On my way to the Westin Friday night, I spotted a pair of luminous sea creatures drifting among the crowd. I’m always awed by the wonderful costumes at Dragon Con, but these two were so unique, their use of LED lighting so captivating, that I had to stop and snap a picture. As usual for cosplayers at Dragon Con, Jessica and Devin Martin, the jellyfish and puffer fish, were happy to stop for a brief chat about their stunning creations.
Devin and Jessica have friends who dressed like fish last year and wanted a group to crash this year’s 3PM mermaid pool party at the Courtland Grand. Devin said he and Jessica decided to join in and “knocked these [costumes] out in the last week or week-and-a half,” as if making something this awesome were no big deal. I could only shake my head in astonishment, which increased when Devin added that he’d been traveling and had made most of the puffer fish in his hotel room.
How? Out of what?
Devin joked about the women who had stared at him when he was choosing jellyfish frills at a local fabric store. He and Jessica had intended to make both costumes of fish, but when he noticed the ruffles, he knew they’d make a perfect jellyfish. Devin made the puffer fish out of EVA foam rubber. The spikes are little PVC tubes covered with foam. For the eyes he used two halves of a clear Christmas ornament. He made the teeth look like Chicklets because he wanted to create a “friendly puffer fish.”
When I asked if they had been the stars of the show at the pool party, Jessica said the whole group is “amazing and so much fun.” People have told her that she looks “like the jellyfish from Shark Tales.”
This was Jessica’s third Dragon Con and Devin’s 10th. They have 13 children between them, and each year they bring the next few along. “When they turn 16,” Jessica said, “they get to come with us. Hi babies!” I couldn’t help but imagine a school of glorious undersea costumes.
Jessica and Devin left this reporter amazed by their talent, creativity, and willingness to reveal their costuming secrets. Thank you for sharing your gorgeous creations with us at Dragon Con.
