Checking in...oh, and Anime Boston

Woah...new dashboard layout for blogger o_O This will take some getting used to! But I think I like it over all.

ANYWAY, just stopping in to say, no, I haven't forgotten about this blog, or given up on writing, or anything like that. I've just been really busy! With what, you ask? Well...this:

Dead Moon Circus' FFX Aeons at Anime Boston 2012 (Full Size)
Photo by Lionel Lum

Or more specifically, this:

Yojimbo by Gale, worn by Neige
Photo by Lionel Lum

So I really haven't have much time to dedicate to writing for a while. I've also been working a lot on The Cosplay Safety Project panels, which with any luck will translate quickly into articles once I get a little more time on my hands.

Simply put we are getting into the convention "season" both in terms of costuming and (for me) staffing and now panel-prepping as well. In the next few months, on top of making a few new costumes, I'll be running the costume contest at BAMCon in Pittsfield, MA, attending AnimeNEXT in Somerset, NJ, coordinating and liaising for guest relations at ConnectiCon in Hartford, CT, and attending Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA, as well as (with any luck) rehearsing for and acting in a play or two in my non-cosplay/convention life. Point being, I may not be able to write as often as I did in the relative "off-season."

As always, if you have any questions you'd like me to try to write on you can ask via my Facebook or Tumblr (the latter at least of which you should follow!!!). Also, I encourage you to come find me at any of the aforementioned conventions, I'd love to say "Hi!"

How I Made Miaka's Anklet

Miaka's Anklet

A few people have been asking for examples of my work with wonderflex, so I figured since information on my current project is still heavily under lock & key until Anime Boston I'd show the few photos I've got from making Miaka's anklet last year.

Now, looking at the comparison yes, admittedly it is not perfectly identical, however I worked to get it as close to relative shape as I could working with a *real* body as opposed to a physics-defying unrealistically thin-calved drawing only rendered from one direction. All things considered, I'm pretty darn proud of the outcome.

Pattern, Wonderflex, Pen, Knife, Heat Gun, Cutting Surfac

My first step, probably the hardest, was to figure out the flat shape of this object, since curved as it is we only see a small part. I used a significantly enlarged print of the source image and attempted to extend the design long enough to wrap around my calf. Once I was satisfied with my flat rendering, I cut out the paper and traced it onto the wonderflex.

I like to use an X-Acto knife when cutting out wonderflex. They are more reliable for getting close corners than a pair of scissors, but you need to remember to have some sort of cutting surface. You can buy nice cutting mats at most craft stores, but as you can see pictured a layer or two of cardboard works fine.

Molded flat double-thickness

In order to get a good thickness to work with I cut out two identical pieces and fused them together with my heat gun. Other heat sources I've heard can be used are hair dryers or stove tops. I interpreted from my reference image that there was some dimension to the design in the anklet, so I heated up the wonderflex and pinched ridges into it.

Shaping to leg

Next, I layered up a protective barrier on my leg so that I could shape the anklet to my calf.

NOTE: Never mold wonderflex directly on your skin as this can cause burns! Also heat wonderflex away from your body- do not aim heat sources at your body! 

I used two layers of knee-high socks and one layer of leggings to protect my skin. Once protected, I heated the wonderflex and wrapped it around my leg and held it there until it cooled into the right shape.

Covered in wood glue

I bought the wonderflex for this project before it was sold with one side smooth; were I making the anklet today this next step would not be necessary. In order to eliminate the grid pattern present on old wonderflex I covered the whole outside in 2 or 3 layers of wood glue before painting it. The result was a smooth surface that took paint well. To finish it off, I glued a gem to the "head" of the phoenix I interpreted in the design and drilled holes in the back I could lace cord through to secure it to my leg.
 

Completed anklet front & back

The finished product is one of my proudest accomplishments. I recall looking at my reference image at the start wondering how in the world I could translate such an object into three dimensions, and somehow I did!

Completed costume - Anime Boston 2012 - Photo by Ollie

Cosplay Year In Review

I'm not exactly sure how to sum up my cosplay life this year. Overall it's been good, but due to affordability issues I wasn't able to go to a few cons I wanted to. Of course, most of that was to balance out the cost of my one new, and oh so epic, con for the year: Dragon*Con, so I suppose it was worth it. I am still sorry for missing out on a chance to see my New York/New Jersey buddies though.

