Fun With Fellow Costumers

Yestersay I was invited to go and visit one of my classmates to spend the day at her place.  She has been wanting me to visit for the longest time and we were finally able to agree on a date!  Her mum is a wonderful craftswoman who makes all kinds of things such as accessories and costumes.  My friend doesn't sew but she also makes accessories.

We started out the day pouring through her mum's patterns and looking for ideas for costumes.  She was super excited and showed me the Sailor Moon pattern that her mum made for her when she was a kid.  I think she might have her mum make her adult version because she knows that I made Jupiter.  She also has the wand so that would work out perfectly.  We might end up going out for Halloween together which would be awesome ;)

When the sun finally came out we went into her back yard and picked a bunch of apples!  Guess who's going to be making pie this week!  The apple trees were packed with red goodness!  We brought them inside and convinced her mum to make pastries with them.  She has the frozen dough so we just let that thaw and she made up the apple seasoning.

While the pastries were cooking we got out all the bead, wires, pendants and gadgets they owned to make jewelry.  I found a chain maille book so of course I had to try it out.  I had been meaning to make a chain for my pocket watch since I purchased one at Otakuthon.  I decided to try the Full Persian chain.  I took me a while to figure out how to get started.  Once I made the first section, I couldn't figure out how to go on.  The book was not very clear (at least to me).  Luckily there was a portion of the Full Persian already made so I inspected it and reverse engineered it.  Turns out my reverse engineering failed as I seemed to have made up a different weave.  I'm proud of it none the less!

My "Full" Persian

Real Full Persian

I made it long enough to act as a necklace as well as a pocket watch chain.  I wore it as a necklace all day afterwards!  While I was doing the chain maille, my friend was trying to make a Facebook page for her crafts.  You guys can check it out here.  I had to help her out a bit because she isn't really used to Facebook :P

My friend has been wanting to try and sell some of the costumes that they have because they simply have too many to deal with and they want people to wear them.  Her boyfriend and I helped her out by modelling the costumes for them.  It was so cool wearing the big hoop skirts and the heavy ball gowns.  Her mum is really talented!  There are so many details in these costumes and she really tried to stay true to the materials that they would have used back in the day.  Needless to say they cost a lot of money to just make!

We ended the day with a short game of Lord of the Ring Monopoly!  I didn't even know that it existed!  I lost of course but I figured that since I was Gandalf it didn't matter if I didn't have any money because Gandalf is awesome nonetheless!  When it was time to go my friend gifted me with her old set of Clow cards.  I was totally thrilled as I have been meaning to do a Cardcaptor Sakura Cosplay!  Now I shall have to make that costume!  Maybe more than one who knows!

Clow Cards

Journal of Montreal Comic Con 2013

This was my first Comic Con ever!  Wow this year was a lot of firsts!  It was a pretty cool weekend, I got to hang out with people I don't normally see at conventions.  I attended quite a few good panels and got quite a few photos, though none of any super heroes as those aren't really my thing.  The one thing that really bugged me about the con was that there was a clear hierarchy among the attendees.  Honestly, I know that people like to be treated like kings and like to be part of an exclusive group but where is the equality in this?  It's just a huge money making scam!

Friday: I had class on Friday so I only got to the con at around 5ish.  I was going to go and see Monika Lee's panel but the room was full so we just decided to chill for a bit.  I didn't cosplay that night as I didn't get to finish Padme in time.  I will try and finish it for next year though as I have the majority of it done!  It will be my budget costume as some of it was bought from value village and not actually made by me.  My boyfriend took me to a panel regarding game making communities in Montreal.  It was good though I'm not into the gaming scene that much.

At 6:30 pm my boyfriend and I got in line to wait for Kamui's panel.  My cosplaying friend Chelsea met up with us there and we chatted with a group from Nova Scotia while in line.  We actually got to sit up close to the front of the room so we could really see Kamui's costume up close.  She is a really good panelist, especially since she wasn't speaking in her native tongue.  She even handed out samples of Worbla to everyone!  Kamui was super friendly and super funny and she gave some really good advice.  I even got to hold one of her bracers to inspect it!

