Spock's Pickled Brain

So, if you've been following along, you may have seen the Dinotopian map tube DIY that was posted last week. If you haven't, well, it's a fun post. You should go read it. But onward! Anyways, after the rampant and totally unexpected success of the map tube, I decided to make something a little more creative to add to my Dinotopian cosplay. I liked the idea of having a useful, well-prepared belt (one might even call it a...utility belt? I may have read too much Batman). And since my character is something of a librarian, I wanted to have another way to carry/display the tools of their trade. What I ended making was kind of like a pocket protector that doesn't protect your pockets. but it does look way cooler, so I figured it was an acceptable trade. Materials: - A sheet of semi-stiff plastic or cardboard (I cut apart a plastic folder to make this) - Enough fabric to cover the front of your panel, with maybe an inch for seam allowance, plus a little left over for the belt...

Alright, to cap off our random trawl through Dinotopia and Terra Nova, I wanted to show how I made the awesome accessories from my Dinotopian librarian look. Up this week is the document tube! This is a great prop because it's useful and (as all the best props are) dead simple to make. The sewing takes some time and force (note: get a thimble. Or at least a pair of decent pliers), but the construction is super simple. So stand back and get ready to make... a TUBE. Honestly, you're not even making a tube, you're just decorating it. Materials: -A cardboard tube, ~12 inches long (the sturdier, the better. You can certainly do this with just a wrapping paper tube, but I used a heavier tube used for transporting art, and I would highly recommend it.) - Enough fabric to cover the tube, plus a little extra (you need at least a little overlap on all the edges. I think I ended up using a sheet of crocodile skin pleather about 14" x 12") -...

Okay, so if you're not familiar with Dinotopia, the short and long of the "Skybax" creatures is that they function sort of as domesticated pterodactyls. A special Dinotopian corps bonds with these skybax and serves as the island's air force, scouts, and high order messengers. So I wanted to make one. And I tried, twice, with varied results. Neither of these actually look much like the skybax, but I'm pretty happy with the plushy demon birds I ended up with. On the left, we see Gurney's majestic original skybax! And on the right, kind of a ugly duckling. But it's still my baby, and it's still way better than my original attempt. Hint, hint: the key here is to make the design as simple as possible, and to make all the fiddly bits out of something you're better at. Phase One: The Two-Dimensional Approach (aka The Roadkill ) So this was my first attempt. It's pretty crude, I'm not going to lie, but it is basically recognizable a...

The Skybax Flying high among the clouds, some of the most daring humans of Dinotopia accomplish feats of endurance and skill thanks to their bond with their Skybax companions. In Canyon City one might imagine the cadets celebrating their successes with a cocktail like this. The citrus, bitters, and burn of the ingredients are complemented with the sweetness of the whipped cream. With such a dreamy concoction, the sky is no longer the limit. Ingredients: 1.5oz tequila 1oz blue curacao 0.25-0.5oz sambuca Whipped cream Longevus Elixir Dinotopians enjoy lengthened life due to their daily imbibement of the herb Arctium longevus . Although usually drunk as a tea, newly shipwrecked adventurers may find some comfort in combining some of their treasured rum stores with a few Dinotopian ingredients. Careful though, the elixir is quite strong for those without the constitution of a stegosaurus. Ingredients: 1.5oz spiced rum 1.5oz applejack 0.5oz goldschlaeger or similar cinn...

Ah Dinotopia, land of sentient dinosaurs, peaceful humans, and an eclectic sartorial tastes. I love Dinotopia as a fantasy world for several reasons, but most of it what makes it distinct and memorable is through the art of the original books. The world of Dinotopia is colorful and diverse, and the clothing throws together aesthetics from a wide variety of cultures and historical periods. And yet, at least in the original books, it also has a focus on 19th century European/Victorian era explorers. Which makes sense since that's where the point-of-view characters (namely Arthur and Will Denison) come from. With that in mind, here's my spin on a Victorian-esque explorer with a Dinotopian spin. To create this costume I pulled from depictions of the Denisons from the James Gurney books and wily Cyrus Crabb from the Dinotopia miniseries. Perhaps a little more from Cyrus Crabb, as he has a penchant for elaborate tapestry-style coats with some practicality. Inspirations ...