Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2008 - 59

book

reviews
Arnold Wengrow

editor

Costume Craftwork on a Budget
Clothing, 3D Makeup, Wigs, Millinery & Accessories
by Tan Huaixiang; New York: Focal Press, 2007. 332 pp., b/w
and color photographs. Paper, $39.95.
Reviewed by Peggy Rosefeldt
There is a genre of technical theatre literature
which I refer to as the "costume cookbook."
This is the appetizer for aspiring techies which
makes them want to pursue this line of work.
It contains detailed written instructions, illustrations of the process of creation and luscious
color photos of the ﬁnished product. It leaves the technicianwannabe drooling on the glass of the bakery case window and
dying to get into the kitchen.
The old Theatre Crafts magazine, which appeared in
1967, The Mask of Reality by Irene Corey in 1968 and the
1979 Costumer's Handbook by Liz Covey and Rosemary Ingham were and still are the best of these publications. For the
new millennium, Costume Craftwork on a Budget by Tan
Huaixiang appears to be their worthy successor.
Tan, the author of Character Costume Figure Drawing,
published by Focal Press in 2004, has a career which is remarkable for its sheer geographic diversity. Trained as an undergraduate at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, she
did graduate work at Utah State University, with later design
assignments at Cornell University, the University of Pittsburgh,
Central Washington University and ultimately at the University of
Central Florida, where she currently teaches. Along with earning what must be a staggering number of frequent ﬂyer miles,
she has also attained membership in United Scenic Artists Local
829, with her recent costume renderings bearing the coveted
union stamp. A close examination of her work as pictured in
the latest book shows her growth from a college student in the
East to a professional designer in the West.

Neck up, neck down
The majority of the projects in the 332-page book are devoted to craft work from the neck up: makeup (100 pages),
masks (thirty pages), and hats and headdresses (100 pages).
The remaining 100 pages cover projects from the neck down:
animal costumes (ﬁfty pages), armor (twenty pages), leather
work, boots, jewelry and accessories (ﬁfteen pages), and garment alterations and adaptations (ﬁfteen pages). The ﬁnal four
pages of the book list supply sources and uses for various materials, as well as safety data. There is ample room in the garment
modiﬁcation category for yet another book, and additional in-

THEATRE

DESIGN

TECHNOLOGY

W I N T E R

2008

formation on supplies, sources and safety equipment and procedures would be most welcome.
Mercifully, as theatre technicians have become more safety
conscious, some of the more lethal substances used by previous
generations have disappeared from use. Celastic soaked in acetone is a thing of the past, now replaced by the newer and safer
heat-activated thermoplastic supplies covered in this book. Materials and techniques described range from the space-age to
the traditional. Uses for Fosshape, Varaform, and Wonderﬂex
are illustrated, along with projects using buckram, felt, foam,
papier-mâché and even Elmer's glue. These relatively benign
materials can be used by students in a variety of age groups,
even those with modest levels of technical proﬁciency.
For the more adventurous, the intricate processes involved
in creating prosthetic makeup will get students elbow-deep in
plaster, clay, alginate, dental stone and casting latex. Hot foam,
cold foam and gel foam, along with plaster bandages and yak
hair are the intriguing ingredients in these makeup lessons.
Topics from false teeth to full beards, goatees, hair extensions,
and ventilating wigs are explained in full photographic detail.
The assumption that everything short of the kitchen sink
goes into Tan's cookbook would be correct, given her afﬁnity
for using non-traditional materials. Automotive funnels, electrical conduit, clamp-light covers and dryer hose become wearables, along with laundry baskets, steamer baskets and even
egg beaters. This is a woman whose ﬂights of fancy must run
wildly rampant in her neighborhood hardware store.
There is an energy about the book which is reﬂected most
vividly in both her sketches and in the process drawings. The
ﬁgures in Tan's renderings for Pippin fairly dance off the page,
and her illustrations make a turban seem to wrap itself, as if it
were animated. Besides the clear written and visual explanations of the costume craft processes, there is an astonishing
attention to detail. A crocodile's skin sports three different textures, with explicit instructions on how to make and where to
use each one.
In reading the book, I often had a small child's sense of
wonder at seeing a simple ﬂat material magically turn into a
three-dimensional object. Printed ﬂeece strips are twisted and
knotted into serpentine dangling tree roots suspended from a
performer's outstretched arms. And ordinary blue foam undergoes a fascinating transformation into delightful moles and
squirrels perched on two young ladies' heads.

Strengths and recommendations
Besides the clear, understandable explanations and black
and white process photos, the greatest strengths of the book
are Tan's line drawings and color renderings. The greatest disappointment, regrettably, is that many of the color production
photos are out of focus, poorly lit, or too small to adequately

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