11 minute read
Mascot Restoration
Mascot Restoration: A Q&A With Dale Morton By Ed Avis
Editor’s Note: Dale Morton, owner of Dale Morton Studio Mascot Costumes in Hurricane, West Virginia, will be presenting a session on mascot restoration at the 2019 NCA Conference. In this interview, Dale discusses his business and what he will teach NCA members during his presentation. The Costumer: How did you got involved in mascot design and creation? Dale Morton: Through most of my youth I was interested in costumes and artwork. Me and my friends would make Star Trek and Star Wars costumes. After high school, we got interested in masks and makeup, and taught ourselves how to
do that. The more pieces we would make the better we got at it. I was also involved in theater, doing the make-up prostheses, and I would get my makeup supplies from a costume shop in Huntington [West Virginia] called Magic Makers. I would
show them pictures of my masks and so forth, and the more I would go in there, the more I got to know them. Eventually they asked to me to come work for them as a mascot sculptor. I worked for them for a couple of years and really taught myself how to do it by experimenting with different materials and molds and things.
Then in the mid-‘90s I went back to school and did some other things for a while, but in 2000 I decided to make
mascot-making a full-time business. I didn’t know how to sew, but Magic Makers put me through a crash course in sewing, and after I opened my own studio in 2001, I taught myself the finer points of sewing. I got better and better at sewing and patterning, and it just took off from there. The Costumer: What’s the most famous mascot you’ve made? Morton: I’d say the most famous is the mascot of Marshall University, a buffalo named Marco. Marco is very much loved in Huntington. A few years ago, they wanted to upgrade Marco, so they called me. We redesigned him, made him look more modern and used better materials. They’ve been using my Marco for the last three years. We made three of them for them.
I’ve also made mascots for Hasbro, the PGA, Stouffer and Proctor and Gamble. For Hasbro we did 10 giant Sorry game pieces. They had them on the street in New York City, and they showed up in the background of the Today Show. But other than that, I don’t know what they used them for.
The Costumer: Your presentation will be about mascot restoration. In your experience, how often do mascots need to be repaired?
Morton: It all depends how well they are treated. With Marco the Buffalo, for instance, we made his head out of fiberglass because Marshall is really tough on him. That’s the only furcovered head I’ve made out of fiberglass. Every six months or so they send him in for repairs—like to replace a hand, or some seams came apart, or a horn got dinged.
Sometimes I get mascots that were made by other companies that are cheap—the glue fails, the fur is coming off, the paint is flaking. People bring them to me to spruce them up.
The Costumer: What skills are required to be in the mascot business?
Morton: Well, there are a lot of odd skills that are good to have. My primary training was as a sculptor. All of our heads start out as clay sculptures. In a lot of cases molds are made out of the sculptures, so you need to know how to mix plaster, lay layers of burlap on it, and the other skills of mold making.
Pattern making is another skill. You have to be able to
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take a three-dimensional form and break it down visually onto a flat pattern.
Of course, sewing is important, but you don’t need to know a lot of different stitches.
Another skill is appliqué. That’s taking a logo or image, breaking it down into its constituent parts, tracking it to fabric pieces, laying them on top of each other, and sewing them together to look like a logo.
You also need to know painting and air brushing. All of my eyes are hand painted with a brush.
Then there’s rubber silicone molding, such as for teeth, and reinforced latex for noses. So, when you really break it all down, there’s an amazing amount of stuff you need to know!
The Costumer: What can NCA members expect to learn in your session at Conference?
Morton: They’ll get a nice overview of the different materials and substances involved in mascots. I’ll show them some different methods for making parts, such as teeth, and how to secure them to the head. We’ll talk about what problems you normally run into with mascots made by other companies, and good methods to fix them.
The Costumer: What else should NCA members know about you?
Morton: The most important thing is that I’m available to them. If they have a problem with a mascot, or just need some advice, they can call me. And they can order pieces from me—a head, hands or feet, whatever. They can depend on me!
