Yuuzhan Vong Shaper Costume

This is something I have wanted to try for a while, and I have some basic ideas down as to how to go about it. I have also seen a great tutorial/documentation on how someone made a Yuuzhan Vong warrior costume for C:IV.
I have been puzzling over a couple of things actually and could use a bit of advice. I think that the full head-mask would perhaps look a bit out of place for the type of character, so I was wondering if part-prosthetics would be the best way to go for the facial features?
Also, i'm still trying to figure out what would be good 'tentacle headdress' material for the shapers Head. I've made lekku for a twi'lek costume before, but the material/foam I used was a bit on the heavy side, any ideas?

 

No real advice, but I'd love to see it when you're done!

 

I'm expecting to spend a year or less working on it on and off, just trying lots of different things to see what works best and what doesn't, i'll certainly post pics when it's finished though

 

Would thin-walled rubber tubing work for the tentacles? If it was light enough it could at least be used as a basis for them.

 

Thats a suggestion I have not tried yet, I was working on some test-tentacles last week and I found raw merino wool fibers, when felted together and dipped in wax worked well in terms of keeping their colour and shape.
I suppose if the tubes were hollow enough, they could have wire inserted into them to help them keep their shape too. I was trying to come up with a way to give some movement to the whole thing, but I think that might be a bit too ambitious for now
Thanks for the suggestion, i'll give it a try.

 

I was thinking of a shaper too. cuz noone had made one yet.:-D

Each shaper's looks are diffeant depending on her clan. Some have regualr hair.
For the brow ridge, foam latex or silicon latex will work well. Cat's eye contacts for the eyes. SKin tones range from regualr caucasion shades to the blue/green.

Check out the Star Wars legacy comics cover of issue #12.
The shaper had regualr skin tones with purple trible-ish tattos, normal hair and a shaper's hand with only five digits. That can be done with foam latex to only the finiger tips.
The shaper's hand is differant from clan to clan I'd noticed. some are the eight digit and others are only five.

 

I was thinking it would be cool if a group of people could go to an event as Yuuzhan Vong (it's just a case of finding willing victi...I mean volunteers ). I have a general concept idea for how I would like the one I go as to look, i'm a freelance artist so have spent a bit of time messing about with imagery and suchlike.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a93/bluebutbeautiful/NiaShulFinalNOBACKGROUNDtest.jpg

The foam-latex idea certainly will be explored more thoroughly.

Certainly through NJO it was the master shapers that were discribed as having the 8 fingered hands and the adepts had five. There was also a sort of dress code that went with rank too, but i've made a few notes on that too.
As you said, other small details such as markings/scars etc differ from domain to domain.
I preffer the bluish-grey tint to the skin, ala Nen Yim, so i'd probably go with that too.
I was wondering if relief moulding would work as a means of creating individual smaller prosthetics actually? i've only ever really done full casts of things such as the head, hands, feet and torso before.

 

Humm well, who sez there can't be a herd or domain of shapers with losta' skin tints, and multiple digited hands.:-D
I'm game to make a Yuuzhen Vong chick.

The drawing of the shaper is a nice one.Great skin tint too.

You can try the relief. Now do ALL Yuuzhen Vong havethe prominant brow ridges or are these difering from person to person? Same for the pointing ears?

The tats and scars can be done on skull caps(The relief scars would work great.if these are the paitnings to appear 3D but are flat?)
i'd seen a harry Potter scar that looked 3-D but was flat. Neat illusion.:-D

 

Great point on the relief scars thing, now that you mention it , that would probably be one of the best way to make raised scarrification - as opposed to adding extra layers of latex strips later.

I think it's safe to say that all Yuuzhan Vong have the prominent brow ridges and blue eye sacs, with the exception of Nei Rin from what i've seen. Part of my degree envolved a project on making flat scars and wounds seem 3d, So I could dig out the notes on that. I opted for making a spinal-mod prosthetic in the end which was actually 3D though, turned out alright, 6inch metal spikes appearing to protrude from your back.

The drawing/digital painting was of an intendant character I did a while back, but it was the best example of facial features I have thats up to date in terms of how i'd want them to look. The facial ones could actually be done in one small piece, or perhaps two from a relief mould.
Ears though, pointy or not? Some images show both.

 

I can snag some pointy ears easily enough. I had them on one Dargon Con. Folks were tweeking my ears to see if those were mine or a prothestic. Maybe that'sa testiment to the make-up job.Mayjor kudos to the make-up artist who put them on me.:-D

Any pictures of our Yuuzhen VOng charactors or make-up?

