chelseakenna asked you: 

Hey! I have a random question that was inspired by those drawings and you are my resident historical fashion expert (and I know NOTHING about this stuff). Were the multi-layered undergarments generally worn in cooler climates? Are there examples of alternate options from the same culture/era for trips or living in warmer areas? I cry at the thought of wearing ALL THAT STUFF in, say, here in CA in the summer. For that matter, do you know why so many layers were the preference in these cultures?

So hotter weather would generally mean thinner fabric, and less layers; women could opt for more breathable cotton undergarments:

…skeleton or mesh corsets:

…and/or lightweight linen/cotton dresses:

…All of which would somewhat relieve the stresses of layering up every morning, if not entirely. :)  Lots of activewear and travelwear from the period reflects this sort of thing- way easier to move and sweat in it without getting heat stroke.

I don’t think layers were a preference, per se, so much as they were a necessity to obtain the shaped, inhuman ideal of the period; undergarments kept you from sweating and dirtying your corset, the corset cinches you into shape, the petticoat and corset cover smooth out the lines, etc- they were all ends to a means.

If anyone else has more info on this they are more than welcome to chime in!  Lord knows I DESPISE wearing my Steampunk getup at SDCC.  So gross.

viivus replied to your photo: So the problem with designing characters who…

suddenly I feel really guilty about my lutece drawings

NEVER FEEL GUILTY, you draw them so welllll!  I about lost it when I saw your Professor Layton ones.

So the problem with designing characters who become popular is that, if you’re a needy bastard like me who tracks the Lutece tags when you’re bored, you’re suddenly exposed to a ton of art of said characters in various states of undress.

I’m not one to discourage this sort of thing- no no, I have sketchbooks full of Remus/Sirius stuff from high school- but I figured I might as well give everyone a leg-up with a more detailed guide to Rosalind Lutece’s potential underthings.  I’ve seen a ton of drawings of her in corsets from a good 50 years before her time and I…  I needed to step in.

Think of this as a primer!  Not a be-all-end-all of Edwardian underthings (heck, I’m still learning this stuff), but it might teach you some new fashion terms/ideas you weren’t previously aware of!  Go forth, young padawan, and draw historically-accurate Rosalind porn to your heart’s content.

…I do not know if this counts as fanart or not since I’m the one doing it?  Whatever.  RESEARCH OR DIE MOFOS

Doug (McBride, of Cyan and Rivenguild fame) and I invited Rand Miller out to talk to our team as part of a Microsoft speaker series, and I made a point to have him sign the Myst book replica that Dan made for me.

I am…  I am a happy camper.

(Okay, definitely a bit late on the Artists’ Alley front this year- but WHO AM I to announce that applications are open without a fancy little thematically-appropriate poster?  Gotta stick to my guns.)

Steamcon® V - October 25-27 - Seattle, WA

Steamcon® is going into its third year of Artists’ Alley, a place for Steampunk craftspersons to promote their hand-crafted and Steampunk-relevant wares!  We know that it can be difficult for smaller-scale artisans to afford or procure a full-blown vendor’s table at conventions, so this is a chance for the less mass-produced artists to get their work out there.

Steamcon® will receive Artists’ Alley applications for review until June 1st, at which point we will begin evaluating & accepting exhibitors until the Artists’ Alley is full. All applicants will be juried, and consideration will be based on applicability of wares, date of receipt and diversity of merchandise available in the Artists’ Alley.

• It’s worth noting, for example, that we see a lot of jewelry artisans who work with assembled gears and clock parts.  If you’d like to stand out from the crowd of other applicants, your best bet would be to make something that is uniquely yours.
• Also note that participation in previous Artists’ Alleys does not guarantee that you will be afforded a space this year. We receive a lot of applications at once, and we want to make sure that the Alley is juried for quality and relevance.

If you wish to participate, please read and fill out the application HERE, and send us photos of your wares by e-mailing them to us at artistsalley@steamcon.org.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to shoot me a note at artists_alley@steamcon.org.  We hope to see you in October!

Claire Hummel
Steamcon® V Artists’ Alley coordinator

Oh no, not rude at all!  Honestly, I think I wasn’t as worried about her face- my Belle is outstandingly out-of-character and off-model,  for instance, so it just hasn’t been as much of a priority for me while working on this series.

Interestingly enough, it is worth noting that Maleficent has two models in the film- young/svelte Maleficent at Aurora’s birth:

…and old/angular Maleficent, during the climax of the film:

For better or for worse I was primarily looking at the former as reference, which might slightly explain the softer features.  Not that that’s a legitimate excuse, but there you go. :)

bridgioto:

Old West Luke and Leia! I imagine Leia would be a Mexican princess of sorts…

Coworker/buddy Bridget (CHECK HER OUT) drew up Luke and Leia by way of a Western setting, and badass latina Leia is something I would like to savor for a bit.  Kiiiiinda kicking myself that I didn’t think of this first.  

God I love dagged sleeves.  Almost as much as I love slashed ones.  I just want to dag and slash everything I can get my hands on.

I’ve wanted Maleficent to be the first villain in the series for a while now, ever since I made the mental leap between Maleficent’s horns and 15th century horned hennins.  The time period works out pretty well, actually, since I wanted her to look a little more dated than Aurora’s 1480’s getup- both houppelandes and horned hennins were all the rage during the early- to mid-1400’s, and they make for pretty good analogues to her official costuming.  Sexy stuff.

This proves more than any of the previous pieces that these are adaptations, not improvements.  I mean, look at the original Maleficent design- how does one improve on PERFECTION

-C

See the rest of the series HERE
Read the FAQ HERE
Buy prints HERE

Late night sneak peek for all y’all night owls!  Just finished up the next historical Disney…  Well, not a princess, anyway.

ericafailsatlife:

HEY GUYS! I have a KICKSTARTER UP NOW!!!

It’s for the book Baby’s First Mythos, a lovecraftian children’s book I illustrated a decade ago when I was but a wee high school student. After being in print with Z-Man Games for ten years we got the publishing rights and I’m putting it out myself with entirely new art. GO CHECK IT OUT.

ALL OF THESE LINKS GO TO THE SAME PAGE. I’M JUST EXCITED.

Also, I apologize for the video. I really couldn’t get any video editing software to either download or install. It really was amazing.

The insanely talented Erica Henderson (my buddy/former roommate back at RISD) just started a Kickstarter campaign to redraw and publish an updated version of her Lovecraftian children’s book, Baby’s First Mythos!

The original is out of print and was already cute as hell, so imagine that but with even better art.  And extra content.  And prints.  It’s…  Its a pretty great deal.

GO SUPPORT HER SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS

-C

My piece for LTD Art Gallery’s Tentacles show that opened this weekend!  If you’re in the area, definitely worth scoping it out while it’s up.

I haven’t done pyrography/wood burning in any substantial capacity since high school, but I wanted to get away from digital for a bit since I so rarely get to sell originals at shows- this was my compromise where I didn’t have to worry about finding all my paints.

I’ve also been dying to draw a girl in a nautilus-shaped helmet for something like eight years now, so finally MAKING THAT HAPPEN in a real way

Okay I really need to catch up on some sleep