Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles is currently hosting a group exhibition featuring art inspired by Adult Swim shows. The art exhibit opened last Friday and features over 100 artists from around the world paying tribute to programs like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Squidbillies, Robot Chicken, Venture Brothers; As well as live action comedies like Delocated, Childrens Hospital and Tim & Eric. Notable artists include Veronica Fish, Scott Listfield, Olly Moss, Dave Perillo, Jay “Ironjaiden” Shaw, and Steve Thomas.

Gallery 1988 is well-known throughout the Los Angeles art scene for displaying pop-culture themed artwork as well as showcasing artwork of emerging artists & designers. The Adult Swim Tribute Show is being held from January 13th through February 4th on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Visit Gallery 1988′s site for information about the gallery and upcoming shows.

Can’t make it to the show? You can buy original art and prints from the show at Gallery 1988 online! Check out our photo gallery and video from the opening reception below!

[Show as slideshow]

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We barely gave you Venturoos any notice and worst yet we set it at potentially the busiest time of year but that didn’t mean some didn’t rise to the challenge. Of the Christmas videos shared one certainly made everyone smile. It featured the fan favorite Hard Candy Christmas as song by 21, 24 and the Monarch.

The winner of the 2011 Venture Brothers Christmas Karaoke contest is… envelope please…

Rachel Elise Sigman and Mike Theopano for their live action rendition of Hard Candy Christmas.

If you haven’t seen this video and it’s many outtakes you can and should watch it. We can’t imagine how much time it took and how frustrated they may have gotten while trying to remember lines and synchronize themselves to the song. We appreciate all the hard work! As an extra bonus besides the miniature Venture Bros. vehicles and the his and hers henchman masks we are adding a fresh roll of scotch tape, in case Rachel decides to cosplay the Monarch again.

On behalf of the entire Venture Brothers fan community, we thank you for sharing!

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[Venture Bros. Blog]

As this year comes to a close, we a look back at the Venture news and interviews that made 2011. Below is a selection of some of our favorite moments from this year. Highlights include Bif Bang Pow’s Venture Bros. toyline ; 2011 Convention Coverage; Venture Party at Dragon*Con; Teasers and Trailers; Home Video Release; Creator Interviews and more! And with Venture Bros. Season 5 in the works… the Future is WOW!

Brock Samson Statue by Sideshow Collectibles
Revealed last month in 12 Days of Sideshow, a sneak peek at the Brock Samson and Molotov Cocktease statues by Sideshow Collectibles. Posted this week online is a closer look at the Brock Samson collectible. According to Sideshow’s website, the statues are will be available for pre-order starting February 3rd. [read more]

JG Thirlwell’s Manorexia Live – January 9th
JG Thirlwell’s Manorexia will be playing a rare show on a bill with Californian string ensemble Calder Quartet at Le Poisson Rouge on January 9 2011. Manorexia will be premiering some new arrangements, including some works from the forthcoming surround sound Manorexia album “Dinoflagellate Blooms”. [read more]

Too Art For TV 5 – March 25th
Erebuni Gallery, in collaboration with the curating group BunnyCutlet, is proud to host the fifth annual showing of Too Art for TV, an exhibition featuring exceptional new works from 40 animation industry artists. After it’s first opening in 2006, Too Art for TV has become an important and reliable outlet for New York [read more]

A Closer Look at New Venture Bros. Prototypes
Posted on Adult Swim’s Facebook page is a closer look at new Venture Bros. action figure prototypes. Bif Bang Pow debuted 6 new prototypes at the 2011 American International Toy Fair. The new action figures include Dr. Venture Sr., Rusty Venture, Molotov Cocktease, Billy Quizboy, Dr. Henry Killinger [read more]

WEEP – The Passion of Lovers
Remember in grade school when you would be forced to give everyone in your class a Valentine, and by the end of the day you’d have this pile of cards all professing unflinching devotion? Well now that you’re grown up you’re lucky to get a Snickers with a Post-it attached to it reading “Here is some candy.” WEEP [read more]

Adult Swim T-Shirt Remixer by Nonsek
The distinctive world of Adult Swim is about to get remixed. Adult Swim has teamed up with Nonsek Remix, the innovative custom apparel designer. Adult Swim fans can “remix” their favorite characters from shows like Robot Chicken, Metalocalypse, The Venture Bros. and Squidbillies to create altogether new and unique art [read more]

Superjail! Season 2 Premiere – April 3rd
The hit series Superjail! is getting slammed back in general population for a second season of destruction premiering Sunday, April 3 at midnight (ET, PT) on Adult Swim. Double the insanity. Double the crazy. Double the pain of being kicked in the guts really hard. Season 2 makes Season 1—which had a body [read more]

Adult Swim’s Ragbag of Jollification Carnival
Adult Swim Presents: The Ragbag of Jollification, 10-City Carnival Tour Kicks Off March 30! Games of Skill and Chance, Live Music, and Free Crap Invade College Towns! Come one, come all! Sideshow curiosities! Swag! Food! Balloons! Indie rock! Hip-hop! Freak shows! Exclamation points! Adult Swim packs up the trailer and [read more]

MoCCA: The Cross Hatch Carousel – April 9th
MoCCA Presents, The Cross Hatch Carousel, cartoon slide shows presented by Kate Beaton, Lisa Hanawalt, Michael Kupperman, Jeffrey Lewis, Ted Stearn, hosted by R. Sikoryak. Special guest voices Adam Conover, Julie Klausner, and Jackson Publick. For more information on The Cross Hatch Carousel [read more]

Adult Swim Renews The Venture Bros.
Jackson Publick posted a new blog entry to Publick Nuisance. Entitled ‘Countdown To Wow-Town‘, Jackson writes that they have recently signed a new contract with Adult Swim for two more seasons and that they have officially started writing new episodes. With the new contract is a 60 to 90 minute Venture Bros. special; It is unclear [read more]

