Spock's Pickled Brain

The Wayne Wake-Up Call Bruce Wayne, apart from being a weird, bat-themed vigilante, is also a cosmopolitan, well-traveled gentleman. In my imagination, he brings with home many of the customs and recipes from his travels, including the combination of coffee and anise liqueur common to Italy and the surrounding areas. The spiced rum adds a lovely richness to the drink that I think Billionaire Bruce Wayne would appreciate. Note: this cocktail is not for the faint of heart, it's full of strong flavors, and it most certainly tastes like licorice. Ingredients .25oz sambuca (or another anise-flavored liqueur) 2oz dark spiced rum 4oz hot coffee (unsweetened) Instructions Make yourself some coffee, and while it's still nice and hot, add in the rum and sambuca and enjoy! The Grayson All-Nighter Whereas Bruce is all about the elegant morning (or afternoon), I think Dick (the first Robin) is more likely to create this cocktail in a slap-happy haze after spending...

Just as Jason Todd's Red Hood wields two guns in Red Hood and the Outlaws , he also wears dual holsters. In most of the comics this comes off as not far off a western gunslingers two-gun rig, black or sometimes silver/grey to match the rest of the costume. Again I was running short of time, but as I had the right belt it only took me two evenings to whip up these holsters from scratch and to figure out the needed strap lengths. The last time I made a holster I had a pattern to follow, but turns out the shape is simple enough to make on the fly. This method can also work for a variety of other quick holster builds, and the rivets and faux leather give it a nice touch. Materials -Black leather belt with rectangular silver buckle -Black flexible binder -Black "leather" vinyl fabric -Rivets -Velcro Tools -Scissors -Crop-o-dile (holepunch and riveter) -Needle/thread Reference Image 1. Gather the materials Most of these materials are cheap and easy to fin...

So I was running out of time to create a Red Hood costume and trying to think of how to recreate the iconic hood. I didn't have the time to build a helmet, so instead I went simple. How could I get the basic look of the helmet without buying a ready-made one? Instead I opted for a mask, which gave me the time to finish the costume in time for a convention. Here's the quick method for making this kind of mask.  Materials -Laser tag mask -Red cotton broadcloth Tools -Scissors -Paper/pencil -Sharpie -Scrap fabric -Duct tape Reference Image 1. Gather the materials As this is the quick and dirty version of Red Hood's mask it doesn't need much in the way of materials. The base mask is a laser tag mask I bought for $5 at a Five Below store, and I bought a remnant of red cotton fabric with a heavy discount. The remnants section of the fabric store is a great place, they'll sell less than 1 yard end pieces for dirt cheap. The other too...

In making a Red Hood costume, I decided to adapt a shirt in place of the bulky body armor seen in the comics. I used a thrift store find athletic shirt and made an iron-on logo, a simple project that looks pretty damn professional and slick. I was originally was going to sew on a decal I'd cut from some red fabric, but jumped at this opportunity to try a different technique. Making a customized superhero shirt is incredibly easier and doesn't take a lot of tools or skill. I used this iron-on transfer paper designed for use with a Cricut machine, but for a simple logo like this it's easy enough to cut it by hand. Reference Image Materials -Black athletic shirt -Red Cricut Sportflex Iron-On transfer sheet Tools -Paper/pencil -Ruler -Hobby knife -Iron 1. Gather the materials In the comics it's much more likely the Red Hood is wearing body armor, but try wearing body armor and then a leather jacket over the top. So instead of armor I went ...

Hey, we're back today with another episode of Casual Cosplay! I wasn't really planning it, when I recreating my casual Catwoman look for the blog, I realized that I could also do an easy Batgirl spin on this concept as well (Barbara Gordon, naturally). This costume is a little more on-the-nose than the Catwoman build, but it's still casual enough to wear out and about as well. Also, the note about my photography and editing skills still stands. Behold... Also also, Fred is continuing his turn as my clothes model. Why yes I do happen to have a purple moto jacket in my closet I call this one the comic book filter Ah, the mysterious Bat-watch... The Components: Skirt Like I said before, you can't go wrong with a leather mini skirt. I love this skirt, so I kept it for this costume as well. Shirt As I recall, I stumbled upon this bat-shirt in a Goodwill. It's a little faded, but that's just fashion, isn't it? Tights Sadly, ...

I know I was making an original superhero build, but I'm side-tripping into creating a Red Hood costume. Jason Todd's Red Hood, because obviously that's way cooler than the old-school ridiculous villain. Once upon a time I knew nothing about Batman's series of Robins or how one went all anti-hero, but alas. Anyway, read or watch Batman: Under the Red Hood , it's a great Batman story arc and you don't have to be a Batman expert to enjoy it. Jason Todd as the Red Hood is pretty awesome, and the costume is at once simple but also iconic, so I decided I'd try putting it together. Although in Under the Red Hood he only wields one gun, his later series of Red Hood and the Outlaws has him dual-wielding the weapons Batman shuns like the plague. So here's a basic tutorial on painting some plastic toys to fit the costume. Materials -Toy guns -Primer spray paint -Black satin spray paint -Clear coat enamel spray paint -Silver metallic lustre ...