doctor who Archives • Jessica Smith Creates

September 12, 2018April 11, 2019

The Moment, Mark 2

I was at DragonCon over Labor Day weekend, and what I realized when I wore my costume Saturday was that I hadn’t actually updated you on my newest (meaning 1 year old) Moment box, and the costume that goes with it! I’m going to give you the super short synopsis version here, and then link here to the page that goes in depth.

Also, I apparently never posted specifically about last year’s costumes… Finishing my Master’s hit me hard. I’ll be changing that soon!

Some awesome creators complimented me on this version and gave me suggestions and new ideas for a future version, so at the end of this post I’m going to write down some of them before I forget… Because I can be terribly forgetful. Shout out to Circus Jack (?), the Joker and Harley that tracked me halfway across the Marriott, and to Daniel at BlueBoxDezigns who also has made a Moment box! All of you made my day when we talked about the details!

Let’s start with the costume…

Shirt: Onyx Top by Paprika Patterns out of white rayon lawn, tea dyed to a tan. Netting was cut into rectangles and sewed to the end of the existing sleeves

Vest: Some variant on the Archer Shirt by Grainline Studios, drastically changed out of shape though. I don’t even remember what I did, it was done so quickly and haphazardly. Rayon spandex twill

Skirt: Syrah Skirt from Baste and Gather out of a lovely, buttery, rayon jersey. So comfy! Too light colored for me to wear in real life! Basically I made it exactly the same, just sewed up only part to my knees so I could knot up one side.

Accessories: The “vortex manipulator” I made in 2013, boots that I painted a different shade of brown, various bracelets I’ve picked up over time.

And the box:

All the sides are laser cut, mainly out of 1/4″ sanded plywood.

The outer frame was constructed by splitting 2×4’s lengthwise and then cutting the pieces to size.

The corners were then modeled in the online 3D modeling page Tinkercad, and then I 3D printed them.

A lot of the gears and such move. It also opens!

Anything more you want to know, check out the breakdown on the costume page, and email me if you want to know more than that!

P.S. I won a costume contest at my university with this costume, so the last shot is from that day!

Suggestions:

Make the acrylic part articulated so that the individual circles can move

Make everything on one side articulated together: Moving one piece moves them all

(Even better if moving one side moved something on another…)

Keeping the opening from falling open by using velcro or making it in a lighter-weight material and keeping the magnets.

moment

June 29, 2017August 22, 2022

The Moment

When I posted Spring Updates I wasn’t sure if I’d be posting again about this prop, at least not until I had completed the costume to go with it. But that has been postponed for a smidge, so I think its time to share!

If you don’t recognize this prop, you probably didn’t see the Doctor Who 50th anniversary episode. That’s okay! What you should know is that it’s central to the storyline, as its the most dangerous weapon in the universe, so dangerous that it has a conscience, who just so happens to appear as Billie Piper’s character Rose, or rather her image, but calling herself Bad Wolf. If you find that a reasonable thing, then you should definitely join the Whovians!

Anyway…

Last October I fell in love with a (relatively) new technology: LASER CUTTING!

And when I say fell, I mean I fell hard.

The panels of this prop were the 2-7th things I ever laser cut.

So I was completely new to Illustrator, but this project (and everything I’ve designed since) has taught me so much!

Back to the prop… I used photos found on the RPF (here and here) as references, and then designed all the sides. 5 of them were reasonable, since there would good references, but the one with all the Gallifreyan was more difficult. Only half-ish was ever visible, so I made a lot of fake Gallifreyan… Which was entertaining. And some of it looks reasonable, and others… Don’t. Luckily it’s only about 12 by 6 inches of ridiculous.

And I’ll probably be one of the few that cares.

I went on a week long “bender” of designing and laser cutting. I would design something one night, cut it out the next day, and then turn around and design the next one that night!

Then came time to take them all home and paint them. All the metallics are Jacquard Lumiere paints, and I used some cheap acrylic paint for other bits. I think I had everything painted by December. And then my project brain stalled. (In January I found myself working 2 part time jobs, plus my grad school research so everything shut down. Like this blog, for the most part.)

In March, when things had mostly settled, I found myself with the inkling to get in the wood shop to make the frame. I ended up splitting two by fours for the final product, and creating an empty cube. I spent a lot of time sanding it down and trying to get many of the imperfections out. Some of the wood I had used had some kind of black paint on it, so I had to sand it down a lot in places.

Then I made the bad decision to wood burn the frame by hand. In the show prop, it was probably laser cut, but I wanted the deeper worn look. I spent 6 hours over 3 nights working on it (from 10pm to 12am) which was not my finest decision…

I borrowed some stain from a friend, and stained the entire thing, which was a kinda messy affair. My bathroom looked like a crime scene for a few hours. The stain was oil based Zar, in color Rosewood.

