March progress and March progress

I had planned to be in good standing with my projects this week, but then my job totally crashed everything. Past few weeks have been pretty unstable. I've had to spend extra hours at work, which had an effect on my costumes. And it seems that the uncertainty is going to continue few more. I pushed our Jedi costumes in the back of the closet and tried to spend free hours I had finishing the backpacks for Snowtroopers. To be honest, they are really killing me. Tampere Kuplii is just weeks away and some parts that I thought would work on them didn't live up to expectations. Now I need to come up with a plan B and at the moment I have no idea what it could be... Nyaaa!

But something I was able to do considering Snowtroopers and their first public appearance. That thing was a flag. We are not going to have rifles or any sort of weaponry what so ever with us. The blasters we left to be nice crafting project for lazy summer days. Instead we are going to roll with Empire emblem on a stick. The base of the flag is just regular cotton and the paint is basic white wall paint. I tried to make the logo look worn out and messy, but didn't quite achieve the look I was going after. I need to wear out the emblem maybe by scraping it with something and washing the color out. Easily portable stick has been found and is waiting for minor alterations. I'm going to paint collapsible fissing rod black and make some security attachments.

Somehow I squeezed sewing in my schedule, so I was able to do something with March also. The jacket is fully appliquéd and the pants are finally done. Last year I already worked with the accessories; the pendant and the “bell” on the tip of the hood. Even if they are almost done, I think I’ll redo the pendant. I don’t know what I was thinking back then, but now that I compare the proportions of the jacket to the pendant, it’s just way too small! Gladly it’s pretty fast to build, so that is least of my worries. Bigger one is the hood, for which I have made nothing more than a trial pattern.

I still need to check that the tips of the silhouettes are sharp.

Super-skinny pants. I haven't had courage to test if I can sit on them or not...

I think that it will be safest to leave the hood construction after Tampere Kuplii, if we anyhow manage to survive it. I was happy to notice that the weather could be quite nice! We might not look like we actually have crawled through a slushy battlefield afterwards.

Edit: Things happen, so I'm back to business with the backpacks! Esa took the parts I was hesitant about and made them work. Now I'm sure there is a chance that the costumes will be ready in time, hopefully even before the eve of Kuplii!

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Nintama, Live Action movie!

映画『実写版映画 忍たま乱太郎』特報

H.O.M.G !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *FANGIRL SCREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS* WHO IS A NINTAMA FAN RAISE YOUR HAND NAO!!!!!!!!

It's a Nintama Live Action Movie!!!! Ahhh the main boy is SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTEEE!!! All the characters look SO MUCH like the anime! This is the epitome of Cosplay !!!!!!

I've been a fan of the series since my schooldays and I remember how I would rush home after saturday remedial to catch them on TV! I even recorded the song and wrote romanji lyrics of it so I could sing a long xD

I'm so glad they casted the children as kids instead of beautifying it, making them bishoujo/bishounen teenagers and turning it into some HSM teen idol flick. That would have been lame.

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JAPAN EARTHQUAKE - "GENKIDAMA" Saves the world, please click!

Hey guys! Shueisha has put up 3 videos to help garner/earn donations for the Tohoku Quake victims.!!! Now you have no excuse to not help by watching all the videos below and spreading it to everyone you know to help boost the view count! It's that simple !

How it works is simple, the more view count = more money for the victims.

Please click Japanese ver.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_tpHFTrxWY

By viewing this video, all proceeds will be donated to the victims of the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.
The donations collected will be reported on "www.shueisha.co.jp" as well as
magazines published by Shueisha Inc.

The wallpaper, showing Akira Toriyama's message, is available for download below.
http://shonenjump.com/e/index.html

Please comment in English translated into Japanese.
The victims in Japan can read them.

Drgaonball "Genkidama" !

AKB48 supports japan!

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Third moment uploaded

After a long silence Sasori & Deidara moments number 3 is finally out and viewable on Youtube. I will also announce that there will be less ninjas in the future. We have few ideas for the moments but the Akatsuki interviews have been shelved, for now.

-yoki out

Comic relief!

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Just Be Friends 2010 Live

Because I’m being random and love the song enough to do thie entry. But more because I think HD rocks to the point of counting audience head and leek holders <3

Click the photo for a bigger size!