S4V2 on DVD and Season 4 on Blu-ray
Fans of The Venture Bros. have reason to rejoice on March 22, when Adult Swim releases the long-awaited Season 4, Volume 2 on DVD, and the entire Season 4 on Blu-ray. Bonus features abound on the DVD, and the Blu-ray will include deleted scenes and commentary tracks for each episode. Experience all the highs, lows, [read more]

Molotov Cocktease Collectible Statue Revealed
Sideshow Collectibles reveals an exclusive Molotov Statue will be available for Pre-Order through the Sideshow Newsletter on Thursday, April 28th, which is typically published between 2PM and 3PM (Pacific Time). The Exclusive Molotov Statue, which will include a switch-out left arm with ‘come hither’ hand will be priced [read more]

Venture Bros. Special Premieres July 24th
New bump reveals upcoming premiere dates of shows on Adult Swim. 2011 premiere dates include Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Childrens Hospital, Mongo Wrestling Alliance, NTSF:SD:SUV, Venture Bros. Special, Squidbillies, Robot Chicken and two mystery shows in October. The Venture Bros. Special is scheduled to [read more]

Adult Swim Upfront Event
Adult Swim celebrated a new slate of programming for the 2011-12 season last night during their star-studded annual Upfront event in New York City. Coming off a stellar first quarter, in which the network added an hour of primetime to its schedule. Adult Swim Announces New Programming Line-Up, New Series and [read more]

Exclusive Look at Rusty Venture Lunch Box
Toy makers Bif Bang Pow gives us an exclusive look at the new Rusty Venture action figure set and lunch box. Action figures revealed as a convention exclusive for San Diego and New York Comic Con 2011. The set includes young Rusty Venture and Dr. Jonas Venture Sr. and comes with a limited edition “Tin Tote.” The Rusty [read more]

Venture Bros. Special Airs – August 28th
The Venture Bros. Special ‘From The Ladle To The Grave: The Story of Shallow Gravy’ will premiere on August 28th at midnight. According to Adult Swim’s on-air schedule, four episodes will air leading up to the special. Episodes include the season four finale of ‘Operation P.R.O.M.’ and ‘Everybody Comes to Hanks.’ Also [read more]

Adult Swim: Venture Bros. Panel Video
Released on AdultSwim.com is official footage from the Venture Bros. panel at San Diego Comic-Con. Jackson Publick, Doc Hammer and James Urbaniak grab the mic and drop truth bombs on the Comic-Con fanbase. Venture Bros. panel was recorded on Friday, July 22, 2011 at the Hyatt Indigo Ballroom. [read more]

Photos & Highlights From Venture Bros. Panel
Venture Bros. creators, Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer debut the new Shallow Gravy music video at San Diego Comic-Con. Joined by James Urbaniak, the voice of Dr. Venture, they discuss the new documentary-styled special ‘From the Ladle to the Grave: The Story of Shallow Gravy.’ The special is a 15-minute [read more]

New Venture Bros. Action Figures at SDCC
Entertainment Earth and Bif Bang Pow revealed new Venture Bros. 3-3/4″ scale action figures at San Diego Comic-Con. The prototypes on display include Brock Samson, Dr. Mrs. the Monarch and Hank and Dean Venture. The figures are about the same size as Star Wars action figures and come with an assortment of [read more]

Venture Bros. Costume Contest at SDCC
Released on Adult Swim is video footage from the Venture Bros. Costume Contest at San Diego Comic-Con. Hosted by Jackson Publick and Doc hammer and juried by James Urbaniak and Mathew Senreich, contestants received original production art from the Venture Brothers. This Adult Swim lounge party was [read more]

Shallow Gravy Week on Adult Swim
See the Venture Family as you’ve never seen them before: in a 15-minute documentary-style animated special. Follow the meteoric rise, the equally meteoric fall, and the decidedly un-meteor-like second coming of the most important band Hank Venture, Dermott Fitctel and H.E.L.P.eR. robot have ever been in: Shallow Gravy. If [read more]

Venture Bros. Toy Interview with Jason Lenzi
Bif Bang Pow! co-founder Jason Lenzi walks us through the future additions to your Venture Bros. toy collection in a video by Adult Swim. Order your Venture Bros. action figures today Entertainment Earth!
Visit BifBangPow.com for product updates and specific character announcements. [read more]

Venture Bros. Action Figure Toy Review
Released at San Diego Comic-Con is the new wave of Venture Bros. action figures by Bif Bang Pow. Figures include Dr. Orpheus, Phantom Limb, Dr. Girlfriend and Hank Venture. Also released is the Rusty Venture action figure set and lunch box. All figures are fully articulated and come with fabric clothing and some accessories. [read more]

Venture Bros. Costume Contest Photos
Released on Adult Swim are more photos from San Diego Comic-Con 2011! Photos include panels, signings, lounge events and more. Below is a selection of Venture Bros. related pics from the convention. For full gallery visit Adult Swim’s SDCC 2011 Coverage Page. Discuss this story in our Venture Forums! Follow [read more]

Venture Bros. 3-3/4 Scale Figures Pending
Your pre-order for these characters has never been more important! We need to hit a certain number of pre-orders before production can begin and that’s where you come in! Pre-order the figures from this list or ask your favorite comic and toy shops to order the figures for their store. Your credit card will not be charged [read more]

Venture Bros. Panel at Dragon*Con 2011
Venture Brothers panel video from Dragon*Con 2011! Venture Bros. co-creator, Doc Hammer and actor, James Urbaniak talk to the fans about new seasons, voice acting and the writing process. Recorded by super fan Cecilia Holman on September 4th at the Marriott Atrium Ballroom at Dragon*Con 2011. [read more]

Quiet Time with Doc Hammer at Dragon*Con
Quiet Time with Doc Hammer, an intimate discussion with fans at Dragon*Con. Watch the panel video below and learn about Doc’s career, the many voices he does on the Venture Bros., and his list of guilty pleasure cartoons. Hosted by Marc Ilagan of the Venture Bros. Blog on Friday, September 2, 2011 at Dragon*Con. [read more]

