ricochetdarling:

neimhaille:

@masseffect Nyreen progress! Again sorry for bathroom photos but this is the best lit mirror in the house at this time of day and I do not fancy setting my tripod out and all the rigmarole it takes to get my camera to focus when taking self portraits (I need to have a stand in or the camera focuses on the background…. I usually use a Christmas tree stand, vacuum tube and wig head, it can be entertaining)

Anyway so this is the first successful cast! I will be using this but I want to make as many sets as I can before the mold loses too much definition. I love the texture I got on the skull but it will eventually go bye bye. The very last set will be a semi rigid urethane which I will also use to cast my Asari pieces from and any other plaster mold looking a bit dodgy.

Also, I will be using various means to hold pieces together. The pins forced curves not present and the underside of the upper lip sticks out but will be glued flat to the inside. I will be using a lot of velcro dots. They stick very well to latex indeed and will allow for fast removal in case of heatstroke. Cough, not that that happened at the Dragon*Con parade at all… cough. ehem.

I may go try and test the hood pattern. It’s crazy with overlaps and stand up collar and all that jazz.

(ETA: I use @XYZ because I cross post to twitter on this account 😉 )

Oh my Goddess that is a bitchin’ Nyreen mask! I love it!

Thank you XD Indeed it is a Nyreen mask (five parts) currently stalled due to health reasons but I do hope to be able to start cutting out the fabric for her tunic and hood asap. 

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The Pursuit of Cosplay Fame

The Pursuit of Cosplay Fame

keyshakitty:

neimhaille:

tittybasket:

Interesting article. This is a relatively new phenomenon in NZ, but it is starting to surface – I know there has been at least one person recently who seems to think that entrants in the Armageddon contest don’t make their own stuff. Protip, babes: WE DO. That’s the point. Luckily, there isn’t a whole lot of ill-will in the NZ community yet, but it’s starting to get there. Comments like, “she’s too old” about our amazing judge, etc. It’s a hobby, guys. No drama plz.

Yeah, never mind tht at the start of each contest I spell this out, and at the presentation of the awards… […]

I LOVE mama-duck M and how she calls us all our ducklings.  I feel a HUGE majority of the NZ cosplay scene is amazing and it’s all about fun and learning and improving ourselves.  Just a couple of bad apples in the bunch that sour things up and it’s a shame, but I guess it could be worse (compared to, say, Australia or Florida – which I hear some scary horror stories from!)

Also, if there’s any attention I want during the contest, it’s from M alone.  I feel like I am truly being judged on a costume and my work over anything and everything else when in the judging room and winning an award is awesome because I know it’s come from someone with experience and skills that I could only dream of having and it’s her approval that I have won – This makes me a happy duckling! 😛

🙂 Please note even though I didn’t flood my post with smilies like I normally do (this can freak people out when ommitted! I kind of over use them 😉 ) it was not written with bitterness 🙂 

Also the country is full of talented people, some enter the contest, some don’t. Sometimes the rules don’t fit a cosplayer because it cannot be all things for all people without becoming a big mess and prone to subjectivity. There are look alike contests, parades, WoW (enter peeps, so many of you have the skills and artistry it demands) and various school/community projects to also be a part of 🙂 

I will have to hand the reins over at some stage for health reasons, but I will be doing everything I can to make sure this is not abrupt or dumping a load of work on to someone who can’t commit for several years for each show. If it wasn’t a regional then national/Transtasman thing this would be much easier, it would also change the contest fairly dramatically! 

Also Bill has started to take photos of the winners for the Armageddon twitter/Facebook so yay! 

The Pursuit of Cosplay Fame

The Pursuit of Cosplay Fame

tittybasket:

Interesting article. This is a relatively new phenomenon in NZ, but it is starting to surface – I know there has been at least one person recently who seems to think that entrants in the Armageddon contest don’t make their own stuff. Protip, babes: WE DO. That’s the point. Luckily, there isn’t a whole lot of ill-will in the NZ community yet, but it’s starting to get there. Comments like, “she’s too old” about our amazing judge, etc. It’s a hobby, guys. No drama plz.

