Vic Mignogna

Is coming to Sakura-con 2013!!!! I better plan a FMA themed cosplay. Plan to wait in LONG lines to sit in on his panels in order to get his autograph, which means more huge ass lines. This was the whole reason I wanted to go to Sakura-con when I was younger. We barely missed him during our first Sakura-con, he went the year before but not that year. I'm really excited for this. He's one of my favorite voice actors. Who plays much loved characters from many good animes, such as FMA and Tsubasa. So I'm really pumped up now. Can't wait to see who else is coming. Maybe the lovely voice actor of Yuko.

Oh goodness I would die and very happy girl.

Photo shoots

I am officially doing photo shoots for Kumori-con 2012. I'm so excited. This is really going to be good for me. Until then I'll be practicing and learning how to use my beast of a camera so I'm able to create the best works of art I can possibly do. I'll be posting my examples and shoots on this DA account

http://coswitchphotography.deviantart.com/


I decided on the name Cosplay Witch because I'm magical. ;)

And it may had something to do with Yuko who is now my favorite manga character. But anyway. I'm still thinking of how many openings I want to do and what times, ect. So I won't know how many people are signed up just yet. Although I did post on the forums. I already have two people interested and I might be the official photographer for their group as well.

Photo shoot, posing tips.

So since we never got our pictures from the so called "professional" photographer (Rant to come) I've really wanted to get some good photos of our costumes but am not willing to trust another person to do so for us. So I decided since we wont have anything to do on day zero of Kumori-con that during that day (We'll leave early) we'll set up my camera on a tri-pod and do some photo shoots during that day as well as day one and maybe day two. Since we wont be able to change while waiting to check into the hotel (around 3-4) the first part of the shoot will be lolita. I'm really loving my lolita outfit now that I've finally figured out fake eyelashes and added fake gems under my eyes. I have a lot to do to my wig, that has tangled because of the wind during Sakura-con. I'm going to try the boiled water curl technique to make big curls. 


So this is the plan so far. I'm really excited because I might start doing photoshoots for cons and this will give me a good chance of showing my skill off.


Day zero:
Morning/afternoon: Lolita (Sweet lolita.)
Late afternoon/evening: Sharon/Sakura (Maybe. Might not have time.)

Day one: Sharon (Pandora Hearts) and Break

Day two: Sakura and Syaron. (So excited for this!)

Day three: None, maybe more Sakura. Unsure.


I'm really thinking of doing small shoots for Kumori-con or Sakura-con. It would be fun for the those moments where there isn't much to do. Plus once I gain the skill and the friends/clints I could charge a small fee. Most likely around 5$.


Now on to posing. Because you can't have a good picture without POSING!!!! Believe me we made this noob mistake and our pictures always turn out the same. Sadly we changed this for our picture shoot and never got the pictures (They were so cute!)  But we learned if we want good pictures to enter into cosplay contests we need to pose. And believe it or not but posing is rather easy. (I might be going off topic and jumpy, forgive me I'm not well right now. Going to the doctor this week.)

Since Tsubasa is our new cosplay I'll use that as an example.

Since we do couple cosplays posing is rather simple and easy, we can do the same type of posing for each cosplay. It also helps we're engaged so we aren't shy of holding each other. I'm going to link a few good posing examples from DA at the end but I may not post all of them now because I'm starting to feel icky again.

Here are some poses we plan on doing for our Tsubasa cosplay

Fierce....



He's ready to attack, keeping Sakura close with his staff drawn. Sakura looks worried, maybe scared. Those emotions should show, even if your using your eyes. And yes, you can put that emotion in your eyes. It will show up in photos.

 
Romantic...

 Again Syaron's expression is fierce, he's ready to protect her. While she's more in awe, loving staring out at the camera. Both are turn sideways but are making sure to face the camera while holding holding each other close, their hands touching. It's softer than the first one, more personal. You can sense they are in love but are still a bit shy.

Fun...