 

*SCREAMS* AHHHHHHHHHH I can’t get enough of Luka’s awesomeness in this video and can’t stop feeling stupid for fangirling over a 2D prohection but that is the powar of 2D nonono?!??!!!!!!!???

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Defense Devil, Idamaria Costume Journey!

Hey peeps, I’m back for another costume journey/breakdown entry I don’t know about you, but as a cosplayer myself, I LOVE knowing/learning how other cosplayers do their costumes and props. I might not ever do a costume that required that knowledge but it’s always interesting to know.

Anyway, here to share my Idamaria’s Costume journey with you guys ^_^. First off, I decided to cut myself some slack and tailor this costume instead of making it from scratch. Other than the black dress base, everything else is self made.

Mad love the job my tailor did on the dress! 

You know how dark coloured clothes can merge the subject into the background?. I found out through this cosplay that sometimes... It's good to use reflective cloth :D The material for Idamaria's dress reflects enough light to sculpt the figure but not too much to blind the photos. The fabric is a sort of polyester satin from Ghim Joo :D.

And mad love the lantern sleeves my tailor and I devised for such sleeves. Okay, more credits to my tailor than me =X We used the same pattern for Eclair too. I shall do another entry for the sleeves in the future.

The golden cross are cut from golden vinyl, added 3d paint to the edge and sprayed. The little knoots/screw thingy are made from.... make a guess!

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Erasers!!!

Yellow cylinder format erasers!!! It must have been the most fun part of the costume. Prior to using erasers, I tried modelling with paper clay. Made a bunch of them by rolling the clay out and cookie cut them out with straws (they are the red ones in the above pic). But the result was very asymmetrical and varied buttons =(

Anyway, the erasers were super glued on and the entire cross motifs were sprayed metallic gold then stuck onto the dress with my trusty fabric glue.  After spraying them I realise how idiotic I was for shelling out $9 to buy gold vinyl , only to sprayed over later.


Made my sword with the cardboard method. The paint job was a disaster and kept flaking (think I should invest in some sort of paint sealent product ) but the sword was ultra light. Kaname and Aira were both super shocked when they tried holding the sword xD

Sliced into my toes while cutting the cardboard. It was really ouch T_T

Tried to save some money by making my cross instead of buying it. It is made out of polyfoam (name?) with a layer of hard cardboard and painted with white nail polish. And I learnt the slow way that despite coating with white glue, the foam is still prone to corroding under spray paint. Had to do the cross 3 times T__T

Made my petticoat myself and though it wasn't perfect, I'm still pleased with how it turned out. Also love my skirt's lace which i bought from korea. 

Made the pouch out of foam. Click here to find the template for it.

The gun was made by combining a store bought toy and a cardboard fixture on top of it. Black foam and white paper was used to create the cross like design on the cardboard fixture while white 3D paint was used to write the words. Those words pretty much killed my fingers=_=

Boots are store bought. Was super lucky to have found a identical pair at an affordable price!

Alright, this marks the end of my boring and lengthy costume entry! Please let me know what you think about such costume entries xD

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Prayers from Cosplayers to Japan

Hi guys! I'm sure without much need for an introduction, you guys would know I'm talking about the 8.9 Richter Earthquake and Tsunami that struck Japan on the 11th March 2011. 

I just want to express my heartfelt concerns and well wishes to all the victims of this natural phenomenon. And being a cosplay blog, I would like to take this chance to introduce this website called 'Prayers from Cosplayers ' to all of you. It is a campaign to let cosplayers all around the world gather together to show their encouragements and support to Japan!

Links: http://prayersfromcosplayers.com

Donation: Google's crisis response page

*Singaporeans reading this, please SMS "RedCross" to 75772 to donate $50 to the Japan earthquake victims.

Just take a photo of yourself in costume with a piece of paper that has the japan flag symbol and your well wishes. Then upload the photo to the website.

I'll admit I wasn't for the whole "Support events" idea initially because I'm a practical person who believes donation is better than anything (I still think it is). And I didn't want to be seen as trying to get something out of this catastrophe.

