deviantART: gallery:cupcake-rufflebutt/8961680

Kairi Wig.

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:51:16 PDT

For a change I thought I might upload some of my previous cosplay progress collages. These were originally uploaded to my cosplay.com gallery while I was working on each costume, but now that said costume is finished, I find that I am only posting stylized photoshoot images of it here on DA. Sometimes it's nice to see close-up candids of the various bits and pieces of a costume without all the crazy poses and photoshopping. ^__^ I do also receive a fair number of questions about my costumes and wigs, so hopefully this will provide a few answers:

This is a wig I styled for Kairi from Kingdom Hearts, many years ago. When I realized the costume was simply "not to be," I sold the wig to another Kairi cosplayer. The wig was styled from a shoulder-length "wine red" wig, purchased from an eBay seller who is sadly no longer in business. I've never found a red quite like the one I used for this wig; it was an absolutely perfect match. I set the part with a blow dryer and cut in the basic style, then layered it a bit for a more natural look. This was actually the first wig I styled with a tapered back. [I remembering being quite determined to get the back right, since a lot of cosplayers favoured wigs in a bobbed style for Kairi, and her hair is really not bob-like at all. ^__^;] A little pomade to add texture and hold the bangs in place, and voila, Kairi wig! I also ought to mention that I'm wearing blue contacts, because every time I upload photos of me wearing them, I get questions. XD

Please no critiques/criticism. I'd like to keep this gallery happy! <3

Tifa Wig + Boots.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:12:33 PDT

Finally some Otakon progress! FFVII was the very first RPG I ever played [if you don't count the old Indy and Monkey Island games for Mac, LOL] and lately I've been replaying it. We all know how little it takes for the cosplay bug to bite, so before I knew it, I was entertaining thoughts of making Tifa's original outfit. Then of course my bf had to mention that he had always wanted to do in-game Cid, and I was sold.

Here's a progress collage of my finished wig and boots. The wig was styled from Cosworx's Misty wig in dark brown [2]. The wig fibers were a little warped due to the way it had been folded in the bag, so I took a steamer to it, then cut in the bangs and layers. I still have to make the ponytail clasp. I'm a big fan of the Misty [I also used it for my Erza wig], so I was happy to be able to work with it again.

The boots. THE BOOTS. I knew that if I was going to do in-game Tifa, every little detail would count, and so I searched high and low for an inexpensive pair of boots with a very large, rounded toe. In the end I went with some absurdly oversized hiking boots I found on eBay and hacked them down to the soles. I patterned out the various layers and transferred them to craft foam, which I molded with heat and set with a coat of watered-down white glue. Then came many, many layers of red paint and a very light application of dark green for the weathering and edge detailing. The layers are glued to the sole with hot glue [aka, my lord and savior] and I added the grommets and lacing as I worked. The lacing is all non-functional, since the shoes are big enough for me to slip my foot into. I'm not going to lie, I'm really proud of these things. It's been a long time since I've had the luxury to put a tedious amount of work into a costume [I've been in "cosplay lite" mode ever since I began teaching last August], so I'm really looking forward to finishing this!

Now if my bf's Cid jacket would only make itself.

Please no critiques/criticism. I'd like to keep this gallery happy! <3

Bellatrix Wig.

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 08:51:47 PDT

For a change I thought I might upload some of my previous cosplay progress collages. These were originally uploaded to my cosplay.com gallery while I was working on each costume, but now that said costume is finished, I find that I am only posting stylized photoshoot images of it here on DA. Sometimes it's nice to see close-up candids of the various bits and pieces of a costume without all the crazy poses and photoshopping. ^__^ I do also receive a fair number of questions about my costumes and wigs, so hopefully this will provide a few answers:

My Bellatrix wig was styled from a curly off-black [1B] witch wig. When I took it out of its bag for the first time, I had a moment of panic because it literally resembled an afro gone amok, but with a little hot steam and a lot of patience I tamed the crown of the wig so that it laid fairly naturally on my head. I left the back of the wig alone, but did thin it out slightly. From there, it was a simple matter of pulling a few strands back into a loose updo and trimming up the curls along the sides. The toughest part about this wig is maintaining it, as it has a tendency to get very frizzy very fast. I've found spritzing it with water prior to wear helps tame the frizzies and also helps the curls keep their shape. I did purposefully leave out the greying strands in Bellatrix's hair, as it was not to my taste.

