WHO is the man in the SUIT?

[CardboardPaper]

Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirdman!

This is my first attempt at making a mask and my first time sewing since
my C+ in 8th grade Home Ec, so naturally this is FAR from the greatest.
Criticisms and suggestions are most welcome!

Things to add/change:

1. White lenses. The eyes look great on the white Styrofoam mannequin
head but my own eyes aren't an opaque white. I made another thread
asking about how to make Spider-Man movie-style lenses but after trying
on the mask today I realized my lashes may be too long to really do
anything with the eyes if I still want the mask to fit as snugly as it does
now (the foam head is a lot smaller than mine). Maybe white mesh fabric
by itself but I don't think I want to try metal mesh touching my eyeballs...

2. The crest. I used a flattened bottle cap, aluminum mesh, and Super
Sculpey...and then over-baked it until it turned completely black and
bubbly, ruining my sculpt (which was nothing to write home about to begin
with). Oops. I painted it anyway to test the spray paint. It has a magnet on
the back and there is another magnet on the inside of the yellow helmet,
so the crest is removable like in HB:AaL. Crest v2.0 will hopefully be
finished soon, and less crappy.

3. The 'helmet'. I don't think they ever mentioned any materials/specifics
on the old Birdman and the Galaxy Trio show, but in Harvey Birdman:
Attorney at Law, they refer to the yellow part as his helmet. Since this
project started out as a very last minute Halloween idea I used yellow felt.
Now that I've missed my deadline I now have a year before this needs to
be ready, so I want to make it more of a helmet. Being completely new to
all this stuff and lacking a lot of skills that seem to be pretty common on
the RPF, does anyone have any suggestions on how to go about doing this?

4. The neck seam. I didn't sew the velcro on yet because I can't really
afford to put it on crooked. :wacko Alternatives?

5. The lower neck. This area is a complete mess and probably beyond
fixing at this point, but the shirt collar and tie hide it completely so I'm not
too worried about it. I do however want to get this part right when I
attempt my vinyl Batman cowl next.

Note: In the profile shots you may notice the ears don't stick out the ear
holes properly, but it works fine when I wear it. I'll post pics of that once
the neck seam issue is resolved so I can actually put it on. Also, like
Wolverine and Batman cowls the 'wing-flaps' on Birdman's mask fluctuate
in size and shape in various media, and this inconsistency is also seen in
the crest.

 

[MooCriket]

Not too shabby for your first time since 8th grade. I like this character alot, and am looking forward to seeing you refine your skills as you complete this

 

[GeektressGalore]

FINALLY I see someone try this costume! I love this show with a passion and decided a while ago to be Birdgirl, but alas ... I don't have wings or a helmet. I might take this thread as motivation to complete the costume, though!

 

[Smits]

:thumbsup One of my all-time favorite characters! I'm keen to see how you go about this costume, as I'm planning an eventual Birdgirl myself. What you have looks great! Let me see if I can offer any kind of help. (Feel free to throw tomatoes.)

For the helmet (you said you were redoing it for next year, did I read that right?), maybe you could try something like swimsuit fabric? Or if you can find it, polished cotton. Same for the neck piece. Either fabric would have enough stretch to accommodate your movements and would fit snugly (but not too snug) and that stuff is pretty durable, so you could toss it into the wash when you're done, no worries. It's also usually fairly affordable, which is helpful if you're on a strict budget.

Hmm... As far as the neck seam goes, why not make it with the opening in the back instead? That would definitely be hidden by the suit collar. If you're using the one you've already made, just sew it up in the front under the chin, then pick out the stitches in the back seam up to about the nape of the neck. That *should* give you enough room to put it on and fasten it (or have a friend fasten it) in the back.

I hope that helps, maybe a little? I want to see this completed! Biiiiiirdman!

 

[CardboardPaper]

:thumbsup One of my all-time favorite characters! I'm keen to see how you go about this costume, as I'm planning an eventual Birdgirl myself. What you have looks great! Let me see if I can offer any kind of help. (Feel free to throw tomatoes.)