So here are my notes from her panel:

"Fabric is shit, armour is good!" - Kamui

• Expanding foam can be cut and carved with a carpet cutter, you'll need to fill in all the little holes in it
• Can use wood glue as a primer for Worbla, use acrylic paints, use a varnish
• To affix armour pieces together use D-rings attached by Worbla pieces
• Patterns are very important in making armour
• Frankly plastic - pellets that when heated become like clay, adheres to any thermoplastic
• When starting to work with thermoplastic for the first time, start with a small piece, then go bigger
• You can use the leftovers to make a new sheet simply by heating up the pieces and melding them together - reduce waste!
• Use paint to darken and highlight appropriate places to emphasize the shapes and designs
• You have roughly 1-2 minutes to work with the plastic once it's heated.

After the panel we didn't really stick around too much.  I had to finish fixing Jupiter's boot covers and I wanted to get to bed somewhat early.

Saturday: We got to the con later than expected.  I was cosplaying as Vana and since Sean Astin was going to be doing photo ops I really wanted to try and get a photo with him!  We got there just after the session started and the line to buy the ticket to get into the line for the photos was too long so I (sadly) decided to just wander around.  I did get to go and see the panel hosted by Jessica Nigri and Monika Lee.  When we were getting into the line though I noticed that the attendees were mostly male and none of them seemed to be in costume.  This was my first very good clue that this panel was going to be derpy.

The panel was a Q&A session where the topic was cosplay tips.  I think only five questions were on topic where as some others were just plain strange!  And really awkward too... I got to ask a question though I already knew most of the answer.  I figured though that they might have more insight on the topic, which they did, but just a bit.  I asked about advice for a novice competitor and they said think about the environment of the character when making your costume, talk passionately about why you chose that character, bring reference pics, construction pics and pay careful attention to your craftsmanship.

After the panel we went to the masquerade.  There were some really good entries, especially the last one!  Kamui, Jessica and Monika were all judges for the competition as well as a few other cosplayers.  The last entry was a bunch of daleks, two on stage and one massive one in the audience.  They didn't seem to be "walking", more like gliding.  They exterminated the host with some sort of spray thing and then the huge one exterminated the judges by spinning crazily and spraying the front audience with the same stuff.  It was awesome!

Sunday: Again, we got to the con late because Jupiter took forever to put on.  I got tons of photos taken of me that day!  I think that it was because I was more visible at the con than at Otakuthon rather than the popularity of the character.  There aren't the many cosplayers at Comic Con which is a shame.  Again I missed a Sean Astin photo op because it was schedule last minute but it didn't really matter because I wasn't wearing Vana.  It would have been strange to take a photo with him in Jupiter.

We went to a few good panels, one about Cosplay on a budget and a Q&A sessions with Sean Astin.  Here are my notes from cosplay on a budget:

• have one showcase costume and other buget, comfortable costumes
• thicken a beard with masacara
• thrift stores are awesome!

Between the panels we mostly walked around the dealer's room and chilled for a bit.  I bought a Kamui print so I can officially say that I have helped her fund her next project!  Sean Astin's panel was sooo good!  I had a few fan girl moments, especially when he quoted from the Lord of the Rings.  It was such an honour to sit and listen to him talk live.  He is really a good guy and he is quite funny.  At the end he tried to carry the host off stage but he kind of failed.  It was a good attempt though!

Verdict:  Will I attend next year's Montreal Comic Con?

Answer: YES!

Journal of Fan Expo 2013

Fan Expo was my first non-anime con that I've been to.  My boyfriend and I only went on Saturday and Sunday as it is expensive.  We also only decided the night before that we would go, so it was pretty last minute.  We booked the flight into Toronto and flew in not even twelve hours after.  Talk about spontaneous!

Day One (Saturday): We arrived Saturday morning, a bit delayed because of the flight.  I didn't cosplay the first day because I was exhausted and I was carrying my luggage with me the entire day.  Instead I thought that I would enjoy the first day and take lots of pictures.  The day started out with us waiting in a line that took about an hour to get through.  We bought both Saturday and Sunday tickets at the same time to reduce waiting time the next day.  We were immediately brought into the massive dealers room.

