2015 Cosplay "HELP Me..." thread

Started by BSaphire, April 14, 2013, 06:56:56 PM

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thepharaohinleather

Hi there! I'm hoping to do an Elsa cosplay from Frozen, but I have absolutely no idea how to sew or do dresses or anything like that, I want to do the blue dress she makes for herself with all the crystals, and I really want it to be very high quality. Money is not really an issue because I know for what I want its going to cost a lot, but I do not know whether to go to a cosplay specialist taking commissions or to my sister's friend who is a seamstress and makes all her own clothes who says she would make it for me. Does anyone know a trustworthy commissioner who does high quality dresses and the like? Or should I go to someone close to me? I've never commissioned a cosplay before so a bit of help would be really appreciated. Thank you!!!
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One day I'll cosplay again

ManyRelish

Hello everyone! I don't usually participate in the forums but I'm just so excited for this year I couldn't wait! A lot of the topics in here seem to be about gatherings, but I just wanted to make a freeform Skullgirls topic where we could discuss our cosplays and gets tips. This year I'm going to be cosplaying Squigly (alt 1, listed below). I've gotten all the fabric I'll be using, I just wanted some advice on how to make leviathan.



I'm currently washing the fabric I'm using but I'll post a picture and some update photos as this comes together.

Also: I was thinking of making her sewn lips be cut open so I can talk and eat without worry. It's still have the wires but they'd look like she'd taking a blade and cut them as a little "eff you" to the Medicis. Would that seem appropriate for her?

Kahluah

@ManyRelish As someone who also wants to eventually cosplay squigly, I would say the cut open mouth seems fine. (Its what I would have done anyways)

as for leviathan I would say some medium thickness, semi bendable ( but not too bendy) wire and papier-mâché is in order. I would probably only have a small bit of neck before his head so that the top is not too heavy and I could use some heavy duty buttons at the base to clip it onto my wig and have it stay up. But for attaching the larger bottom part of him to the wig I have no clue, I would have to experiment.

Anix

Quote from: ManyRelish on February 27, 2014, 02:13:45 PM
This year I'm going to be cosplaying Squigly (alt 1, listed below). I've gotten all the fabric I'll be using, I just wanted some advice on how to make leviathan.



I would recommend for leviathen a few different ways. The lightest way is use 20oz soda bottles. Cut off the ends and make plugs that you can pass thin wire through. If you want a plastic tube a little longer than a 20oz bottle look for tennis ball tubes. The wire can be gotten at Home depot or if you have a bunch of old wire coat hangers lying around that could work too.

The other two materials you could try to make the sections of the body are pvc piping or poster tubes.
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Acey Arisen

#84
Quote from: pitin on February 10, 2014, 01:55:47 PM
Quote from: Acey Arisen on February 04, 2014, 05:41:06 PM
I apologize if this has already been asked, and I know it's probably a super obvious question, but...how does one go about contouring troll makeup? I'm doing two troll cosplays this year (Damara and Meenah), and I want them to look really good, including the makeup, but I'm a bit clueless.

This is Homestuck right? (not a big Homestuck fan) I would suggest trying to find a tutorial on Youtube (I'm sure they are out there). But from what I've heard, and from my limited experience in costume makeup, it tends to be a lot of trial and error. Sometime you just have to try a bunch of different things and go with what works the best.

(Sorry for the late reply!)

Do you know if there are any non-video tutorials? I tend to get confused by video tutorials, what with having to pause constantly and such.

EDIT: I also have another issue I could use some insight on. I'm copy-pasting it from my FB.

So I've not started ANY of my cosplays for Fanime. I also realized that I likely won't be there on Day 0, at least not for long enough to justify making a cosplay for that day.

I'm still gonna be doing Meenah for sure--that's currently the only one I'm sure of. I'll also likely be doing Jane, since I have most of the stuff for her already.

But that's only two cosplays for a three-day con. I'd like to bring at LEAST three total, preferably four.

Right now, these are the ones I'm considering:

-Rarity.
Pros: I've wanted to cosplay her forever and I think I could pull her off.
Cons: Kind of scared to, what with all the creepiness in some parts of the fandom. Also, finding a good white dress will probably be hell.

-Hex Maniac.
Pros: Looks fairly simple, and would definitely be a lot of fun.
Cons: Might get hot, since it's San Jose in late May and the costume is long-sleeved, dark in color, and also features a long, dark wig.

