Deviation Actions
Description
Magpie
Picture top left: Kroontje
Picture bottom left: Ed van Rouwendal (cropped)
Picture bottom right: Mark van Hooijdonk
Picture middle right: Kroontje (cropped)
Drawings: me
Originally made for Elf Fantasy Fair Haarzuilens, 2014
The magpie has been my favourite animal for at least 10 years: It's intelligent, it's pretty, it has its own kind of elegance and has a reputation of stealing shiny stuff. The only thing to dislike about magpies is the dratted noise they make.
But with a long lasting passion for the bird like that, the idea of making a costume based on one was bound to happen.
I came by a tutorial for 'arm wings' by Cupcake Cosplay, and I immediately knew that was what I wanted for my Magpie. After all, putting wings on my back would not fit my design, I am the magpie itself, and adding wings would make my arms... unintended creepy additions. I decided to make the feathers longer and not fill up the space in between, creating a more ray-like profile. Filling up more space with smaller feathers would not have followed the built-up of a magpie's wing, and was therefore - for me - out of the question.I put way too much work in the skirt, considering how it is barely noticeable that it's open, or even that it's supposed to represent a tail. I did intend the white of the skirt to shine through from the inside, but not as much as it ended up doing. The lines of the hoops seemed to scare off photographers, resulting in an entire fair full of pictures and only a single one straight from the front. On which I have knees covered in grass, as the law of Murphy dictates. The hoopskirt kept sagging under the weight of the overskirt, and I had to keep it upright by adding bicycle wheel spokes through the front.
The only things I didn't make or adapt for this costume were the corset, the shoes and the pantyhose.