For the helmet (you said you were redoing it for next year, did I read that right?), maybe you could try something like swimsuit fabric? Or if you can find it, polished cotton. Same for the neck piece. Either fabric would have enough stretch to accommodate your movements and would fit snugly (but not too snug) and that stuff is pretty durable, so you could toss it into the wash when you're done, no worries. It's also usually fairly affordable, which is helpful if you're on a strict budget.

Hmm... As far as the neck seam goes, why not make it with the opening in the back instead? That would definitely be hidden by the suit collar. If you're using the one you've already made, just sew it up in the front under the chin, then pick out the stitches in the back seam up to about the nape of the neck. That *should* give you enough room to put it on and fasten it (or have a friend fasten it) in the back.

I hope that helps, maybe a little? I want to see this completed! Biiiiiirdman!

Having it fasten in the back would probably work well.
For the helmet, while swimsuit fabric would definitely be better than the cheap felt I used, I want to re-do it as a helmet with actual stiff material like plastic or something. I'm not sure which way to go about it yet...I've never gone the cardstock and Bondo route before for anything but I imagine if someone knew what they were doing that would work well. I'm also considering taking a ready-made plastic helmet of some kind and trimming it down and repainting it. To fasten it to the blue hood I'd use either velcro or magnets.

If you look at the second Birdman model sheet I posted, the helmet retains a certain shape and the back extends beyond his head. the felt just isn't cutting it, and I don't think any fabric would, unless maybe it had some kind of stiff form underneath it like the Adam West Batman cowl.

@ GeektressGalore: There's an official latex mask available but I wasn't too impressed. It came with wings which were also lackluster. Birdgirl's and Peanut's wings were robotic/mechanical and not feathered like Birdman's, so store-bought angel wings wouldn't even work. If you know how to get around the wings (or if you just decide "screw screen-accuracy!") I'd love to see a Birdgirl costume. BM and BG would make an awesome couples costume but I haven't seen it yet.

@ MooCriket: Thanks! My skills will still need a LOT of refinement. :lol

 

[GeektressGalore]

@ GeektressGalore: There's an official latex mask available but I wasn't too impressed. It came with wings which were also lackluster. Birdgirl's and Peanut's wings were robotic/mechanical and not feathered like Birdman's, so store-bought angel wings wouldn't even work. If you know how to get around the wings (or if you just decide "screw screen-accuracy!") I'd love to see a Birdgirl costume. BM and BG would make an awesome couples costume but I haven't seen it yet.

Birdgirl always made me laugh, especially in Attorney at Law. I'll let you know how I do.

 

[CardboardPaper]

The felt side with velcro patches.

Vinyl eye mask.

The vinyl and felt halves of the mask, with lenses out.

Did the eyes today. dorcphish suggested Amaco copper mesh, but I couldn't
find any at the store, so I used aluminum wire mesh spray painted black on
the inside and white on the outside. I accidentally filled in some of it
with paint, but a needle fixed that quickly. I tried it on and am VERY happy with the eyes. Now if only the rest could look as good...
Will post pics soon.

 

[CardboardPaper]

Thrilled with the eyes, but reeeeally not feeling the helmet and crest.
After trying on the mask with a collared shirt, I'm leaning towards sewing up
the front of the neck and opening up the back. Still not sure what
to do for the helmet. I'm holding off on the crest until the new helmet is ready.
I did find yellow rubber over-shoes for only $10 (including shipping)
on ebay that would be perfect for this costume given that I ordered the
right size.

 

[dorcphish]

The eyes came out great! Glad to hear the aluminum mesh worked out for you. Have you considered using one of those cheap plastic baseball helmets or a child sized army helmets for the yellow portion? Everything looks great so far. I can't wait to see the full costume

~Kevin

 

[Danosuke]

Haha it's awesome. It looks campy, but that is exactly what you want for such a funny character.

