PUREVILE! Process: Headpiece {"In the Quietus"}

"How Long did that take?!?!?"

"Why does it cost SO MUCH!?!?!?"

"Where do you get your ideas?!?!?!"

Im always asked these questions or questions like these....and while we all like to afford ourselves some mystery...I want to pull back the veil a bit a show you a peek into my process...and although not everything takes the time and the multiple steps as THIS particular project did...it can give you a little insight into how i work.....

I was asked by Five & Diamond in San Francisco to be a part of their Headdress exhibit last year...the only criteria was we had to somehow use a leather flight helmet they gave us and incorporate it into the design.....

So i decided to do a headdress that incorporated a taxidermy deer form....and that evoked Grimms Fairy tales and Victorian Melodramas....Women wandering on the Moors...crying for lost loves...

....and this is how it all went down....

First pieces were gathered and a basic mark was made that was to later be carved away.... {as seen above}

Then i added PVC piping and a piece of wood to secure the antlers to the foam head

Then i spent the better part of a day carving out their hollow....and also enede up covered in super fine and super itchy foam.....

i then sat it on the helmet for "fit"

Please with the fit i temporarily instead the antlers to make sure i achieved maximum height!!!

Then the {faux} leather application began....I glued and secured {with pins} certains areas at a time leaving some seam allowance for later

I made sure to pay close attention to the nose and musculature details when gluing so there would be good definition...

I added huge vintage chandelier crystal globes for the eyes

polyfill was added so there wasn't such a sever jump from the foam to the helmet and at this point the helmet and deer head were attached 

ears were made with velvet interiors to create depth and texture

antlers were inserted and affixed with glue AND screws

very fine mesh was draped to create a veil 

the leather was not only glued but hand stitched at specific points to highlight muscle and to add a creepy quality

Black chandelier crystals were also added for drama and shine

and thats that...from start to finish......a little peek into my process...and like i said not everything takes this much time or this many steps....but its also not like POOF its done...{like people sometimes think}...theres a lot of blood and sweat...and blood...and glue...and blood....theres is a process theres a method to all this madness....and it helps to be familiar with power tools and Home Depot!!!!

The piece was dubbed "In the Quietus" and had a lovely story i wrote {which i cannot find} about how the Quietus is this horse Specter that appeared to grieving widows in the Victorian era...and would lead them into the woods where they would spend 3 days grieving...their texas would catch on the creatures huge antlers and when they left after the 3 days their sadness was lessened if not completely gone...something along those lines....

And then not long after my friend Shane {aka SEVERLY MAME} got to wear it in a Halloween fashion show at Dances of Vice!!!! He is a sure footed Drag Queen and even tipsy pulled this OFF!!!!

So there you are from conception to completion!!! Thanks for taking this journey with me!!!!

XOXO