Venture Party at Dragon*Con 2011
Video and pictures from Venture Party at Dragon*Con 2011! Fans gather at Marriott Pulse Bar and Lounge to celebrate the animated series and show off their costume making skills. Doc Hammer and James Urbaniak stop by the party for a signing and pictorial with fans. Fans at the party were also treated to a costume [read more]

Venture Bros. Panel Video from NYCC 2011
Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer field questions from fans via the Internet and in person at New York Comic Con’s Venture Brothers panel at IGN Theater. Panel video recorded on Friday, October 14th, 2011 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. Discuss this story in our Venture Forums! Follow [read more]

Venture Bros. Press Panel at NYCC 2011
Venture Brothers Press Panel with Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer at New York Comic Con 2011. Doc and Jackson answer questions about the animated series, story arcs and the writing process. Discuss this story in our Venture Forums! Follow @VentureBrosBlog on Twitter and be sure to “LIKE” us on Facebook for the [read more]

Venture Bros. Pumpkin Carving Contest 2011
Submit your Halloween jack o’lantern in our Venture Bros. Pumpkin Carving Contest! Best Venture Brothers themed jack o’lantern wins a very special prize from the Venture Bros. Blog. To enter, upload a picture of your jack o’lantern to our Facebook Wall. Deadline for submissions is 12 midnight, October 31st. Contest [read more]

Carousel: The Science Edition
Cartoon slide shows with scientific themes by Aaron Diaz, Tim Kreider, Michael Kupperman, Roxanne Palmer, Doug Skinner, Kriota Willberg, and more! Special guest voice, Jackson Publick of the Venture Brothers. Hosted by R. Sikoryak. Wednesday, October 5, 2011 7:30 pm. At Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie St [read more]

Venture Brothers Christmas Catalog 2011
With Christmas just around the corner, here’s our Christmas Catalog of officially licensed Venture Brothers merchandise from Adult Swim Shop. Black Friday sucks, so here’s our handy guide to Christmas shopping online. Discuss this story in our Venture Forums! Follow @VentureBrosBlog on Twitter and be sure to “LIKE” us [read more]

Sideshow Collectibles’ Brock Samson Release
Launching Sideshow’s Venture Bros. collectible line, the Brock Samson Statue depicts the Walking Swedish Murder Machine in outstanding detail, down to his trademark mullet. Crafted in 1:5 scale, each piece is individually painted and finished, each with its own unique quality and detail that is the trademark of a [read more]

Rudy Casoni Xmas Boozebag Revue
Rudy Casoni: Xmas Boozebag Revue is a Christmas Variety Show starring Toby Huss, Kate Flannery, Maura Murphy, James Urbaniak, Kelly Rae Cole, Scot Robinson, Barbara Ann Duffy, David Higgins, Renee Albert, Vera Duffy, Scot Nery, Billy the Mime, Mark Fite, Syd Straw and Pat Healy. This year’s Christmas Show was [read more]

Jackson Publick Christmas Re-Gifting
Jackson Publick posted a new blog entries this week on Publick Nuisance. Entitled “Re-Gifting,” Jackson shares old comic book art from the AstroArchives.’Have been on a bit of a cleaning spree at both the AstroBase and my home satellite Base (AstroBase Ice Cream Ninja) in some sort of procrastinatory “clean home, clean [read more]

The Venture Brothers Christmas Single 2011
This year, we get a heartwarming duet from The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch in “Baby It’s Cold In Here.” Baby, It’s Cold Outside was written by Frank Loesser. Originally, it was never intended to be a Christmas song. In its early years it was played year round. In recent years, however, it was recorded by numerous Adult [read more]

Thanks for a great year! Have a scientastic 2012! Happy New Year!

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[Venture Bros. Blog]

So you inherited a company with a vast facility which includes a laboratory, factory and even a bio-sphere but the one thing you didn’t inherit is good fashion sense. As honorary doctor Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture a lot has fallen onto your narrow sloping shoulders but as a cosplayer for Dr. Venture you aren’t faced with the same burden. What is likely one of the most user friendly costumes from Venture Bros. let’s get you fitted for that speedsuit.

COSPLAY BREAKDOWN

• Bald cap or naturally bald head
• Eye Glasses
• Rust colored chin beard
• Speed suit (Mauve or Salmon colored for seasons 1-3. Sky blue for season 4)
• Communicator wrist watch
• Brown leather ankle boots

Bald cap/lack of hair
Rusty lost most of his hair in his 20′s and for a while attempted the obvious “I’m losing my hair so let me over compensate by growing what’s left as long as possible”. Still He lost that battle and finally came to the wiser determination to shave the remainder of his hair off. So for the standard Dr. Venture you’ll need to become silky smooth. A latex bald cap and spirit gum can hide your hair but let me make this recommendation now: Buy more than 1 bald cap. Try it on and pull all the edges well past your hairline, attempting to get the cap as taunt as possible. Trim off the excess but do so in stages so that you don’t cut more than needed. When you go to glue the edges down think of this part like a marathon and not a sprint. Glue 1 section down and let it thoroughly dry, say the forehead. Then once dry pull the cap taunt and glue the neckline down. Since the latex of the cap will be under tension you may have to hold the cap in place until the spirit gum sets. Then repeat for the left and right side. Now if you’re a master make-up artist you’ll be able to blend the store bought bald cap into your own flesh with liquid latex or other prosthetic cosmetic adhesives. Now if you’re already “follicly” challenged then the best thing to so do is shave the rest off. That’s hardcore and committed AND if you do it with a pink handled “Daisy” razor then you are so much more authentic than a bald cap user.

Eye Glasses
Check Thrift stores for some but be warned you’ll probably need to remove the lenses since they’ll be the previous owner’s prescription and will probably make you go cross eyed. The ear pieces and upper frame are black plastic with the silver rivets exposed on the front side. The under frame an be silver wire or all black. You have a lot of flexibility here so even wayfarers would work.

