cosplay-with-zt reblogged
I’m back on my bullshit
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After Nintendo’s E3 Direct, I was inspired to do a makeup/wig test for my next cosplay, Robin! So happy to see her (and everyone) in Smash once again
I have been building armor and a Levin Sword for her promoted version in FE Awakening–the Grandmaster! I’m almost ready to start priming and painting, it’s going a lot better than expected :)
BONUS SILLY IMAGE
me praying to Naga that the conspiracy theories are true and Chrom will be a fighter in Smash
Beautiful Chrom portrait by @kingkyabetsu
cosplay-with-zt reblogged
fabrickind’s cosplay help masterlist
Hello!
Here is a masterlist of my cosplay help posts and tutorials, broken down by type of cosplay help. This will be updated as I do more cosplay help.
Panels and Tutorials (the big stuff)
Fabric Choice for Cosplay Foundation Garments for Cosplay Planning Your Cosplay Body Paint 101 How to Level Up Your Cosplay Sewing with Knits Bunnysuit Boot Camp
Pearl (Steven Universe) Spear, Transparent and Lighted Wig Tangle Prevention Faux Cuffs and Collars Bunnysuit Construction Bunnysuit Patterning Faux Fur Pompoms
Sewing and Fabric Craft
Stretch Applique Tips Circle Skirt Hems Quilting Rulers on Colored Fabric Dyeing a Beaded Dress Estimating Yardage Sewing Knits Squaring Cut Fabrics Temperature and Fabric Choice Basic Sash Tutorial Determining fabric yardage from a mockup
Wigs, Hair, and Makeup
Arda Wigs Pros and Cons Wearing a wig when you have a low hairline Masculine Long Hair Using Real Hair Basic Cosplay Makeup Adding Volume to Wigs Contouring for different face shapes Securing Very Long Wigs Wearing Heavy Wigs
Foundation Garments
Preventing Cameltoe Making shapewear Preventing strapless bras from slipping Making superhero briefs Preventing bra show-through Bra cup replacement
Props, Accessories, and Armor
Wearing Oversized Horns Applying Rhinestones Wizard staff process Painting Edges Lightweight Fabric Wings Cage Skirts Open Front Hoop Skirts
Cosplay-specific
Condesce (Homestuck) breakdown Roxy Lalonde ballgown (Homestuck) breakdowns: 1, 2 Yurio (Yuri on Ice) Agape outfit materials Lady Oscar (The Rose of Versailles) materials Pearl (Steven Universe) Wig Advice 1 Pearl (SU) Wig Advice 2 Pearl and Rainbow Quartz Gem Advice Yuri Plisetsky Agape Writeup
Safety
Fandom Culture, History, and Positivity
Misc.
cosplay-with-zt reblogged
Calling all Cosplayers!
Hey guys! As you all know I am a pretty avid cosplay. Because of that, I have decided to do my undergraduate thesis studying some of the psychological impacts of cosplay and the various experiences of women who cosplay! There’s also not a whole lot of empirical research looking at cosplay either, so I want to bring it into the spotlight :)
If you identify as a woman, have cosplayed at least once in the past year, and are at least 18 years old (this is required by my school), I would love for you to fill this survey out to contribute to my research! Thank you in advance!
The survey should take about 15-20 minutes to complete. It will ask about some experiences of your personal life and those in cosplay, as well as your cosplay habits.
~~~~~~~Survey Link~~~~~~~
Reblogs or sharing with friends who cosplay would be greatly appreciated! :)
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“I will not watch another Ylissean life be taken!”
Otakon was a blast this year! Despite it being in a new city, it was still just as fun. It was so amazing to be the best daughter for a day :)
Photo by: EShao Studio
Belt Buckle, Tiara, and Brooches by: @dangerous-ladies
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Great Lord Lucina at Otakon today! This was take during my official shoot…the professional photos are soon to come :) for now, a sneak peek!
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Catch me at Otakon today wearing Belle!
Love this picture! Belle is so fun to wear
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Cosplay Update: Lucina is ready, bar a few minor adjustments I need to make to my armor and finishing up her belt and gloves. I’m really proud of this one, it’s probably my most ambitious project to date! I’m excited to show it off completely :)
To see more progress updates, check out my cosplay blog
Thanks to @dangerous-ladies for the belt buckle and brooches!
I'm just about ready for Otakon! I tried on Luci's leg armor for the first time and I was honestly surprised it actually stayed and allowed me to walk! All that's left to do is to add a few more attachments on some other pieces and finish the backing of her shield! I'm so excited for it to all come together :D
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The Book of Cosplay Sewing is out now! It’s only 5$!
If you always had struggle with fabric and your sewing machine, this is the perfect volume to start! I wrote it especially for cosplayers and guide you from choosing the right material, over pattern making to finishing a complete costume! Hope you like it! :)
This looks super helpful! Especially love the way she made the bodice pattern. Gonna give this a download!