-Aradiana Jones.
Pros: Mostly complete--I just need to get new pants (or even just repair my current ones) and a new hat. And it got a really good reception at Halloweenstuck.
Cons: Same as Hex Maniac--it was a warm enough costume on Halloween!

-Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way.
Pros: I've wanted to cosplay Enoby for SO LONG. The outfit itself would be pretty easy to put together, too.
Cons: That FUCKING wig. How would I go about that?!

-Aranea Serket.
Pros: Looks pretty simple overall.
Cons: The horns. I had a pair of Serket horns, but they broke because I suck at storing shit like that...and since someone else made them, I'm not sure how I'd go about making my own. Fucking Serket horns, man.

I'm open to suggestions as well. My fandoms that I feel I can currently cosplay (for those not in the know) are Homestuck (duh), Pokemon, MLP:FIM, and Gravity Falls.

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Planned 2016 cosplays: Amethyst (SU), God Tier Roxy (HS), Summer (Rick And Morty), Ebony Dark'Ness Dementia Raven Way (My Immortal)

Nina Star 9

Acey Arisen>
For troll contouring, you basically want to do regular skin-tone contouring, but in darker greys and whites rather than in shades that match your natural skin tone.
Here[/usl] is a good reference image for regular contouring.

I've only done contouring on creme-based makeup (it was Ben Nye brand and already powdered and sealed) once, for someone else, since I use water-based paint (Kyrolan Aquacolor) myself, so I'm not sure how this will differ when being done on creme paint. I think most people use creme paint in darker/lighter shades and blend it in, though using this method works once the paint has been powdered and sealed.

You'll want eyeshadow in a non-sparkly dark grey and a non-sparkly white, and brushes similar to [url=http://sweetmakeuptemptations.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/evgeny1.jpg]these that I found on google
. When doing contouring over paint, it tends to want to stay in place, rather than blend like it would on bare skin (or skin with regular foundation on), so you'll have to use thin layers and build them up carefully. Using the dark grey, add shadows to the sides of the nose, the jawline, under the cheekbones, and the side of the forehead (for feminine contouring, which you seem to be doing). Get some powder on the largest of the eyeshadow brushes, and then blow on it slightly or tap it lightly to get off the excess powder, then lightly apply. You can build up a few layers if you need deeper shading. For anything really detailed (undereye bags, harsh cheekbones that would need a sharper line, etc.), use the smaller brushes. If you aren't wearing other eyeshadow, sweep the white powder over your lids with the larger brush and then use the darker powder with a smaller brush in the crease, if you have double eyelids, or wherever the shadows naturally fall if you have single eyelids. Blend your contouring with the largest brush, the big fluffy powder one.

Do basically the same with the highlights. Bridge of the nose, tops of the cheekbones or apples of the cheeks, center of the forehead, tip of the chin, browbone, inner corner of the eye. You can do the apples of the cheeks instead of the cheekbones if you want a "cuter" look (I'd do this for Nepeta, Fef, etc.), or do fairly harsh high cheekbone lines if you want a more chiseled look (softer and harder variations on this tend to be best for elegant, tough, or evil characters -- Kanaya would likely have a softer version of harsh cheekbones, Condy would have harsher cheekbones, Meenah would be about in the middle, etc.). Really, how you actually shape your face will depend on how you perceive your character and what looks best on your face. You probably won't do your highlights super harsh, though - keep them fairly soft, to look like light is falling naturally on your face.

Apply blush in your blood color where you would apply blush (either the cheekbones or the apples of your cheeks), and maybe swipe a little on your eyelids, and you're done! Set with powder and another layer of sealing spray.

It's a bit tricky to contour over body paint, as I said, since it doesn't blend as easily as it would on skin, so it tends to give a sharper line than it normally would. You can combat this by only applying a little bit of the powder at a time and building up layers, rather than trying to put on a whole lot at once, since it is easy to make it too dark and too harsh that way.

Also, with contouring, it may look weird in person, like you are wearing slightly too much makeup, but it won't show up in pictures otherwise. Apply it to an amount that looks natural in person, and then one more very light coat to deepen the shade enough to be picked up by cameras, especially with harsh con lighting.

I hope that helped some! I might be able to make you a quick little photo tutorial if the text and the photo I posted aren't enough, but no promises. (Also, if you wanted to do contouring for human-colored cosplays, it would be basically the same process, just with a slightly ashy [rather than orange/red/yellow] brown that is a few shades darker than your skin and a white or cream color that is a few shades lighter than your skin, if you wanted to step up your human-colored cosplay makeup game, as well.)