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Ellie Shoes’ Gillian Boot. The 421-Gillian is a knee-high flip sequins boot on a 4-inch heel. Available in white, green and rose gold. 714-771-0015; www.ellieshoes.com Seasons’ popular line of Crazy Bonez now includes light up skeletons! The new battery-operated sea animals include a 12-inch-wide Octopus, a 16-inch-long Deep Sea Fish, and a 19-inch-long Electric Eel. Get them all to create an underwater spectacle—and your customers will be swimming for more! 844-405-7046; www.seasonsusainc.com Each shade in the quad is also available as an individual compact. These versatile powders color correct the most common skin imperfections in light to medium skin tones, and work to diminish flaws for a more balanced and cleaner looking complexion. They instantly smooth and even out skin tone and texture for a more luminous look, while delivering a natural-looking finish that won’t cake, crease, or settle into fine lines. Wear them alone or over makeup application. They are great for quick touch-ups throughout the day. 608-222-7849; graftobian.com Advertising in the NCA Marketplace is $35 per issue (10% discount for NCA members). You will be billed upon publication; payment is due upon receipt. For full details, see the advertising contract available at www.costumers.org. Contact
Seasons US A, Inc.’s Crazy Bonez Skeletons.
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Ed Avis at 708-218-7755 or pub@costumers.org.
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ATTENTION ALL COSTUMERS Save The Date ! Mark your calendars for the 2020 Halloween & Party Expo!
Date: January 17 - 19th, 2020 Place: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Louisiana Watch future issues of The Costumer for more information.
Aaron T. McFarland Tinsley Transfers San Fernando, California tinsleytransfers.com
Editor’s Note: In this issue’s My Favorite Costume feature, we digress a bit from costumes to cover the topic of transfers. The following Q&A with Aaron T. McFarland, who handles research and development at Tinsley Transfers in San Fernando, California, is a sneak preview of the information-packed education session McFarland will present during the NCA conference in July. The Costumer: Are transfers like the ones Tinsley Transfers offers becoming more and more popular on the costume scene today? Aaron McFarland:The transfers have been used in film and television for over 15 years. We are slowly building the awareness of transfers in the costume community. But when people give it a shot and see how much time is saved and much quality is added, it is easy to keep them on the transfer train. The Costumer: What are some of the newest offerings in the category—things members of the NCA should know and learn about? novation from the Tinsley Lab is our the skin irritation and the hassle of trying to find the magic moment to apply prosthetics and hair. The Costumer: Are there any secrets to creating a realistic-looking transfer? McFarland:It’s all about the edges. Besides the ease of application, the edges of latex and foam pieces can never compare to a transfer. If you can get an edge that needs little to no blending you are over half way there. The secret to thin edges are a good mold and a tongue depressor. Yes, it’s that easy. The Costumer: What are one or two of the favorite transfer projects you’ve worked on recently? And why were they among your favorites?
McFarland:Most of my work keeps me in the R&D lab, but Zombie Rot transfer (above) one of the projects I am proud of was a movie called Fury. We Cut Throat transfer (left) went through so many test sculpts and skin color matching it was McFarland:The most current in final product. prosthetic adhesive called Acrylbond. It What is your favorite costume? To be considis a replacement for spirit gum. Simply ered for an upcoming My Favorite Costume brush it on, let it dry clear, and you can profile, email Editor Kathleen Furore at apply. Acrylbond eliminates the smell, kfurore@yahoo.com. extremely rewarding to see the
About Tinsle y Trans fers
Founded by Hollywood make-up and special effects artist Christien Tinsley, Tinsley Transfers was established in 1999 during the filming of the movie Pearl Harbor. While working on approximately 40 extras who required multiple wound and burn effects daily, Christien realized the need for a quick, timesaving tool to create such effects. The end result was an easy-to-apply tattoo transfer with an emphasis on continuity and reality of the effects.
Tinsley Transfers Inc. has provided custom temporary tattoo transfers for Vin Diesel in XXX, Brad Pitt in The Ocean Films, Sean Penn in Mystic River, Gary Oldman in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Wentworth Miller in Prison Break, Adrian Brody in High School and Justin Timberlake in Alpha Dog. Along with the 2-D transfers, Christien also developed and implemented “Prosthetic Transfer,” a 3-D prosthetic that is transferred to the skin, during the filming of The Passion of the Christ. Christien received an Academy Award nomination in 2005 and an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement in 2008 for this revolutionary process. You can see the entire body of Tinsley Studio’s work at TinsleyStudio.com.
