Here's a teaser from the photoshoot for my Xianghua/Soul Calibur cosplay today!
The Queen's Hair
Time for some regal ponytails!
Starting with 2 blonde/white ponytail extensions. Which, although purchased from the same vendor turned out to be slightly different fibers...
Aight, time for the good 'ole Petting Zoo Wig Dye in Midnight Blue.
Unfortunately once dyed the 2 ponytails were drastically different. This just meant a tad more work to layer them and mix up the different shades.
Glued unto styrofoam and all wrapped up. ^_^
Starting with 2 blonde/white ponytail extensions. Which, although purchased from the same vendor turned out to be slightly different fibers...
Aight, time for the good 'ole Petting Zoo Wig Dye in Midnight Blue.
Unfortunately once dyed the 2 ponytails were drastically different. This just meant a tad more work to layer them and mix up the different shades.
Glued unto styrofoam and all wrapped up. ^_^
wind wizardry (zephie), skirting the issue
Even though the pattern for this costume is by far 1230808230958x more difficult than my Xianghua costume, I was very lucky to have my first sample FIT, with only some minor corrections.
All the times I rushed to the fabric stores to pick up materials for Xianghua, I kept my eyes peeled for materials I could possibly use for this costume, since I knew I wouldn't have very much time at all.
Among the main fabrics I've decided to use for Zephie's outfit, I purchased a semi-stretchy active-wear fabric with a good amount of spandex (similar to an interlock jersey, or a doubleknit) for the side panels (I'll have to stiffen the collar with a thick fusible); a stretch twill for the center front, and a printed cotton fabric for the skirt.
The easiest part was the skirt...or so I thought. I wanted to speed through it and cut the entire skirt in a circle, thinking there would be enough flounce. Unfortunately there wasn't enough, so I ended up cutting 4 pieces total for each of the skirt's layers, 2 layers total, then cutting corresponding pieces of tulle (still leftover from the Bjork costume) to give more pouf underneath. I pleated the entire skirt as it was pinned on the dressform to make sure the look was similar to the illustration.
The drawback to my fabric was that the rose print was so faint the details wouldn't stand out as they should, so I had to paint, again. I used my favorite Jacquard Lumiere textile paint, in Pearlescent White, let it dry 24 hours, heat-set the paint, then painted some outlines in Metallic Gold.
The picture above this one shows the completely painted flounce.
All the times I rushed to the fabric stores to pick up materials for Xianghua, I kept my eyes peeled for materials I could possibly use for this costume, since I knew I wouldn't have very much time at all.
Among the main fabrics I've decided to use for Zephie's outfit, I purchased a semi-stretchy active-wear fabric with a good amount of spandex (similar to an interlock jersey, or a doubleknit) for the side panels (I'll have to stiffen the collar with a thick fusible); a stretch twill for the center front, and a printed cotton fabric for the skirt.
The easiest part was the skirt...or so I thought. I wanted to speed through it and cut the entire skirt in a circle, thinking there would be enough flounce. Unfortunately there wasn't enough, so I ended up cutting 4 pieces total for each of the skirt's layers, 2 layers total, then cutting corresponding pieces of tulle (still leftover from the Bjork costume) to give more pouf underneath. I pleated the entire skirt as it was pinned on the dressform to make sure the look was similar to the illustration.
The drawback to my fabric was that the rose print was so faint the details wouldn't stand out as they should, so I had to paint, again. I used my favorite Jacquard Lumiere textile paint, in Pearlescent White, let it dry 24 hours, heat-set the paint, then painted some outlines in Metallic Gold.
The picture above this one shows the completely painted flounce.
The skirt edges were bound off with 1/4" self-binding, meticulously cut and pressed.
One round took me one hour to sew.
The extra 2 hours it takes to add the binding to the edge makes a big difference in
the overall quality of the garment. Look how clean the 2nd layer looks with the binding
as opposed to the top layer which has not been bound off.
Now, the lace I found for the 3rd layer of the skirt was the most expensive part of this project. It was $30/yard. That cost MORE than my entire 5.2 square feet of LEATHER! I had to buy 2 yards of this lace. And then I had to dye it. It did not absorb the dark brown dye very well--I stirred it for 40 minutes.
