Shiny Things Gallery | Fandom | Final Fantasy | Other
THE COMMISSION
02 December 2020A long time in planning, a long time in making, and a couple of tricks discovered. Mainly that I can make little wooden boxes! The beadwork was already a thing I did, clearly, and this time I sort of had to force myself to actually keep track of how much time they took to make. "A lot", is the answer that everyone else knew and I refused to think about, but once I had a little working system in place, I enjoyed the challenge. And very much the demon chocobo.
The easel stand is a modified mini-easel with a solid panel for the (otherwise floppy) panels to rest against. Tiny black wire loops keep them from sliding off.
The hanging holder was a bit more of a process, since my first iteration was an "over-design" involving a hinged panel with a clear vinyl window. I'd still like to do that for something, but I'd have to figure out how to keep the vinyl from getting scratched up from being breathed upon, let alone actually used. This design was the better option: a solid curved backing acting as a counter-weight, three thin black wires to hold the panel against the backing, and two padded clips on either side to actually keep the panel attached to the board and also to serve as a point to hang the displayed panel from interchangeable chains.
The storage box was the one thing I was least certain about, but turned out to fall together easily once I actually started figuring out how all of the pieces fit together with some reinforcement and so much sanding. I also put a bit of wire at the bottom front and embedded two tiny magnets into the lid so that it snaps closed and stays that way until enough force is applied to open it.
Carbuncle Jacket
04 July 2017A while back, quite some time ago, I got a jacket on Ebay for $8 (shipping included). I needed a more functional jacket than my shredded leather one, and this did nicely. I'd also already become much too emotionally attached to Prompto Argentum from the Episode Duscae demo (bitches love Indy, don't you know)... and the "IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY NOW WATCH SOME BASTARD FUCK IT UP" patch. Because. It spoke to me. I combined them, then set them aside to come back to later.
Final Fantasy XV clearly released since then, and I don't think I'll ever recover so I've stopped trying. I'd been wanting to put something on the back of the jacket for a long while, going back and forth between more complex designs, and then just-- Carbuncle. Specifically, the heraldic Carbuncle featured in one of the Ascension Grid backgrounds. But... I also really adored Carbuncle's FFVIII form. So I did a bit of a mash-up in terms of design, softening and simplifying.
But all of this overlooks the medium. Mixed my own fabric paint with. So. Much. Super fine. Iridescent pearl pigment. That probably comes through in person a lot better than it does in any of the pictures, but I tried. There are about 6-8 thin layers of SPARKLY and color. ...After the 6th layer, I decided that I loved how it was coming out, but I wanted to "age" the design a bit, to make it look a little less perfectly smooth. So... I washed it in the washing machine. Then touched it up, and ta-da, a little extra sparkle, extra dimension which is impossible to get a good picture of, and it looks more "lived-in" rather than having just painted it. Which I like.
Then I attached the seven Swarovski crystals, because me. One, they were in the original artwork (as options/nodes, yes, but still, shiny), and two... extra sparkle, yes please. I also painted little cartoon-y skulls with fangs on the hidden snaps in the front, and attached this little "ROCK STAR" bracelet centerpiece I got on clearance for $1 because I liked it too much to pass it up. The bottom bit was an old plaid shirt I got second-hand and just kind of liked for the fabric years ago, but I'm glad I found a decent use for it; the jacket itself was kind of useless in cooler windy weather because it was so short in the back. (Yes, this is what broke my needle somehow.) There's an official FFXV bandana tied around a sleeve because I could not resist, and various patches and pins. What I never did get was the official FFXV Carbuncle patch, which is horribly ironic.
Special thanks to dying-of-thirst-here for sharing the Ascension Grid backgrounds.
