PEZ Maker Space

THE MAKER SPACE is located in the Planet Entertainment Zone (PEZ) in Hall A. Come see true artists at work demonstrating a variety of methods for creating costumes, props, foamwork, sewing, LEGO, metal working, and a lot more. Listed below are our feature maker partners this year! To see this year’s schedule of PEZ Maker demos, Select PEZ Maker Space Venue in the programming schedule.

HAMMERSPACE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP

Hammerspace Workshop is home to Kansas City’s awesome community of makers, crafters and inventors. It’s where you go to exercise your creativity. It’s where you bulk up your knowledge, and work out your designs. Hammerspace is another essential partner headlining the PEZ this year. Dave Dalton and his staff from Hammerspace will tackle beginner and advanced demonstrations of cosplay crafting and prop building and much more. Come watch and learn how you can join in the fun and creativity! See a schedule for their demos throughout the weekend here. Check the PEZ Maker schedule for the complete list of demos taking place throughout the weekend.

FIGMENTS AND FILAMENTS

Figments and Filaments is a cooperative of artisans and crafters that come together every year to provide demos and displays and activities that will delight and inspire. This year, their demos include: Making a PVC form for displaying your cosplay, Crocheting Amigurumi (Porgs and/or Grogu), Crocheting pieces to look like Armor, weaving a Viking style belt demo, a chain mail demo, a decorative metalwork demo, and a sewing simple garments demo. For kids, try the cosplay scavenger hunt, mask making and designing a superhero. These events will be running all three days of the convention. Come to this booth for Cosplay Repair by Mary Morris. Check the PEZ Maker schedule for the complete list of demos taking place throughout the weekend.

Kansas City R2 Builders Club

These ARE the droids you’re looking for! The KC R2 Builders are a local maker group that specializes in building droids inspired by the Star Wars franchise! The Kansas City R2 Builders Club was founded in 2012 and has over a dozen members. Several members have complete R2 droids, some are in the build process and yet others are just starting to do research. If you’d like more information, or you would like to join, please Contact Us. Contact | kcr2

RIGHTFULLY SEWN

Rightfully Sewn is a nonprofit organization that creates jobs and opportunities for community members who may have barriers to employment. They accomplish this through the business of fashion and sewn goods, including seamstress training, fashion design, job training and placement, and employment. As part of that mission, the organization aims to reestablish Kansas City as an epicenter of garment manufacturing. Currently, 60 percent of the Rightfully Sewn workforce have refugee status, there are five languages spoken, and they have been recognized by the City of Kansas City for paying living wages. Rightfully Sewn also serves as an incubator for local fashion designers and inventors whose creations require fine sewing skills. Check the PEZ Maker schedule for the complete list of demos taking place throughout the weekend.

WALKIN’ & ROLLIN’ COSTUMES

Since 2015, Walkin’ & Rollin’ Costumes has provided incredible costumes for kids in walkers and wheelchairs, free of charge to the families. Come see our latest creations, and sign up to become a builder for upcoming costumes for kids later this year. Our costumes have been featured on multiple news stations, international magazines and news articles, and numerous websites for our innovative designs that help create something unique and inspiring for the kids. See why these kids will have the best costumes on their block and why so many of these kids light up and become the stars of their lives. Check the PEZ Entertainment and Demo Stage schedule to see the plans for the latest wheelchair cosplay reveal! Check the PEZ Maker schedule for the complete list of demos taking place throughout the weekend.

FORGED IN FOAM – BRUCE HOLT

Bruce Holt, owner of Forged in Foam is an EVA foam master. He has multiple Master Class wins and has been featured on http://cosplayculture.com/2018/05/07/asgard-armor-building-lady-sif/ .
Bruce has spent most of his life building costumes — the bug hit him at the early in his teens at which time he started making his own, off the wall Halloween costumes to school play designs. After years of building costumes for fun and challenge, he started competing in the late 80’s, realizing there were prizes to win. He then decided to be a little more inventive with his craft, making elaborate costumes out of leather, plastic, fabric, and just about anything he could find, trying to replicate his favorite characters and top the creation from the year before.
With EVA foam as his medium of choice, the construction process involves, designing the costumes on a torso mold before transferring the designs digitally, printing and cutting them out of foam. From there, it’s a matter of creating the right patterns before finishing it off with airbrushing. Check the PEZ Maker schedule for the complete list of demos taking place throughout the weekend.