Big smiles. Wide, open eyes. Even the pose, how their bodies are is fun and care free. Notice Syaron is still in character. He's smiling but it seems off, maybe forced or caught off guard.








-----Will finish tomorrow.-------

Kumori-con plans and goals, plus Sakura-con ideas

I haven't written on either of my blogs for a while and it's annoying me that I have more views than posts on here. So I'm going to try to post more. Since there is only...two months left until Kumori-con I thought that might be the best topic to write about.


[x] Booked hotel room
[]Ordered costumes
[x]Ordered accessorizes (Wigs, shoes,ect.)
 [] Finished props


Day 0- Lolita
Day 1-Sharon (Pandora Hearts)
Day 2 Sakura (Tsubasa)
Day 3 Sakura/lolita (Undecided)

For day zero I've planned on doing my pink lolita outfit since it's moveable and we won't be doing much besides packing up and driving over to the con space. I really need to get some good pictures of this outfit so I'm hoping after we check in and settle down in the hotel room that I can have my hubby take some of me in the park near the hotel.

Day one is when the fun starts. Although Sharon's outfit isn't very fun for me. It gets dirty easily. Plus the wig is....LONG. So it's a bit stressful to wear. If my friends from high school don't do Pandora Hearts this year then I'll most likely only be wearing it in the morning and afternoon or until I get sick of it. I plan on making more of Sharon's outfits. We may not be going to the photo shoot either if our friends don't go.

Day two is going to be the best day. I'll finally be able to wear my brand new cosplay, Sakura. I'm really looking forward to wearing the Hanfu since I've always wanted one. Plus it's light weight so I won't be dying in it like Sharon's gown. We will be going to the photo shoot in this cosplay.

Day three always seems to be dead so I think either Sakura or lolita will have to be my choices. Last year we left early. This year I really don't want to so we'll most likely hang out in the park doing some photos of ourselves. Since I no longer trust "professional" photographers (I will do a huge rant about this later.)


Goals:
1. Make some new friends
2. Do one thing I wouldn't normally (Cosplay Chess!)   Doing photography (Private shoots) instead
3. Go to at least two panels
4. Take photos (Of us and other cosplayers)

Not many goals but maybe I'll come up with more as time goes on.








Sakura-con 2013

Will be very awesome since Sakura-con is ALWAYS awesome. So far we're planing....

Sakura
Yuko (XXXHolic)
Sharon (Pandora Hearts)

Maybes

Undertaker- Black Butler
Antoinette- Harvest Moon Grand Bazaar
Riza Hawkeye- FMA




I'm really hoping to get more involved in cons. Doing cosplay chess, panels (Although none this year, sadly. ;_;) ect. Just to get the full affect of cons. I'm also planning on starting up sewing and embroidery, so if I'm able to do so I'll try to make our costumes for Sakura-con. :D

So it begins. The first item has arrived!

I love the feeling of getting a package in the mail. Its so exciting! Last week we order a set of Mokonas for our Tsubasa (And later XXXHolic) cosplay. I wanted a pair that was fuzzy and soft. I found a set on EBAY and we ordered them quickly. Today I got them in the mail. They are a bit smaller than I had thought but I love them so much! Its weird with Mokonas because their height changes. Some times they seem small and others they are large. So I don't think their height really matters much.

But its the first items for our second cosplay and I'm very excited. They are both in good condition, brand new and are so soft! I have to say I'm a bit hooked on Mokona items now. I told Nic during Kumori-con I was going to take a break from getting Gloomy Bear stuff and buy every Mokona item I could find. >.<

I'm obsessed.

Soon (when Nic has time) we'll be ordering his costume as well as the Chinese shoes for the cosplay. I believe we're also getting the wigs too. So then I'll have that to look forward to. Both wigs I found are pre-styled (THANK YOU!) and are wonderfully priced so I'm very excited to see them in person. My hanfu (Sakura's costume) will be ordered last since it's more money. The best thing is that everything will be coming on time for Kumori-con. We normally order around the three-four month period so we still have to time to send them back if something goes a miss.