I have another troll makeup question for y'all, if anyone can help:
How does one go about covering tattoos when wearing body paint? The person in question has very light skin and dark tattoos. We tried just using Ben Nye creme makeup (I believe it was their Creme Foundation in Cadaver Grey, but I could be wrong) at a previous con, and her tats were still visible. We'll probably switch to a water-based makeup (probably Kryolan Aquacolor, since that's what I use) for this con. PAX is not an option.

I've heard of using regular tattoo cover and then painting over it, but it seems like using tattoo cover and then paint over it would mess up the tattoo cover underneath (or the troll paint wouldn't stick to the tattoo cover, or they'd mix and smear, etc.), and these seem to be assuming AA makeup for creme makeup, not water-based. Is there another option, or a better way to cover tattoos? I'd rather not spend hours trying to cover her ink with layer after layer of paint, only to have it still show through and get all cakey from having too many layers.

Google hasn't been much help -- I can either find how to paint on tattoos that aren't normally there or I can find how to cover tattoos for human skin-color cosplay, but I can't find much on how to cover tattoos for unusual skin-colored cosplay.

Any suggestions would be great. :] (We can also try a few things out before the con to see what works best. I think her arms will be covered with tights, it's mostly just one on her upper back (with a backless dress) that won't be able to be covered by troll skin colored-fabric and look natural.

Thanks!

Acey Arisen

Thank you so much! I'll be sure to check out that tutorial. :)
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Planned 2016 cosplays: Amethyst (SU), God Tier Roxy (HS), Summer (Rick And Morty), Ebony Dark'Ness Dementia Raven Way (My Immortal)

Sleepyrebel

Hey, I'm rather new to the scene, I managed to pull of Sherlock last year because I look enough like him that I could pull it off just using clothing I had, but I'm going to attempt a cosplay for Jareth this year. most of the stuff I can probably pick up in some degree from the internet and random shopping, but I have zero experience for wigs, and that's somewhat necessary for this. Are there any particular things I should and should not get when picking one? I've been told getting them from China actually seems to be better quality at lower cost, but I just have no clue where to start here, especially given the sheer strangeness of that hair.

keitoghostie

Quote from: Sleepyrebel on March 02, 2014, 08:53:31 PM
Hey, I'm rather new to the scene, I managed to pull of Sherlock last year because I look enough like him that I could pull it off just using clothing I had, but I'm going to attempt a cosplay for Jareth this year. most of the stuff I can probably pick up in some degree from the internet and random shopping, but I have zero experience for wigs, and that's somewhat necessary for this. Are there any particular things I should and should not get when picking one? I've been told getting them from China actually seems to be better quality at lower cost, but I just have no clue where to start here, especially given the sheer strangeness of that hair.

I've gotten all my wigs from sellers on eBay based in China and I've been really satisfied with them!

My rules of thumb for eBay wig shopping is:

  • ALWAYS choose a seller that has an excellent feedback rate - Anything above 99.6% positive feedback with 5,000+ reviews is pretty solid.
  • AVOID listings that use the term "Halloween" or have a picture that looks like it comes in a bag like this (I work at a store that sells costumes and there is a very noticeable difference between these and the quality wigs we sell!!)
  • Try out different keywords with the word "wig" - For yours I'd try "bowie", "rocker", "mullet", "labyrinth", "jareth")- to get an assortment of results.
  • When you see ones that look like good options, open them in a separate tab or save the URLs so you can look at your different options side by side.
  • If you ARE purchasing a wig from a seller in China, BE AWARE OF THE SHIPPING TIME! In my experience it usually takes 1-2 weeks but DON'T BANK ON THAT! I ended up buying a wig last minute for my friend who forgot to get one and it arrived on Day Zero when my friend needed it on Saturday - it is STRESSFUL and I do not recommend doing that ever!!

I think this one looks pretty viable! It's actually from a US seller so it's not deep discount level but it's fairly priced!
Snoop around a bit more though!! There might be something better out there! Best of luck and I hope this helps!

keitoghostie

Quote from: Nina Star 9 on March 02, 2014, 01:51:54 PM
How does one go about covering tattoos when wearing body paint?
I have a really out-there suggestion that I've never personally tried but might be worth experimenting with?

Maybe get a thin yet opaque bald cap and cut it so it's flat and covers the tattoo area, then affix it with spirit gum and apply makeup over it?
I do know that theatrical bald caps are meant to work well with makeup so I don't think it would look particularly unnatural!