The 1st attempt: why isn't it dark brown!?! :(
Dyeing the 2nd time. Looks nasty! Like brains?!
I left the lace to dye longer the 2nd time and did not wash it out as thoroughly as I did the first time. If I were to be wearing this costume everyday, I'd have to wash it out completely, but since I'm wearing this for a mere 2 days (barely), I don't need to.
The 3rd layer skirt's base fabric was a slinky lining fabric called "Ambience" that is not super cheap ($7/yard. I only used half a yard, though) but has a beautiful drape and will not bulk up the rest of the skirt.
Each piece of the skirt was cut circular.
I overlocked the edges of the lining to make my life easier..
My noisy, part-time best-friend.
There's a top piece that connects to the bodice (not shown). The skirt also does not fit over the shoulders of my dressform :(
One round took me one hour to sew.
the overall quality of the garment. Look how clean the 2nd layer looks with the binding
as opposed to the top layer which has not been bound off.
Now, the lace I found for the 3rd layer of the skirt was the most expensive part of this project. It was $30/yard. That cost MORE than my entire 5.2 square feet of LEATHER! I had to buy 2 yards of this lace. And then I had to dye it. It did not absorb the dark brown dye very well--I stirred it for 40 minutes.
The 1st attempt: why isn't it dark brown!?! :(
Dyeing the 2nd time. Looks nasty! Like brains?!
I left the lace to dye longer the 2nd time and did not wash it out as thoroughly as I did the first time. If I were to be wearing this costume everyday, I'd have to wash it out completely, but since I'm wearing this for a mere 2 days (barely), I don't need to.
The 3rd layer skirt's base fabric was a slinky lining fabric called "Ambience" that is not super cheap ($7/yard. I only used half a yard, though) but has a beautiful drape and will not bulk up the rest of the skirt.
Each piece of the skirt was cut circular.
I overlocked the edges of the lining to make my life easier..
My noisy, part-time best-friend.
Here's the completed skirt portion in all its semi-glory...
There's a top piece that connects to the bodice (not shown). The skirt also does not fit over the shoulders of my dressform :(
smelly flower (xianghua), conquered!
I am so excited to be finally finished with this project. I feel like it took me forever (oh, wait... it did--75+ hours!), and I'll be happy to reveal the final photos when I complete the photoshoot!
Here is the complete breakdown in hours of how long this costume took me....
7 total hours dyeing trim
4 hours drafting patterns
6 hours total purchasing supplies
3.5 hours airbrushing
8 hours cutting all fabric pieces
3.5 hours to sew shorts
6.5 hours to sew bustier
12 hours to sew jacket
6 hours to paint jacket
30 minutes to make choker
20 minutes to make armwarmers
30 minutes to paint socks
1 hour to modify/paint shoes
30 minutes to assemble/airbrush floral hair pin
1.5 hours to assemble belt
14 hours to modify/paint sword
1 hour to cut/style wig
I'll be wearing this costume at Anime Expo July 2nd and 3rd (and again at Comic-Con the 3rd weekend of July), so I'd love to meet any of you fellow cosplayers/otaku !!
Here is the complete breakdown in hours of how long this costume took me....
7 total hours dyeing trim
4 hours drafting patterns
6 hours total purchasing supplies
3.5 hours airbrushing
8 hours cutting all fabric pieces
3.5 hours to sew shorts
6.5 hours to sew bustier
12 hours to sew jacket
6 hours to paint jacket
30 minutes to make choker
20 minutes to make armwarmers
30 minutes to paint socks
1 hour to modify/paint shoes
30 minutes to assemble/airbrush floral hair pin
1.5 hours to assemble belt
14 hours to modify/paint sword
1 hour to cut/style wig
I'll be wearing this costume at Anime Expo July 2nd and 3rd (and again at Comic-Con the 3rd weekend of July), so I'd love to meet any of you fellow cosplayers/otaku !!
Have you met my new friend?
