May 15, 2010

Tutorials?

Started working a little bit on some basic Wonderflex/Craftfoam tutorial since I've recieved a lot of questions regarding it. Those materials are wonderful for creating things for cosplay, especially as they are a little bit elastic and a lot cheaper than buying sheet metal, not to mention easier to work with and simple to shape! Other than reinforcing it, attaching it to your cosplay and shaping it, I'll also go through painting, smoothing and creating a metal-like surface. But more on that note later.

I've also ordered a new wig for a cosplay I've started working with, we'll see how it turns out. I really need to learn to style wigs properly so that is why I ordered it. The type of wig is for now secret ^^

Less than a month to the summers first con, so things are getting tougher by the minute. I need to get hold of a couple of materials then start working again! This time around I really will enter the cosplay competition, it really looked like so much fun.

May 7, 2010

Possibly new plans?



Started on a brand new project today, which might or might not be my next cosplay. It's really to push my sewing skills to their limit and see if I can learn to sew properly! I was inspired by the Swedish "Meuwcon" who will have a cosplay gala and possibly a masquerade ball or similar. Why not try and make some clothes fitting a ball then?

Thought of a bunch of different characters I could attempt to make a costume for but so far I've not found the right one.. Maybe I'll just make my own original character, taking some of my own ideas and some of existing characters. I have made some quick sketches and come up with some interesting ideas. I want it to have a little bit of a royal feeling to it. I've thought about black velvet, lined with some soft smooth cheaper fabric on the inside of it. Then silver details perhaps, that would add a pretty exotic noble/royal feeling to it.

I sure wouldn't start to sew with expensive velvet and embroidery thread.. I'll start off by drawing concept art, drafting a pattern, and only then attempt to sew one out of a similar but cheap fabric! I mean, given enough time and tries, surely I'll be able to sew something well!

Time to keep thinking of ideas, and get rid of this flu...

May 5, 2010

Vincent: Vest/shirt



Vincent wears a leather shirt in advent children and a vest in Dirge of Cerberus. It's actually kind of hard to see as he's wearing his capelet and cloak the whole movie.. But it is there anyway. Exactly what it looks like... Well noone knows! You can see some parts of it but never a good shot of what his vest actually looks like, only small glimpses of it and usually so much motion blurr that you can't make out much details.

I did, however, find a picture of a Vincent model on the internet.

This picture is perhaps not the official Advent Children version but it's based on the changes Vincent went through from the game compared to the movie, and as I don't know what Vincents vest/shirt looks like I'll make something inbetween, following the hints from the movie but the guidelines from the model above.

There is a short collar, 5-6cm tall with a belt attached (visible in the movie). The two sides of the front is overlapping atleast ~10-15cm and attached with 4 belts (marked in orange below). While the arms looks like they are made in other material on the model above, it looks more like it's 2 sleeves attached to the vest in the Advent Children movie so I'll probably go with that.. But have not decided yet.




This is an idea of the design so far, made out of an old bedsheet I found lying around. It's supposed to be a tight fitting vest which goes further down than the waist (marked in purple), but stuffed into the pants carefully. There is a lot to adjust on it but I've gotten most of the meassurements and parts of the pattern now. The colored lines are for references of stuff I need to keep in mind, like the belts, how to attach, which part belongs where and so on. Such a mess, but atleast it shows the main points and problems. The front is split in to left (light blue) and right (red).

The collar (dark blue) is yet to be designed as attaching it is the catch.. I'll most likely have to make a test-piece and attach with rough basting so I can try it a few times before I do it properly. Same with the sleeves. I'll take careful meassurements on sleeves and collar.. Actually.. I'm thinking of cheating and not add a collar with belt as it's really annoying and noone will see it. But I might just do it.. Hard to say.

The good thing with making this vest compared to cheating and taking a thin black sweater is that leather is much more stiff and firm. I'll be able to properly attach the shoulder and make the cloak attachable with buttons (light green and dark green marks).. That's my plan anyway!

New useful material?



I have had some issues with craftfoam and gesso-like materials of different kinds. Mostly because gesso is not very flexible, so it doesn't go well with craft foam. It just snaps or breaks.. No good "putty" material is flexible, right? If it is like rubber you will not be able to sand it down which is the whole point of it, sanding it nice and smooth. But what about plastic? Plastics are somewhat flexible but still hard and possible to sand. I asked around a lot looking for plasti-sands and bondo of different kinds. At last I found a possible solution: Plastic Padding.


It seems like this is a good alternative and it is:
1: Sandable.
2: A bit flexible. Not as flexible as the craftfoam but it is more like plastic. A thiiiin layer of this might break but if you reinforce the craftfoam first so it doesn't bend so much it seems to be fine.