JEFF SISSON SFX & GORE ENGINEER

Jeff Sisson is an artist based out of Kansas City, Missouri. He has worked as a special makeup effects artist creating effects, creatures and props for film, television and stage for the last 20 plus years, specializing in low-budget horror features. He is also an accomplished musician and Sasquatch enthusiast, and the creator of the masked Bigfoot themed (yes, you read that correctly) metal band Troglodyte, whose horrific prop-filled stage antics has been horrifying audiences for the last 20 years. Sisson is also an accomplished music video director, working with extreme metal bands like Dying Fetus, Exhumed, Macabre and Massacre to name a few. Sisson will be hosting a series of demos this year at Planet Comicon covering several of the techniques he uses to create special makeup effects and props for film and TV as well as bringing a host of his ghoulish creations for all to see.

Website: https://jeffreysisson.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/master_trog/

PEZ Maker schedule for the complete list of demos taking place throughout the weekend.

RED CIRCLE AIRBRUSH

Rod Zirkle is the owner/artist behind Red Circle Airbrush. After studying special effects makeup a lifetime ago, Rod returned to the KC area to start a family. A decade of experience in local haunted houses evolved into 15 years of freelance airbrush makeup, working in local theatrical, television and movie productions as well as dozens of photoshoots. Always happy to make good looking people ugly, or to get them dirty in aesthetically pleasing ways.

Check the PEZ Maker schedule for the complete list of demos taking place throughout the weekend.

THE MAKER STUDIO AT SCIENCE CITY

The Maker Studio at Science City returns for another year at Planet Comicon Kansas City!

The Maker Studio offers the opportunity to not only observe but also interact with different methods and materials of Making.

From two-dimensional to three-dimensional, traditional methods to cutting edge technologies, using things from the junk box to innovative new materials, guests who visit the Maker Studio will experience taking their ideas and bringing them to life.

This year guests can participate in three various activities scheduled for forty-five-minute sessions each day at our PCKC booth. A guide with visuals and instructions will be provided for most activities. Educators and facilitators will also be available to assist and explain. All projects are a make-and-take for guests! Check the PEZ Maker schedule for the complete list of demos taking place throughout the weekend.

FANCY FOSSA COSPLAY BOOTH

Fancy Fossa, the owner, founder, and sole fursuit maker for Fancy Fossa Fashions, has been a proud member of the furry fandom since 2004 and has been constructing fursuits as a hobby since 2011. In March of 2023 she made the exciting decision to pursue a full time career in fursuit making. Her award-winning costume work has been featured in art shows, newspapers, and charity events. Learn how to make a fur tail! Check the PEZ Maker schedule for the complete list of demos taking place throughout the weekend.

FAITH OF FLOWERS

Faith of Flowers is a sewing coven and clothing brand with Lace LaVey serving as High Seamstress. Lace’s sewcraft focuses on enchanted everyday wear, kawaii fashion, and made-to-order cosplay. If your dream is to sew your own clothing, you can join the Faith of Flowers coven for sewing lessons tailored to you. Faith of Flowers’ intention is that you will feel the magic in yourself, emboldened by the clothes you wear. Check the PEZ Maker schedule for the complete list of demos taking place throughout the weekend.

MISSOURI SEWING MACHINE CO.

Missouri Sewing Machine Company remains dedicated to the continuation of customer service and community growth as we look forward to the next generation joining us.

KC BRICK LAB

KC Brick Lab is Kansas City’s Adult LEGO Club that gets together to share our love of LEGO and organize LEGO displays and collaborative builds. The club was born in 2012 and continues to grow each year. We develop displays each year for Planet Comicon, Union Station, local libraries, and other regional events and LEGO conventions. This year at Planet Comicon we will have a display in the Planet Entertainment Zone containing builds highlighting pop culture and some of the amazing guests from this year’s convention lineup. If you are interested in learning more about KC Brick Lab, stop by our booth to say hi, or check out our Instagram and Facebook accounts (@kcbricklab) to see where else we are displaying this year. Check the PEZ Maker schedule for the complete list of demos taking place throughout the weekend.