Just an educated guess at a solution!

SquishyK

Quote from: Sleepyrebel on March 02, 2014, 08:53:31 PM
Hey, I'm rather new to the scene, I managed to pull of Sherlock last year because I look enough like him that I could pull it off just using clothing I had, but I'm going to attempt a cosplay for Jareth this year. most of the stuff I can probably pick up in some degree from the internet and random shopping, but I have zero experience for wigs, and that's somewhat necessary for this. Are there any particular things I should and should not get when picking one? I've been told getting them from China actually seems to be better quality at lower cost, but I just have no clue where to start here, especially given the sheer strangeness of that hair.

Here is Arda-Wig's "Jareth": http://arda-wigs.com/products/jareth
It isn't styled so you would have to take some hairspray to it to get it to look the way you want (do NOT use spiking hair gel as normal hair gel is meant to work with the oils and texture of your hair and synthetic wigs don't have natural oils, although you can used product designed to work with synthetic wigs such as this shaping creme http://www.wigs.com/shaping-creme-by-beautimark.html). Some of the features to look for in a wig that would work well for a spiky top is a large crimped scalp (this allows you to spike it without having visible wefts) and a wig that is layered with different length of hair.
Here is a good tutorial from Arda on spiking a wig: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KjFky3nSNg&feature=youtu.be (I might try just holding the wig upside down and spraying it while tying off the sections you don't want spiked or running a comb lightly through the spikes to break them up after you've gotten the volume you like)
I have also used "costume" wigs before to great effect, but the reason I tend to go for "cosplay" wigs is because most costume wigs are not heat resistant and can be cut easily but not styled (it's a "you get what you get" scenario) while cosplay wigs on the other hand are often heat resistant and easily styled. Of course it all depends on your level of comfort with trying new things and branching out in your cosplay experience. I hope that some of this information has been helpful.
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TimewornHarpy

Hey I'm doing a cosplay and I have to make wings I can attach to my back. The shirt is open where they're going to be and I'm not sure how make wings light enough that I can attach them to my skin and how I should go about securing them.

Anyone have any pointers?

SquishyK

Quote from: TimewornHarpy on March 03, 2014, 01:34:05 PM
Hey I'm doing a cosplay and I have to make wings I can attach to my back. The shirt is open where they're going to be and I'm not sure how make wings light enough that I can attach them to my skin and how I should go about securing them.

Anyone have any pointers?

they would have to be some really tiny wings to secure them directly to your skin (some combination of skin colored rubber like the bald cap idea by keitoghostie and spirit gum to affix it). The best way to go would probably be making straps/bands out of skin colored elastic cloth. You can used solid lycra if you end up needing to covers wires running between the two wings, or if the wings join at the point they reach your back you might be able to get away with a mesh much like the one used for 'invisible' shoes in this tutorial: http://andsewingishalfthebattle.com/invisible-shoes
I sell cute and geeky polymer clay jewelry!

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Tested/MythBusters:
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"Try again, fail again, fail better"
"Art is never finished, only abandoned"

keitoghostie

I've also heard of people having the wing base attached to backpack straps
- actually I just remembered a really good tutorial I saw...

http://elenaleetah.deviantart.com/art/Tutorial-How-to-make-light-weight-wings-Kamael-348626950

I hope this is helpful!

Nina Star 9

Quote from: keitoghostie on March 03, 2014, 01:16:38 AM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on March 02, 2014, 01:51:54 PM
How does one go about covering tattoos when wearing body paint?
I have a really out-there suggestion that I've never personally tried but might be worth experimenting with?

Maybe get a thin yet opaque bald cap and cut it so it's flat and covers the tattoo area, then affix it with spirit gum and apply makeup over it?
I do know that theatrical bald caps are meant to work well with makeup so I don't think it would look particularly unnatural!

Just an educated guess at a solution!
hmm~ I'm afraid that would wrinkle up oddly and not look enough like skin, and be even worse than having outlines of a tattoo showing under body paint, especially since it would have to cover a fairly large area (rather than a tiny little tattoo). Thanks for the suggestion, though! I think I'm going to ask around on different sites and experiment with a few things myself (who knows, maybe putting creme-based coverup under water-based paint would actually work?).


Quote from: TimewornHarpy on March 03, 2014, 01:34:05 PM
Hey I'm doing a cosplay and I have to make wings I can attach to my back. The shirt is open where they're going to be and I'm not sure how make wings light enough that I can attach them to my skin and how I should go about securing them.