We won't be able to go to the cosplay picnic now but that's okay. Since the costumes wont be done until August. I'm super thrilled now. But I still have a lot of prop work to do so I better go and do that now before I get distracted again.


Update on the sphere.

The sphere wont sand down and it breaking downwards so I'm testing out a few new ways that I could make it. One is Magic Model clay with a wire base inside, coated with two-three coats of Gesso then a coat of varnish. I'm almost done with this model.

Model two will be made out of wire, glued together with hot glue and will be spray painted gold. I'm not sure how long this one will take but I'm hoping this will be stronger than the clay one.


I'm also looking into learning how to do embroidery for future handmade cosplays. I'm really loving sewing and working with thread so I'm hoping that embroidery will be even better. I have a project in mind, just a simple rose on a sweater I have so once I have my mom find her embroidery stuff I'm going to try it out and see how it goes.

Cosplay contest? Oh yes!

I decided eary on that Kumori-con 2012 will be the con where we really reach outside our bubble and try new things. We're normally very quiet and easy going, more willing to watch then do. So this year I signed us up for a cosplay contest. It's a walk on so our costumes don't have to be hand-made by us. Instead all we do is pose and walk. I've been scanning through scans of Tsubasa and I believe I know what we're going to do. I've also been watching videos of old contests and what other walk on's have done. I think we're going to do great. We'll be nervous but this is a good way to meet some new people and really connect with the con in a different way.

We're also sharing a hotel room with some cosplay buddies. With only three months to go I'm willing to rush through summer to get to fall. I can't say I'm as excited as I should be but this helps boost up my excitement. I've been fairly depressed lately so having something to work on will be fun during the summer while we wait for Kumori-con. Cons are so refreshing. Exspecailly if your like me and have a lot of stress. Its like your free for three-four days, surrounded by friendly and creative people. Your in another world and its amazing. So I can't wait to take a break from reality to have some fun and let lose. Maybe this year I can meet some life long friends that are willing to not only cosplay but hang out outside of cons. That would be boss...


Anyway I'm tired and very sore (Got my industrial piercing a few days ago) and I have a few things I must do before I go to bed. So I'll be posting more about props tomorrow if I make enough process to type about. I've seen a spike in views lately and I'm very happy. Please keep reading and don't feel afraid to comment. I would love to hear your cosplay ideas.


Ta-Ta for now!

-Victorian

Tsubasa props

We had finally decided on cosplaying from Tsubasa for Kumori-con 2012. Since we'll be saving money from buying these costumes instead of buying the costumes from Black Butler, I really wanted to take this project on 100%. So I'm starting with props since we all know props aren't only important but fun for photo shoots. During the process of creating the props I'll be updating. So stayed tuned.

The two props we are working on are the red "staff" On the right and the golden ball on Sakura's lap. Of course we'll be bringing our own Mokona too. But we won't be making her. The first step in making props is coming up with a way to create them. Plan it out, whether that means drawing or simply discuss what items could make up the prop.


The first prop I'll be talking about is the "staff" Since this is the only picture I could find of the weapon I'm calling it a staff since it doesn't seem to be a sword covering. (We're cosplaying the outfits from the picture) This prop is for Nic who has decided to cosplay as Syaoran.


Items

Long wooden dowel (We found a 8 foot one at the local hardware store.)
Acrylic red paint
Varnish (Clear)
Wooden ball toppers
Golden paint
Magic model clay

So first thing we did is have the top part sawed so it reached to Nic's shoulder. Guessing by the picture that's where Syaran's should stand. Since the wood is already smooth I didn't see a point in spending three to four hours re-sanding it, so I skipped that and went right to painting. If you've used acrylic before you know its basically like plastic when it dries. (It stains too!) but when painted on wood it will need many coats because the wood absorbs it quickly. Which on a plus side means it dries quicker! At least until you put on the second coat. Now it'll start looking shiny.

