Author Topic: Khal Drogo  (Read 66442 times)

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Skxawng

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Khal Drogo
« on: June 10, 2011, 02:23:09 pm »
So for halloween this year I've decided to go as Kahl Drogo, the one from the series. Suggested by a friend after we saw him in the first episode of HBO's show, and solidified in the most recent episode (The Pointy End) I'm willing to go all-out for this costume, as with the previous halloween, in which i went as a hipster. From learning how to work leather and making jewlery with resin, to growing out my beard and hair, to working out and tanning, to learning a fair amount of Dothraki.

As some may guess based off my username, I am also into Na'vi (I'm the same skxawng from learnnavi.org) and one of my pet peeves about cosplayers of Na'vi is that none of the ones I've met knew how to react when I hailed them nìNa'vi. My thoughts are if you're going to spend hours making a costume, you should also spend hours learning the character you're to become, otherwise, you're just playing dress-up.

So I'm intending this topic to be a progress log of both the Costume Creation, as well as a sort of Journal for learning Dothraki.  Unfortunately I don't have nearly enough time to become conversational in Dothraki - I'm barely maintaining what I know about Na'vi at this point, but I do want to get to the point of understanding if someone said a basic phrase to me, I want to get pronunciation down, and have a modest repository of phrases/responses memorized that I can respond with. If anyone has suggestions for this don't hold back!! Remember though, I'll be in the persona of Kahl Drogo, so they should be appropriate to him.

Basic Phrases to Learn:


Hello/greeting/goodbye


Insults / Dismissals
“Go find somewhere else to stick your cock”

Compliments

Questions (mocking)

Questions (curious)
“You’re speaking truthfully?”

“How are you today?”

“Will I see you again”

Statements

“You’re wrong”

“I disagree”

"I am feeling good/well today"

"excellent"

Vows

Artistically speaking, I’m going to need to learn how to Work Leather, from selection to cutting to dying and construction.  I’m also going to need to learn how to make a mold with silicone, and cast in resin.  Having a good deal of ceramic knowledge, I’m confident in my sculptural and molding abilities, and I’m very much looking forward to learning all of these things.

Things to Create:

Leather Girdle: 7% complete
Progress:
- Pattern for Leather created,
- fitted to my body.
- Cardboard template also created.
- Leather type/weight decided upon
To do:
- Figure out sq/feet of leather needed
- Purchase Leather
- Cut Leather into Pattern
- Punch stitch holes
- Dye
- treat leather to be soft and worked/used feeling.
- Stitch designs
- Put together!

Bracers
Progress: 0% complete
-
To Do:
- Measurements
- Determine Pattern for Left/Right arm
- Figure out leather type/weight
- Figure out how much of each type is needed
- Cut Leather to template
- Weave, combine, fit, fix.

Wedding Belt of Horse Medallions
Progress: 5% complete
- Figure out Sizing for primary medallion
- Figure out Patterning for relief
- Purchase non-Sulphurous Clay
-
To Do:
- Carve relief of Medallion
- Carve relief for intermediary beads
- Make silicon mold
- Cast intermediary bead, test chrome spray. Determine if cold casting or chrome spray yields best results
- Test shoepolish patina
- Once surface has been determined, make Silicon mold for medallion
- Cast 8 times in resin

Short Buffalo Horn Knives:

Progress: 0% complete
-
To Do:
- Design blade
- Print Pattern
- Carve Blades from wood
- weight with lead fishing weights
- Carve hilt from wood
- Sculpt handles in clay
- Combine
- Coat blade in resin
- Sand to finish/smoothness
- Make Silicon Mold
- Cast in resin, twice
- Paint
- Clear Coat

Loincloth
Progress: 0% complete
-
To do:
- Figure out how much hide is needed, what the wedding version is made of/how its composed
- Purchase necessary supplies
- cut, figure out how to wear
- Cut strips, attach feathers

Arakh

Progress: 0% complete
To Do:
- Figure out design
- Determine Wood to use
- Purchase Wood
- Cut to shape, glue together
- Shape blade
- Imbed blade with fishing weights.
- Carve hilt in clay
- Fit blade to Hilt
- Make Silicone Mold for Hilt (2-part)
- Cast Hilt in Dyed Resin,
- Set hilt into blade
- Coat blade with resin
- Sand blade smooth
- Paint Arakh
- Weather
- Finishing touches


Hair/Beard Beads / Extras.

