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TheTofuShop posted:Looks like the Ring Blade turned out AWESOME! What did you end up doing for the stained-glass-ish portion? Thanks! I ended up making it out of a couple of layers of thick clear vinyl sandwiched together, and painted it with stained glass effect paint. People were asking me what it was made out of all weekend! McPantserton posted:Let's run away together, you and I. We'll dress like Soul Calibur characters together under a silvery tropical moon. You don't know how happy it makes me that there is someone else here that understands the addiction that is Soul Calibur cosplay <3
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Feb 19, 2013 08:46
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Nessa posted:So I have a crafty question. I have a pair of sunglasses that I need to alter for my costume. I need to add some width to the arms so that I can paint little rainbows on the sides. What's a good way for me to do that? Currently, the arms are just wire. Paperclay would probably work for this. It's clay that's made out of paper pulp, like paper mache, but finer. It air dries, so you don't need to bake it like other clays. Once dry it can be sanded, sealed, and painted. In other costume-related news, BlizzCon was announced today. Guess that means I need to decide soon if I'll go for the Wizard idea.
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Feb 20, 2013 01:18
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I'd probably use Apoxiesculpt over paperclay. It's more expensive by quite a bit, but sanding paperclay is like the worst thing known to man in my opinion. Apoxiesculpt is way easier to get a nice, smooth surface with.
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Feb 20, 2013 01:28
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I'll look into the apoxie sculpt. Thanks! My mom had given me some air dry clay recently, but it's dollar store stuff, so that's not going to cut it, but it might be something to practice with.
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Feb 20, 2013 19:46
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You guys are all so drat talented it hurts. That hoop is beautiful. Taking a break from lurking to ask a question. I'm kind of done trying to make the Happy Mask Salesman work, since the masks have since fallen apart and I'd want to re-make them all, as well as make everything completely structurally sound so I NEVER have to re-do it, because I'm on the third iteration of the costume and it's been a tremendous amount of work every time, and I don't feel like expending the effort. That aside, I have a new idea, and a less serious one. I'm sure everyone is tired of seeing sexy Pikachu every time they turn a corner at a con. As a result, my swole friend and my soon-to-be-swole self are getting into workout overdrive to be sexy male stripper Pikachu and Raichu. The main issue here is the head, because rather than wear a mask or do the normal facepaint + headband with ears on it, I want a full helmet. I looked at this deadmau5 head tutorial and figured I could modify it with a couple cross-sections of Pikachu's head, some wire and something else for filler to keep the shape. So that's what I need suggestions on: the filler. Or any other ideas to make this work. I know a lot of you guys have made helmets before, so I figured this'd be the best place to ask. Otherwise, the costumes will consist of tails and Yellow/Orange boots, short shorts and suspenders for Pikachu/Raichu respectively. We plan to spend most of Otakon flexing at passersby.
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Feb 20, 2013 20:39
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Hey for those of you who use apoxie sculpt what is the general coverage amount for say a pound. I am thinking of bailing on doing the armor detailing in foam sense the paperclay broke and use this instead but I am unsure how much I need. Ref image just in case:  I'm mostly looking to put in the spikes and swirls on the faces of the gauntlets and armor bits.
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Feb 20, 2013 21:57
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If you're not doing all that edging I think you'd be ok with a pound. I also recommend a set of clay tools (big fan of this set http://www.amazon.com/SE-DD312-12-Piece-Stainless-Carvers/dp/B000SVRSRY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1361394081&sr=8-7&keywords=clay+tools ) and lots of water when you're working it. Be cautious that apoxiesculpt is still decently brittle, it might snap too if the foam flexes too much. Also, apoxiesculpt saving tip: since it's a 2-part resin clay, it'll keep curing up after it's mixed no matter if it's in something airtight or not, but you can put excess in the freezer to drastically slow down the cure and reuse it a day later. Not sure it'll keep for, but it's really nice if you're sculpting multiple days in a row and end up with a bit of extra. That poo poo's expensive!
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Feb 20, 2013 22:04
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Okay, I'm second-geussing my plan with this 1920s dress. I chose silvery faux beaded ribbon over beading, and I really liked where it was going, the lines it creates over the dress.  I figured I'd do zigzags of fringe, but I think I should have gone with black instead of white (I couldn't find silver) and should have gotten a much longer fringe. I'm out of fringe and it still looks incomplete, but I'm not sure I want to go out and get more because it's so visually heavy. It also takes forever to hand sew (the machine bunched the fabric up and was generally difficult to work with), and I need to have this done tomorrow.  I'm thinking about removing all the fringe and putting just one layer along the bottom hem.
