Costume-Con 30 Featured Artists
Lance Ikegawa
Ever since he was a little kid watching "Ultraman", Lance has loved dinosaurs and big, rubber monsters. Two monsters fighting? One man's heaven.
When he settled in Los Angeles many years ago, he met people who made monsters for a living. Through their kind patience Lance was able to grasp basic monster-building techniques and a few tricks. He learned quite a few of these from working with Kathy Sanders. Later he teamed up with Lynette Eklund. Lance and Lynette shared a passion for costumes that find ways to hide the human form.
Lance has worked hard to create monsters that have good movement and personality. Over the years he developed a process for making monsters that starts from the outside. He studies the shape and outline of the creature and will often make a small sheet foam maquette. Once he figures out the extremes to which a human body can be jammed inside that shape, construction begins from the inside out. Eyeholes and venting are designed to maximize what little comfort can be had; struts and muscles are carved and covered in spandex to allow for movement. Finally, over this structure the outside shell — foam or fur — is laid.
The key to designing beasts is knowing what they will be doing: walking around a carnival or stomping miniature cities? If their main purpose will be as a walk-around, then cooling, mobility and vision are huge. Stomping buildings? Then we're talking quick takes and vision (and air) are less important than hiding eye and vent holes. If the creature needs to get on a stage, blunder about and die, then looks and movement take priority over comfort; a compromise is met between vision and realism. On top of all that is the importance of building personality into the creature so that even small movements add to his personality.
Lance's favorite costumes to date are his Warg, Mortimer (with Lynette as the Warg Rider), the Blue Meanie shown at Renovation, and any werewolf. He loves villains and is a proud member of the "Anything Goes School of Masquerade Arts" performing group (AGSMA). He is always looking for ways to push his skills in costume design.
John & Bjo Trimble
Bjo and John Trimble are two of the nicest people you will ever have the opportunity to meet; whether you know them from their natural dye supply company (Griffin Dyeworks), their work in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism - Order of the Pelican, Laurel and Baron & Baroness of the Barony of the Angels), Science Fiction fandom or saving Star Trek (the original) in the pre-PC era using snail mail, mimeographs, typewriters and telephone chains.
We are delighted to have both of these extraordinary people as Featured Artists at CostumeCon30. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and learn from these fabulous people.
They are two of our Judges for the Single Pattern/Wearable Art Costume Contest.
P.S. Yes John, keeping artistic people on track and organized is an Art Form.