Progress: 0% complete

To Do:
- Figure out list.
-


ingsve

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2011, 02:53:19 pm »
Hi and welcome.

This sounds like an awesome project.

I'm not sure what we can do to help with creating the outfit but to learn Dothraki this is certainly the place to be.  Some of the things you have on your wish to learn list is already known but a lot of it we have no idea about. Fortunately we have very good contact with the creator of the language (he attends regular IRC chats with us) so if there are phrases that is needed I'm sure he can come up with something that fits.
"I just need to rest, that’s all, to rest and sleep some, and maybe die a little" – Samwell Tarly

Skxawng

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2011, 04:36:58 pm »
Hi and welcome.

This sounds like an awesome project.

I'm not sure what we can do to help with creating the outfit but to learn Dothraki this is certainly the place to be.  Some of the things you have on your wish to learn list is already known but a lot of it we have no idea about. Fortunately we have very good contact with the creator of the language (he attends regular IRC chats with us) so if there are phrases that is needed I'm sure he can come up with something that fits.

Thanks for the welcome :)

I hope its cool if I chronicle it all here ... general discussion seemed like the best part. Hopefully if I do things right i'll also channel some traffic here and possibly get others to learn the language :)

I'll hop in the IRC sometime soon - is there a regular time to join?

The list is simply preliminary at this point ... over the weekend when I have some more time I'll be updating it. I also plan on recording myself saying the stuff to make sure that my pronunciation is correct. Hopefully the result will be a couple sound files that can be attached to some of the words in the wiki? I dunno.



ingsve

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2011, 04:44:35 pm »
Hi and welcome.

This sounds like an awesome project.

I'm not sure what we can do to help with creating the outfit but to learn Dothraki this is certainly the place to be.  Some of the things you have on your wish to learn list is already known but a lot of it we have no idea about. Fortunately we have very good contact with the creator of the language (he attends regular IRC chats with us) so if there are phrases that is needed I'm sure he can come up with something that fits.

Thanks for the welcome :)

I hope its cool if I chronicle it all here ... general discussion seemed like the best part. Hopefully if I do things right i'll also channel some traffic here and possibly get others to learn the language :)

I'll hop in the IRC sometime soon - is there a regular time to join?

The list is simply preliminary at this point ... over the weekend when I have some more time I'll be updating it. I also plan on recording myself saying the stuff to make sure that my pronunciation is correct. Hopefully the result will be a couple sound files that can be attached to some of the words in the wiki? I dunno.

Well, there are usually a couple people in the IRC at any given time. The creator David Peterson usually shows up some sundays at 1 pm PDT/9 pm BST/10 pm CEST. Next time will be this coming sunday.
"I just need to rest, that’s all, to rest and sleep some, and maybe die a little" – Samwell Tarly

Skxawng

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #4 on: June 15, 2011, 02:29:58 pm »
First update!

I converted my dining room into a studio, and it is super exciting. I went out also and bought a few basic art supplies a few days ago and sat down to figure out a few things. First and foremost, I needed to figure out how much leather was necessary. So I began to make a template, estimating sizes based on ratio.

The cardboard template:


And fitted on me:


Clearly I need to bulk in the pecs a bit more, and start tanning - good thing that the weather is warmer!.

Anyway after figuring out how the bracers are going to work, I managed to figure out general square footage, aand yesterday I hit up a nearby Tandy Leather outfit.  I can't wait to get home to it tonight and start cutting up the pieces:



Finally I also bought some basswood and laminated birch plywood to experiment with for developing the knives.  Initially I had thought to construct it with wood, then coat with resin for a smooth finish, but I think at this point this will be a template for a resin cast - that way I can weight it evenly when I cast, as well as utilize clay/bondo/epoxy/polyurethane to make a super smooth surface.