But then I realise, for a country with almost unparallel economic and financial standing... money is not what the people need most (it of course is, but I'm referring to the spiritual sense). And that words of comfort can be the most powerful healing power on earth. I am most touched by how united and well behaved the people of Japan is in such times of crisis. No looting or raping and a lot of graciousness. What more can a society ask for? 

I have to admit, the biggest part to hit me about this catastrophe is not the gravity of the situation but how selfless all of them responded to the situation. For that, I cry and pray =|

So cosplayers all around the world, lets put on our costumes and show the motherland of our hobby some well deserved support!

I might be doing some charity drive to hopefully contribute in a more practical way. So stay tuned >.<

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OMG SHANGHAI!

Remember this post? Managed to get into the top 8 finalist bloggers with that and then went to the Singapore Discovery Centre the following weekend.

And now…. I’ve been selected to cover the Singapore day event at Shanghai!!!

This is old news to those who follow me on Facebook but still …. THANK YOU for all your support guys!!!!! I ‘m sure without you guys, I wouldn’t have been offered the chance *sniffs*

I promise I’ll try to find something to bring back for you guys ^_^. In the meanwhile…does anyone have any Shanghai travel tips or MustGoTos to share with me? I’d love to buy cosplay materials there but I have no freakin idea where! Google isn’t being very helpful either @_@

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Upcoming cosplay from March Story

We got our costume plans for the summer conventions somewhat cleared last weekend. It seems that instead of Luminara and Barriss we are going solo to Bakacon. Yoki has been growing her hair out for Snufkin and I know she is dying to wear the costume again, so it’s Snufkin for Yoki! Now that I actually need to do a single cosplay I thought it would be good time to reveal my project, which I started last autumn as a time killer. I have done a lot for the costume and also have featured the making process here many times without giving series or character information out.

The character I’ve been working on is March from March Story. March Story is written and drawn by Koreans, but in my books it’s manga. The comic was first published in Sunday GX and first volume was released by VIZ last autumn. I’m looking forward April, because the second volume should be out then. I think March Story is one of the few comics I have fallen crazily in love with. Cosplay-wise it’s also the only costume I’m making based on a character which might or might not be recognized by anyone at all. The visual side of the manga is great, but the story is also good! If you are interested in tragic stories spiced with humor, carnivals and bloody and thorny things I think you should check the series out!

Cover of the first volume of March Story.

We laughed with Yoki some time ago, that our cosplays are rather monochromatic and March is no exception. It’s also bit challenging to do a costume based on only few colored covers and panels, which vary rather much. But then again, that’s the fun of it too! I’m now working on the jacket, which is coming together nicely. I’m doing the black shapes by appliquéing them. Only thing I’m feeling bit insecure is patterning the crazy hood. I’m not good with hoods. I tried to avoid them while back at school and now I’m feeling the consequences of not paying attention to them.

I’m going to make a better update from the costume in a week. By then I hope I have solved the problems with the silly hood. The earlier posts featuring this costume includes information about how I striped the pants, constructed the suitcase and did the buckles for colonial shoes.

In the convention post I stated that Snufkin and March have similarities. Don’t they?

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Foam Pouch Template

I was a little pissed when I couldn't find an affordable white pouch for my Idamaria cosplay in the stores . And with the time ticking by, I was left with no choice but to make one.

And with my past experience in making pouches, I must say they are a b*tch to handle. But I managed to 'invent' a simple method of pouch making with foam. Yes, foam.

Obviously, this kind of pouches are only suitable for certain characters. So use your own judgment =)

Materials you need:

1. At least B3 sized foam in the colour of your choice
2. Scissor / Penknife
3. Sewing equipment ( sewing machine, needle etc)
4. Pencil
5. Ruler

Step 1.
Start by measuring and calculating the size of your pouch. Resize the template as required. One very important factor in cosplay that many overlook, is making sure your props and accessories are proportionate to the wearer. So take note that what might look suitable on me might be too big for you etc.

Step 2.
Draft the template out on your foam according to your own measurements.

 Step 3.
Cut the foam along the red solid lines.

Step 4.
Sew along the green and magenta dashed lines. The green dashed lines will be sewed together with the green dashed lines. While the magenta dashed lines will be sewed together with the magenta dashed lines.

Leave the orange dashed lines alone, they appear only as a visual guideline of where to fold. If you need belt holes, then slit the foam along the two red slit lines.