Beard
In a style that harkens back to Sigmund Freud, Rusty sports a chin beard. Probably the most trouble you’ll have is finding a red colored theatrical beard but look online. There are many sets being sold which come with mustaches and small chin beards. Alternatives are craft foam, cardboard, duct tape or even a drawn on beard with colored pencil or paint. If you use an artificial beard have spirit gum handy, clean and dry the area well first then liberally apply the spirit gum and press and hold firmly on the beard. Hold it for 3-5 minutes, be patient because the spirit gum works well just not fast.

Speedsuit
Probably the funniest single piece of clothing from the series we literally mean “single” piece of clothing. The show has sparked new interest in a style that died with the first re-runs of Three’s Company. The synthetic clothes of the 70′s introduced people to wrinkle free wear and while we were being all convenient someone thought the coveralls our mechanics wore didn’t just belong to them or our lazy grandfathers who didn’t want to worry about coordinating shirts and pants thus was the birth of the speed suit. In seasons 1-3 Rusty routinely wears a mauve colored speed suit with a white adjustable belt. That is an uncommon color in coveralls or speed suits but some folks have begun providing just that color. An alternative is buying a set of coveralls in a light color and stripping the color with a sink or washing machine full or deluded bleach. Do not over bleach and before you attempt the next step wash the coveralls and dry them. Then purchase pink dye and follow the fabric dye’s instructions. The pink added to the probably remaining bit of color on the coveralls will likely make the dull mauve we see in the show. For Rusty in his “Venture Blues” life is easier. Short sleeved coveralls by red cap can be found for an average of $35 + shipping. Rusty still likes to wear a belt with his Venture blues and since that’s the official work wear for Venture Industries it also features the embroidered V-globe logo on the left front pocket as well as an embroidered name tag (black fabric with white border and stitching). Your methods for those embellishments can be draw them on, use t-shirt iron-ons or transfers, or have an embroidery shop do them professionally. The last method may cost you as much as $40. From personal experience sew the name tag on about 1.5 inches above the pocket. Otherwise the pocket protector covers it.

Communicator Watch
Again this prop can be on 2 very opposite ends of the spectrum depending on your budget and skill level. You can make it from paper craft or you can use Sculpey or you can modify a wrist watch cell phone. Research online and see what others have done. Budget both your time and money and see what you can attempt to make if both things permit. Rusty’s watch band varies from Brock and the boys. Rusty uses an elastic metal band.

Boots
Yet another throw back to fashion of yesteryear the brown, Italian leather ankle boot belongs with “Our man Flint”. Shop online or check your local thrift stores. Take your time and find some that fit well and preferably have a working zippers. Some were slip-on styled so be sure the elastic hasn’t died.

So suit up, then slouch and look aggravated. That’s it! You’re Dr. Venture.

[Show as slideshow]

Written by Johnny Havoc, Venture Bros. Cosplay

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The countdown to Christmas is on but don’t be bummed by the added traffic, gift wrapping or indigestible fruitcake. Here’s a way to vent those holiday frustrations and share the joy of The Venture Brothers all with the potential to win free stuff! Make your own music video using one of the many holiday songs provided by Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer. Download your favorite song in mp3 format then use it in your own home made video.

Do any of the following or any combination for your music video:
• Setup your webcam and lip sync your way through all the characters and the entire song.
• Use your Venture Bros. costumes and stage a skit set to the song.
• Convince your family or friends to dance to your choreography set to a Venture Bros. Christmas song.
• Take your favorite scenes from the show and edit them into your own custom music video.
• Use your Venture Brothers action figures as the players in your video (extra points might be awarded for stop-motion animation).
• Create an animated slide show set to music of your favorite cosplay or cartoon moments.

There are very few rules to this contest, do any of the above mentioned methods but you must do the following to enter the contest:

• Your video must be uploaded, playable and accessible on youtube by no later than January 2, 2012.
• You must use one of past Venture Brothers Christmas Songs in your video.
• You must share the link to your video the Venture Bros. Blog or Venture Bros. Cosplay or Venture Home News fan page on Facebook.

Winner will be determined by January 8, 2012.

I know what you’re saying “There’s not enough time!!!” If we’ve learned anything from Hollywood concerning Christmas that is you should always believe in Christmas miracles. Or think of it the super villain way, if the time constraints discourage people from entering then that only INCREASES your chances of winning.

Below is a sample video for inspiration but note this would be 1 approach, use your talents and creativity to your best advantage. GOOD LUCK and Happy Holidays!!!

PRIZES: Plastic his and hers Monarch Henchmen masks, a complete set of Venture Brothers vehicle ornaments provided by Cinemastery Studios.

» LIKE Venture Bros. Blog on Facebook
» LIKE Venture Bros. Cosplay on Facebook
» LIKE Venture Home News on Facebook

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‘Venture Speedsuits’ is an original graphic tee by artist, Brinkerhoff. This fan made graphic comes in a variety of sizes for both men and women and is only available today!

Brinkerhoff lives in the Great Pacific Northwest where he regularly ignores skiing, hiking, camping, and all other endeavors that make the area great. He’s inspired by the great masters and societal rejects. While he works, he’s equally satisfied listening to Mozart as he is to Megadeth and currently stares at the art of Degas, Mondrian, Lichtenstein, and Banksy.

» Buy ‘Venture Speedsuits’ T-Shirt by Brinkerhoff on Ript Apparel

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A comedy/music variety show starring Toby Huss (King of the Hill, Seinfeld) and special guests, including Tom Lennon & Ben Garant of Reno 911! and The State, Mark Fite, James Urbaniak, Pat Healy, burlesque dancers, a real tops band, and much, much more.