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Feb 21, 2013 04:40
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Mecha Neko posted:Okay, I'm second-geussing my plan with this 1920s dress. I like the white fringe. More layers of fringe is more fun to wear.
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Feb 21, 2013 04:50
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I like the fringe, too! And I definitely think it should be like it is and not black. I'm trying to say this not poo-brained but to me, the fringe is the most iconic "FLAPPER DRESS" part of what's going on. I think the trim looks really nice and I like the pattern in which it's sewn on, but in the before and after pic I see a geometric dress and then a flapper dress.
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Feb 21, 2013 06:47
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Aw, thanks! My character for this murder mystery party is a lounge singer and aspiring actress, so fringe on the dress is written in the description, but not necessarily as a flapper. They're fun, but I wanted to be a little more glamorous. I also suspect that there will be at least one other full-fringe flapper dress there and I wanted to do something different. I ended up taking the top line of fringe and adding it to the bottom, then filling in the gaps between there and the hem with the just-barely-enough scrap fringe. Overall, I think I'm satisfied. It's definitely not perfect, but it's not bad for a first sewing project. 
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Feb 21, 2013 11:06
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HarkToTheLoons posted:The main issue here is the head, because rather than wear a mask or do the normal facepaint + headband with ears on it, I want a full helmet. I looked at this deadmau5 head tutorial and figured I could modify it with a couple cross-sections of Pikachu's head, some wire and something else for filler to keep the shape. I'm mostly unqualified to answer because I've never made a helmet, but if it were me, I'd use regular pillow stuffing. You can get it from fabric or craft stores in giant bags like colorless cotton candy, and I think it's pretty cheap. I fully support the idea of a full-head helmet, btw, that's a nice touch.
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Feb 21, 2013 11:55
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THIZZFACE KILLA - Just want you to know that your Tira costume keeps showing up in my FB page feed. There are some amazing pics of that beauty of a costume.
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Feb 21, 2013 17:33
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That deadmau5 head works and gets the job done, however some of the better ones I've seen (and poached) use those green blocks of foam attached with some dowels and puttied together through the head. The inside is lined with it as well to hold a head in place. Check out my friend's facebook page, Angel Cosupray, and see if he can't provide any pointers on what to do. The deadmau5 head I got through him.
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Feb 21, 2013 17:33
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Where do most of you guys get your wigs? I'd love to get one or two that are easy to style and re-style and maybe human hair.
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Feb 21, 2013 18:20
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I've gotten my last few through Arda, they're pretty awesome.
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Feb 21, 2013 18:22
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Arda is AMAZING. I got my first wig from them last week and a friend of mine does all her wigs from them. I remember like ten years ago where you basically had 2-3 choices for wigs: spend a fortune, buy a lovely party wig, or import one from Japan that may or may not be too small. $30 for a high quality wig is crazy talk to me but their site really are great.
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Feb 21, 2013 18:52
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Looks like they are heat resistant. Awesome. I have a bunch of sepia wigs that look great but i'm always nervous with heat.
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Feb 21, 2013 19:00
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I usually buy local, on Ebay from a few shops. Though I do have an Arda wig which is so nice. I also have one from Epic Cosplay. I used to be all about Amphigory but lately it seems like they never have stock.