Step 5.
Attach velcro (I used superglue) or your preferred fastener/hooks to the pouch cover and you're done!

As you can tell, using foam eliminates the trouble of having to interlock the edges and gives a nice smooth plasticy effect.

A gentle warning; it might be good to avoid storing heavy objects and suspend the pouch on the slits. Even though the pouch itself is resilient enough, dangling the weight through the slits can tear the foam above the slits.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial, remember to comment!

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Luminara Unduli, the knee buster

I recently started one of this year’s big projects, which is Luminara’s robe. It’s not a big project only because of its size, but also in the way I’m going to execute it. I thought that I would now, after making some progress clear out why the “Project Luminara” is big and why it got a slightly barbaric nickname.

I’ve wrote about searching right fabrics for our Jedi duo’s robes some time ago. While with Barriss I got really close to what I was looking for, the selections in fabric stores didn’t fill the requirements of what I visualized to be the correct or acceptable material for Luminara. And I went through few of them in the bigger cities in Southern Finland. In the end I chose wool flannel, because it seemed like a good bargain and the brown was subtle enough to act as a background for the upcoming pattern.

First try out with the possible construction modeled on a mannequin.

The original robe material for the movies seems like it was woven. I never thought weaving it as an option, if anyone wonders. I’m not that good with looms or that crazy. Printing was the first option from the start. My dear home town doesn’t have good craft store, so it was time to travel, again.

I went to visit Yoki on my free days, found a shop I was looking for and fell in love a little. It had like… everything! And the staff was really helpful. It’s been years from my last bigger scale printing experience, so I happily took notes from professionals. I ended up dragging along three kilos of printing emulsion next to smaller containers of black pigment and pearl cover paste in plain and blue for Barriss’ cape. No casualties on this stage yet, if sore neck is not included.


No casualties occurred when I started to cut the templates for the print either. I was not going to use a screen or a stencil; instead I cut wormy and bulky pieces out from clear plastic film (Thank you for clearing the word out, Batsy!). These pieces I placed randomly on the fabric to create the pattern. Compared to screen printing, I chose this slightly slower method, because I can skip the screen washing and as long as I’m able to keep the printing space prepared, I can work when ever I feel like it. When the tools you are working with is the fabric print and a piece of foam it’s really quick to pull them out, work a while and then be going. For example, one morning I arranged the plastic pieces on the fabric while I waited my eye liner to dry. Small progress is progress still.

The printing is the brutal knee buster! I work on the floor, because my sewing table is not nearly big enough for five meters of fabric. If I want to stand up, I’ll need to stretch for few minutes before my left knee feels like cooperating. Either the working posture is horrible or I’m just getting old.


I calculated that with this speed and overlapping projects I’m ready in two weeks with the printing. Then I’m going to dye the whole fabric to make it darker and possibly if I feel like it, create more texture to the robe with needle felting. Big project is big. And I’m wearing a support bandage on my knee.

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This is why I wanna visit a Con in the west !

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4 years too late but… really, this is why I wanna visit a Con in the states Canada!

*EDIT: Apparently these videos were not taken at a Convention in the States. My inital blog intention was actually directed towards Western Conventions in general but an error is an error, so I’m here to correct it =)

Uploaded by mastorione

Akatsuki vs Shinsengumi in an epic battle for supremacy

Uploaded by EmonKataren

The Greater Vancouver branch of Shinsengumi cosplayers complete Stage 4 of the Fight Progression first started at Sakura-Con 2007 with a great deal of help from Akatsuki.
Again, utmost care was taken so that we did not break convention policy regarding fighting/sparring.
Stages 1-3 can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKY8LjAGZ1w
Taken at Anime Evolution 2007 in Burnaby, BC.

Uploaded by EmonKataren

The Vancouver branch of Peacemaker Kurogane and Shinsengumi cosplayers demonstrate an incomplete step-by-step to building a charge/battle scene that doesn't quite exactly break convention policy re: sparring/fighting.

Taken at Sakura-Con 2007 in Seattle, WA. To be completed at Anime Evolution 2007 in Burnaby, BC.

Why can’t we do something like this in Singapore??? Someone please volunteer yourself!!!!

I left the best for the last. Enjoy!

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