Xmas Boozebag Revue with Tobey Huss, Kate Flannery, Maura Murphy, James Urbaniak, Kelly Rae Cole, Scot Robinson, Barbara Ann Duffy, David Higgins, Renee Albert, Vera Duffy, Scot Nery, Billy TheMime, Mark Fite, Syd Straw and Pat Healy on Wednesday, December 7th at the Steve Allens Theater.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 8:00 PM
The Steve Allen Theater
4773 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90027
Phone: (323) 666-4268
Website: http://steveallentheater.com/rudy

» Buy Tickets to Rudy Cosoni: Xmas Boozebag Revue

» RSVP to Rudy Casoni: Xmas Boozebag Revue on Facebook

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[Venture Bros. Blog]

If you’re looking to start in costumed aggression, there’s no more appropriate Venture Bros. cosplay than Brock Samson. We’re going to focus on the original Brock outfit here, a costume you can create purely off-the-rack, which is great for beginners. There will be small creative suggestions on some items, but not in detail since the focus of this tutorial is ready-made costuming. As easy as this will be to put together, this is not an outfit to be worn casually, you’ll need to adapt the Swedish Murder Machine mentality to sell it. We recommend getting your OSI License to Kill first, click the link below for that. What? You didn’t think portraying Brock F-ing Samson was going to be that simple, right? Oh, you did. Well then, let’s get your training started. You can’t rock this if you’re as soft as a wad of cookie dough.

» Click to get Brock Samson’s OSI License to Kill

List of Items Needed:

1-Penguin Shirt
2-Green Pants
3-White Slide Shoes
4-Mullet & Sideburns
5-White Belt
6-Bowie Knife

THE COSTUME BREAKDOWN

Penguin Shirt: This can be found at several major retailers and on the web. The key to finding this polo is that the style is called ‘The Earl’, don’t just type in Penguin Polo or you’ll sift through everything else made by the brand. You want the solid black with the white trim. They run around $60 retail, but are sometimes found for less on sale or sites like eBay.

*Additionally, if you’re down with crafting, you can modify a far cheaper black polo. You’ll just have to add the white trim on the sleeve cuffs, around the collar edge, and outlining the chest button placket. This can be done through a variety of ways: sewing white cloth or bias tape to the shirt, masking off the lines with tape & using many layers of fabric paint, or cutting down iron-on fabric tape(comes in a one inch width) and applying that to the edges. All the products for those options can be purchased at a local fabric store or Jo-ann’s, just ask a salesperson where to find them.

Green Pants: I would recommend green khakis for this one, they’ll have the look and the bonus of comfort. Finding ones the pea pod shade that Brock wears is the tricky part, but you can fall back on the traditional army green if you cannot.

If you’re going for accuracy and want the ‘split pea soup’ green, you can always create your own. You can either procure fabric and sew pants, or purchase white ones and dye them. If you go the dyeing route, RIT liquid dye is best for mixing and easier than the dry. Also, RIT has an amazing color formula chart on their website to help you know what to buy to make the shade you desire. The formula I recommend is #41 under the Yellow-Green chart, #263 if you want a lighter look or depending on the material. Read all the fabric recommendations and dyeing advice on the site before starting, dyeing can be full of surprising results without proper preparations.

White Shoes: Brock wears a white loafer/slide shoe. These can be found all over for very little in a canvas material. If you want leather or the look of such, you’ll have to fork out more and they’ll be more accessible in internet stores.

*Crafters can always find used slide shoes at a Goodwill or thrift store and add white fabric paint(Tulip brand matte sheen) to get the right color on a leather or synthetic pair. Just be sure to clean the shoes thoroughly with rubbing alcohol before applying paint. It should take 3-4 thin layers to get a solid coat. A sponge tip brush will give the smoothest application; they are sold in packs in dollar, hardware, and craft stores.

Murderous Mullet: To achieve Brock in all his glory, a luscious mane of blonde hair will be the cherry on top. If you cannot find a proper mullet wig easily, a curly shoulder length ladies one will do. Then you can just trim back the sides to get the right ‘business in front/party in the back’ appearance only this hairstyle can channel. You can try costume stores or places like Party City for basic ones, a wig store if you want to go higher end in quality and pricing. Also, don’t forget the fake sideburns! The best way to apply those babies is with a magical product called Spirit Glue. Pick up the pack that carries the remover in it as well. This retails around $6 at most costume/party stores.

White Belt: Do not confuse Samson with the average hipster, he donned a white belt before any of them were even born. This should be an easy find and his is plain with a silver rectangular buckle. You can go the leather/synthetic route, but it will probably come with an open buckle face instead. Brock’s belt looks to be the fabric variety with the solid steel slide buckle-which is a military style.

*Having trouble finding the right white belt? Purchase a proper black one and use about 4 layers of Tulip matte fabric paint to turn it white.

Bowie Knife: There’s two ways you can go with this, the real route or the toy one. A prop is best since you can carry it unsheathed, pose with it in your mouth and a violent twinkle in your eye, and generally be less likely to dismember anyone accidentally. This is typically called a Bowie (I half wonder if  Doc Hammer chose it out of his sheer love for David) or a survival knife. It is common so it can be found in costume and even some toy stores. Online will give you a broader selection in style and price. Some may choose the real thing since they come in the same price range, but you will be limited to keeping it in its holster. Conventions have a weapons policy and true ones must be ‘peace-bonded’ at all times. If you go the holstered route, make sure it sits in a golden brown leather look one.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Muscles: If you’re not built with a similar physique as Brock, one way you can fake it is with a classic ‘muscle shirt’. Many costumers carry these, it’s a shirt padded just so, so that when worn under his Penguin Polo, it’ll give the bulk you’re looking for.

Communicator Watch: Since this is a pure from scratch item, it doesn’t fall under the parameters for this tutorial.  We’ll have a step-by-step guide for one coming soon, so check back!

Written by Susan Blix, Venture Bros. Cosplay

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The Monarch’s Chest Armor is the defining piece of his costume; the Piece De Resistance. Or whatever. It’s the biggest piece to make (literally), the most challenging, and ultimately the single most important/obvious one.

Our Chest Armor is made of Wonderflex (WF). Making the Armor out of WF allows you to make it one large piece, with a single seam up the back – no complicated fasteners needed. The process involves making a fitting assistant or Clone of yourself, “sculpting” the armor Form on top of that, then curving the WF over your Form to create the finished piece.