Tonight after I hit the gym I'll be experimenting with leather and leatherworking for the first time. I'm psyched.

Hrakkar

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2011, 07:37:54 pm »
Wow! You are pretty serious about this!

By chance, you are not the same 'Skxawng' as the person of the same name on the LearnNavi forums, are you?
Don't tell Khal Drogo I am here ;)

Skxawng

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #6 on: June 15, 2011, 08:58:37 pm »
Wow! You are pretty serious about this!

Yeah! As I said before, I go all out for these types of things, and I've always wanted to learn how to use leather/resin. Plus the more I hear of Dothraki, the more I like it, :P especially now that I'm two books into the series, and am totally in love with the show.

Leather is a lot easier to work with than I originally had thought.  Tonight I cut out all the leather for the girdle -- my hands are killing me!! But its holding together.  I gotta drill all the holes for the leather stitches, and then cut a LOT of thin strips of leather for all of those, as well as drill out the decorative holes in the front.  Depending on if I'm busy or not tomorrow night I'll be able to post another update.

By chance, you are not the same 'Skxawng' as the person of the same name on the LearnNavi forums, are you?
Srane! Lu Skxawng oe ta learnnavi.org.  Tupe lu nga sìn learnnavi.org?

Jenny

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #7 on: June 16, 2011, 05:35:46 am »
Fì'u txantsan nì'aw leiu nang!

This is so awesome! I'm looking forward to see how it develops  :D

Hrakkar

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #8 on: June 16, 2011, 01:03:53 pm »
Glad to see that you are enjoying leatherwork. I have always enjoyed working with natural materials, like leather, bone, etc. And it is interesting to think all leather is, is animal skin that has been treated such that the 'hydrogen bonding sites' on the skin proteins have been 'capped' chemically in such a way that bacterial enzymes cannot attack the protein. We have super-materials today that have better properties than leather. But for instance, in pipe organ construction, not one artificial material has been found that works as well as leather.

Mì kifkey leNa`vi, fko syaw oe `Eylan Ayfalulukanä.
Don't tell Khal Drogo I am here ;)

Skxawng

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2011, 07:26:50 pm »
Jenny - Thanks! I too am ecstatic about it :D

Glad to see that you are enjoying leatherwork. I have always enjoyed working with natural materials, like leather, bone, etc. And it is interesting to think all leather is, is animal skin that has been treated such that the 'hydrogen bonding sites' on the skin proteins have been 'capped' chemically in such a way that bacterial enzymes cannot attack the protein. We have super-materials today that have better properties than leather. But for instance, in pipe organ construction, not one artificial material has been found that works as well as leather.

Mì kifkey leNa`vi, fko syaw oe `Eylan Ayfalulukanä.
Ah! Kaltxì!  Wild stuff, leather.

Second Update!

Spent a good 5 hours marking out and cutting the leather. I ended up with *just* enough for the belt and his left arm's bracer. I've still got another belly half of thinner leather which I'll be using for lace and other parts. Wouldn't mind having extra, though :)

After I cut them all out I had to slot them for the 3 cross belts, which was a major pain, but after I put it all together, it was clearly worth it:



(the tied off knots are simply placeholders)

I've still got to punch a LOT of holes for the connective lace, as well as the decorations. From there I also need to figure out how the belt is going to connect to itself - Initially I figured I'd do a corset-style lace up the back (which is I think how they do it in the show, though its hard to tell) but I'm thinking that maybe instead I'll have 3 belt buckles that will be either exposed or hidden.  I need to give it some thought, as I want the belt to fit snugly against me. Anyway, spent another few hours beveling the edges of the leather, as well as bending it backwards against the smooth surface to add texture. I'll be ready to dye hopefully in the next week or two.

