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

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!

A basic introduction to Craft Foam

Craft foam is a popular material. It can be found easily in a number of arts and craft stores, is very cheap, lightweight, easy to use and comes in many colours. Many cosplayers use it at least once and it can be used to make simple accessories and armour. Although it might look like something that a small child would play with, when crafted right it can really bring jaw dropping results.

Pst! That does not look exciting at all!

Oh...my...God! (and this is just the basics!)

The stuff can be cut, painted, used to make patterns, glossed and even heated up to change shape. The possibilities are endless!

I have made several Sailor
Moon tiaras using this method! 

The only major downside I have found with Craft foam is that it requires some preparation if you plan to paint it. Being a porous, sponge like material, it would absorb whatever paint that touches it. The solution is simply apply several (usually more) layers of PVA glue (the type you played with back in your school days) that is watered down. About 2/3 water should do. If after applying several coats and the paint job still looks iffy then you can still always add more glue. I love adding more layers because it makes it so shiny shiny na no daaaa!!!!

Craft foam can be layered for added sturdiness but if you don’t what it to become too thick you can simply use some PVA glue to attach some fabric behind it. Should be nice and sturdy after a few coats. For my Sailor Jupiter tiara I have simply reinforced it with a layer of craft card onto the back as it can be quite flimsy without the support.

Scissors does the trick when you cut the Foam but for neater edges you may be better off using a cutting knife or scalpel.

One particularly neat thing about Craft foam is that it can be thermoformed. Although this term might sound intimidating it is actually rather simple and very handy technique to know. Like Worbla, it can be manipulated with a heat source, usually a heat gun, an oven stove or simply a hair dryer. Using my Justin (Grandia) armour for example, I have managed to keep it in shape by cutting the foam into shape before taping it onto a large drinks bottle and blasting it with a hairdryer! For the ‘bumps’ I have slowly dug a egg cup up from under the surface while keeping it heated from the other side. When done long enough it should maintain it’s new shape even when relaxed. You can also just simply fold something for a few days and it stays curved but I'd recommend the heat method for longer lasting results.

As you can see in the picture they are still unfinished as it will need several more coats of paint and then be glossed with several layers of PVA glue. In fact I would like to play around with different paints for a more metallic effect! I have heard good things about rub'n buff for a more finished look!