WF is easiest to work with when you have something to shape it ON. You can work it by hand, but that gets tedious. The easiest way to do this for armor is to start with a torso. You could use a mannequin, or cast your body in plaster. Or you can easily and cheaply make a copy of your own by Cloning Yourself using duct tape and stuffing/batting. Just follow the instructions there – all you need is some tape and a henchman.

Once you have your Clone, sturdy him up a bit. We layered some fiberglass and resin on our Clone to make him more rigid, so he’d stand up to the constant maneuvering and abuse he was about to undergo, then painted the whole mess because we like black. Remember: Layering WF requires both heat and pressure, so you’ll be applying decent force to this thing. You don’t need to reinforce it, but it helps when shaping the WF, and will make your Clone last longer – focus especially on the upper neck/shoulders, and the chest. Don’t make the sleeves too long or stiff, since you’ll have to get the armor around them to get it off the Form later – just long enough to see where things should go. NOTE: Our first Clone got warped/smushed making our first set of Armor – the shoulders and neck were too fat to be useful and we recycled it into this one.

Now it’s time to make your Armor Form. You’re going to “sculpt” the shape of your Armor right on top of the Clone you just made – that way you know it will fit. The first time we did this, we used only cardboard, thinking we could smooth out the WF by hand later on. NOTE: This was a mistake – it is difficult and very time-consuming to change a small portion of a piece like this without altering everything around it. The second time we started with cardboard, and finished with a layer of Bondo Body Filler.

Start with cardboard for your basic shape. NOTE: If you want to make it easier to remove the Form from your Clone when you’re done, wrap the Clone in paper or plastic wrap first. Then go crazy with the cardboard and tape. Masking tape is perfect because it’s cheap, flexible, and you can cut/sand through it with ease if you need to later. Remember: You’ll want a decent amount of space inside the armor so you can move – things like bending and twisting your torso are painful/impossible with armor that’s too tight, so put some thickness in those first layers. Keep in mind what the final shape will be, but don’t hesitate to slap cardboard wherever you need it to make the shape look right. NOTE: Use tape to cover edges and gaps between cardboard pieces – the less space you have to fill with Bondo the better. We also used fiberglass drywall-joint tape to make the Bondo stick better – this is strictly optional.

When you think you’re close to the shape you want, draw the final outline directly on your cardboard Form. Cut off any extra cardboard with a box cutter, making sure to reattach anything that comes loose. NOTE: We did not do this, and we were forced to go back after starting with the WF and cut clean edges so we could properly shape our Armor.

At this point you should have a rough cardboard version of what your Armor will look like. It should be slightly smaller than you want the final piece to be, because you are about to slather it with Bondo. NOTE:Gauging exactly how much cardboard versus Bondo to use is tricky. Ideally you’ll use just enough Bondo to smooth everything over and create the elegant, complex curves you want. In practice this rarely happens. You will almost certainly have areas with too much cardboard, and areas with too little.

Although you will need a lot of Bondo (we used nearly a gallon), work in small batches. Remember: Bondo hardens faster with sunlight and heat, so work away from both. We recommend using the actual Bondo/3M brand spreaders you’ll find wherever you buy your Bondo – they’re flexible, and make curves easier than rigid spreaders will. NOTE: Don’t try to get everything perfect with the first layer. As we said, it’s likely you’ll have some areas that need more work than others. Get a solid coating of Bondo on everything first, then go back and add more where you need it.

Once the Bondo looks good, it’s time for sanding! You really, really want a power sander. Even if it’s a crappy square sander from a swap meet or garage sale, get one. Start with some really heavy 60 grit sandpaper. Depending on the shape of your Armor, and how smooth you made your Bondo, you might want to start with a heavy-duty rasp/file. Go crazy – shape the Bondo down to where you want it, using whatever tools are easiest. We used a combination of heavy rasp, Dremel, square and random-orbital sanders.

When you have the shape almost perfect, switch to a higher grit sandpaper, like 220. The Bondo doesn’t have to be paint-grade smooth, but the WF will pick up a surprising amount of detail when you heat it up as much as you’re about to do.

You might sand through the Bondo and expose your cardboard, but still want to carve the Form down farther. Just cut out the exposed cardboard, plus a healthy chunk of the area around it, with a box cutter. Then put more Bondo in the gap you made and continue sanding. If you find areas/gaps that should stick out more, just add more Bondo (and/or cardboard) and keep sanding. You can repeat this process infinitely, or until you’re satisfied with the results.

When you’re happy with the Form, it’s time for the WF. NOTE: If there is any exposed cardboard or tape, cover the Form with tin foil. WF gets very sticky when hot, and though it will peel off Bondo fairly easy it won’t come off cardboard or paper (like masking tape). Tin foil peels right off, as does plastic wrap – but plastic wrap can’t withstand the heat. We recommend clearly marking things like center lines before you get started – it makes it easier to get things symmetrical later.

WF now comes with a “smooth” side and a textured side. It sticks to itself regardless of which side you use. Make the armor two layers thick – it will be sturdier and hold its shape better. We recommend putting the smooth side in for the inner layer, and out for the outerlayer. This will make it easy to paint, and leave fewer rough edges to snag clothing/skin on.

Start with a great big piece of WF for the first part. You can make a rough pattern using paper if you like. Remember: WF stretches in proportion to its size, so  big piece will stretch a lot. Start from the front – you want the front to be the smoothest and most polished looking. Work your way around, stretching, smoothing, and pressing the WF onto your Form. Cut and trim as needed to make things lay smoothly. Tack edges down with masking tape if it moves too much. With patience and effort, you can make the WF exactly match your Form.