Yeah, never mind tht at the start of each contest I spell this out, and at the presentation of the awards… the point of a contest is to test your skill level right? Or is this also part of the trend towards cosplay modelling vs costume making and thus the assumptions made about anyone participating in the hobby? Zero issue with either, just the assumptions that it’s all one or the other. 

Also if being too old means not show ponying the contest to my own advancement, making sure as much of the stress is bourne by me not the contestants, being relentlessly positive about the cosplay community and feeling insanely proud when “my behbehs” get work in their field of passion, having 20 years experience and continuously experimenting with techniques to make sure the judging is based on fact not assumption about difficulty  then put me out to pasture now. I’ll welcome the lack of stress.

Beeteedubs, this was around when I was competing, even circa 2003-04, definitely some feelings of ill will to winners for… winning. And the assumption that there was some fame that went along with it. Which there wasn’t.

Cave Dwellers Anonymous: Question #2 – Reaching for Weapons

Cave Dwellers Anonymous: Question #2 – Reaching for Weapons

anariazarrel:

kailexanra:

So playing my sentinel, K’Surda, I kept noticing that she would cross her arms to reach for her sabres. I wondered how viable that actually was and made the motions myself.

Guess what animators? My breasts are kind of in the way and it would be so much easier to just reach two inches down for the…

I believe it’s because in the films, jedi carry their lightsabers on the left side of their belt, they reach across with their right hand to grab their ‘main hand’ hilt. So if you carry two, your off-hand weapon would be on your right hand side belt, but held in your left hand. But you’re right, it’s awkward to grab both at the same time.

You carry your main hand weapon on the opposite side in western martial arts as well 🙂 When you are drawing a full blade it is easier to do so more quickly this way, you can hold the scabbard with your off hand and draw the blade with the main.

http://www.schoolofthesword.com/alfieri.html

Check plate two, figure on the left 🙂

And no you don’t draw main and offhand at the same time (offhand could be anything from a buckler to a dagger to a pistol). I mainly remember rapier and dagger as that’s what I had some training in but I am pretty sure the same is true for sabre and short sword. Not sure about Eastern, but I’m pretty sure I have seen this practice in film at least 🙂

But yeah, a light sabre is a different beast and only a hilt when worn so it probably makes more sense to draw it like a gun. 

http://www.fioredeiliberi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16896

Lots of info here about wearing a scabbard but you can also scroll down to the images embedded 🙂 Interesting stuff 🙂

palaven:

I started working on my Liara cosplay today! I’m making her outfit from the Alternate Appearance Pack.

I fitted the bodysuit I bought and started on the base for her legs! The picture on the left has the right leg fitted and the left how the suit originally was like.

oooh I hadn’t seen that one* 🙂 It may be time to break out the urethane paint and duo tone pearlX powder! Except I have committed to Nyreen for the time being. Sigh. 

Looking forward to progress pics 🙂

*I have been trying to avoid spoilers and such because I am not playing until I get the trilogy to play from go to woah without jumping between stories and the country seems to be out of stock.. sigh.

ornamentedbeing:

Circa 1873

This reminds me of the Janet Arnold pattern!

It is 🙂 The source page is at the Gallery of Costume in the Manchester Art Gallery which is as per the Arnold reference. Arnold’s stripes are closer together though which does make it look a little different.

Perfect example too of how often skirts were sewn in wrong. Note how the side front panels have the stripes angling inwards? Yeah not supposed to do that 😉 Gores were supposed to be sewn straight to diagonal not diagonal to diagonal.

This is the Arnold dress I most want to make. So much.

For those without the book (and no costumer should be without a copy!- that said I need to pick up two of the four myself…) the bodice is in multiple parts: faux neck fill, basque and belt and detachable undersleeves- main bodice ends at the waist and elbow ruffles as well as sheer neck ruffle (deep oval) . And there is an evening bodice too (ball bodice in fact due to the shape- very formal wide but shallow neck, bare arms). So this gown was mean to be able to be worn in every social situation the owner could possibly find herself.

