Laser Cut - Tumblr Posts
A batch of fig leaf codpieces from last month, done in black leather and hardware. I’d originally designed this as a bit of a joke, and I’d just about given up on them, then someone asked for this set for a group of their friends who were going to a Pride event. So these went to a group of satyrs in bondage harnesses.
The client asked for black hardware to match the harnesses they’d be wearing, so that was the tricky thing about this order. I had to source the hardware from a couple different places, but they ended up matching pretty well. And now I know a couple more suppliers that had some good stuff.
I don’t think I’ll have the black hardware up as a regular option, since keeping more hardware in stock eats into my space and materials investment budget. (Also the rivets were sufficiently differently sized from my regular ones that they were A Pain.) But I could get them again for the right project.
The regular version of these codpieces is available on my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/702512626/fig-leaf-codpiece
I often make these corroded masks to use parts of a hide of leather that's got some surface imperfection. I'll position the rusting-away part of the mask over an area with nicks or blemishes, and the dye tends to accentuate it nicely.
This version of this mask is re-drawn so it works with glasses, too.
Etsy link!
Progress shots of a new dragon mask! Showing the end result first. I really like how the whole thing came together.
This was a modification/simplification of the full-head dragon mask I made a bit over a year ago. I shrunk it down so it was just a face mask, not whole head, with some adjustments and fixes to the shaping along the way. I pulled it in closer to the head relative to the big one, so it no longer has space to wear glasses, which is a bit of a bummer, but the proportions were just too weird when I tried to maintain that. I laser-cut the pieces out of 6 oz vegetable-tanned leather, which is just a bit thicker than what I typically use, and had a really nice solidity to it.
After much deliberation, I went with an iridescent blue finish for an aquatic look. It's a translucent acrylic paint, applied over 3 different base colors, though the middle one wasn't as differentiated as I'd hoped.
For the eyes I used an acrylic plastic with a subtle sheen of green, that reflects somewhat different colors depending on the angle of the light.
The last step will be to make the straps to buckle it on with.
This insectoid leather mask is nothing but huge bug eyes and antennae. The big housefly eyes have an iridescent green sheen, and the antennae glow in the dark.
It fits over glasses, too! A bit hard to see them in the photo though.
4 oz vegetable-tanned leather, cut with a laser cutter, dyed black, and painted with acrylics.
I’m thinking about making a bunch of heads like this to use as display props when selling at conventions and craft fairs. I'll probably want to simplify the pattern a bit, but this was a good first shot. It seems to fit a mask fairly well as is, so the basic gist is good.
Aren't you tired of having a face?
This mask came about because I'd previously done a featureless screen/mesh mask, but wasn't super happy with that design. So I set about to shift the concept a bit. I think I personally like this one better. It reduces the shape of the face even more.
5-6 oz vegetable-tanned leather, laser-cut, hand-dyed and -stitched, then wet-formed with a minimally curved profile. Finished with a glossy acrylic coat.
And it's up on my Etsy shop!
These demon masks are always fun to make. I like playing with different color combinations between the face and the horns. This one’s got red and yellow.
4 oz vegetable-tanned leather, laser-cut, hand-dyed and formed, stitched together with waxed nylon thread.
Etsy link
Here’s a codpiece that someone ordered, in the natural un-dyed color of the leather. Though the oil I rub into it to make the straps supple darkens it noticeably, so I gave the codpiece some oil as well to bring it closer to that color.
This style of codpiece is available on my Etsy shop here.
This was a first attempt at making a cuff bracelet wallet. An idea that a friend had suggested back when needing a little pocket to store cash and ID while going to a club was a problem that one could have.
I had fun with the pattern on the front side, though it turned out looking more like a sofa than I’d expected. The next iteration will probably be rainbow stripes or a paw print or something like that.