Please no critiques/criticism. I'd like to keep this gallery happy! <3

Makeup Test: Sally.

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:24:55 PDT

For a change, I thought I'd upload a few in-progress or test shots of various costumes that, for one reason or another, have never been finished. Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas is a character that I first considered cosplaying just after I made my Corpse Bride costume in 2005. Over the years I've done makeup tests, picked out a wig and shoes, and even sketched out the patterns on her dress, but the project has always sat on the back burner. One of these days I'll get around to her, but until then, here is a VERY old makeup test I did back in June 2006. I can't recall my exact supplies, but they were minimal: A white cream base [probably Mehron], blue eye shadow, black liquid eyeliner, lipstick, and some fake eyelashes. I think if I were to do this now, I would go to the extent of adding fake stitching.

Please no critiques/criticism. I'd like to keep this gallery happy! <3

Fire Nation Suki Wig.

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:36:11 PDT

A current progress picture, for once! I am in the process of working on Fire Nation Suki [and Fire Nation Sokka, for CaptainMiles] to be worn at Otakon next month. This is not the finished Suki wig, although it is fairly close: All that remains to be done is stabilizing the topknot with some wiring and adding the flame detailing to the cuff. I chose a gorgeous waist-length blend of mahogany, auburn, and deep red for my base wig [I didn't need the length so much as it was the only wig I could find in the hue I was gunning for], and I couldn't be happier! Most people do Suki with plain brown hair, but it really does have a reddish tint to it, especially obvious when she's in the same frame as Sokka, who has rather generic dark brown hair. At any rate, looking forward to sharing more progress pictures as I prepare for Otakon!

Please no critique/criticism. I'd like to keep this gallery happy! <3

Lulu Wig.

Tue, 19 May 2009 20:04:15 PDT

For a change I thought I might upload some of my previous cosplay progress collages. These were originally uploaded to my cosplay.com gallery while I was working on each costume, but now that said costume is finished, I find that I am only posting stylized photoshoot images of it here on DA. Sometimes it's nice to see close-up candids of the various bits and pieces of a costume without all the crazy poses and photoshopping. ^__^ I do also receive a fair number of questions about my costumes and wigs, so hopefully this will provide a few answers:

My Lulu wig was styled from a shoulder-length off-black [1B] wig and several packages of matching extensions. I first pulled out the hair for the bangs so that it was separate from the updo, then I styled the braids that run along her scalp. I then pulled the back of the wig, braids and all, into a high ponytail, which I stubbed with culk. Afterward I went back and cut and layered the bangs. [One of the most interesting aspects of Nomura's design, which I based my costume on, is that Lulu's bangs are wavy and have a great deal of volume to them. I believe her natural hair isn't straight at all!] While the culk dried on the ponytail, I braided several packs of off-black extensions. I first attached the long braids in the back to the stub with hot glue, then glued the remaining braids around the stub so as to create her bun [this effectively hides any evidence that the wig is, in fact, many different pieces all glued together]. All in all, it was a very fun wig to style and I'd love to make another someday. This shot also shows off my semi-completed jewelry, which was hand-made.

Please no critiques/criticism. I'd like to keep this gallery happy! <3

Naruto Wig.

