Tuesday, July 08, 2014

Cosplay Progress Report: July 8th 2014


Just wanted to give you guys a little teaser as to what I have been working on recently. My sewing machine and I are taking a little time apart so its been all prop work for the last few days. On the left you will notice the beginnings of a Dragon Egg (which I will have up for sale very soon) and on the right is the base for a pair of daggers for a "certain" League of Legends cosplay 

Perhaps I will start the Pyscho Bandit mask sculpt while all these things dry...

Sunday, July 06, 2014

Cosplay in Review: Vulcan Starfleet Science Officer


The Costume
I used 2 varieties of spandex for this dress. Predominately the dress is made of 4-way stretch vinyl in Turquoise with a collar of 4-way stretch Metallic Black, both from spandexworld.com. The pattern was slightly modified from a simple long sleeve shirt and much of the measuring was pure guesswork (because that's how I roll). I used gold rick rack for the sleeve details and the badge was simply printed out on paper and taped on for the shoot as there wasn't quite enough time to order a real one.



The Shot
The photo was shot around midday in the foothills of the Sandia's. We used 2 strobes; one bare with a green gel for accent and one with a diffuser for fill light. This shot was challenging for a few different reasons. First of all the temperature was 100+ degrees and that sort of heat paired with vinyl is, quite possibly, one of the most excruciating combinations in existence. Secondly were the gnats which were prevalent enough that they had to be removed from both the photo in photoshop and my contact lenses by the end of the shoot.  The last challenge was timing where we had to wait for shooting opportunities around joggers, hikers, and dog walkers who where consistently wandering in the photos background.
The un-touched barren wasteland
The Edit
Obviously the original color profile of this shot was horribly drab and de-hydrated with very little sky color to speak of so most of the editing consisted of simple tonal adjustments. I applied green overlays on the ground, deep blue on the mountains and teal to the sky. On top of the sky was also a simple star overlay and gradient which I added to create the "other-worldly" feel of the final shot.
The fruits of our labor
Photo and lighting were done by the talented Wolfnet Archives
Costume, Modeling and Editing by Me (Cnidarium)

Monday, June 16, 2014

Mayhem Week Starts Now

Good morning friends and welcome to, my morning caffeination session and what will probably be an INCREDIBLY stressful week of costume making, photography and modeling. 
I have TWO shoots planned for later today and what seems like one or more for every day after that in preparation for my booth at Albuquerque Comic Expo! I will be announcing more about my upcoming convention appearance later this week but for now, there is much to be done and not nearly enough time to do it in....

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Cosplay Progress Report: June 14th 2014


Sadly, today got off to a slow start but here is today's progress report so far! (BTW, I have many cosplay shoots planned SOOOOOON so don't you worry!)

-Rainbow Dash wings and ears were painted and are awaiting finishing.
-Rainbow Dash wig was pulled from storage and restyled
-Black Widow's belt was completed

I plan on working late today so stay tuned for tomorrow's progress report which may be a 2-parter 

Friday, June 13, 2014

Cosplay Progress Report: June 13th 2014

This is it, guys! I'm about to kick this thing into high gear as I have 8 costumes that need to be finished, shot and edited all prior to Albuquerque Comic Expo in a little under 2 weeks. Wish me luck!

In the meantime, here is a sneak peek of my mostly finished "Post-Apocalyptic" Fionna!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Tutorial: Superhero/Villian Mask with Worbla


For my first tutorial I wanted to do something relatively simple yet incredibly useful which, of course means, "super mask"!!

Materials:
-Worbla (I purchase mine from Yaya Han at http://yayahan.bigcartel.com/)
-Hair dryer with high heat setting or heat gun
-Primer
-Spray paint
-Super glossy top-coat spray
-pencil/paper/scissors

1. The first thing you're going to want to do is create a pattern for your mask. I like to pull up some reference images and true to sketch out one side of the mask until it looks about right. Next I fold the paper over and cut it out so that you have a paper mask with 2 identical sides. This next bit is the part where I stick it on my face and snip away minor adjustments (this step is optional).

Recycling my old homework
2. After you have created an adequate pattern for your mask, you're going to carefully trace it onto your sheet of Worbla. Next, cut out your new super hero face gear with standard scissors or an exacto knife if you're feeling spunky.  I used a razor blade to make a hole in each eye area into which I could insert my scissors for cutting/trimming.

Ta-da!
3. This next step is a little tricky and involves a slight bit of finesse (and heat tolerance). Simply lay out the Worbla on a flat heat-resistant surface and hit it with your dryer or heat gun. You will notice the Worbla change colors slightly to an even murkier brown and the material will noticeably soften. Next you will pick up the limp scrap of plastic and stick it directly on your face (smooth side out).
WARNING: The plastic will be toasty! If you feel it is too hot in your hands, then by no means, stick it on your face! Usually for me it takes a couple tries to apply the mask and get all the contours just right. Luckily, Worbla can be re-melted so you can target detailed areas and reapply the formed surface for shaping. There aren't any pictures of this step as my hands were busy prodding plastic around my eye-holes.
Version 2.0 vs 1.0
Primed and ready
4. Leave the mask on your face for about 1 minute or until completely cooled. After removing the mask and cooling completely, you are going to want to apply a coat of primer to assist in paint adherence. Leave in a SAFE place to dry. If, however, you choose to do this in your windy backyard and own a Corgi puppy, be sure you are aware of the consequences of such a careless action. (see following photo)
The dog ate it :(
5. If you, like me, found that your dog had eaten your first mask, simply start again at step 1. If you were fortunate enough to leave your crafts drying out of harms way then next you'll want to hit the mask with the first coat of spray paint. I use any standard finish spray paint since, lastly, we will go over it with a high gloss top-coat. Alternatively, you can finish with a matte or even a satin top coat depending on your needs.
Matte black spray paint
Wet-look gloss finish
6. Lastly, you'll want to decide on what form of attachment best fits your needs. In some cases a wig or hair will cover the sides should you choose the elastic band method. If you are looking for a seamless option, I would recommend spirit gum or another skin adhesive.

<3

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Prop Work: : "A Game of Thrones" Dragon Egg



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