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Feb 21, 2013 19:52
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The *only* problem I have with Arda is that their wigs are made for big heads and/or to cover a ton of hair. I have a tiny goddamn skull, so while I'll still buy their wigs [because they have a LOT of hair and are ridiculously cheap for the quality], I have to take in the adjusters. For those who don't care about waiting a while or need several wigs, I also like to use Fantasy Sheep: http://fantasysheep.taobao.com/ - I just contact their English rep and they'll do the price conversions for me. I've ordered almost a dozen from them and none are bad or thin wigs. You may have to wash out some of the styling they do, but for $10-20 per wig on average, I'm fine with that.LadyRavenWaves posted:Hey for those of you who use apoxie sculpt what is the general coverage amount for say a pound. I am thinking of bailing on doing the armor detailing in foam sense the paperclay broke and use this instead but I am unsure how much I need. Have you looked into the foamies/plasti-dip method or Worbla? Sylvannas has a lot of armour trim, so I'm guessing you'd want to keep it as light as possible. I've never had a problem with foamies as trim tearing if you back it with fabric and use good primer/paint. Although back in the day for a really organic look, I used to just use hot glue with a steady hand and waiting for lines to cool. I'm so happy we have more options these days. Is it kosher to link to my FB page for the request for more progress pics? I really only use it for that purpose. I started with this tutorial, done by the amazing Kamui [someday I want to be able to do what she does with foam and plastic]: Since Alita's armour doesn't have raised edges, I left more room around the edge of the foam and just folded them under. To reinforce any seams [such as the center seam in the breastplate], I'd heat a strip of Wonderflex and slap it on the seam on the wrong side of the armour so the front could stay smooth. My heat gun is in storage, so I used a hair dryer. Worked just fine. I used bowls with rounded bottoms for the breastplate and used the bottom of a ladle to smooth [you could use a big spoon too. Using a curved, rigid surface that won't stick to the Wonderflex helps a lot for getting rid of bubbles and wrinkles.]. What really helped was using darts in the breastplate; it allowed me to get a rounded shape without having to stretch the Wonderflex so much. The key is to go slowly: heat a small section, stretch it over your shape, then smooth, smooth, smooth. Dip in cold water if you don't want to wait and move onto the next bit. It took roughly four hours of this to get the breastplate [each individual tit, then attaching them together] into the shape from my first picture. For the gashes and bullet holes, I'd heat up the spot I wanted it on and press a blunt knife into the plastic. This cut down to the foam on a really deep gash, but as long as you don't do too much, you'll be fine. After that, Rustoleum filler primer. I used two coats, then filled the gaps and dings with Bondo 907. Sanding, then filler primer, then more Bondo, repeat... If your armour need to be really smooth, do this a lot. I didn't give too much of a poo poo since Alita's armour was after 10 years of combat. If your armour uses a lot of flat panels and few compound curves, you may only need the filler primer. I was lucky enough that one of my housemates [who is the awesome AssassinPrincess] has a female mannequin for shaping the bits like the arm plates, shoulderblades, and thigh panels. Prevented me from doing my usual poo poo of trying to mold or glue things on my own body [when I made FFIX Garnet's bodysuit, I hot-glued the belts on with the bodysuit on. I am a loving moron when it comes to injuring myself.]. The weathering is really just taking a brush you don't like very much and smooshing paint in the creases, cuts, and around rivets [which were furniture tacks with the backs hacked off and glued down with E6000]. Get sloppy, then wait a second or two before dabbing it somewhat randomly with a makeup sponge. Weathering is all about the chaos of nature loving with your poo poo. To say I like DecoArt's Metallics for this is a lie; I want to kiss every bottle I own with tongue. Using a metallic instead of flat paint for weathering allows it to blend in better when it's shiny armour. I also like to dab on lighter colours after the main weathering passes since some areas may not develop a patina or to simulate scraping. Thizzface, you make me want to complete my SCIII P2 Tira for ACen. Your BiFrost turned out lovely and I adore your wig. 
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Feb 21, 2013 22:04
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LadyRavenWaves posted:THIZZFACE KILLA - Just want you to know that your Tira costume keeps showing up in my FB page feed. There are some amazing pics of that beauty of a costume. OMG Awesome  None of the photoshoots I did have been processed yet so I'm waiting on what people find of me and tag me in. Bag of Hamsters: DO IT. This thread should always have at least 1 person working on a Soul Calibur costume. Also regarding wigs, I almost never shop anywhere but Arda anymore. And I have a tiny-rear end head. The extra space is really useful for doing a lot of styling to a wig, because braiding/putting in wefts/adding clips tends to make wigs tighter. I'm already starting to put shopping lists together for my next costumes... I really have a problem, I think.
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Feb 21, 2013 23:25
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THIZZFACE KILLA posted:OMG Awesome We started shopping at Arda because we won a Husqvarna Viking sewing machine from them at ACen a few years ago, haha. I'd never heard of them but after that it seemed like the thing to do. Good thing their wigs are, in fact, super nice! Whatcha starting up next, Thizz? Make a Siegfried costume maybe, we can eventually plan a mid-country meetup for a week-long Soul Calibur photoshoot. I'll make Olcadan next.
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Feb 21, 2013 23:50
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THIZZFACE KILLA posted:OMG Awesome I don't have you friended to tag but I can pm you the links to the albums if you don't have them already.
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Feb 21, 2013 23:58
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Oh man, now I have to decide if I want to do her proper outfit or the concept sketch with the bloomers and I still have to make Ivy's cloak-and-snakes concept outfit at some point... I will absolutely get *something* done for ACen. Now all I need is for work to stop shipping me all over the loving country so I can sit down and finish poo poo. And concept art from FFXIV: ARR just popped up on Creative Uncut. Sure, Yoshi-P, I'll try and find time to make an Elvaan [Elezen, whatever] around all the Guild Wars 2, TERA, FFXI, and Rift costumes I want to make. Or I need to stop playing MMOs. Sometimes I think I need someone to manage my schedule so I don't accrue materials for 20 projects and only finish 5 before I add 50 more ideas.