 

I have loads of official pics to work from, unfortunately most of them are warriors, but there are a few decent shaper pics, the best being the issues of legacy (12+13 I believe??) and the front cover of the NJO book conquest.
I'm going for more of a Nen Yim look with mine.

Kudos to the makeup artist indeed! I actually tried the gelatin process that they used on the LOTR films for ear-points, works fine until it rains lol.

 

Oh yea, the silocons are great. Realistic looking. Mine weren't silicon, I couldn't find a distibutor at the time.
Now my problem would be the shaper's headdres. Do AL master shapers have the tendrilled hair? Or is this an optional 'alteraition"?

 

Around the time of NJO I would say that they did all have the tentacle headdress. I can't really recall a time when a master shaper was written not to be wearing one unless they had to remove it for ceremonial purposes etc. After, well there was Nei Rin who didn't.

My main issues will be shipping costs for some of the materials I will need, the UK isn't too great for stuff like that i've noticed. And London is a bit of a treck from here

 

Humm, that i a tricky situation. Is there someone near you who can accept the package and them mail it to you?

 

It should still cost around the same amount in postage, but there are a few people I could ask if not. Essentially it would just mean either traveling to those places, which I do from time to time, or spreading the project out over the course of a year rather than 6-8 months. Which again, looking at my recent commissions list would also be a good idea lol.
I've also just picked up some stuff I had left over from the spine project that might be good as a mould for prosthetics, so i'm gonna have a play with that this weekend

 

Wow wait ages and then 3 come along at once! Im planning to do a shaper costume for next years Dragon Con! lol...and im also from the UK! hehe

looking at the nose-less shaping of their faces, the new Voldermort prosthetics remind me very much of the Vong face as does the Bram Stoker's Dracula in his bat face version.
Im working with having a full face prosthetic done..first stage - headcast!
as for the hand, a full hand cast would work best im thinking. and the tentencle headdress, why not look into what they use to make predator dreadlocks?

I do love the legacy version of the shaper, her costume in particular.

My friend is also planning to do either a shamed one of attendant..

 

Yes I had always thought that too It would be a good basis to start from! Not so sure about the Predator 'dreads' though, they just seem to lay there a bit flat if I remember right? I do have dread's (amongst other things) in my hair at the moment, so i've been messing with them to see if anything is possible lol. I had actually considered weaving something into my own hair as I do that already and going as a Priestess instead

 

One method that I have heard of for making Predator dreads is to use a type of soft insulation foam in "noodle" form that is called "backer rod". It comes in many diameters, from 1/2" up to 2". By applying heat, you should be able to make it shrink so that you can get a pointed tip. You should be able to paint the tentacle using slush latex with a bit of acrylic paint mixed in. More latex (and more paint in the latex) could make the tentacle stiffer.

I have also heard about a Predator costuming forum called The Hunter's Lair where maybe you could find more info.

 

:-D heheh hehe, It's an invasion. They'er baaccckkk.:-D


The preditor dreds would work. They don't move unless you sneeze hard.;-)

If it were possible, I'd borrow some friends ball python snakes and stick 'em on my head. But a, they'er the wrong coloour, b, the D*C staff would have a corninary, C, they'd freak about the mice I'd have to bring to head my headress so it doesn't bite me.. Oh D, folks would pester it and tick off, can't have them being bitten, because they'er being stupid.

 

Thanks for the link to the predator site DARTHLARS found a lot of the info there really helpful! I have spent the past few weeks sourcing various materials that might be useful ( still gotta have fun with polymorph) and should start making...er shaping soon!

Lol at the ball python idea, that would work..until someone got bitten as you say carrying around the terrified mice could prove problematic too

 

hehehe. Gotta feed 'em before leaving the hotel room. <wink> I eat then go off to feed the ehaddress, unless the snakes decide to snatch some of my grub.:-D

 

Oh a hotel room is going to be a must with this costume, last event I went to was CE, and had to jump on the train, then the tube in costume..it was sooo hot! Not to mention the strange glances I got XD they'd be worse if i'd gone as a Yuuzhan Vong especially with a few snakes attatched to my head!

I do have a prop to show off though, I went through several ideas for what the Yuuzhan Vong's communications biot's might look like. After a few sketches and samples, I came up with this little thing.
Villip! -----> http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40472771/

 

Whoa, that Villip looks very cool. Pretty colours. It looks as it it would move.
Cool tattoo on the hand as well.

 

Thanks It's amazing what you can do with old raw wool fibres, some wax and a bit of latex
I will be detailing that on the site i'll post the costume construction on too.

 

That looks good. I added it to my Deviant Art favourites.