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:10:20 PDT

For a change I thought I might upload some of my previous cosplay progress collages. These were originally uploaded to my cosplay.com gallery while I was working on each costume, but now that said costume is finished, I find that I am only posting stylized photoshoot images of it here on DA. Sometimes it's nice to see close-up candids of the various bits and pieces of a costume without all the crazy poses and photoshopping. ^__^ I do also receive a fair number of questions about my costumes and wigs, so hopefully this will provide a few answers:

My Naruto wig was styled from a golden blonde punky-style wig. I based my costume off of the Naruto artbook images, and so chose a more natural blonde colour, as opposed to the violent, wtftastic yellow of the anime. I also chose to go with a more natural style than the hard, sculpted spikes he is drawn with. Very little styling product went into this wig, so it is super easy to transport without damage. Love my little sideburns! And I KNOW Naruto is not from sand-ville, but I only had my Gaara headband laying around back when these images were shot. [Hint: This is your cue to be surly and reply with "FJLWEKJFJ NARUTO'S NOT FROM SAND VILLAGE!"] I was so very happy to see that, at long last, my enormous German nose would prove useful in cosplay, as it really seems to make me look more like a boy!

Please no critiques/criticism. I'd like to keep this gallery happy! <3

Beelzenef.

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:33:30 PDT

For a change, I thought I'd upload a few in-progress or test shots of various costumes that, for one reason or another, have never been finished. This is the Beelzenef puppet I made for a Nekozawa [Ouran Host Club] cosplay several years ago. I had originally intended to make the costume pretty legitimate, but things kept going horribly awry [the company I ordered my blazer from sent me one in ORANGE instead of blue, the patch I bought was an eyesore, my wig was backordered, etc], so I ended up just borrowing bits and pieces from friends' Ouran uniforms, cutting up an old wig, and throwing on my Hogwarts robe, LOL. At least my Beelzenef was lovingly made! Puppet handsewn from microsuede; the eyes and mouth are iron-on patches that I painted.

Please no critiques/criticism. I'd like to keep this gallery happy! <3

Blood Seras Wig.

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:02:13 PDT

For a change I thought I might upload some of my previous cosplay progress collages. These were originally uploaded to my cosplay.com gallery while I was working on each costume, but now that said costume is finished, I find that I am only posting stylized photoshoot images of it here on DA. Sometimes it's nice to see close-up candids of the various bits and pieces of a costume without all the crazy poses and photoshopping. ^__^ I do also receive a fair number of questions about my costumes and wigs, so hopefully this will provide a few answers:

My Blood Seras wig was styled from a platinum/golden blonde mix in a punky-style wig. Up until this point, I had never done too much in the way of spiking or molding long wig fiber, so this was a new experience for me! I based the wig entirely off of the shot of Blood Seras from the Hellsing artbook, in which there is blood streaked throughout her hair and her bangs have fallen over her right eye [which at this point in the manga has been gouged out]. I used Kryolan coagulated theatrical blood for the blood splatters. It is incredibly gooey upon first application, but dries hard. [It even dried in little droplets, if you examine the close up.] As always, I recommend Kryolan for all your theatrical makeup needs! XD This wig took me roughly 2 hours to style and I was just giddy with the end result.

Shots of the finished costume may be found:
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Please no critiques/criticism. I'd like to keep this gallery happy! <3

Makeup Test: Zuko.

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:42:16 PST

For a change, I thought I'd upload a few in-progress or test shots of various costumes that, for one reason or another, have never been finished. The story behind Zuko is simple: I love playing around with cosmetics, and I can never resist characters that have ridiculous makeup designs. When I fell head over heels for Avatar a year or two ago, I should have known I'd one day end up with a yucky burn across my left eye. XD So this was mostly an incident of, "Hey, I've never played with liquid latex before and this hot man needs some love so let me put crap all over my face, throw on my Gaara wig, and dig out my Urahara jammies!" I don't really know if I ever intend to cosplay Zuko, but do stay tuned for a string of Suki costumes from yours truly. I need to cosplay her before the movie makes her uncosplayable. [It's easy to imitate a 2D character. Very difficult to replicate the body structure of a stringbean actress. ^__^;]

Please no critiques/criticism. I'd like to keep this gallery happy! <3