There were soooooo many people!!  There were times where I was taking little tiny baby steps and I was still getting bumped into and pushed around.  I must say the first day I was not a happy camper.  I got very little sleep the night before and because I took two gravol pills for the flight, the drowsiness hit me right as we got to the con.  I was also carrying quite a bit of weight with me and there was hardly any space to sit down.  Despite my crankiness I did get to check out a decent panel.  We went to check out the Make-up panel for cosplaying.  Here are my notes on it:

Make-up panel

• Wash and moisturize face
• Use primers
• Use a correcting cover up wheel
• foundation
• Contour with bronzer, follow natural curves
• Use a highlight wheel
• Use powder to seal in foundation (translucent)
• For male cross-play, contour nose and jaw (make square)
• To get hairs out of face, use pin curls at nape of neck, temples, center front
• Can use hair chalk to colour eyebrows
• For wig styling, do up hair, put wig cap on take measurements then pad wig head or saran wrap wig head

My boyfriend and I decided to leave the con for a bit to check into our hotel.  Once we dropped all of our stuff off, we took a much needed nap.  We woke up later than expected but we still managed to get something to eat and arrive in time for the masquerade that night.  The masquerade was different from the one at Otakuthon, mostly because of the genres that were seen but also because all the entry levels were in order and not jumbled up.  You really got to see the progression of the costumes and the difficulty levels.

Day Two (Sunday): Sunday I cosplayed as Princess Jasmine as it was the easiest one to pull off and to transport in carry on bags.  Our hotel was a good twenty minute walk from the con so I wore the majority of my costume as we walked (with a jacket over top) and carried the rest with me.  There was significantly less people at the convention that day and you could tell by the temperature of the rooms.  I got some awesome stuff in the artists alley, including a Sailor Moon art poster, a nerdy t-shirt and a Tardis necklace for a friend of mine.  I got to attend some more awesome panels.  I went to the Japanese pop culture panel in which we had a Japanese guest give the presentation.  He even had us all take a picture with him to bring back to Japan.  I also went to a fabric dyeing panel and a cosplay tips and tricks panel.

Fabric Dyeing Panel

• Always test first
• Always follow instructions
• Natural fibers dye better than synthetic, (rayon is a natural fiber)
• Painting - acrylic, not ideal for spandex
• Marbeling - mix solution, suspend dyes on solution, experiment, set fabric on bath and it will adhere to the fabric
• Start with a lighter colour, dye in a well ventilated area
• Keep a dyeing pot for boiling dyes, be careful when boiling!
• Hang gradient dyeing
• Salt  bath fabric before gradient dyeing
• Get undyed, white fabrics
• Paint in thin coats!

Cosplay Tips and Tricks

• Synthetic wig sprays
• Heat can help with damage, use steam, test and be careful
• Storing things at a con - pouches, purses, pockets
• Wig pins and pin curls to keep wig from slipping
• Blister strips while wearing shoes
• Shoe glue is handy
• Sealing spray for glued soles
• Garbage bag and duck tape dress form, expanding insulation foam
• Modify basic dress, bodice and skirt patterns to get slopers
• Armour needs lots of pivots

Overall I enjoyed myself though I could have done with less people in the convention center.  Will I go next year?  I will consider going again.

Journal of Otakuthon 2013

I was super excited for Otakuthon this year mostly because I decided that I would enter in the masquerade for the first time.  I was also slightly pissed off because I had a final on the Friday night which meant that I missed one of the days.  It also meant that I had to balance studying and finishing up Sailor Jupiter.  I wanted to bring Sheeta as well but I didn't have enough time to finish it before the con.  Before the con, I corresponded with a cosplayer from Toronto who was coming down for the first time.  We decided that we would meet up during the weekend to chill and get to know one another. Thursday my friends and I met up for pre-registration which took up about five minutes of our time.  Afterwards we went out to eat at the restaurant we traditionally eat at during the con.