Then came Easter weekend. The laser cut panels were “installed,” meaning pressing them until they fit and attempting to glue them together cleanly. I had installed a small “door” into the corner of one of the sides, so I installed hinge hardware, and used some foam board leftover from a friend’s project to fill in some gaps between panels.

I was marathoning the project at this point, so I managed to get on Tinkercad and designed the corner caps, which are essentially 3 sides of a cube with a half sphere, and printed them. For a first 3D project, they turned out unexpectedly perfect! I primed each with some cheap primer spray paint and then painted the corners grey with acrylic paint mixed with some silver Lumiere paint. Then everything got glued together and I used a clear coat over everything, from the wood to the 3d to the laser cut stuff.

But this thing is huge. It’s bigger than the actual prop, and I can hardly hold it. So it takes up a remarkable amount of floor space. So I laser cut an acrylic topper, and I use it as a coffee table!

The intention was that this would be a prop useable for DragonCon, but as I said it is huge. I think it measures 16 inches cubed. I have trouble picking it up, due purely to the dimensions, though the weight would be a problem an hour in…

I’m thinking that it might be worth it to make a smaller one. I’ve only got two months, but I think I can cut down the working time to a two week period, if I do it again, since I know all the steps, and the only real thing I’ll have to buy is stain for the frame. I would definitely laser cut the frame though, before assembly, since it was way too much time to burn it by hand…

We’ll see what that idea comes to!

September 18, 2015

Priorities

My office-mate called me out a few days ago for prioritizing Doctor Who over socializing.

And he’s been to my house and sees my cubicle every day… He knows I’m obsessed.

But realistically, its about connection for me.

When I think about Doctor Who, or any of my many favorite shows and movies, I’m reminded of my fun times with friends or family members where we talked about, laughed about, geeked about these shows.

And its not like I don’t have unusual prioritizations anyway…

Most of the time, homework is the top priority, unless its actually due, which is pretty normal.

TV/movies are always high on the list.

edit — (Not Doctor Who, but equally special to me, my Susan Farewell dress from the Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian movie)

Sewing is next, with an emphasis on costumes, and again nothing with a due date.

Knitting is an all the time endeavour, since I’ve got bus projects, like these socks I’m working on, but if I can’t work on it on the bus, it typically follows sewing.

Other crafts have their time too… mostly whenever I’m really interested. Or want something…

And then there’s socializing. Last on the list. I like persons, of course. I do. But I like my alone time a lot as well, especially after spending all day at various offices and in random classes. And buses. All the buses. There’s something about laying on my couch and completely avoiding dealing with people that is so lovely.

So even if I am watching Doctor Who with a close friend and a Whovian that I haven’t met yet on Saturday, I don’t really care whether that means I’m not socializing with everyone I know… Maybe I’ll spend an hour at my office-mate’s potluck, but when 9pm nears there will be nothing to keep me from my Doctor Who premiere. And the connections I’ll make with that.

Because I know that two of my closest friends will likely be attending in their own homes too. And being together separately is a great thing.

August 28, 2014September 6, 2018

Design Donnerstag: The Moment and Falling

Recently I got the idea to bring my artists tablet to my office at grad school, as there are a few times that I have nothing much to do, which lend themselves greatly to designing things.

Meaning midday Friday when I have a three hour chunk of time between classes… And the likelihood that I would do work over my “extended lunchtime” is small.

So last Friday I finished these up!

A simple text based design of a Claudia quote from Warehouse 13:

And an illustration of the Moment button from the DW 50th Anniversary episode. Because why not!

Plus the quote is lovely. If a little sad.

March 20, 2014September 6, 2018

Design Donnerstag – Embroidery Ideas

Hahaha!!

I’ve mastered you now, weekly post! I have finished you three whole days early!

Ahem. Anyway.

Welcome to my design of the week!

I’ve been thinking about embroidery. I kinda miss embroidery.

My grandmother got me hooked. White on white french knots and satin stitch got me through many an awkward moment at family gatherings, and it’s a great excuse for a pre-teen to use to avoid those boring questions about schools and activities, especially when said pre-teen is not in a school-loving mood.

I made this awesome tree design once, and an abstract swirly ocean design.

But it’s been awhile.

Now that I’ll be in a position to get my own apartment, I’ve been thinking about decorations.

Well, if I’m being honest, Apartment Therapy may have more views this week from me than I’ve checked my email.

And I am an obsessive email checker.

So here are some designs!

Enjoy!

March 13, 2014September 6, 2018

Design Donnerstag ~ Strax In Progress

So here we are on another Thursday!

Cause it’s still Thursday here, for another whole hour!