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How to make custom lace appliques – the “Frankenlace” method
A lot of people asked for more info on how I made the appliques that decorate the bottom of Zelda’s gown. Here’s my tutorial for the whole process! This method can be used to make all kinds of applique shapes and designs if you get creative with it.
- These lace appliques are made out of other lace – hence the nickname. To get started, you’ll need to collect a few lace trims to use as raw material. Look for styles that are similar or complement each other, because you’ll be combining them. This is some, but not all, of the trims I used. I bought these in the LA fabric district, but most are available at trimexpoonline.com.
- Cut your lace down into smaller pieces that are more modular. Don’t cut up ALL your lace – this is just an experimentation stage, to practice rearranging the design.
- Using a template of your desired shape (I made mine digitally, but you can hand draw one too) practice arranging your pieces until you find a design that suits your needs. This is not my final design in the picture – I went through several versions before I was totally happy with how it looked. You might discover that you need more lace, which is why planning and experimentation are so important. When you’re satisfied with how it looks, it’s time to start putting it all together.
- You’ll need an embroidery hoop large enough to cover your whole template, plus some netting that is as close to transparent as you can find. Most generic tulle is NOT fine enough to do well with this technique – the holes are too large and the tulle stretches too much when handled. Look for netting that does not stretch or fray, if possible. Put some netting in your embroidery hoop, tightening the surface like a drum. I taped my template to a small sheet of masonite to give myself a portable work surface. I also ended up using clamps to hold the embroidery hoop to the masonite, but forgot to get a picture. This is optional, but really helps the design from shifting too much as you work.
- Tools for the next step: fabric glue (other brands work too), a small paintbrush, and a water cup. I watered my glue down a little to make it easier to spread with the paintbrush. Be careful not to add TOO much water, or your glue will be too thin, not grip well, and take a long time to dry.
- Working in small sections, begin gluing your lace pieces onto the netting. Start at the center and work outward, if possible. Continue until all your lace pieces are glued onto the netting.
- Here’s what mine looked like with all the lace attached! At this point, I flipped the embroidery hoop over and applied a second coat of glue over the entire back of the work. The netting is so thin that you can continue to apply more glue from the backside to get a more secure grip.
- Optional: add rhinestones to taste. I used E6000 for this step. Not every applique requires rhinestones, but in this case I wanted Zelda to sparkle as much as possible.
- Repeat to create as many appliques as you need! Zelda has 8 along the bottom of her dress. Here’s part of my assembly line.
- When you’re ready to attach the applique to your fashion fabric, trim away some of the netting along the outside, but leave any “interior” portions that help stabilize the design. I simply glued my appliques onto the silk, but I later went back and hand-stitched them down for a more secure hold. After they are properly attached to your fabric, you can VERY CAREFULLY trim away the “interior” pockets of plain netting using small scissors.
- The final look of my gown, after all the appliques and trim were attached.
This method is very time consuming and requires a lot of patience and concentration – but I just love the results! I wanted to achieve the look of professionally-made applique, but without access to industrial equipment, this was the next best thing I could come up with.
The white-on-white effect is subtle, but matches the look I was going for. Photo by Vontography.
I hope this is helpful to some of you in your own costume projects. Let me know if you have any questions, and good luck!
cosplay-with-zt reblogged
Painting on Leather Tutorial
Found the right pair of boots for a costume but they’re the wrong color? Need a detail design painted on something leather? Or do you just need to touch up a piece that has gotten scuffed or marked up? Repainting leather is less difficult or expensive then you might think. I like to buy old jackets form the thrift store and recycle the leather for cosplay pieces. This mean I can get a significant amount of usable leather for less than $10, but often it is an ugly color. Sometimes the color leather I need isn’t even available to purchase on the market. To fix this I simply paint the leather with specialty acrylic leather paint.
Acrylic Leather Paint: Where to Get It
Angelus brand is the most wildly know and recommended leather paint. This brand comes in a multitude of colors: primary, secondary, neon, metallic, glitter paint, etc. I usually purchase mine off of Amazon. Prices can range from $2.99- $8.00 for a 1 oz bottle. Shop around and don’t pay more then $3 -$5 for a bottle. 1 oz may seem little but I promise that the paint goes a long way. If you have a large surface area to cover 4 oz bottles are also available. For $30-$40 you can get a 12 pack of 1 oz bottles in the basic colors. For $13-$20 you can get a 6 pack of 1 oz bottles in the neon colors. If you have a leather supply shop where you live try contacting them and see if they carry the paint for less. EcoFlo Cova paint is another brand that is available online and through Tandy Leather Shop. It has almost as large a selection of colors as Angelus and the price is similar. The wonderful thing about EcoFlo is that the normal bottle size is slightly larger- 1.5 oz. But 2 oz is the largest size available in most colors. In a pinch regular acrylic paint will work too. But I find that the Angelus brand seems to adhere better. Be sure to seal it or it will start to scrape off under ware and tear. I do not recommend using craft store acrylic paint to repaint shoes, it does not hold up well under stress.
