr old son Oscar.

It's got bright LEDs lighting up the helmet and a voice activated light on the chest panel.

There is a temp cap for the top of the mini-gun and a temp claw covering the barrel of the arm gun in some of the pics/video because of the 'no weapons and gore at the school parade' rules.

https://youtu.be/Ek9WsAD8gRU

https://youtu.be/zWQaTdTXbKk

https://youtu.be/QmB_Rb_n_bE

Jurassic World inspired Raptor costume

Curtis Horton — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 16:04:46 +0000

The family and I made this 11' long Jurassic World inspired raptor costume for my 10yr old son. The frame is 1/2" PVC, the skin is 1/2" upholstery foam covered with 2 way stretch spandex fabric. We textured the foam with a wood burner before we sprayed adhesive on it and added the fabric. I found a pattern for the raptor head for $5(here) and I purchased a raptor toy and made a pattern from it for the body. I scaled it to fit my son. We cast the eyes from epoxy from Lowe's in a ping pong ball cut in half. WD40 as release. We used fingernail polish to paint the eye details. We polished the eyes with a hand drill and buffing wheel. I we used spray paint to color the raptor. We used EVA foam for the claws and sculpty clay for the teeth. We used a backup camera and small monitor inside so he could see outside ($25 from Amazon). I had a bluetooth speaker we used for dino sound effects played from my phone (free apps). We mounted the battery for the camera in a fanny pack he wore around his waste. The neck was articulated with small steel rods and a ball joint made from a fooseball and PVC molded around it. The tail was filled out with a pool noodle but the structure was PVC. We used metal clothes hanger wire to stick through the raptor feet and bent it into his shoe so when he lifted his foot the raptor foot would move with him.

Video 1
Video 2

Lessons Learned:
- Scale it a little bigger so the lever for controlling the neck is longer. He had a hard time holding the head up for long periods of time because the pipe on his side of the lever was too short for the weight of the head
- Build the frame first and estimate the weight of the head, instead of build the frame inside the skin.
- Get a adhesive sprayer instead of cans of Super 77 and 90. Adhesive costs added up.
- Figure out how to degas expoy (we had air bubbles in our eyes).
- Start early than mid-September

I took a scrap piece and put silicon caulking on it. It looked good but kind of thick. I want to thin out silicon caulk with Naptha and spray it on with a paint sprayer to see if it gives it a wet reptile look.

We had a great time making it as a family.

Swamp Creature

Keith Robson — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 17:38:50 +0000

Original swamp creature - comprising of mask, claws, feet, hunchback and full body suit.
Mask, hands and feet sculpted in WED clay, molded in plaster and latex casts made.

Painted by airbrush with rubber cement paints and stippling techniques.
Hunchback made from fibreglass with latex spine details.

3-piece Bodysuit is a latex skin with string, wool, foam and tissue paper to create texture and detail. Hand painted with latex paints and airbrush finishing details.

100% made from scratch by myself. Took over 7 months to complete the full costume.

Tarfful the Wookiee- Star Wars, The Revenge of the Sith

Julian Checkley — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 20:50:53 +0000

This is my Tarfful the Wookiee costume.
He is Chewbacca's uncle so he's a bit bigger, bulkier and grumpier than Chewy.
Using strengthened stilts I sculpted and cast some feet that articulte to make the gate look more natural. You can even do kung-fu kicks in them! I then made some finger extentions and cheated the look of the legs by lowering the belt. This helps to stop it looking like a guy wearing stilts with really long legs and a sort body and arms.
The hair is acrylic braiding hair that is individually latch hooked onto a mesh undersuit. I made a light weight foam muscle suit to add the Wookiee bulk and built a real time sound system into the chest piece. When the jaw is opened it activatesa snarl in the top lip and also a micro switch that makes those familiar Wookiee roars. The teeth are made from real dental acrylic and the tongue is latex foam.
To finish it off I made a Kashyyyk heavy blaster that is nearly 6' long, perfect when the walking carpet weilding it is 8' 4".
Definitely a favourite when I took him out this Halloween.
Here's a vid of the suit in action-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2SnRV00eBY

Troll character

Richard Weston — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 01:41:53 +0000

This is an original troll character that I designed and created for Halloween this year. I sculpted and then cast the head, hands and feet in silicone. The hair was all hand punched. I stained, aged, and shredded the materials and fitted them to a small muscle/fat suit that I fabricated.

These are a couple of quick shots as the mask was being painted.

This was the head sculpt in WED clay. I had just started on the details.

This is is some of the fabric that I used. It took three racks like this to cover the body. All of the material had to be shredded, stressed and aged.

* 2017 Halloween Costume Contest Winner Announcement *

Chris Ellerby — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 21:06:37 +0000

Thanks to all the wonderfully talented artists who entered our Halloween Contest! This year's entries were the best we've ever seen, and we've had a very difficult time picking a winner.

However, there was one entry that nosed out the competition with top-notch sculpting, painting, hair work, fabrication, and wardrobe. We're delighted to award the Grand Prize to Richard Weston for his fantastic troll costume. He (she?) was a complete character from head-to-toe!

