Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Making for a Masked Ball

Alex and Bambi made costumes, including masks, and props, for the Labyrinth of Jareth Masquerade. From the Masquerade website... "Costumes fitting our theme are required. Imaginative costumes highly recommended." They were designing, sewing, sculpting, cutting, gluing, painting, researching, and happily anticipating this moment, and the event ahead, for days and days.

Sewn into the fabric of Bambi's dress are tiny LEDs that light up and twinkle, like fireflies.



Costumes and props are finished, they have their forms and driving directions... so off they go!

Here are some glimpses of the making of costumes, masks, and other details... and if you like sewing, design, art, robots, cosplay, STEAM education, electronics, programming, 3D printing, CNC routing, woodworking, metalworking, all kinds of making, please follow BOoMNerds on Instagram! Thank you.

Alex is always carrying around one, or more, sketchbooks. And they are full of concepts, designs, tests, ideas, and beautiful art.

His masks begin in a sketchbook, then move into plaster, which he can use to build a custom fit. Then comes sculpting the modeling in clay, in this case, so he can vacuum-form the actual mask.

The texture of the vacuum-formed plastic has a great effect, so Alex didn't bother sanding it, and went straight to the paint.

A lot of testing and experimenting went into the wings. These, Alex modeled after the wings of a cicada, and he hand-cut them from foamcore... the same handy material William used to make Prince Phillip's shield for the Sleeping Beauty musical.

Drying rack... which happens to be a box William is constructing for one of his skeletons, but that's another story.

These are Bambi's finished wings! Alex is testing them for placement on her dress. Bambi designed and made her dress. We need more pictures... I want to show, between all the layers of tulle in her skirt, the fireflies!

Alex designed his outfit, too, and he and William sewed it.

Also out of Alex's sketchbook and research, came the designs for this prop sword. Alex handed his drawings over to William who modeled 11 separate parts, including this handle and pommel, in 3D Studio Max, MudBox, and MeshMixer (Autodesk, whenever you would like to sponsor our club, Benevolent Order of Makers, we would be honored.) The parts were 3D printed from William's renderings, glued together, sanded, and painted. The cool part... it's a handle, with a jewel glued on, and a scabbard, but there is no actual sword. It was made to safely pass through security without alarming anyone. A thorough prop prop.


Alex twisted the wire detail to go around the glass jewel, and finished the prop by wrapping Pearl cotton around the handle and a section of the scabbard. You can also see the sash William sewed.

This is the beautiful mask Bambi made. I love the floating jewels. There are more parts, more details... and we're still cleaning up! The creativity is wonderful, but the collaboration is what really excites me. It's exciting, too, to hear them talk about how much they learn with each new project, and how much it inspires them for the next project.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Get Making! For San Diego Maker Faire 2017

Are you ready? Are you making?
We have some helpful links for you...
whether you are looking for tickets for attending,
want to share your creations,
or would love to enjoy the benefits of volunteering,
this is the post for you!

It's coming back: San Diego Maker Faire!
October 7 & 8, 2017,
In Balboa Park~

It's time to get connected~

Get your early bird tickets!
Maker Faire is the Greatest Show and Tell on Earth,
and it's also a terrific value for the whole family. There's plenty to see and do in Balboa Park during Maker Faire...
consider visiting both days, to enjoy everything!

We love the volunteers!
Sign up to help at Maker Faire, and you will enjoy being a part of creating an amazing event.
Do it for the fun! Do it for the perks! Do it to connect with your community!

Share your Making! Be a Maker Faire Exhibitor!
All applications must be submitted by August 31.
It's easy to apply to be an exhibitor at Maker Faire,
and it's a gratifying experience to share your creations at a Maker Faire.

The BOoM Nerds have been getting together to share projects and ideas, to mentor, tinker, play, and make.


Big robots are awesome. Electronics light us up! We love 3D printing, CNC milling, virtual reality, and telepresence robotics. We go in for Viking tents.
Global Scratch Day made our day.

We love to make, and we love to share...
now it's a only a matter of deciding on what to bring
to San Diego Maker Faire.

Floral Crown Making~

Maleficent's Dragon~

More props from Sleeping Beauty~

Our March for Science Laputa Robot~

Makers code~

Makers invent, craft, tinker,
sew, cook, garden, design, research,
construct, cooperate, mentor, and play!


We exhibit hands-on projects at Maker Faire~

We make friends at Maker Faire~

We could bring Crochet Club to Maker Faire~

So... what should we bring to share??
It seems the only difficulty of a Maker Faire,
is making decisions!
What will you be making?