Anyone have any pointers?
If they are light enough to only need a little support but too heavy to affix directly to your skin, you can try making clear or flesh-tone backpack straps. Maybe something like the straps on these shoes, which aren't very visible and probably strong enough to hold up at least a couple of pounds worth of wings? When I did wings (granted, mine were quite large and heavy, and I had a dress that I could hide the attachment under), I did backpack straps out of webbing (like what actual backpack straps are made of) that I fed through tiny slits in the back of my dress in order to hold them up, and they stayed in place really well. Even shirtless, I think that straps made out of colored mesh like that would work quite well, and be difficult to see. I don't know what the character design looks like, but it sounds like you have the added advantage of having a shirt that will likely cover the straps in the front around your armpits, where it would look the oddest. You can probably also spirit glue or Hollywood tape the straps down a little in the back to keep them as flat as possible, reducing any shadowing caused by them gaping.

Good luck!

Acey Arisen

#95
(Disregard. Made the mistake of posting while drunk.)
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Planned 2016 cosplays: Amethyst (SU), God Tier Roxy (HS), Summer (Rick And Morty), Ebony Dark'Ness Dementia Raven Way (My Immortal)

SquishyK

Quote from: Nina Star 9 on March 06, 2014, 04:20:22 PM
hmm~ I'm afraid that would wrinkle up oddly and not look enough like skin, and be even worse than having outlines of a tattoo showing under body paint, especially since it would have to cover a fairly large area (rather than a tiny little tattoo). Thanks for the suggestion, though! I think I'm going to ask around on different sites and experiment with a few things myself (who knows, maybe putting creme-based coverup under water-based paint would actually work?).

Have you looked at this liquid theatrical makeup? http://www.mehron.com/Liquid_Makeup_p/111.htm
It might be easier to use over a creme foundation then trying to get water based to not smear. I know water based can be tricky, you really can't even use a moisturizer underneath it.
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"Failure is always an option"
"Try again, fail again, fail better"
"Art is never finished, only abandoned"

Nina Star 9

Quote from: pitin on March 07, 2014, 09:24:46 AM
Have you looked at this liquid theatrical makeup? http://www.mehron.com/Liquid_Makeup_p/111.htm
It might be easier to use over a creme foundation then trying to get water based to not smear. I know water based can be tricky, you really can't even use a moisturizer underneath it.
Liquid might be good, actually. I want to go with a water-based cake because that's what I'm used to using and because the creme-based cake didn't agree with her sensitive skin (but has had no problems on my own sensitive skin), but I had a feeling it would be really difficult to get it to cover her tattoos/cover something that would cover her tattoos, hence my post.

Would that particular paint be okay to use on faces, as well, without it cracking? I might just have to pick up a small bottle of it and experiment.


Also, one more body painting question unrelated to my first one: does anyone have a recommendation for an opaque white body paint (doing rainbow drinker Kanaya Maryam from Homestuck) that isn't either Snaz (which, in my experience with my friends wearing it, tends to be smeary and flaky) or creme-based cake (or clown white, or anything else really heavy and greasy)? As I've mentioned, I've used water-based cakes, but I'm afraid that white would be too transparent for what I want. does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks :]

SquishyK

Quote from: Nina Star 9 on March 10, 2014, 12:13:23 AM
Would that particular paint be okay to use on faces, as well, without it cracking? I might just have to pick up a small bottle of it and experiment.

The product title says it can be used on faces, but if you have problems with that I imagine you could try using one type of product on the face and the liquid one for just the body or even just to cover the tat. I think the reviews seem helpful (e.g. clean oily skin with astringent first).
I sell cute and geeky polymer clay jewelry!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SquishyKreations
http://squishykreations.tumblr.com

Tested/MythBusters:
"Failure is always an option"
"Try again, fail again, fail better"
"Art is never finished, only abandoned"

SquishyK

I'm trying to paint white onto a rather dark blue. I've tested a fabric medium with acrylic paint and I've tried both applying a thin portion of dimensional fabric paint directly to the fabric and also painting it on in layers. The acrylic with fabric medium looked the best but washes off and the dimensional paint looks glossy which I really don't want. I'm making the wii fit trainer and this is for the logo on her top. So it needs to be able to flex a stretch with the fabric without cracking.
I sell cute and geeky polymer clay jewelry!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SquishyKreations
http://squishykreations.tumblr.com

Tested/MythBusters:
"Failure is always an option"
"Try again, fail again, fail better"
"Art is never finished, only abandoned"