Friday was hectic for me.  I had to finish up my studying for Statistics.  My exam was at 7 pm and ended at 10 pm.  I decided that I was going to rush to the con right afterwards and so I decided to wear my Mokona costume to my exam :)  I had many comments from people, one guy even asked if I was eloping (lol).  As soon as the exam ended, I dropped off my stuff at my boyfriend's apartment, did my makeup and headed to the con.  I didn't really do anything that night, I mostly just hung out with my friends and took pictures of Mokona.  Knowing that I had to get up early for masquerade registration, we decided to get to sleep at a decent time.  Our plan was foiled however when I realized that my brooch wasn't staying on the Jupiter costume.  We were up for a while trying to figure out how to fix it.

Saturday started out bright and early.  I got dressed as Sailor Jupiter and left without eating anything.  The registration for the  masquerade opened at 10 am but I wanted to be there a bit earlier as there were only 60 spots available.  Along the way I got a text from the cosplayer from Toronto saying that there was already a line up for registration.  I hurried along, knowing that I would get there soon.  We waited for a good while before it opened up.  I am very glad that I decided to wear my crocs that morning instead of putting on my Jupiter boots right away.  I didn't do very much between registering and heading to the green room.  In the green room I met some really awesome cosplayers from different regions. I was very helpful for a few of them as well :)

I decided to get judged for my crasftmanship.  I surprised the judge by revealing that my gloves were hand made and that my wig was not my real hair.  I then had a couple of professional photos taken of me to be used by Otakuthon for their judges as well as to put up on their facebook page.  While in the green room we actually discovered that 80 contestants were chosen instead of the original cap of 60.  This made some of us a little upset and mad because it made the wait so much longer than it should have been.  I was entry 62, even though I was the 20th person to register.

Before getting on stage some of the more experienced cosplayers gave me some really good advice.  I think that helped me to be a bit more calm when I was on stage.  I was still quite nervous though when it was my turn to walk out to show off my costume.  Luckily I couldn't see past the first couple of rows because the lights were so bright.  My costume also got a warm welcome so that made me happy :).

After the masquerade, we went to the hotel room that we had booked for the night and chilled with our friends.  We stayed up quite late, getting to bed at 5 am!  Luckily I only had to be at the award ceremony at noon the next day so we were able to get a bit of sleep.

Sunday was nice and calm.  As I didn't go home that night I wore Jupiter again.  I went to the award ceremony for the masquerade and cheered on my fellow cosplayers.  Everyone did such a great job!  Afterwards we went to the dealers room and shopped around.  I learned a very valuable lesson  Never wear heels two days in a row at a con!  My feet were so painful the second day that I actually had to change into my crocs halfway through. At the end of the day, we went to the closing ceremonies and the feedback panel.  I gave my feedback regarding the masquerade.

All in all I didn't really do much besides the masquerade but I think it was worth it.  The panels at Otakuthon weren't very interesting to me and there were some awesome costumes to take pictures of.  I think eventually I shall have to host a panel myself and I shall definitely enter the masquerade again!

Otaku House Cosplay Idol Contest

So I've entered this online cosplay contest and I would really appreciate if people who like mine could vote for me a share it.  This is my first time entering the contest and I'm pretty excited about it!  I chose to use my Vana cosplay for this contest, knowing that as it is an original costume that it wouldn't get much attention and also knowing that since the character is so obscure that no one would know it.  I really love this costume though and I think that entering a cosplay that is unique and unknown can bring potential interest to the character and the story it hails from.

To vote please go here

Cheers to everyone who likes it!

Princess Mononoke Mask Commission

This was my first commission and also my first prop that I made.  I am quite pleased with how it turned out and how cheap it actually was to make!  One of my cosplaying friends asked me to do this because he didn't have time or the experience working with props.  I didn't have much experience with props but I have made maquettes and sculptures before so I figured that I could pull it off.  Before I decided on a price I looked up reference pictures and examined tutorials as posted by other people.  In the end I combined two different sources and used a little bit of information from each to create the mask.