We got a huge bottle of paint so I'm planning on painting at least three coats. The red color is dark in the picture so the more coats I add the better it will look. While it was drying I started on painting the wooden ball toppers gold. The round wooden balls we bought didn't have a lip under as seen in the picture so I created one out of the magic model clay we bought for the sphere. So while that dries I kept coating the staff in new coats of paint. Make sure you do one side at a time so you have a place to set it without getting red paint everywhere.

The only thing we haven't gotten for this is the red tassel. We're planning on finding that in a few weeks when we go to the mall and Asian market. We'll also been looking for a red tassel for Sakura's sphere as well.

 So the "staff" is taller then me (5'2) so I'm guessing its around 5'5. The two gold toppers are on and are being fixed (hence why they are white on the base) with Gesso and then will be painted gold.

 A close up of the topper. The gold ball didn't have a lip under it like the staff has in the picture so I created one out of magic model clay. Its coated in two coats of Gesso so it's firm and wont dent easily.











Moving on...


Sakura's Sphere and feathers.


This is tricky. The sphere is hollow with a memory feather inside. It seems firm but flat with two sakura flowers on the sides. At first I wanted to find something like a round glass jar or perhaps a ball but I realized both of those will not work. How would you put the feather in? The ball is useless without the feather.

We looked for a foam ball but with a price tag of $20 I decided not waste that money and to get a plastic toy ball at a store for the mold.




Items:
Plastic ball (I use a small metal cup, like for serving fruit at parties to hold the ball in place)
Magic model clay
Wire
Gold spray paint
Paper mache materials 


I started by using the wire for a base. Its firm and hard to break. So I first started by wrapping two strands of wire around the ball (careful of sharp ends, I have really cheap hot glue and I put a little dab of glue at the end to keep the points from popping the ball) This way I had a firm base to work off of. Once that was down I started creating the swirls. Once I had a few done I decided to go ahead and start wrapping the wire in the magic clay.

This clay is mess free and is very fluffy and fun. But be warned it dries within 72 hours and is very fragile. Its meant for little kid projects. I bought it because Paperclay was $8 for very little. Magic clay is cheap and a little goes a long way with it. So after I coated it in the clay...

It looked like this. Now I'm planning on removing the ball later. the ball slips right out from under the sphere. As you can see the clay made some of the curls stick up. I decided the only way to fix that and make the clay stronger is by wrapping it in paper mache. I'm not sure if I'm going to buy a mix or make a mix of the paste myself yet. But we'll be starting on it today.

I made sure to start on the top. I'm not going to work on the bottom until the top is done and is firm. So nothing breaks while turning it over. When working with the wire I suggest having pliers with you, as well as wire cutters (My dad fixes cars so we have lots of tools) I'm planning on spray painting this since we have a can of gold shiny paint still. But if you decide to do paper mache as well be sure you use white paper. this way you can paint over it without having to use many coats.

So this is what I have so far. Its keeping the shape quite nicely. The clay is a bit thin in some areas as seen on the right. But that will be fixed with another layer of clay. So as of now this is all I have once I start on it again and it changes


Update- 6/3/12

Today I focused on fixing cracks (Magic Model clay cracks VERY easily.) And creating a firm base so I can move on and start on fixing the curls, plus adding more. As you can see in the last picture the lines were thin and weak looking.  When I woke up a lot of the lines were cracking and bad. So I quickly started to work on it, adding a thicker layer of clay.

The lines are now thicker (Its starting to look more like how the prop should) but the spirals are not staying up and the smaller ones (See front) is tilting outwards. After I left it to dry and went about my day I came back and noticed it was cracking. Not only that but it was falling off the base.  I went to wash my hands and my boyfriend was spazzing. It turns out the whole thing slide off (Luckily it wasn't broken because it was fully contented yet) So I quickly made the discussion to gather everything up and start with paper macheing the boning I had created.