Dinner? why I’ll remove the undersleeves and neck fill. Ball? I shall wear the off the shoulder bodice! At home? Sleeves or not, neck fill or not. Visiting during the day? Neck fill and sleeves!

Seeing it in colour makes me really want to find a good mimic of the actual fabric.

Backing up what Saf said – Thank you! I've always wondered what kind of products you used ( I definitely need to invest in a airbrush :o )

Thank you!

Oh I need a few more airbrushes. The big issue is the compressor actually. I really want one that will be low noise and travel. Tamiya had an ideal one for under $100 but i’m not sure if the hose would connect to my current brush. Also out of stock at the main supplier here. Imentioned on twitter that a good place to look for compressors would be make up specifc and cake decorating sites. The PSI involved will be low enough for skin. I use canned air, it’s ideal so I’ll see what the PSI is when I get to my brush in the next few days.

I recommend siphon feed dual action. (For anyone reading) this is where you have the ink in a sealed container under the main body and so less chance of a spill and the dual feed allows for line width and density variation. I have dual action gravity feed. And I splash a lot . It’s a good brush! And I can clean it easily (it does not like sticky pigments in some acrylic inks) but I would like to be able to self brush my face as a base as airbrushing layers the paint in droplets so you get a matter texture that also incidentally holds powder more easily.

You can get gravity feed brushes with containers on the top as well- they look like old film cannisters! So there is that as well.

Oh and I have a Sephora airgun. It is hideously gold and I had to get a new transformer type adaptor for it, but it works for a given value of work. If I was more patient I would use it as a final spritzing of paint to get that texture but I need to clean it as it splatters a bit.

Backing up what Saf said – Thank you! I’ve always wondered what kind of products you used ( I definitely need to invest in a airbrush :o )

Thank you!

Oh I need a few more airbrushes. The big issue is the compressor actually. I really want one that will be low noise and travel. Tamiya had an ideal one for under $100 but i’m not sure if the hose would connect to my current brush. Also out of stock at the main supplier here. Imentioned on twitter that a good place to look for compressors would be make up specifc and cake decorating sites. The PSI involved will be low enough for skin. I use canned air, it’s ideal so I’ll see what the PSI is when I get to my brush in the next few days.

I recommend siphon feed dual action. (For anyone reading) this is where you have the ink in a sealed container under the main body and so less chance of a spill and the dual feed allows for line width and density variation. I have dual action gravity feed. And I splash a lot . It’s a good brush! And I can clean it easily (it does not like sticky pigments in some acrylic inks) but I would like to be able to self brush my face as a base as airbrushing layers the paint in droplets so you get a matter texture that also incidentally holds powder more easily.

You can get gravity feed brushes with containers on the top as well- they look like old film cannisters! So there is that as well.

Oh and I have a Sephora airgun. It is hideously gold and I had to get a new transformer type adaptor for it, but it works for a given value of work. If I was more patient I would use it as a final spritzing of paint to get that texture but I need to clean it as it splatters a bit.

i just wanted to thank you for making those posts! gosh you are so wonderful!

It’s no worry at all 🙂 I have a few things I need to highlight and go back over (safety issues etc.) but it was nice to feel useful (it took that long to reply because I’ve been bed ridden for the last four days or so- basically food bug which meant I couldn’t have any medication to help my sinus and arthritis issues. Tummy is better and I am now working on the other two XD
So thank you for asking XD 

I don’t often do a specific link/promo of a particular product but if i do it’s because I have tried it and really like it. But we all have different needs. I need that permanence of paints. I know I find it easier to use non permanent paints (they blend much more easily for one) but I do move about so much and have to not worry about how people are bumping in to my lekku/pulling my tentacles and have the paint carry and transfer from people being silly.

I am also on a budget so I do use the best quality I can afford when I can. I do think the best option are the Reel Creation colour pots for sheer ease and number of applications able to be done. You need the paint and the solvent. You can buy setting spray but I have never needed it and for this reason it is not much more to invest in this than in water based paints and setting spray/powder.

I do want to use water based paints for a few photoshoots to have fun and blend and tone and do all that as well 🙂