I've been keeping this guy in a box... he patiently awaits his fate until I make him part of my own blue bony body!
wind wizardry, wand-ering
Patterns and fabrics aside, I decided to try and finish the wand first. Today is Father's Day, so I didn't ask my dad to help me. I only requested that he help me cut the styrofoam. I joked that he gets to spend Father's Day helping me make another weapon. He looked at the illustration and said, "...you have your work cut out for you." (then he walked away and resumed watching his Korean dramas...) I started working on this since 3PM and it's now almost 9PM.
My dad and I went to Halloween Club again to look for pre-made weapon bases (last time we used a Zorro sword, disassembled and reassembled the entire thing). I thought of using PVC tubing for the wand base, but that would be way too heavy. We found a weird fairy wand or broom? on sale and started with that. My dad sawed off the extra length, and we headed to Michael's next. I needed the wand to be very lightweight since I'd probably be carrying it around all day, so I already had in mind to use Crayola's Model Magic (very light type of clay, I guess it isn't really even clay since it's more like a marshmallow-consistency) and styrofoam. I bought styrofoam in a few different shapes--an egg for the swan base, some small circles for the end of the wand, a cone for a belt accessory, and some larger balls for another belt accessory. Styrofoam is extremely difficult and nasty to paint on, so these will be papier-mached over. Using these materials will make the wand 10000x lighter than using a huge hunk of clay to mold over the wand.
Styrofoam
I simply used some toothpicks and a lot of tacky glue to secure everything.
I also used some floral wire. This is not very pliable, so I had to use pliers to get the shapes I wanted.
There are tiny cherry blossom-type flowers everywhere on this wand, so I bought a bunch of cheap fake flowers, cut the stems off and painted the tips a dark brown.
Don't they look like they were dipped in chocolate? Maybe I'm just hungry...
I used an entire package of Crayola's Model Magic for creating the base shapes on the wand and my belt accessories!
(belt accessories)
The downside to using this clay is it takes 72 hours to fully dry, whereas the DAS clay took only 20-24 hours. I will be sanding the surfaces smooth, so I am not worried that some of the clay looked bumpy in areas.....
My dad and I went to Halloween Club again to look for pre-made weapon bases (last time we used a Zorro sword, disassembled and reassembled the entire thing). I thought of using PVC tubing for the wand base, but that would be way too heavy. We found a weird fairy wand or broom? on sale and started with that. My dad sawed off the extra length, and we headed to Michael's next. I needed the wand to be very lightweight since I'd probably be carrying it around all day, so I already had in mind to use Crayola's Model Magic (very light type of clay, I guess it isn't really even clay since it's more like a marshmallow-consistency) and styrofoam. I bought styrofoam in a few different shapes--an egg for the swan base, some small circles for the end of the wand, a cone for a belt accessory, and some larger balls for another belt accessory. Styrofoam is extremely difficult and nasty to paint on, so these will be papier-mached over. Using these materials will make the wand 10000x lighter than using a huge hunk of clay to mold over the wand.
Styrofoam
I simply used some toothpicks and a lot of tacky glue to secure everything.
I also used some floral wire. This is not very pliable, so I had to use pliers to get the shapes I wanted.
There are tiny cherry blossom-type flowers everywhere on this wand, so I bought a bunch of cheap fake flowers, cut the stems off and painted the tips a dark brown.
I used an entire package of Crayola's Model Magic for creating the base shapes on the wand and my belt accessories!
(belt accessories)
The downside to using this clay is it takes 72 hours to fully dry, whereas the DAS clay took only 20-24 hours. I will be sanding the surfaces smooth, so I am not worried that some of the clay looked bumpy in areas.....
Yulie's Rumble Roses Benikage progress
I'd say she's about 90% done, and we're in time for the con! No last minute cosplays ^_^
smelly flower (xianghua), fake
I uploaded photos of hair being cut on my Facebook, and all my friends thought I had actually cut my hair. Since I'm wearing 2 different costumes with different hairstyles, I can't! (My hair isn't even brown right now anyway...)
I ordered 2 cheap wigs from eBay, the longest dark brown wigs I could find with bangs.
Yes, that little ducky is holding a toothbrush :)
I stopped by Hollywood Wigs on Hollywood Blvd (my favorite wig place) and picked up wig heads--$6 each!