Once I figured out what method I used I looked into the materials.  I went to art stores and got prices for different mediums.  I also took into consideration the weight of materials because it is a mask and it is attached to the fur hood.  I did some research and decided to make the base out of a few layers of papier mache with maybe a thin layer of clay over top to round it.  For the eye and mouth pieces I found some small salad dressing containers that would act as the support under the clay accents.  I got a cheap pair of sunglasses to tint the inside of the eyes of the mask in case too much light would be getting in.  I also got some necessary hardware such as thick malleable wire, sandpaper and an exacto knife.

Materials gathered

I started out with a  plastic bowl that had a flat bottom.  To make it round, I taped paper onto it until I got a desired hemispherical shape.  I made one layer of wet newspaper over the bowl so that the papier mache wouldn't stick to it.  I made six layers of papier mache over a span of a couple of days.  I waited until each layer was thoroughly dry before putting the next one on.  Once the base of the mask was completely dry, I removed it from the bowl and painted the inside of the mask with flour and water paste to get the first layer of newspaper to stick.

Flour and water "paint"

I trimmed the edge of the mask that formed due to the rim of the bowl.  Believe it or not cutting through six layers of papier mache is difficult!  After the base was done I sanded down the top of the mask to make it smooth and even.

I took a bit of a break from the mask part and I focused some energy on the eye and mouth pieces.  I cut off the bottom of the plastic containers as well as the rim.  I tried my best to make them all have the same height.

Cut eye piece

To place the eye and mouth holes in the mask I drew two bisecting lines, one vertically and one horizontal, along eye level.  I used the cut plastic pieces to draw tentative circles to mark the holes.  Cutting through the top was a challenge.  The layers at the top had all piled up so it was more like ten or eleven layers of papier mache on the top rather than six.  I had to puncture the center of each hole with a screwdriver!  One I managed to make a hole big enough to fit my exacto blade in, I had to carve out the circular shape.  Carving it took a while but it allowed me to continuously check the hole size until the plastic pieces fit (more or less) perfectly in.

Eye and mouth holes cut out

Once the holes were cut to shape I sanded the insides to smooth the edges.  I went on to making the ears.  I figured out a pattern for the ears where the front face consisted of a pointed arch shape and the back piece was a triangle with large rounded edges.  I assembled the pieces by bending the back piece until it curved nicely and then taped the two together.  I covered each ear with one layer of papier mache and let them dry. Once dry I gave them a light sanding.

My next phase was working on the accents.  I glued each plastic piece into the holes with hot glue on the inside.  For the raised accents on the mask, I marked out where they would go and how wide I wanted them to be.  I made the accents out of air-dry clay.  I covered the plastic pieces with the clay and did my best blending the clay into the mask.  I let it dry overnight.  Once it was dry there were some cracks that developed.  I fixed those crack by filling them in with super glue :)

Accents

Once the mask dried up I painted the ears, the outside of the mask and the inside of the mask with gesso as a primer.  I used acrylic paints for the bright colours of the mask.  I only gave one coat of paint to everything.

Finished ears

Painted mask

To attach the mask to the hood, I used a thick malleable wire.  I molded a long wire that made two prongs that stuck up at the top of the mask and curved all along the bottom inside of the mask.  I held it place with hot glue and added super glue in the cracks along the curved length.  I cut the prongs so that the ears could fit on them.  The goal with this is that the wire would poke through the hood and help keep it in place.  The ears were glued onto the wires on top of the hood.  For extra security I glued the hood down onto the top of the mask.

Attaching the ears

The things that I would improve on are adding a cushion for the chin to rest on while wearing it and somehow  anchoring the back of the hood so that the mask doesn't fall down the face due to it's weight.  The hood was held down by safety pins at the con but next time the hood should be sewn tightly to the cape.

Completed Mononoke mask commission

That's it!  Hope you liked my first prop!