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Feb 22, 2013 05:00
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McPantserton posted:Whatcha starting up next, Thizz? Make a Siegfried costume maybe, we can eventually plan a mid-country meetup for a week-long Soul Calibur photoshoot. I'll make Olcadan next. I think I want to try Elysium next. I really like her helmet thing and I want to make a pair of wings Other than that, Faye Valentine, Cutey Honey, and this catgirl Rei figurine thing I fell in love with. And I'm making my brother a Kaneda costume because holy poo poo that Pill jacket. I need to make it.SOMEDAY WE WILL ACTUALLY FIND A CON WE CAN ALL GO TO AND DO A PHOTOSHOOT. That needs to happen. Bag of Hamsters: Welcome to Soul Calibur Cosplayers Anonymous ;-) LadyRavenWaves: You can PM me, or add me on my cosplay FB (which is the only one I use anymore, haha): Sistercacao Ramune
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Feb 22, 2013 05:21
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THIZZFACE KILLA- Cool I will do both keep an eye out for Kagzilla Velociraptor that would be me.
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Feb 22, 2013 05:36
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THIZZFACE KILLA posted:I think I want to try Elysium next. I really like her helmet thing and I want to make a pair of wings Also, if you figure out/find a tutorial for a good way to make nice-looking wings, let me know!! My Nightmare Moon costume probably requires them (insomuch as I care about the character design vs what I have time to build this semester) but I'm sort of at a loss for wing ideas that I like and that don't take a million years. My current plan is just to do the rest of the armor and leave the wings for last and say gently caress it if they don't happen, but generally in my experience that means they won't happen, blehhh... e. I'm adding you on Facebook,  BagOfHamsters, if you are Soul Caliburing at ACen, then I must challenge you to a photoshoot!!
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Feb 22, 2013 05:40
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Yeah I figured out a costume that I can do with my husband for maybe the Denver Comic-Con or Halloween or any other costume thing that we do. Mary Poppins and Bert from the Jolly Holiday scene. I don't really have any costume ideas that would require armor and I like historical costuming best of all. I've got some commissions for the con already too. I need to fix up my brother's Deadpool costume and then his friend wants a costume from Fairy Tail that is fairly simple to do. I've also got some robes for a singing group and some other wedding stuff coming up in the next few months and then into Burning Man time.
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Feb 22, 2013 05:41
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Whenever I made wings, I'd use hollow copper tubing [used for plumbing] since it's somewhat adjustable and durable as gently caress. Shape a U-brace in the middle for down the back and the ends are bent out and around in rough diamond shapes to become your wing frames. I'd sew heavy canvas covers for the frames and slide them over; the tubing would keep the canvas taut and in place so I didn't have to stitch the layers together. Then build up from the bottom either sewing or gluing feathers. I'd just buy them by the pound [which is a lot of loving feathers] from http://rainbowfeathers.com/loosefeathers.htm , but there may be better places to get them now. For keeping it on your body, I liked buying belting for straps and getting adjustable buckles like on a backpack so you can loosen/tighten depending on what you're wearing under/over. When I was doing commissions, I could crank out a medium-sized set of wings in a few hours and since the materials are so durable; if they get misshapen, just bend them back. I liked this method since it doesn't require a box shape for the back brace, which thinner wire does, so if you're wearing something strapless, the wings can be built into a corset and look like they're coming out of your dress. No need for shoulder straps. I accept your challenge, McPantserton! Now to decide which ring to make. So tempted to do the concept Bifrost for dueling rainbows.
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Feb 22, 2013 06:25
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McPantserton posted:You are the coolest person I barely know. ADD ME. DO IT. I'm going to scour the internet for good wing tutorials, and I will pass on anything I find. I'll try to take progress shots too, which I am normally really, really bad at. Also since my last post I joined a Dead or Alive group for DragonCon and can now add Tina Armstrong to the cosplay list. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.
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Feb 22, 2013 07:38
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So I've decided I'm going to go to the Lexington Comic con (March 16th and 17th) this year and need a second costume idea. I'm already working on a splicer from bioshock and have no idea what else I could do for my body type. 5' 10" balding and slightly overweight.
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Feb 22, 2013 16:27
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Warhammer dwarves or hobbit dwarves, dudes from Team Fortress or Borderlands, maybe? My friends and I did outfits one year that were supposed to be like Mad Max but from space, which was a lot of fun since we could raid hardware stores and army surplus for whatever stuff we liked.