----
I read that home made paper mache can mold over time because of the flour in it. Since this is such a complicated prop that I'll most likely never want to make again so I grabbed a bottle of Elmer's glue and a paint brush and some newspaper. This is a cheap way of making a firm paper mache without having to stand over a pan boiling gunk that stinks like no other. The photo above is the outcome. Its not only staying in place but its firm and nothing is leaning outwards. Its still drying but I'm very pleased with how it went. All my hard work has paid off and I'm really excited to move forward to finish this piece.

I'm planning on starting on the smaller tighter curls after the piece dries. I've learned that they need to be connected to the base in order to stay in place and from falling all over the place. So the next step is starting with the wire. This time I'm going to use two lines of wire, making the base thicker and firmer. This way it'll be harder for it to fall off of the base, which is covered in paper mache. Then add the coat of clay (Thicker this time, don't be afraid of using it) then paper mache. Four steps.

1.Cut and form the wire and connect it to the base.
2.Form the clay around the wire base
3. Let dry and add a layer of varnish
4. Add paper mache layer

After these steps I'm planning on trying to spray paint but if that doesn't work I'll be hand painting the whole thing by hand. After that I'll decided how to crate the hook on the bottom to hold the tassel, which we're looking for this weekend. The feather for the prop is already done but I'll post the pictures later.

----

Yesterday I added on the last bits of swirls to the top which is now covered in paper mache and is done. I noticed because I had to take off the boning of the sphere from the base (plastic ball) it had slipped and wasn't even. So I took it off the base for good. Although I did put it back on to make sure the shape was in fact correct because its hard to tell with it being on its own. This morning I covered the newspaper with varnish so it stays hard and the bits of clay that are seen don't crack before I can put on the gesso.

Gesso was a last minute discussion to put on because of the newspaper is uneven. I got the idea from FIRELILYCOSPLAY's DA. She also used the glue and newspaper for her paper mache project. Gesso dries hard like canvas. It'll go on smooth too. Its normally used for painting but works great on projects like this. Instead of using something more expensive to create a hard and smooth surface to work with Gesso is the best choice.

I can't post the pictures today thanks to the camera being dead at the moment but I'll make sure to update them tomorrow when I can also take pictures of the staff and the feathers.


Staff-70% done
Feathers-99% done
Sphere-40%


--- 6/8

So today we got more supplies, model magic clay and Gesso. The top part of the sphere is looking good. But I noticed a issue. The newspaper used for the paper mache is sticking up in some places and looks bad with the Gesso over it. Luckily we got some paper mache pulp too. So tomorrow I plan on re paper macheing it so it's smooth. I also started creating the bottom half of the sphere. Since I have to do this in parts so the I wont have to press the top part down while working on the bottom. I'm guessing this will take a while to figure out how to get it smooth but hopefully this paper mache pulp is easy to use. Its late I'm tired as hell and I still couldn't find the camera so tomorrow while I'm waiting for the paper mache to dry I'm doing a huge clean up of my work space and room.

Tomorrow we're also going to start our search for red tassels for both of the props. I hope we can find some!

---6/10

So still looking for that camera....Anyway The sphere is on hold until we have a full day to start the paper mache I think I'll do it tomorrow since I'm not doing anything after I go to the job center. We decided after not being able to find red tassels for both the props that I'll be making those as well. We also plan on entering both the sphere and staff into a prop contest in Dec. I'm pretty pumped for that since these are my first fully made props. I'm pretty proud of them. I'll post the pictures as soon as I can. I also got my ear pierced (Industrial) yesterday so I'm in a bit of pain and kind of wozy so work will be slow right now. We're planning on going to a cosplay picnic in July so hopefully I'll have the props done by then! I'll update tomorrow with pictures (If I find that blasted camera!)

So this is the after math of using the paper mache pulp. Its staying in shape although it doesn't look that way in the picture. And is pretty firm. I tested it and the paper mache is able to be sanded. So after I sand it all down I'm hoping it'll be smooth enough for me to paint. Although who knows how long that'll take.