 

[OldKen]

I would think the "helmet" as he calls it would be best made out of plastic. It is such a small but crucial piece. You have the chin for the character though!

I'd say keep refining it. You are deffinately on the right path to a great and hillarious costume!

 

[ed209]

Ha HAAAA! I LOVE Harvey Birdman. I think that's one of the most under appreciated cartoons out there. The humor in it is awesome. Look forward to you finishing the costume.

 

[CardboardPaper]

The eyes came out great! Glad to hear the aluminum mesh worked out for you. Have you considered using one of those cheap plastic baseball helmets or a child sized army helmets for the yellow portion? Everything looks great so far. I can't wait to see the full costume

~Kevin

Thanks! I still need to add a clear plastic to either the inside or the outside. My crappy webcam shots make the eyes slightly more impressive than they are since my eyes are actually still a little bit visible. Whatever I've tried so far either blurs my vision or makes it too dark to see properly. Not only is my apartment dim, but this is a Halloween costume and bars won't be lit much better. Any suggestions on that? From what I've done so far, safety goggles look the best but those proved to be too thick to use on the eye mask. For the helmet, I was considering a costume construction helmet but it had all these bumps and ridges I don't want on there. I can look into other kinds of cheap plastic helmets like you suggest, but how would I cut them smoothly? The way the front of the helmet hangs down over the eye mask looks like it will be a challenge for a newbie like me.

Haha it's awesome. It looks campy, but that is exactly what you want for such a funny character.

I would think the "helmet" as he calls it would be best made out of plastic. It is such a small but crucial piece. You have the chin for the character though!

I'd say keep refining it. You are deffinately on the right path to a great and hillarious costume!

Thanks for the comments. Harvey Birdman is an ideal costume for those of us with a superhero chin but not the body; I pull off wearing a suit much better than spandex. The only other thing I'm considering than plastic for the helmet is going the cardstock and bondo route, but I've never done that before. We'll see!

Ha HAAAA! I LOVE Harvey Birdman. I think that's one of the most under appreciated cartoons out there. The humor in it is awesome. Look forward to you finishing the costume.

So YOU'RE the jerk who got the Ed209 username before me!

 

[CardboardPaper]

Helmet help needed
After looking at several toy and costume helmets online including construction, soldier, and police, I decided I don't want to take a chance with the fitting. Also, I've never tried cardstock with bondo before, and Birdman's yellow helmet is probably as basic as you can get for a first time project.

Now the issues:

1. Does anyone know of an existing pep file that could be constructed and cut down to closer resemble the Birdman helmet?

2. If there is such a helmet file, would someone be able to export it as a PDF for me?

Also, if anyone has reasons as to why I should just continue to look for an existing costume helmet instead of going the pep route, I'd love to hear it. Thanks!

 

[TheJoker]

I'll take the case!!! Love it so far, keep at it!

 

[E-Wan]

"Did you get that thing I sent you?"

 

[wheresmurphy_43]

I has Harvey a few Halloween's ago. It was a paper mache/ cardboard build. I wished I could have made more user friendly wings but sometime I have a problem mixing yellow and blue to make green.

Good luck on your build!

 

[CardboardPaper]

I has Harvey a few Halloween's ago. It was a paper mache/ cardboard build. I wished I could have made more user friendly wings but sometime I have a problem mixing yellow and blue to make green. Good luck on your build!

Nice! The crest is looking good...what'd you make that out of? Are those yellow over-shoes for the boots? I got some recently but am concerned by how loose they are (the next size down is too small).

 

[CardboardPaper]

"Did you get that thing I sent you?"

I love how Peter Potamus's hands changed from hands to hippo feet without explanation.

I'll take the case!!! Love it so far, keep at it!

Thanks!

 

[wheresmurphy_43]

Hey, sorry it took me so long to reply. You know I actually just painted the crest on.. and yes I had yellow shoe covers sewn to put over my shoes... are you doing the full superhero Birdman or Attorney at Law Birdman?