After the front piece is done, do the same from the back, overlapping the pieces when you get to the sides. Trim the edges of both halves before overlapping – this will create cleaner lines later on, and make any extra smoothing easier. When starting with a new piece of WF, start forming either from the center (if it’s a new section), or from the edge you’re overlapping (if continuing from an adjacent piece). If you don’t, you may end up with wrinkles at the overlap if you have to stretch the WF further. NOTE: Wrinkles are a pain to fix, are ugly, and create extra-stiff areas – usually where you don’t want them; avoid them.

Continue like this, adding new pieces of WF until the whole Form is covered. Add extra layers in high-stress areas like the shoulders and the center of the chest. Remember: WF will bond to itself when hot – if both layers are hot enough they fuse into one solid layer. Reinforce any spots that seem weak, or where you cut sharp corners – like the front “V” shapes. We recommend trimming and rolling/folding the edges under – it adds another layer of stability, and creates a nice smooth appearance. We shaped the front edges to be almost triangular, making the armor look much thicker than it actually is.

NOTE: WF will pick up enough detail from sub-layers that edges will show through to the top layer – be careful when layering. To hide/smooth any lines from hidden layers/edges, get the area good and hot and roll over it with something like a pen – a sharpie works well because of its slightly curved shape.

NOTE: WF normally retains heat, and Bondo acts like an insulator – it’s convenient to have a fan handy to cool off the areas your working on as you hold them in place. The most time-consuming aspect of using WF, especially on a large piece like the Armor, is waiting for one section to cool so you can move onto the next one.

When all the WF is done and completely cool, it’s time to take it off your Form. Find the center line on the back of the piece – this is where you’ll cut. NOTE: This is one place where it’s especially important to double-check everything. Cut completely through all the layers of WF from the collar to the bottom edge. Double check that the layers here are completely bonded to each other – you don’t want them to separate when you attach the fasteners.

Now comes the moment of truth! Peel the WF off your Form. It will stick, so proceed slowly. A flexible putty/spackle knife may be helpful to pry loose any especially stubborn parts.Remember: WF loses its flexibility if it’s especially thick – places like the shoulders can actually crack/break if you’re not careful. NOTE: If anything breaks, don’t worry – enough heat and pressure and the edges will melt right back together, and some WF scraps underneath will ensure the area is solid.

When the whole piece is loose, it should come right off the form – some bending and contorting may be required. When it does, congratulations! You now have a piece of armor that will fit you perfectly. Go ahead and try it on to be sure, but have a henchman handy – getting back out can be tricky.

The next stage is painting. You’ll prime your everything first. Use a flexible automotive High Build primer, coupled with a flexible Adhesion Promoter. Bulldog makes both, and they’re commonly available at auto supply stores. The Adhesion Promoter ensures the primer bonds with the plastic of the WF and can flex/bend adequately, and the High Build primer will make it easy to get the Armor looking glossy-smooth. There are cheaper High Build primers (Home Depot sometimes carries a Rustoleum version), but they don’t have the flexibility and bonding strength of good auto primers. Remember: The quality of your primer is what determines how well the surface coat sticks to your final piece.

Coat everything with primer, including any parts of the inside which can be seen through arm holes, from underneath, etc. We painted everything to be safe. At this point, check that everything is smooth, with no visible seams/lines – edges and overlapping pieces are prime locations. Any areas that need work can be further smoothed with a thin layer of Bondo.NOTE: It is easier to see imperfections after everything is primed the same uniform color, which is why you’re doing this now. When it looks OK, apply more primer until you have enough paint to sand everything smooth.  Once the primer dries, sand it lightly until it feels sleek – start with 120 grit, then move on to 220, and finish with 300.

Dust/clean everything thoroughly, then paint it. There is a sparse selection of yellow aerosol paint – Rustoleum and Krylon each make 2 colors. Montana Gold (available at Blick and other art stores) comes in about a dozen shades, but is only available in matte finish. We used Krylon gloss yellow. It goes on very, very thin, but dries to the touch and is repaintable in about 10 minutes. Be patient, and expect to use several cans (we used 3). It will take many coats to get a consistent, solid yellow, but the finish is very smooth and durable.

Once all the paint is fully cured it’s safe to move on to attaching fasteners and harness. Our armor uses a separating zipper to close the back seam, but you can also use velcro or something similar. NOTE: Make it simple – someone else will be strapping you into your armor. Barge Cement (available at hardware and craft stores) works excellently, and will bond to anything you use here.

Unless it is secured to your body, the Armor will ride up to you neck. To keep it in place, we snap it to an elastic harness straps around the chest. We started with a set of hockey pads found at a second-hand sporting goods store, cut off all the plastic and extraneous bits, and sewed heavy-duty snaps to the shoulder/neck portion. Then we used Barge to attach the other half of the snaps to the underside of the armor. You could create a similar setup from scratch using elastic and velcro. NOTE: Double check that everything lines up correctly before attaching anything – your Clone will be useful here.

The shoulder pads are made of WF, following the same method used for the Armor. Except instead of using cardboard we used expanding foam insulation (comes in a can at hardware stores), which we carved with a serrated knife, then covered with Bondo. It was easier making the curve of the shoulders this way than cardboard would be. They are attached directly to the Armor with a piece of yellow fabric – in our case scraps from our boots, so it matches everything else. The wings are secured with a single strip of velcro, glued on with Barge. You can make the Monarch logo with vinyl decal material from craft stores, though we had ours professionally printed from an Adobe Illustrator image we drew. In fact, you can ask Jennifer Allman to print one up for you, too – she has them ready to order.

That’s it, your Armor is done! Now get suited up and go show the world just how malevolent you truly are!

Written by Steven Meissner, SoloRoboto Industries

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The Crown was very straightforward, and the simplest of The Monarch’s pieces to make. Notice we did not say easy – it took plenty of time, but was not intensive in any way. Essentially, you will be making a cone, sculpting some shapes on top of it, and painting the whole thing.

NOTE: We have made 3 Crowns (and three cowls). We will be detailing the process for 2 of them here.

METHOD 1: Wonderflex Method

Simple paper pattern.