I started this Strax design a view weeks ago when I needed some Doctor sass in my life. I love that Christmas episode, The Snowmen.

And so I began to figure out what I would want in a Strax shirt.

I think this will end up as two shirts in the end, a shirt with Strax’s face, and another with his silhouette and the quote.

His face is missing an eye and his ears, and the quote is missing some oomph.

But it’s coming along!

And now I have a presentation to finish!

February 8, 2014August 19, 2018

Oi! Spaceman!

It’s been a while since I wrote up a real post on subtle cosplay, actually nearly a year.

So it’s time for me to introduce my favorite character from Doctor Who:

Donna Noble! (played by Catherine Tate)

link

She’s the oldest of the new companions, if we’re not counting Jack Harkness of course, and we meet her on the happiest day of her life.

Her wedding day. Of course, since it’s Doctor Who, it quickly becomes the weirdest day.

Her fiancee turns out to be using her to serve his Mistress, an arachnid from the dawn of the Earth whose brood forms the core of the planet. He had been serving her energy particles in her coffee, in order to rescue her Mistress’ children.

Donna is the one that ultimately stops the Doctor from destroying the entire brood.

We don’t see her again for a season, as the lovely Martha Jones is the new companion, but then she returns the following season.

And is generally brilliant, but never really sees herself that way, until the end.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Where she finds that she and the Doctor had been brought together by fate to save the universe and in the process becomes part Time Lord part human (the Doctor-Donna) and ultimately her brain begins to break down under the imaginary weight of this and then the Doctor has to remove all of her memories of him and saving the world and she goes back to being a temp.

***END SPOILERS***

link

Because she’s a little older, she has a slightly more conservative style, by which I mean her clothes are less T-shirts and sweatpants and more office casual day appropriate.

link

Like other companions, she does have a leather jacket, though instead of a bomber jacket style, it’s almost a coat.

link

She’s got bangs and a slightly longer than shoulder length haircut, which works very well with the ginger hair. Sometimes her hair will be up in a ponytail, and sometimes it’ll be down, depending on the adventure.

link

She’s often in a nice shirt and jeans. And by nice shirt I more mean fancier than a simple t-shirt but not quite to blouse status.

link

She’ll sometimes wear nice blazers, or sweaters.

link

But my favorite thing about Donna is that she’s always up for an adventure. Whether its dressing up to meet Agatha Christie or just saving the world, Donna is up for anything!

Oh, and did I mention she’s really the first of the new companions that wasn’t in love with the Doctor? I mean, he’s dreamy, but it can be nice to get away from the “Will they?” question to focus on the fun adventures.

November 23, 2013

Welcome to the Day of the Doctor!

In honor of the occasion I decided to subtly cosplay Donna!

Keep in mind I just woke up, and I’m not in any proper mood to take pictures. I was even too lazy to pull up the blinds. But I am dutifully celebrating the occasion, and I can’t wait to see the show!

And of course I put on my good ol’ TARDIS shoes!

By the way I’ve been doing a good bit of stuff, and have accumulated fabric and I have all sorts of stuff to share, but I currently am letting life get in the way for a bit. Too many projects and stuff due right before finals, and graduate school applications to work on.

But I will catch you up soon!

November 11, 2013August 22, 2022

There’s a swimming pool in my library!

So the leather dying didn’t work out as well as I had hoped, so I got out my acrylic paints and went at it.

See? Not lovely, but for the first time working with leather dye, I think I made out well!

I washed it with some blue, but then it was a little too bright.

Then I washed it with a bit of black, forgetting that I still didn’t have any white to soften it to a dull grey.

So I then washed the entire bit in water, and wiped off most of the black. It left a nice marbled appearance to the leather.

Like an aged River Song journal.

This left me in a good mood about the state of the project.

Then I got busy, so I ended up waiting to sand the altoids tin for a while.

Note to self. Don’t sand indoors. Perhaps wait to do it outside with a slight wind. Breathing in aluminum dust fumes was not my best decision.

By the way, I’m beginning to think that Sharpie products are little bits of miracle.

All summer I’ve been loving the Sharpies with the super fine tips, as I’ve been using them for sketching and stuff.

But my new favorite is this metallic copper one. It adheres rather well to the sanded aluminum, and even looks nice!

Not a whole lot sticks well to this aluminum. I tried to use the gold paint pen I made my Farnsworth with, but it didn’t adhere well. It might have been the pen, or that I was using it over the original altoids paint, but nevertheless.

This looks so much better. But it may need another coat.

Especially after I sanded down the altoids tin. In hindsight, this probably should have been done before the clay “water” was put in, but oh well.

A couple weeks later, meaning this past weekend, I bought some E600, and glued the tin to my leather cover. It took two tries on one of the sides, since the tin was in at an angle, making the leather sides look wonky.