Journal of Anime Boston 2013

Anime Boston 2013... what can I say?  It was awesome!!!  It was only my second con ever and it was great!  So much to do, so little time.  So many cosplays, not enough battery power.  My group and I arrived on Thursday much later than anticipated.  Pre-registration was SOOO fast!  It literally took us a moment.  there was no wait, no line!  I hope that other cons will look at what Anime Boston did this year so that they can improve their own methods in the future.

Friday started bright and early for us.  Unfortunately we didn't wake up early enough so we missed the first panels.  I was sad as I wanted to attend the panel about costume analysis.  I cosplayed as Vana on Friday and I was in the first ever Original Cosplay Fashion Show!  We were brought on stage and asked questions about our characters.  It was a good experience for me, I think that it gave me confidence about showcasing my costumes on stage.  Perhaps I will partake in a Masquerade soon!

So I went to a few pretty cool panels on Friday.  Here are my notes for those panels:

All About Fabric

*To dye synthetics, try using half the dye and half vinegar so that the dye will take better to the fabric
*Tips for Sewing - Do your research, use the right fabric, use the right needle, use the right thread, watch the edges from the very beginning
*Leather mask molding - wet leather until it is sponge wet (not soaking wet), cut out the desired shape, place it over the mold and let it dry while on the mold.  It will hold its shape afterwards.

Saving Money and Your Mind in Cosplay

*Wig caps - use old panty hose, cut off the legs and there you have a wig cap.  To put it on pull it over your head, front first then the back to get in all your hair.
*Wigs have little flap things inside.  They are supposed to line up with your sideburns to center the wig.
*Skirt make from old t-shirt, cut off the top at armpits and add an elastic waist band.  You can use two of the same shirt to make a fuller skirt.
*Apparently there is a cosplay ice skating event every year in Boston!  Perhaps Otakuthon could organize one in Montreal... :)

I went to other panels too but they were more watching clips than note taking ones.

Saturday was the biggest day!  There were so many people!!  I went early to scope out the line (this was before the con started) and it was huge!  It moved pretty quickly though despite bag check.  It was very efficient.  The longest the line was looked like it would take at least an hour and it only took about 25 minutes.

Here are the notes that I took from the Panels on Saturday:

How to Take Commissions

*To know when you are ready - Do people want your stuff?  Do you have time?  Are there other people doing what you do, are they more skilled than you are?  Have you done your homework?  Be honest with yourself! Manage your time
*What will you offer - Create a portfolio, specify what kind of commissions you can do, show examples, keep your portfolio update (your style may change), have a price range, prices and quality are important to people
*Pricing - consider length of time, cost of materials, your market, hobby vs needs.  Don't under price yourself (or overprice), don't charge hourly at first but consider it.  If you get too busy with comissions, increase your prices.  Be confident with yourself.
*Managing Clients - Deposits can be refundable or not, give receipts, good idea to use materials cost as deposit, online payments can use paypal, square for smartphones (takes credit cards), money orders (make sure they are legit), don't take personal cheques as they can bounce, for shipping it is a good idea to take out insurance, get feedback from the clients, anonymous surveys, etc.
*Self Promotion - Follow through with what you say, put your best foot forward, create a wait list, communication is a big one!  It also helps to be interested in what the customer wants.
*Paying taxes - it's best to speak to an accountant!

We couldn't go to some of the panels that we wanted to because they were so full!  People lined up a head of time just to get into the panels.  I really wanted to see the masquerade and at around 5-ish I noticed that there was a really long line all around the second floor.  We figured out that it was the masquerade line!  Basically we waited for about an hour and a half just to get into the auditorium.  The masquerade was great though!  Some skits were really well thought out and performed.  The hall cosplay fashion show was also an event for the masquerade.  At the end, they showed the AMV contest winners.

Sunday was the quiet day.  We slept in that day and spent most of it in the dealer's room.  We did get to go to the closing ceremonies and the feedback panel.  I was able to find a Teto for my Nausicaa cosplay!!!  I have to remake it now (maybe transform it into the Manga version).

All in all Anime Boston 2013 was great and if I didn't have to worry about school then I would definitely go again next year!  (It will be held in March which means that I will be in midterms or pre-finals)