Uncle Antlers - Costuming, Part II!

Pants, shirt, vest, polka-dot bow-tie.. (he's been expecting a jacket, currently in production).

I like the progression his wardrobe's been making. He may be technically dead but he's not unpleasant - his clothes are of a proper sort, and the bow-tie (polka-dots and warm pastels) makes him a little more endearing.




I opted for painting a layer of brown acrylic over the tissue-paper-covered antlers, and used ink and a toothpick to add lines and grooves.

The Bowtie:

French knots on silk (remnants of a childhood hair-scrunchie).


I added interfacing to add more durability - the fabric by itself isn't terribly strong, and this prevents it from excessive splitting between the fabric fibres when I'm poking the needle through.


Trimmed to size and ironed.


Top and sides sewn; from there I tucked under and hand-stitched the bottom closed, then scrunched the square down into a bow-tie volume and sewed the middle to maintain that shape. I was originally going to use some of the silk to form the middle band, but it would have been too bulky and I've since warmed up to the thread alternative - it adds a bit of a folksy, hand-made feel.

Uncle Antlers - Costuming!

So! Costuming. Currently I'm a little under half-way through fabricating a costume for Uncle Antlers. (Vest needs finishing and tailoring, he's due to receive a velvet jacket, and an overcoat yet). I initially wasn't sure what kind of colour scheme to dress him in - any exploratory artwork has been pen sketches in black and white, and I wanted to make sure he fits into a distinct world that carries its own colour combinations and sense of atmosphere. Then I found this wonderful fabric at Value Village that is a brownish, almost-mauve-(rhymes-with-stove) colour but contains a tint of teal that shows up when the light hits it right. It's fantastic. From there I opted to go with a complementary navy for the rest of his suit, and I like the mix of a light-warm/dark-cool colour combo, along with the different textures involved.


I'm going for a formal and classic suit-style (almost tux-status, what with his shirt darts and a coming-soon bow tie) with references from early 1900's mens' wear. I ran an outer seam down the front of his pants to stress the crease and maintain its crispness; tailored structure. Also, I'm very proud to have made a lined vest in this scale.


Airbrushed base colour.


Added grit: acrylic paint, eye-shadow powders, and dirt.


Antlers and vest buttons...