See more images of Richard's Troll here on his original entry post.

Grand Prize includes:

Artist Spotlight on the Stan Winston School Blog
1-Year Unlimited Subscription to Stan Winston School
Stan Winston Studio Behind-the-Scenes DVD

With congratulations from all of us,

- Team Stan Winston School

Lil 40k Space Wolf

Nathan Gerardy — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 08:13:18 +0000

Here is my submission for the 2017 Costume contest. I did not download any files. Pepakura etc. I made this from scratch starting from cardboard patterns made to fit my 9 year old. Mostly PVA foam and superglue and hours and hours.....hours of time. Thank you for looking! (He really got into character

Bastet Egyptian Cat Goddess - Halloween Contest 2017 Entry

Kim Randles — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 00:04:10 +0000

Hello all!
My name is Kim and I'm from Chester in the U.K.
I'm entering my Bastet costume, which is based on the Cat Goddess from Egyptian mythology and also heavily inspired by the character from the video game Smite. Most the costume is fabricated from EVA foam and various bits of material.

The headdress / ears are crafted from EVA foam and are attached to a headband, painted gold and black. I added additional details like turquoise feathers, sequins, gemstones, ear rings, chain detail on the back and draped across the front to frame the face. I used the same material for the headdress as the skirt. I wanted to give her an elegant look as well as being a ferocious warrior. With the makeup I used Snazaroo metallic black and Mehron mixing liquid and gold, eyelashes, as well as applying fangs and contact lenses.

Below shows the progress pictures for the whip weapon, the feet and shoulders. The whip was made from layers of EVA foam and PVC which I sculpted by hand using a dremel tool, sand paper and wood burning tool. The whip strands are around 5 metres of continuous 50/50 LED lighting strips. They were glued and soldered back to back and connected to battery pack, which is concealed in the handle. These were then covered with a light blue tissue paper to diffuse the light when switched on and then clear shrink wrapped to seal the strands together. A remote can be used to change the colours and the brightness of the lighting. The cats eyes were made from plastic and painted with nail varnish from the inside in layers to give them depth, still enabling the LED light to shine through.
Claws on the boots, belt and leg armour were fabricated from EVA foam, everything hand painted and sealed with plasti dip and then coated in yacht varnish to give it a shiny, protective finish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbHkXTAoDQE
The arm bracers were made from scraps of an old leather belt which I stitched and glued details on to match. Of course being a cat, I needed a tail! I made a wire frame as a foundation, so I could bend it in to any shape. That was then wrapped in foam tubing and opaque, hosiery material was stitched to it. I used the same material for my legs and arms for the rest of the costume. The tail jewellery again, crafted from EVA foam and painted faux fur.

The top and skirts were sewn material and corset was modified to suit the costume. Gloves were sewn with spike details and claw nails hot glued to ends.

I've enjoyed every moment in making this costume and also acting in character. It's something that started off as a simple idea and has evolved over time: a love of cats and egyptian mythology. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to show her off

* The 2017 Halloween Costume Contest Has Ended *

Chris Ellerby — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 07:18:01 +0000

The 2017 Halloween Costume Contest is now closed for entries.

The winning entry will be announced on Tuesday November 14th, so stay tuned!

Thank you all for sharing your creations with our community here at the Stan Winston School of Character Arts Forums.

Please click the "Like" button on your favorite contest entries. We take the community's reaction into consideration during the judging process. Let your voices be heard!

/Chris

Game of thrones Halloween 2017

Luis Valle — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 23:01:25 +0000

Luke Hoth & Tauntaun for a 4 yr old

Darren Pattenden — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 18:40:52 +0000

The head is digitally sculpted in Zbrush and 3D printed, the rest is upholstery foam and fur:

video:

https://youtu.be/pQCECSasHXA

Monsters Inc. Sully Mike and Boo

Nick Behling — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 16:56:23 +0000

I started this project with one goal in mind, to create ultimate Monsters Inc. costumes. I research different techniques that would make them appear more lifelike (think Bear in the Big Blue House) and less mascot (Sparty).

It boiled down to two things mobility and size relationship. Sully had to be able to dance and get into his classic scare pose.

Then I came up with the Mike and Boo carry costume idea. It helped solve the size relationship problem.

Here are a few clips and photos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_0s5ZMdJWs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAGET2s1wp8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZwtWH22KqE

Poison Ivy ( Uma Thurman version)

Paulo Cruz — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 05:24:31 +0000

Oogie Boogie Man Costume

Paulo Cruz — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 04:24:15 +0000

The head is sculpted with polyethylene foam and all the body is covered with jute fabric and I used a crinoline inside.

Creighton Chaney, Werewolf

Zakary Newman — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 03:15:36 +0000

Creighton Chaney came to the Northland Asylum looking for a cure or a cage. What he found was his true self.

I built this costume for the Midwest Haunters Convention in Columbus, OH. I also performed the character two nights a week at the ScareAtorium, my home haunt in Columbus, OH, this past haunt season. I would pretend to be an animatronic until the customers got right next to me, then lunge. I'm happy to say that the scare worked most of the time and I was given the "Most Mentioned Character" award at our end of season cast party.