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Feb 22, 2013 16:45
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A friend of mine is using polystyrene to make feather wings over pvc, she decided to be my Val'kyr. I will let you know how it goes. I have another friend trying to convince me to do Ivy from Soul Caliber so I may be a part of this party yet. I am still nervous, haha.
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Feb 22, 2013 17:09
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Ha ha, all this Soul Calibur talk made me hunt down my ancient Seong Mi-na costume from SCII. It's SO BAD. It was my first cosplay and I has just moved from across the country so all my usual sewing supplies were in storage. I literally made the thing out of costume satin and Stitch Witchery. I should see if pics of me wearing it still exist and post them here, because all must revel in the horror.
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Feb 22, 2013 19:05
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Okay after 24 pages I'm still in the awe of the Yoshimitsu and Hilde cosplay. I love small details on costumes. For all the Wonderflex use and small/thin armor pieces, Worbla should be mentioned more. Once you heat it enough you can mold that stuff like clay and it good at giving you smooth curves. Helpful Links Worbla - for those light, super curvy, and smooth boobplates Kamui Cosplay tutorials - video tutorials of LED light up gem, armor making wonderflex and worbla, weapons and more tips So, I just got back into cosplaying and can't believe I forgot the joy of costume construction (on a budget). This year I'm making two costumes for ACEN for myself and my lil sister. These lil creatures are from an MMO Blade and Soul. The Lyn race. chu. I'm going as the red and white. Also anybody have ideas what I can use besides the Great Stuff as the base for my wicked arm armor? I am on a budget and kind of lost on ideas of what else to use for light weight and durable.  The floral details of my dress made out of craft foam, hot glue, and fabric.  My sword. First time making a weapon out of wood.  Working more today so hopefully I'll update with progress. Edit: oops bbcodes pukey fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Feb 23, 2013 |
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Feb 23, 2013 19:54
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pukey posted:Okay after 24 pages I'm still in the awe of the Yoshimitsu and Hilde cosplay. I love small details on costumes. For all the Wonderflex use and small/thin armor pieces, Worbla should be mentioned more. Once you heat it enough you can mold that stuff like clay and it good at giving you smooth curves. Blawww thanks  For the arm, could you do a base sculpt of paper clay and skin it in apoxiesculpt? Then the bulk would be super lightweight and cheap and you could conserve the more expensive stuff for where you'll actually see it.I actually just received my first sheet of worbla in the mail today, I finally ran out of Wonderflex with a breastplate and thigh armor yet to go. I'm still a bigger fan of styrene personally but it requires a lot more tools to work with so I can see the allure of low-temp plastics. So after my slightly emo post about school, I got way ahead on my homework this week and I'm really looking forward to this afternoon of paint testing, worbla experimentation, and sintra! My Hilde belt badly needs to be remade before we hit our next cons (teeeeeeny tiny con in Appleton, WI and Anime Central) so I'm taking it as an opportunity to try out sintra for the first time. Should be fun. Also, I apologize to my neighbors for stinking up the storage area by spray painting down there but it's just too cold to do it outside. Don't be too mad, neighbors, it's not as bad as when I use bondo indoors!
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Feb 23, 2013 22:50
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McPantserton posted:Blawww thanks Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely be looking for your Hilde costume at Acen. :'D
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Feb 24, 2013 01:13
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Nothing super exciting but I wanted to share. Started distressing my cloak with FW Ink because I had some and I needed to do something to the edges, I think it looks pretty ok and will be perfect with another go round or two.  Added some details to the sylvanas top before repainting it, this way it looks less plain.  Also a funny one for any other costumers with pets. My cat Jack, he thinks he is helpful... 
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Feb 24, 2013 01:20
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So after perhaps one too many martinis last Thursday (half price, woo), my friend who works for a local comic shop talked me into doing Poison Ivy for free comic day this year. She's going to be classic Harley Quinn, so it works out perfect. Since all the dressing up is mainly for kids, I'm just gonna keep it simple and relativelymodest with animated series Ivy, maybe throw in some leaf embellishments. I was also thinking about some kind of plant hand puppet to amuse the kids with... Too hokey? If not, what are some good materials that'll look, well, plant like, but still be pliant enough for a puppet? I've worked with minky before, but didn't really like dealing with all the shedding.
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Feb 24, 2013 03:06
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I'm also jumping on the 'use worbla type stuff for armor' wagon as I've recently seen yayahan's Fiora Nightraven costume, and it's looks very similar to the Sylvanna one, and it looks amazing. especially the detail parts.
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Feb 24, 2013 03:46
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