Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label challenge. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 April 2016

Lets cosplay! Sora Naegino

So Kitacon has come and gone Here is my newest cosplay! I love how she turned out and was a massive learning curve.

 I used my Rock Lee costume as a rough guide for the bodysuit. Once I got it all shaped I used fabric paint to paint on the details.

I added some bling by hand gluing rhinestones onto everything that has been painted. I am yet to have a proper estimation of how many there are but as a guess I think there may be well over 3000! Duchess satin and skin toned spandex were used for the finishing touches.The same were used for the sleeves.

The wings are a metal mesh base, cut to shape using strong scissors and gaffer taped on the edges for safety (they edges are really sharp!). Cardboard is used on the edged for sturdyness! Over 1000 white feathers are hand glued individually. The details were blue EVA foam cut and spraypainted gold. Polystyrene balls were painted red for the orbs. Thick elastic was used for the harness but if I have more time I would have considered using the PVC piping method.
The gold wristlets were made of Worbla thermoformed around craft foam for additional thickness. The crowd was a simple headband with a strip of feathers glued on. Shoes are on sale from Primark and I already owned the wig.
For more in-deph details of how this is made and more photos check out my page on CosplayIsland:
http://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/costume/view/96705

Friday, 26 February 2016

Shiny, shiny, na no daaa!!!!!!!!!!

Long time no see guys!

I have been dipping in and out of cosplay lately as I have been very busy. I have been balancing work, costume making and being with my boyfriend, and we all know all these take up so much time! At the moment I have been focusing on an ambitious cosplay. I have decided to try to finish Sora from Kaleido Star for Kitacon Karnival!

I have completed the paint work back last July but it felt half baked so much of my free time has been dedicated to covering then with rhinestones in the past week.

Rhinestones, you say!!!?

Thats right! Sometimes for the results you want, following just what is shown in the references doesn't always guarantee it would be enough. Sora is a fantastic example of this. There are like perhaps 3 references of a very similar costume design so it was very fun playing around with it as well as adding my own flair. Sora is naturally a very ambitious, shining character so decided to turn an already complex costume into a labor of love.

At the moment, much of the rhinestones are sized between 2-4mm. They all/will be glued onto painted Spandex (I used Dylon's fabric paints) individually by hand using tweezers and a seam ripper. I used Api's Crafters Pick Jewel bond to glue them on. Sparkly!

I have also been working on Madoka since the start of the New Year. These are the details so far;


Take care guys!

Sunday, 12 April 2015

Lets cosplay! Lady Subaru

Thanks Pouncy for the pic :D
Is everyone having fun at AmeChibi? Sadly it will be finishing for the year at the end of today but it has already been announced Amecon would be returning next year on the 29-31 July at the Warwick Arts Centre! Is everyone excited!

Today we will be going back in time a little bit and discuss one of my slightly earlier creations. Although it is defiantly far from one of my favorites it was still one of my greatest learning curves and has taught me alot of what I know about costume making today!

The base of the costume was made from Duchess Satin. Personally I am not a fan of dress satin as it is cheap and creases easily where Duchess Satin has this lovely sheen that doesnt show off every wrinkle. The top took like 4 attenpts before I got it right. In the end I have used an old T-shirt to draw on a rough patten and made a mock up. Thankfully the fabric was super cheap (£2 per metre hell yeah!!!).

The collar and apron were also made of Duchess Satin. The details on the apron were painted using Dylon fabric paint and were painted free hand. I have used hemming tape for the bias tape.

The pendant was sculpted by hand using fimo clay. I began by making the wings for it and done the feathers by hand. I made the body separate and glued them together before painting them in red and gold. The brooches were also fimo clay. The wings on the back were a pair of costume shop wings that were plucked off and reshaped using the same base. I have used wood glue to attach them and they finished so beautifully,

The shoulder poofs were hexagon-shaped bits of fabric that were shaped into pouches and have lots of tulle to poof them out. They both have elastic attached to them right across my back to slip the wings through, functioning as a harness for them as well as parts of the costume.


The boots and wig were ebayed.

Events worn to: Kitacon 2011

Wednesday, 7 January 2015

How to rock an intimidatingly revealing costume?

Sometimes you need time to decide on your next costume. Considering time, money and resources it can be at times quite a difficult choice. Their may be numerous costumes you would like to attempt but at times you may need to weigh up the pros and cons of making a costume, such as learning curves and what features of your body you are willing to show.

The good old Sailor Scout uniforms are
excellent examples
Some costumes, while they may seem beautiful on the character, might be a challenge in itself trying to figure out how to make them look good on yourself. Most of us of this world are not born with long and slender legs, eyes the size of dinnerplates and completely flawless skin so if we strive for perfection there are many challenges that we must consider to make the costume look best on yourself.

Despite all of that a common misconception is that a perfect cosplay is in perfect proportions to the character. That on the other hand this is not quite the case as we are born with many body shapes and sizes so it is up to us to decide what looks best for us as we are the ones wearing the costume. If it is the case that the'one size fits all' rule applies strictly on costuming then lots of opportunities to make a costume look even better for yourself becomes wasted, or even not attempted as 'visual perfection' would not be possible in the 3D world.

If you are cosplaying a character that shows leg or stomach and don't with to put these on show as much then you are more than welcome to add a few more inches onto your clothes to better cover problem areas.

Revealing costumes don't just apply to those that are showy on the skin; they can include skin-hugging costumes too. Although they may mimic your own natural body shape it is often pretty easy to wear some foundation garments under the costume to prevent unwanted jiggling and panty-lines. Some fabrics may be more flattering to certain body types. For example, T-shirt fabric might be a possible alternative for spandex for those who are not quite as confident with their bodies as it is thicker but still has a nice stretch. Make sure you don't make anything too tight as fat would bulge, and if they are too loose then the costume would look unfinished.

Now we have gotten the types of costumes I wanted to take a look at, the number one rule rocking any costume is to be confident! If you don't feel comfortable with what you are wearing then it would show and affect your posture and mood, making you appear worse than you feel. Confidence and generally feeling good about yourself would often make any costume look (or at least give the illusion of it) better where slouching and generally being unhappy would make even the most well made of costumes look bad. Don't stress yourself and certainly do not be afraid to challenge yourself every now and then, bring back ups when in doubt and wait until you feel more at ease if you need extra time for weight loss or confidence.

From experience I find, although very uncomfortable, that heels are often a great asset to making a costume more visually appealing. This creates an illusion that the legs appears longer than it seems, making them appear slimmer. However, I suggest that unless you often wear them that they should only be worn for short periods at a time or changed to flats regularly/while going for long walks. Most people will understand if you need to change back into them for photos. Consider putting some time aside that night to pamper your feet as they deserve a break and they would most likely ache that time. Gel cushions work wonders so be sure to prep some before to go to the event! Pantyhose/tights will give your legs a nice sheer and will also give your legs support and hide away imperfections.

At the end of the day, costume making is basically your own interpretation of the design. It is your creation, a result of your own hard work. In other words, be happy with what you do!