I have applied some Plastic Padding to the rough edges where the craft foam and the wonderflex created uneven edges. Once I sand it down it I hope it will be really nice and smooth!

May 4, 2010

Hot and cold :(

With the weather warmer than ever this year, I've caught a cold somehow. I'm feeling pretty bad and my mood is all down.

But this is not the time to feel down! It's summer, you have to enjoy life. Why not make the day better by listening to really good music? I feel so good when I listen to music, makes you feel happy and warm again :)

Currently these cute vocaloids have gotten stuck in my head.



Uninstall, hey? "Hatsune Miku" sings about how she is just one of many of her kind and just feels like dissapearing... Noone would notice. Noone would care. There are many others just like her. Why is she not appreciated for the time and effort she spends on becoming such a great Vocaloid? So frightened yet putting up a strong, seemingly emotionless, front.

I like the tune, and the chorus is great, I do realise, now, why Vocaloids became so popular. A while back I actually thought it was some anime or something. Not a program to create songs.



This is another fantastic piece of music. Medleys are often very nice but these have spent enormous time on... anime and game music. That's quite rare. It's not some random choir either, these are great and have spent so much effort getting it just right. When they sing the part from "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" or why not "Agent yoru wo uku", "Makka ni chikai" or "Uninstall", it sounds like a choir of angels. Very well done by Nico Nico Douga, again, these parts are almost better than the originals :O



Another good song I found not that long ago. It just makes you want to run around the house and dance.. Feeling all down from the cold? Nah, take it easy and listen to some really good music instead ^^

Vincent: Boots designed! Sweet!

I just felt like doing some really good dessert and so I did, why not? ^^


This is my favorite, out of all desserts this is just sweeter but not too sweet. A wonderful.. kind of Vanilla cream but that explanation just doesn't do it justice. The only way to find out how it really is is making it yourself, or ofcourse, eating the ones I make :P




With Vincents boots being damn near impossible unless made in metal which would require a lot of practice, experience, money, time and tools.. I've managed to create some decent designs for the boots! I've modified the appearance to be able to attach the securely to the boot, and in the right places so it can move with the foot.




I started by putting on the boots so I could actually make proper molds that would fit my feet perfectly and make sure they move along with the joints in the foot.. Else it would just break or fall off from any little movement. They look pretty bad but that's just to get the shape right :P

Then I attached a layer of orange craft foam on top of it.. Some of those round shapes are really annoying but I attached the middle of it with superglue, then applied fabric glue to the sides that should adhere to the wonderflex and superglue at the edges for a quick fit so I wouldn't have to hold it for hours. I then heated it up and pulled it until it fit perfectly then pressed it down against the edges with superglue and poof it's done! I screwed up and made a dent in the craftfoam in one place. I'll just sort that out with some gesso or so.







Here is the first dry fitting. Note that the toe isn't angled that much upwards when you are wearing them. I'll most likely attach all the armor pieces on each boot with a leatherstrap and then with elastic bands attach it to the boot. Gluing it right on top of the boot is a BIG NO-NO. Don't ever do it! The boots and your armors flexibility is difference and when it is like that you need a kind of.. medium in between if you understand what I mean. I think I've got this sorted now anyway. Time to get back to work!

May 1, 2010

Work.. Work..

Up to my knees with work to do.. Making a work sample for a University I'm applying to and last year there were over 30 applicants per available spot so time to work hard and see if I make it in!

Won't be a whole lot of time for costume makers now for a while but I'll still do some of it. I've learnt not to start so late, taking it easier and spreading the work out over many weeks works out much better.

Made a full-size pattern of Vincents leather shirt/vest. I made it after a picture I found of a Vincent model in plastic, it showed the details of it that not even a 1080p 2h movie could not supply. It will require another 4 2-sided belts.. Ouch.

I'm also looking for a proper cosplay group in Sweden. I'd really like to find around 3-10 other cosplayers that I could join and together we would conquer the world! Nah but I'd want a group of people that also aim high and to be able to share ideas and knowledge would be of incredible worth. Not to mention a lot of fun, I mean, how can a bunch of people with the same general interests not have a good time? :D

I'm definately entering cosplay competitions this year. Entering one at Meuwcon, one at Umicon and ofcourse next Uppcon! At Uppcon I'll also bring a new costume. Not decided which yet, considered Sync the Tempest(Tales of the Abyss), Syaoran (Tsubasa) and many others. Tips are appreciated! Some characteristic character. Preferably from a reasonably well-known series/anime/manga/movie but not overplayed, like certain naruto characters are for example.