Working with Latex: Catasta’s essential new crafting manual
DECEMBER COVER: Celebrated British latex artist, designer and educator Catasta Charisma recently published ‘Working with Latex’, his third manual sharing his detailed knowledge of rubber garment-making with the world. Heidi Patterson pores over its 530 pages and decides that, ostensibly an ‘introduction’ to latex crafting, it’s actually the one guide crafters of any skill level really should own. Banner: Catasta in the Tiffany outfit he created for this year’s Avantgardista show
WORKING WITH LATEX
Catasta Charisma
(Downloadable PDF manual, 530pp, £45)
Reviewed by Heidi Patterson
For anyone able to recall the early days of latex fashion, the sophistication and beauty that latex has now achieved is simply astonishing.
Equally so is how accessible the secrets of crafting it have become, through the sharing of knowledge by people like Latex Jim, Latex Kitty and Catasta Charisma.
Working with Latex is the latest offering from prolific British latex artist, teacher and designer Catasta, aka Heath Clark.
His earlier guides include The Compendium of Rubber Garment Making, an ambitious 668-page tome dedicated to designing, drafting and crafting latex clothing; and The Hood, dedicated to constructing the latex headgear of the title.
Both are essential guides for intermediate to advanced latex crafters, but could be intimidating to a complete newcomer to latex crafting. To the rescue comes this latest offering.
THINKING ABOUT THE BEGINNER
In one of our many recent email exchanges, Heath explained the motivation behind his latest offering:
“The Hood, my first manual, will be replaced at some point next year with a new one. What I soon realised after writing it was that in every manual I was going to write, there would be a lot of repetition about all the technical aspects of working with sheet rubber.
“That was one reason I wrote the Compendium — so I wouldn’t have to repeat things.
“For the new Hood manual I will remove all the technical writing, keep the made to measure hood instructions and adaptations and alterations, but also include a number of different styles of hoods in standard size patterns across multiple sizes.
“My new Working with Latex manual provides patterns orientated towards the beginner.
“So while the Compendium offered the means of learning how to draft patterns, Working with Latex offers full patterns for around 20 garments and accessories.
“Also included in Working with Latex is a reduced-down selection of techniques for working with sheet rubber, more specific to the types one might come across as a beginner.
“These were lifted from the Compendium but where I felt it was necessary, they were sometimes expanded with new illustrations, or sometimes simplified.
“Alongside the patterns are full construction instructions going through the techniques described in the first part of the book. And in one particular pattern — the dress — links to videos are provided so people can follow me as I work.”
PATTERNS FOR LATEX LIVING
The new guide does exactly that in the Projects section, covering just under 20 pieces, many of which are essentials in any collector’s wardrobe, including a medical mask, frilled hood, fitted vest and tube dress.
The first third of the book lays the groundwork with its sections on materials, stages of construction, fixings and stabilisers, and techniques.
Heath has provided highly organised information on — and illustrations of — everything that’s needed in a home latex studio.
He has gone to great lengths to explain such things as pleats, which are myriad, and which he outlines and defines to great extent for each variation (see galleries below).
He’s also included photos of his highly imaginative garments as examples of finished products using the various techniques explored.
There’s essential information like this throughout the PDF, which I’m happy to say worked perfectly with my Kindle reader.
The Projects section takes up the last two-thirds of Working with Latex’s 530 pages with 19 different tasks to try your hand at.
Each project contains a ready-to-print pattern, and step-by-step instructions for creating each one from start to finish. It’s literally a classroom in a book — a printed version of an in-person latex workshop.
The projects put into practice the knowledge presented in the earlier sections about prepping, cutting, finishing and embellishing, while saving you the stressful and intimidating work of making a decent pattern.
On page 160, the List of Patterns is a lovely table of all the projects in A-Z order. It details every supply needed, the techniques required, and yardages and costings, which I found really considerate.
There’s even a column showing the ‘ease level’ of each project, which I found particularly cool!
For the final project, a tube dress, the guide goes even further, with embedded instructional videos to help explain its most complex project.
I always like to have hard copies of the really technical stuff. But the manual is only available as a digital file, so my dream of a giant printed tome of 500-plus pages is still just that.
I’d recommend printing out the project pages for ease when tackling them. Another recommendation I’ll make is this: begin with the first project, the medical mask, then work your way through the others as you acquire the skills.
While the first two Catasta Charisma manuals were ambitious and meticulously edited, I had some minor quibbles with some aspects of both. But Working With Latex has addressed those concerns.
BETTER GRAPHICS AND LAYOUT
The graphics and layout are much more sophisticated than those of its predecessors. And any earlier frustrations with navigation and insufficient learning tools have been fixed with the embedded videos and well-written instructions.
And while this book may be targeted at the beginner, I wouldn’t make the mistake of writing it off as a ‘basic’ guide to latex, not with all the info contained within!
In my eyes, it’s an essential tome for any latex maker, and if you can only afford one of Heath’s guides, this is the one you should get. With the holidays fast approaching, this guide is the perfect present for the budding latex designer in your life.
And currently a Christmas Special is running, in which anyone who purchases Working with Latex will also receive two extra pattern manuals — My First Latex Leggings and Hipster Briefs — for free, saving £25. The offer ends December 31 2019.
WORKING WITH LATEX: CONTENTS,
CHRISTMAS OFFER AND LINKS
Downloadable PDF price: £45
530 pages split into five parts:
1. Materials, tools and equipment 16pp
2. Stages of construction 38pp
3. Fixings and stabilisers 40pp
4. Techniques 50pp
5. Pattern projects 380pp
Plus 11 embedded video tutorials that follow Heath making a dress from the included pattern, totalling 2.15 hours
Currently a Christmas Special is running, in which anyone who purchases Working with Latex will also receive two extra pattern manuals — My First Latex Leggings and Hipster Briefs — for free, saving £25. Offer ends December 31 2019.
Use the links below to purchase Working with Latex, see more information about it, watch a sample video tutorial or read our review of the previous Compendium and Hood manuals.
catastacharisma/workingwithlatex
catastacharisma/videotutorial
fetishistas/review/compendium
fetishistas/review/thehood
Tags: Artists, Christmas Gifts, Clothing, Designers, Latex