The basic premise turned out pretty reasonably, and this let me figure out some edits I’d need to make for the next version. (Like, one big pocket with one opening is not the best, I need to have it open on both sides, and maybe break it up into smaller pocket slots. And preferably use a thinner leather on the interior. And make it significantly looser, IDs don’t bend very well.) (Also, turns out white thread darkens when you repeatedly pull it through laser-cut stitching holes.)
I’d made this figuring I’d keep it for myself, but it turned out I got the sizing about a half inch too small, so it’s too tight for me to wear comfortably. So if anyone’s got a wrist size 6.5″ or smaller, feel free to make me an offer for this. I suspect I’ll need to make it rather wider to actually fit an ID without bending it too badly, so might not fulfill its intended utility, but it’s still a cool cuff bracelet.
2 layers of 4 oz vegetable-tanned leather, cut with a laser cutter, dyed and stitched by hand, with mink oil to soften it up, and finished with an acrylic-based clear coat. Snaps are nickel-plated brass.
Made a black version of my steampunk-ish respirator mask (previously seen here), also wanted to show it with the option for attaching with just a simple cord to knot instead of the full buckle arrangement. 4 oz vegetable-tanned leather, laser-cut, dyed and sewn together by hand, with brass screen beneath the grating. Not protective on its own, but you can wear it over a disposable or cloth mask. Available on my Etsy shop!
Here’s a dark brown version of the Airship Mechanic respirator mask I designed recently, on request of a customer.
The brown here is a dye that I got fairly recently. It’s a different type of dye than I normally use, and it worked pretty well, though I’m not sure I liked working with it as much. I went for a matte finish, which I think goes well with this aesthetic.
This design previously seen here and here, and available on my etsy here.
Just finished up this lined leather collar! It’s got a gold base layer, which shows through the geometric filigree cut pattern in the top strap.
I tried one of these a few years ago, but for this one I updated the design with a heavier leather, and also made it easier to assemble.
1 inch base strap, total collar width is 2 inches. Made with 8 ounce vegetable-tanned strap leather, a heavy but soft garment leather for the lining, and nickel-plated D-ring, roller buckle and rivets.
This one does have a defect, where insufficiently dried black dye soaked through to the base strap along the edges. It’s not visible when it's worn, but I've lowered the price to account for this error. (It’s embarrassing when that sort of thing happens, but I guess I learned something about this new dye for the future.)
It’s available on my Etsy store!
More photos, carry on.
Made a black version of my steampunk-ish respirator mask (previously seen here), also wanted to show it with the option for attaching with just a simple cord to knot instead of the full buckle arrangement. 4 oz vegetable-tanned leather, laser-cut, dyed and sewn together by hand, with brass screen beneath the grating. Not protective on its own, but you can wear it over a disposable or cloth mask. Available on my Etsy shop!
Progress shots of making a Lucario costume, my most recent big project. First up, the mask!
As per usual, I designed it in 3D in Rhino, laid out all the pieces, and cut it with my laser cutter. I decided to stitch this mask together, so I included all the holes for the thread when laser cutting it.
Next was to dye it, and start on the process of sewing it all together by hand. At each step I soak the new pieces in water to make them flexible, and sculpt it to shape as I’m doing the stitching. When the leather dries, it stiffens up again. Last step is putting a finish coat on it--here I used a glossy clear coat. The ears had to wait until the main mask had gotten the finish coat.
Preliminary photos of the outfit here.
Lucario pup mask! Look at those little teeth!
I made the original last Halloween, expecting it to stay a personal project, so I was surprised and excited to get a request to make a copy. This one was updated with my standard 5-point strap arrangement (for the original I tried out a 3-point setup that turned out to be not very secure), black inner ears, and a mouth with cute little teeth!
The client is putting together a sweet Lucario outfit, you should check him out: https://twitter.com/niko_piros/status/1429169615502991366 (that post is suggestive, elsewhere on his profile has some fully 18+ content). He’s also previously put together probably my favorite pup play outfit out there, a very good Bowser themed set of gear.
