Halloween in Gotham City

I recently had the chance the star in my ultimate fantasy photoshoot... so I opted for living out my fantasy to the extreme..being Batgirl for the night.
I was contacted by Ian Macaulay, earlier this year, his hobby is photographing Redheads.
He finds them in all sorts of places, on the street, word of mouth, through friends or online like how me stumbled on my scarlet locks!
We met up for a tea in town and immediately I knew that this was my chance to get on my Batgirl gear and tackle some criminals.
We discussed various options, from me with a motorbike (or Batbike) to standing on the top of a tall building but in the end this alley way off Oxford Street with the BT Tower in the background was the chosen spot.
The photoshoot took place at midnight, in cold wet conditions, beside a drain so it was all very Gotham City like.
I developed a whole new appreciation for models doing this shoot as I had to keep completely still for the lighting to work and was in agony kneeling down!
Firstly Ian photographed me, and then his assistant lit up each wall in order to get the comic book style colouring. I was blown away by their creativity and commitment to making my dream shoot become real.
For me the other challenge was finding my outfit, rather than the classic purple and yellow Batgirl I opted for the darker femme fatale...a tight pvc bodysuit and I made gauntlets and a cape to match.
Not sure what I am going to do with my portrait yet. Ian suggested I blow it up and cover a wall in my flat like a proper poster girl!
But think I'll just share it here for now!
You can see Ian's other Redhead photoshoots here - www.ianshootsredheads.com.
And if you're a Redhead and fancy being photographed, get in touch with him!

Happy Halloween

How To Make Batman Gauntlets

It is no secret that I want to be Bat Girl. It's the only job I would give up writing and crafting for - I know it's supposed to be a dual identity but I'd be happy to be Batgirl all day long. And with the new Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises launching this week I realised I needed to get my costume in order!

The Batsuit has 'his & hers' versions: they both have the tight pants, a utility belt, cape, mask, logo on the chest...and some gauntlets for the arms, And that's what I needed to complete my look! Follow these simple instructions to make your own in a matter of minutes. Be quick! There are criminals out there waiting to be challenged!

To make Batman/Batgirl gauntlets, you will need:

• A4 black craft foam (also called neoprene or funky foam), 3 sheets
• Scissors
• Double-sided tape
• Ruler
• Paper
• Pen
• Velcro (self-adhesive)

1. Fold a sheet of foam over your wrist to get an idea of how tight you need to make it. A snug fit is essential and remember the higher up it goes the wider your arm will get, so adjust accordingly. Place one piece of your velcro on the outside edge, and the second half inside at the point the foam goes over your arm and trim off any excess. Do this twice.

2. Draw your 'spikes' on paper using your ruler, cut them out and use them as templates to cut from your third piece of foam. Remember you need two of each size and they vary: large, medium and small.

3. Wear the foam sleeve, to work out where the spikes need to be positioned, make sure they are pointing up.  Affix in place with double-sided tape so they stand up at the edges of the sleeve. Stick three more on the other sleeve so the gaunlets mirror each other.

 4. And there you have it! A costume essential to wear when you go and watch the movie. 

If like me you're a Batfan that fancies a recap of the previous two movies before number three of Christopher Nolan's comes out, then head to the Prince Charles cinema in Leicester Square London this Tuesday where they are having a double bill AND they're showing the original 1966 version soon too. KAPOW!!!

Now lets go save the planet!