Prop Day
So what's really great about working with creative people is that it opens up a lot of new paths. You might meet new people, might learn new ways to do things, or can just unwind and talk about similar interests. My good friend Fabricator Djinn has been a bastion for such situations. He has been hosting almost every month a prop day. What does it end up being? All I said before. Some of the prop makers and cosplayers you might look up to and know as household names who are around southern California might be there as well as people looking to break into making things. It's a nice way to spend a day, get some work done, and catch up with people.
Throughout the day people sort of drop in and drop out bringing projects to get help on or just have a cool space to work in. People are sanding, sculpting, and doing wigs. Just a whole variety of work going! Everyone is chatting, having a good time, and just making progress big and small. Someone might show everyone else how to do something new like leatherworking from Kommissar Props or how to do a slush cast with Hoku Props. There's always someone with something you can learn! It's a nice way to have a smallish community driven event where everyone benefits a good deal. Even I got to learn some of these things while documenting it all and got hands on time with some leather, punches, and rivets. Nothing truly beats having a prop consortium prop up for a day. Hopefully as a whole(and it seems to be the plan), this sort of situation pops more often and allows more people to get access and exposure to those who have tools, space, and knowledge. It changes one's entire viewpoint, especially for someone newer that can possibly end up invited and sitting down to talk with someone they never imagined they would meet. It's all very much an exercise in opening doors.
But enough of the overall feel, actions, and consequences of such a situation. This was all possible due to Caleb here, who you will have seen in some of the other photos(of which one was at the start of this build). He opened up his home, his workshop, and his tools to his friends. I have known him for some years and greatly respect the work that he does and enjoy the privilege to come over and get photos of what he happens to be working on. He gives as much as he takes in the knowledge of one craft to the next. If anything it's a wonderful thing to be able to get a bunch of people together to get some stuff done, hang out, and possibly sit around for a bit. In his case this particular build started about the end of March and has come along from pieces of sintra and a blueprint to a fully fleshed out(albeit as of right now slightly unfinished) 3D piece. If anything I know it will be finished in a few days. But that day at his house another friend brought over their own build of Yoko's rifle to just discuss over what might work and what might not. That then progressed into that same friend getting a muzzle brake just like the one affixed after he got the right tool to cut a hexagon. Whether something happens during the allotted prop day or not, it's a very symbiotic relationship of which knowledge and skill are traded back and forth to form better builds and cool bonds.
Thanks for reading though! This is something I kind of wanted to do for a bit, and well... I finally got to! So enjoy a corgi for scale.
Those pictured include:
Crystal Graziano - Precious Cosplay and her husband Todd
Nicole