I spent no more than $15 on this wig--combs included. I bought a basic comb set at Rite Aid for about $3, and just used a household scissor to cut the layers. The ribbon in the hair was leftover from the socks, and the gold trim leftover from the choker.
This concludes the Xianghua costume, please check back July 7th for photos! I've already gotten started on my Zephie costume, so I am excited to share the progress on it!
I ordered 2 cheap wigs from eBay, the longest dark brown wigs I could find with bangs.
Yes, that little ducky is holding a toothbrush :)
I stopped by Hollywood Wigs on Hollywood Blvd (my favorite wig place) and picked up wig heads--$6 each!
I spent no more than $15 on this wig--combs included. I bought a basic comb set at Rite Aid for about $3, and just used a household scissor to cut the layers. The ribbon in the hair was leftover from the socks, and the gold trim leftover from the choker.
This concludes the Xianghua costume, please check back July 7th for photos! I've already gotten started on my Zephie costume, so I am excited to share the progress on it!
all day everyday
The new project I mentioned briefly in yesterday's post is surely not such a huge secret to you, my dear readers.
Last October, I replicated a Lady GaGa outfit from scratch and outlined the process on this blog, and never did a "proper" photoshoot for it. As I brainstormed ideas for a photoshoot that would be interesting and distinct, I thought of presenting the costume in a series of "everyday" shots (I kept in mind that Lady GaGa dressed in costume 24/7). I pitched the idea to my friend Mike about it, wondering if it would seem "interesting", and he suggested that it might be MORE interesting to actually take photos everyday, of seemingly mundane activities that every regular Joe and Jane has to partake in--chores and whatnot. This turned into a discussion on making a website, the title and the numerous activities I would participate in.
I was fortunate that Josh, the photographer from my lingerie shoot back in December, was willing to shoot the first set of photos for me. I had started planning this back in January of this year, and Josh joined me in March. We spent a few months corresponding back and forth via email on activities we wanted "Everyday GaGa" to do.
Finally, after months of working discreetly on this project, and poking around the web to make sure no one else had done something like this yet, I was happy to unveil my latest project, Everyday GaGa, last Tuesday, June 1st.
Just one day in the life of GaGa
The site is updated everyday, at a different time everyday, to correspond with the activity of the day.
You can follow the site on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/everydaygaga
On another note, since my costume-making and Everyday GaGa have now sucked up the remainder of my life, I will no longer be updating the TUMBLR. I simply do not have the time to properly post on it anymore, and I'm not the type of person who likes to half-ass anything. It's 110% effort from me, or 0%, so while the tumblr will still exist, there will no longer be any updates.
Last October, I replicated a Lady GaGa outfit from scratch and outlined the process on this blog, and never did a "proper" photoshoot for it. As I brainstormed ideas for a photoshoot that would be interesting and distinct, I thought of presenting the costume in a series of "everyday" shots (I kept in mind that Lady GaGa dressed in costume 24/7). I pitched the idea to my friend Mike about it, wondering if it would seem "interesting", and he suggested that it might be MORE interesting to actually take photos everyday, of seemingly mundane activities that every regular Joe and Jane has to partake in--chores and whatnot. This turned into a discussion on making a website, the title and the numerous activities I would participate in.
I was fortunate that Josh, the photographer from my lingerie shoot back in December, was willing to shoot the first set of photos for me. I had started planning this back in January of this year, and Josh joined me in March. We spent a few months corresponding back and forth via email on activities we wanted "Everyday GaGa" to do.
Finally, after months of working discreetly on this project, and poking around the web to make sure no one else had done something like this yet, I was happy to unveil my latest project, Everyday GaGa, last Tuesday, June 1st.
Just one day in the life of GaGa
The site is updated everyday, at a different time everyday, to correspond with the activity of the day.
You can follow the site on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/everydaygaga
On another note, since my costume-making and Everyday GaGa have now sucked up the remainder of my life, I will no longer be updating the TUMBLR. I simply do not have the time to properly post on it anymore, and I'm not the type of person who likes to half-ass anything. It's 110% effort from me, or 0%, so while the tumblr will still exist, there will no longer be any updates.
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