The first step is to make a paper prototype/pattern. This is simple, but important, especially when using materials that are costly like Wonderflex (WF). Start by making a cone by rolling up some paper – newspaper works great as it’s large and stiff, but anything can work. Get the cone shape right first – this needs to be the right size on the bottom (so it fits your head) and the right height and shape (so it looks good). Remember: You’ll be cutting lots of bits out, so it will look substantially smaller/thinner later. Note where the paper overlaps for when you make your final pattern. Now draw the shape you want the crown. Before you cut it out, reinforce the skinny parts so they stand up and you get an accurate idea of the final effect. We covered ours with masking tape since we have a lot of that lying around. Then cut it out and try it on. It took us several tries to get right.

Now that you have the exact shape you want, it’s time to make it out of WF. Trace your pattern onto some WF and cut it out with scissors. Don’t cut out the points of the crown, just the basic cone (the shape of your pattern before you drew the points of the crown in). When you heat up the WF to bond the edges together and make it round, the points are going to wilt, bend, and generally cause you all kinds of grief if they are already separated. To avoid that, cut them out after you get the basic shape of the crown together. Remember: You can always cut off more WF if you want – it’s harder to put it back on.

Next you’ll sculpt the spines and points of the crown. First reinforce/thicken the spikes themselves, as well as the round bits, with scraps of WF. This makes the crown more stable, and gives it some thickness. To smooth out the spines, we used Apoxie Sculpt (AS), because 1) we had some lying around, 2) we have lots of experience with it, and 3) we love the stuff. AS is a 2 part epoxy putty that handles like oil based clay, and hardens like plastic. Work in small batches, layering it on like you would clay, until you have the shape you want. You can also wait for it to dry and then sand/carve it until everything is perfect.

Next, painting!

METHOD 2: Drink Method

It so happens that a plastic big gulp cup is the same size and shape as The Monarch’s Crown should be, making it the perfect thing to sculpt a crown on. However, the Crown is not a simple cone – it curves gently from the base to the points. To make sculpting this curve easier add several layers of cardboard both at the base and where the points would be. This also provides an easy way to keep things uniform.

Next, sculpt the surface of the Crown out of Apoxie Sculpt. Apoxie Sculpt (AS) is a 2 part epoxy putty that handles like oil based clay, and hardens like plastic. NOTE: You are still working on a complete, unmodified cup. Once you are satisfied with the shape of the Crown, let the AS cure, and then cut off the extra portions of the cup.

When you do this, portions of the cup may peel away from the AS and the cardboard you used to create curves. If so, cut out the cardboard you see, hot glue the cup pieces back in place, and fill in the gaps with more AS. To make the Crown really look good, add more AS to the back of the spines and points so it has a more 3 dimensional quality.

After all the AS is cured (a few hours, or overnight to be safe) it’s time to sand it. Use 120 grit sandpaper to start, and 220 to finish.  A power-sander and Dremel will make this infinitely faster, but you’ll have to do much of it by hand regardless because of all the odd shapes. Sand until things are as smooth as you want them, then clean everything off – you want a good clean surface to paint. Since everything is plastic it’s safe to wash it with soap and water.

Next…

PAINTING

If you followed the Drink Method you can just prime and paint. If you used WF, you have a few options here.

Option 1. Prime it with several layers of primer  – it’s going to take some serious coating, sanding very lightly in between. If you sand too hard you’ll go right through the paint and actually fray the WF – making the texture/fuzziness worse. You can see in the pic how the texture of the WF shows through paint.

Option 2. Gesso. We know many people who have had success with using this stuff to smooth out WF. NOTE: For various reasons we’ve never tried it ourselves, mainly its reputation for cracking and flaking off WF. Since we typically use WF when we want flexibility, that’s a deal breaker, though we’ve heard reports that this isn’t always true. In any case, you don’t care about flexibility here so it should work fine.

Option 3. Prime it with a few layers of High Build primer. You can find this at auto part stores or, if you’re lucky, Home Depot (our local store carries Rustoleum “Filler Primer”, and it is much cheaper than anything else). Unlike other paint, High Build primer is designed to very quickly build on itself (hence the name), becoming thick and easily sand-able. It may not look like it’s changing anything as you layer it on, but when you start to sand it you’ll quickly see the difference.

Once you’re happy with the texture you have, you can paint your Crown its final color. For our first version, we spray painted all the pieces yellow, then clear coated them with Gloss polycyclic sealer. NOTE: A clear coat is not necessary if you can find a good gloss yellow that matches your fabric (Krylon and Rustoleum each carry exactly 2 shades of yellow). Montana Gold (available at Blick and other art stores) sells paint in a near infinite variety of colors, but they are matte (flat) finish. The polycyclic will also make your piece more durable.

Finally, attach it to your cowl! There are several ways to attach the Crown to the cowl. You can use velcro, snaps, sew it to the cowl directly, or simply hot glue it in place – sadly, pinning it in place just isn’t practical. Hot glue works very well, but will ruin the cowl – we don’t recommend it if your cowl is attached to your bodysuit and you ever want to wash it. Velcro is the most convenient, since you can take the Crown off if you want. Glue one half of some velcro strips to the Crown, and stitch or glue the other half to the cowl. Use as much velcro as possible – if you can cover the whole area inside the Crown there’s almost no chance of it coming loose. With our first Crown, we used 4 small squares, one at each compass point, and the Crown gradually pulled loose from either the front or back piece over time; we had to have another person stick it back down periodically… not exactly Menacing. We have hot glued the crown on with great success, and prefer this method when using a separate hood. The only trick is to stretch the cowl somewhat before gluing the Crown in place, otherwise it will flop around a lot. NOTE: When using hot glue on WF, be very careful, as the glue is hot enough to deform the WF.

The Ears are layered pieces of cardboard with AS on top, smoothed and sanded to shape. The forehead Gem is just AS. They are painted the same as the Crown, and attached to the hood.

That’s it! Put that baby on and throw yourself a party, as only Royalty can.

Written by Steven Meissner, SoloRoboto Industries

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