After that was taken care of I've been primarily working on the Arakh - the long curved sword, that we don't actually see him use, but I figure will be fun to have around.  I started out by laminating two pieces of 1 1/2" strips of pinewood together, then cutting them accordingly into pieces to match the curve, and re-connecting them.  From there I further cut the shape, and cut the bevel of the blade's edge with a knife and a large wood rasp. Then i started experimenting with Apoxie sculpt and filling spaces, before just adding a large amount to the hilt to make it fit the hand:



Apoxie Sculpt is the graddakh!!  After it cures it has the feel of a soft soapstone when further carving into things. The wood rasp smoothes it nicely, and a wood scraper also evenly strips the material away. Its mind blowing stuff, really. Emboldened by the success of the first layer, this morning I added more overtop of the wood on one side, and began to shape the hilt a little further. Its rough currently, but a bit of rasping, sanding and scraping will quickly fix that. I'm looking forward to working tonight:



Furthermore, the blade is starting to feel bulky and heavy, which is exactly what I was hoping for. At this point, I'm wondering if I should even consider re-casting the entire thing in resin, or if I should just focus on working it to a good state with the apoxie sculpt.  We'll see what happens when I get to the detail on the hilt ... it may be a job for NSP, in which case I'll definitely need to cast it.

I've also been carving out the wedding belt medallions, as well as experimenting with getting a metallic look that won't easily rub off.  Photos of that will come later, as things progress.

Hrakkar

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #10 on: June 24, 2011, 12:23:51 am »
Nice work on that rather interesting sword. It makes me wonder what the combat advantage is of such a highly curved blade.
Don't tell Khal Drogo I am here ;)

Skxawng

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #11 on: June 24, 2011, 08:28:45 am »
Nice work on that rather interesting sword. It makes me wonder what the combat advantage is of such a highly curved blade.

From how it was described in the book, it needs to be long and big, so that one can strike from horseback. The curved blade also lends towards slashing at speed - so nothing gets stuck, and also it focuses the energy of the momentum of the rider and the swing towards a smaller area, thereby increasing the amount of force applied by the edge.  Where a straight sword's edge would strike a larger area and have a greater chance of its energy being dissipated (not sinking as deep) the Arakh would work similar to an axe, and cut deeper, without the heft of an axe, and with more reach.  (remember that Arakhs are swung with the outer edge leading, as opposed to a sickle or a reaper.

Hrakkar

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #12 on: June 24, 2011, 07:25:19 pm »
Nice work on that rather interesting sword. It makes me wonder what the combat advantage is of such a highly curved blade.

From how it was described in the book, it needs to be long and big, so that one can strike from horseback. The curved blade also lends towards slashing at speed - so nothing gets stuck, and also it focuses the energy of the momentum of the rider and the swing towards a smaller area, thereby increasing the amount of force applied by the edge.  Where a straight sword's edge would strike a larger area and have a greater chance of its energy being dissipated (not sinking as deep) the Arakh would work similar to an axe, and cut deeper, without the heft of an axe, and with more reach.  (remember that Arakhs are swung with the outer edge leading, as opposed to a sickle or a reaper.

Interesting. I am familiar with the momentum advantages of a curved sword. Japanese swords, and many 'later technology' swords are curved (and tend to be lighter than broadswords). Initially, I thought the curve of our swords were opposite to the arakh, but in thruth, I think the curve is the same direction (I will verify this later). The big difference is how sharply curved this sword is compared to swords we are familiar with. I would thing that the curve is way more than the 'physics advantage' curve, and these would be a real pain to sheath. I am wondering if there is a historical precedent for this. I seem to get the idea that GRRM researched his books pretty heavily, and I am sure he got the idea from somewhere.
Don't tell Khal Drogo I am here ;)

ingsve

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #13 on: June 25, 2011, 04:11:53 am »
There are historical swords that bare a recemblence to an arakh. The khopesh is usually an example that is given.



There was also some indian sword mentioned that I don't remember the name of.
"I just need to rest, that’s all, to rest and sleep some, and maybe die a little" – Samwell Tarly

Ramox

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Re: Khal Drogo
« Reply #14 on: June 26, 2011, 05:41:27 pm »
Good work man ! You are very skilled ! :-)