How to Use Leather Paint: Tips and Tricks
Leather paint works the same way as regular acrylic paint. You can blend them to create custom colors, drying time is comparable, and you can clean your brushes with water.
Make sure the leather is clean. If you are painting on top of a pre-existing color you will want to strip the shiny top layer off with a little bit of acetone (i.e. fingernail polish remover) and/or fine grit sand paper (200 grit or finer). Be careful not to take off to much or you’ll risk pulling the pre-existing coat of paint off and creating blotchy uneven spots on the surface. I highly recommend using a scrap of leather to test out how much acetone/sanding it will take to strip off the top layer before trying it on the piece you are working on.
This type of paint can also be used on vinyl/pleather but not as effectively. It doesn’t adhere as well, requires sanding in the prepping stage and I find it doesn’t hold as well if the item is under a lot of stress (ex. shoes). If you are changing the color from a dark to a light (ex. the boots pictured above) you may need somewhere between 3-6 coats to make sure it is properly covered.
You can apply the paint using a sponge brush or a regular paint brush. A sponge brush leaves fewer streaks and creates a smoother finish but it will soak up and waste quite a bit of your paint. With a regular paint brush you risk streaks but you can control the amount of paint you are using with less wastefulness. The paint will also work well with an airbrush if you have one. If you water the paint down (especially with the EcoFlo brand) you can use it like a stain. If you get paint on an area of the leather that you don’t want it you can pull it off with a little acetone. I usually dab some on with a paint brush and then pull it off with a Q-tip or paper towel. After your final coat is dry you will want to seal the paint with a top coat. I use either polycryclic or EcoFlo. Polycryclic can be purchased at any hardware store. EcoFlo comes in a several different sheens: matte, super sheen, satin sheen etc. It can be purchased at Hobby Lobby, Tandy Leather and many online retailers such as Amazon.
If you have any questions feel free to send them my way: http://cosplaying-on-a-budget.tumblr.com/ask
If you are interested in my cosplay work you can find me on DA and FB: http://lookylolo.deviantart.com/ https://www.facebook.com/bigfamilycosplay
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Yo, love your cosplays and was wondering if you had any cute or cool magic staff tips
Sure! I’m sorry if this is late, I didn’t get a notification for this question!
It honestly depends on what kind of staff you’re making. For the two staves I have made (one for Palutena and one for Princess Hilda), I used pink insulation foam to make the base of each one. Pink insulation foam is pretty cheap, and very light so your arm doesn’t get tired carrying it around all day. I used white gesso and sandpaper to paint over/smooth it out before using spray paint for the final color.
Now if you have a staff that is made up of complex shapes, this foam probably won’t work for you. It is not flexible in the slightest. Luckily the staves that I’ve made have had pretty flat sides so it wasn’t an issue. For complex designs, you could try using worbla/craft foam. They both are very malleable when you heat them up, so you can achieve some cool shapes with them!
For the actual staff itself I have used the wooden part of a rake. Again, it’s pretty light. I know some people use PVC pipe for their staves, but the wooden rake has worked for me haha.
If your magic staff has something floating on top, you can achieve that by using a clear acrylic rod. You can buy them off amazon in different sizes. For mine, I drilled a hole into the top of my staff (the actual wood part) and stuff the rod in there.
If you have any more questions feel free to ask!
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ATTENTION COSPLAYERS:
I would like to make the paint brand “Angelus” known. It is a special paint that is for leather, faux leather, rubber, and similar surfaces.
This is literally the best paint you can buy if you love a pair of shoes, but they aren’t in the right color for your character.
This stuff coats VERY well AND the coats of paint bend with your shoes. This means no cracking!!
In the photos above I took black rain boots and painted them with Angelus Turquoise. As you can see, they don’t look black any more! It’s so good!
I managed to paint two boots with a little one ounce bottle of the paint, and I still have a third of the bottle left over!
The paint dries very fast, so you can put layer on top of layer on top of layer without it streaking.
You can get the paint on Amazon and it comes in every color!
I just really wanted to make this known!! :D This stuff is amazing!
hollowlaughter
Don’t buy Angelus pain’t on Amazon, it’s like $6.99 an ounce. Buy it direct from their online store the poster above linked, the single ounce bottles are $2.95 there. Also, a little goes a long way, unless you have something HUGE to paint, you can probably do it with a small bottle. I barely dented the one I got doing all the black on this;
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My last cosplay of Katsucon! Belle in her yellow gown used to be one of my dream cosplays, now I can check her off of the list! This was a truly magical experience :)
The second picture was taken by knguyenk on Instagram and the dress by AddictedToMagic on etsy
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Ariel is still out and about at Katsucon! I’ll be changing soon. I’ll have better pictures to post later!
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Returning as Palutena for Katsucon as well today!