The head and hands are made from EVA foam, coated in Plasti Dip. I first carved the head out of upholstery foam, and used that to make the pattern. I used my own hands to make the pattern for the claws, then altered the pattern in Adobe Illustrator. Visibility is through the mouth, and the wolf's jaw moves with the wearer's jaw. The head is a mask and the neck straps under the wearer's arms and Velcros to the back of the head. Sort of a low tech version of how the Underworld wolves went together. The eyes are LED. I used an MP3 player hidden in the hand and a small speaker to add howling and growls to the costume.

Ethan the Zombie

Vincent Ignacio — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 00:29:57 +0000

This is Ethan. He is one of our zombie performers for Island Cove Zombie Escape.

Earthy Witch

Melissa Thompson — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 22:26:51 +0000

Here is my costume for this year. She is a forest witch. The face prosthetic is gelatin and she was supposed to have a nose, but due to time constraints that day, it did not get to run it. My hands should also be painted, but I think she turned out pretty cool anyway. Thanks for checking it out. Here is the video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB7iXVjfeYk

Wicked Fairy

Valentina Claudio — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 20:55:56 +0000

Hi this is my last minute 2017 halloween's costume, hope you ll like my fairy wings! byeeeeeeee :)" alt=">:)" height="20" />

Grummgar- The Force Awakens

Julian Checkley — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 20:36:19 +0000

This is my Grummgar costume from Star Wars The Force Awakens.
He stands 9' tall and the costume weighs around 70kg (155lbs) and is extremely hot!!
The original creature in the movie was only seen sitting down and was operated as a puppet with 3 operators.
I wanted to bring him to life and actually see the mighty Grummgar walking around.
He has articulated feet built into adapted stilts and also has articulated claws that are perfect for holding some inter-galactic brews in Maz's Castle. The head is built onto an underskull that when the wearer nods it articulates the mouth and jaw. Just to finish him off I added a real time voice changer and a light -up life support system on his back. As you never get to see his back in the movie due to him sitting down. I had to make all those pipes go somewhere?!
Here's a vid I did at Star Wars Celebration London- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8lKzeWbo10

Twisted Cat in the Hat with Thing 1 and Thing 2

Daniel Luther — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 20:24:41 +0000

Here is my twisted take on the Cat in the Hat. The clothes were thrift shop finds, but the rest of the costume (prosthetic ears, latex/fur claws, scraggly tail, etc) was my own creation, as were Thing 1 and Thing 2. Creeping around all evening with my little creations was a blast. I hope you enjoy!

Darth Malgus - Star Wars The Old Republic

Julian Checkley — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 20:17:14 +0000

This Is a costume I made a few years ago but it seems to still be very popular. All the parts are sculpted, cast and finished by me in my workshop here in Ireland.
The worst part are the huge sclera lenses but they really made the costume in the end. The costume comprises of over 30 parts using fiberglass, leather, urethane rubber, silicone rubber, foamex, and various urethane foams. In the costume I stand around 6' 8" tall so he's pretty scary in the flesh.
I'm a huge fan of SWSCA and was fortunate enough to meet Stan himself many years ago. So we'll be keeping our fingers crossed as there are so many amazing costumes on here. Happy Halloween!
BTW the only photoshop in these pics is on the lightsaber.
Heres a link to a vid we did when I first tried it on-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6qC-mrUpMs
BTW

Baby Groot

Darren Pattenden — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 18:56:06 +0000

The head is digitally sculpted and 3D printed, the body is upholstery foam:

video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r4m0-1285M&t=3s

Predator Costume

Henry Kennedy — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 18:01:38 +0000

Foam, Spandex, silicone, PVC tubing, Sintra, silicone molds, monster clay sculpts and Cold cast resin Bio from original sculpt. Lifts built from boots and extra heels and soles, to increase the height. Had a blast doing this, my first costume ever, and learned a bunch of techniques that I had never done as well.

Exposed trachea

Jessica Bass — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 17:34:35 +0000

Twisty the Clown from American Horror Story

Mandy Penn — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 17:17:38 +0000

Twisty the Clown from American Horror Story
This was a fun project/costume to make. The mouth piece was done with casting material, latex, fake nails and paint. The costume was soaked in coffee and tea for a week to get the grimy look. I also had to sew on the ruffles that were actually made out of short curtains from the thrift store. This costume only cost me about $30 to make.

Night King Game of Thrones

Mandy Penn — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 16:29:57 +0000

Night King from Game of Thrones This costume was made from scratch, including the prosthetics. The costume took about 4 months to create and the latex/prosthetic and makeup application took about 7 hours the day of. It is one of my favorite costumes I have made so far. You will also see a cameo of Daenerys Targaryen, she came to get her dragon back lol. Here is a link to video of the costume: https://www.instagram.com/p/BYWkZxaFVnj/?taken-by=mandy.penn https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba2Z_kBn8se/?taken-by=mandy.penn

Darth Maul: Star Wars

Edi Wittendorfer — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 16:29:25 +0000

IT Pennywise 2017 White Version

Adri Nieto — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 16:25:18 +0000

My own version of Pennywise, come and float with me...