I was Completely Insane, but I'm Better Now

Take a look at the Shifting Camouflage Pants that I'm using as the basis for my Halloween costume. You see that grey area that looks like scales? Yeah, I saw it too. When I did, I had the bright idea to make some and sew them all on by hand. I even got a few done:

They look great don't they? Then I began to sew them onto my pants, and I realized just what a mistake I'd made. They looked awesome while laying flat, but they were going to have to cover my contours and be able to move with me. I just don't think they would be able to do that. This is not to mention the scale of the entire project. I was going to have to make hundreds of these buggers and sew them all onto not just my pants, but my gloves and boots as well. Given that I've been procrastinating a lot lately, I didn't think there was any way I'd finish in time, so the scales have been packed away for use on another project.

My next idea for achieving the look of scales wasn't much better. I had an old pair of Halloween fishnet stockings and thought, "Wow, fishnet stockings layered over my pants would look like scales. That should work, and it'll be simple." LOL. While the look was right, no matter how I shifted, pulled, pinned, or tucked, I just couldn't get the pants to stop wrinkling under the tights. Even if I did manage to get everything looking just so, as soon as I took a step, it was all undone. So, that idea got scrapped too. 

Frustrated, I went to bed last night wracking my brain for a way to get the look I need. I seriously considered just forgetting the scales and wearing plain grey pants, but my detail-oriented nature couldn't abide the thought. Finally, I had my light bulb moment. "Why not draw them on?" I thought. And draw them on I did:

Sometimes, the simplest answer is the best answer.