Overall I attended 4 conventions (3 as an attendee, 1 as staff; none as press) and made 5 new costumes, plus helped with 2 for my boyfriend, known to the cosplay world as Neige.

Anime Boston

I started out my year with Anime Boston in April, aka BirthdayCon. I brought with me 4 costumes, 3 of which were totally new: Eternal Sailor Venus, for Shiva's epic Eternal Sailors group; schoolgirl Urd for Kurthy's original design schoolgirl group; and priestess Miaka to Stardust462's Yui in the Hall contest. I also brought my Misa Amane costume for a duo with Neige as Light.

The Eternals group was fun, but caught a bit of a scheduling SNAFU in that we weren't all able to get in the same place at the same time all in costume, plus our Moon wasn't able to make it to the con at the last minute. We still had an epic group anyway. Many thanks to Shiva's boyfriend Sketch for being our photographer.

Kurthy's Ah! Megami-Sama schoolgirl uniform group is based on a group she did last year at Dragon*Con. The photoshoot was nice and low key, which is always good for a Sunday. Nobody knew who we were, but they loved our costumes all the same.

AB was Neige's first con, and thus first cosplay. We decided to start out simple and got him a wig to use with some stuff from his closet as Light. I also got/made him a DeathNote as a finishing touch. As always I had fun donning my Misa outfit, especially with a Light to hang onto the whole time.

My most involved costume though, of course, was Suzaku no Miko Miaka. This was an idea that Stardust462 and I had been talking about for months and took on several different forms (including a skit!) until we settled on the specific artbook/wallscroll outfits to recreate for the Hall Contest. I started the bulk of my work in January and spent about 80 hours total to create the garment, wig, and accessories. It all payed off though because we earned ourselves second place in the Masters division. 

 

PortCon Maine

Due to time and money Neige and I were only able to attend 2 days of PortCon. I made a new My Little Pony inspired costume for a group with Shiva and Stardust462: Coco Berry from the Sundae Best toy series.

The con was pretty low key, mostly hanging out with friends. “Mom” & co. gave me an honorable mention for my costume, which was a pleasant and flattering surprise. I also did pretty well selling some of my old stuff in the “garage sale,” something I certainly plan on taking advantage of again in future years.

ConnectiCon

For my third year on staff I took on a slightly different position in the guest relations department, though with many of the same duties I'd already held. I was in charge of airport pick-ups/drop-offs as well as welcome bags/letters/info for all guests and some other miscellaneous scheduling too. I also was the handler to Mr. Jon St. John, a really fun guy best known for voicing Duke Nukem.

I really enjoyed meting all the new guests as well as spending time with old friends we'd hosted before.

Dragon*Con

For our final con of the year Neige and I joined our friends from Animecons.com for a special first-time trip to Dragon*Con. This was a big deal for us, not only because it was my first time ever flying to a con, but because Neige was recovering from a broken leg. It turned out to be a double edged sword, however, because we were able to skip to the head of some lines (like the Jonathan Coulton concert) and get priority seating at most panels. Of course, while these were nice perks to simplify life, they were nothing compared to how things could have been were Neige uninjured.

I brought 3 costumes for the event, one of which was new. First, the Eternals group from Anime Boston was reprised, though still not complete. We got some awesome photos from Judy Stephens anyway and still plan on attempting a complete group some day soon.

We also expanded the Sundae Best group to include Chinako. Plus, as the resident pony collector of the group I managed to find and buy the whole Sundae Best set off ebay in the weeks coming up to the con for us to pose with. Even amidst the popularity of Friendship is Magic everyone loved our old school toy-inspired ponies. We hope to bring the group back in the future with two others to complete our Sundae Best set.

My new costume for the con was a revamp of my old Kaylee Frye costume for a big Firefly group. I helped Neige out with a Wash costume too. If only we'd remembered to get him dinosaurs! We even almost managed a full cast when we ran into a Zoe cosplayer, but we still couldn't find anyone dressed as Book.

Much as the cost prevented me from attending other cons, it was so worth it in order to attend Dragon*Con. Neige and I plan on going back again, and are dragging a few more of our friends down next time too!

EffetiveCos
Sometime in late October, as I was working on my upcoming Cosplay Safety panel series, I decided to start this blog. So far I'm very happy where things are going. Some posts come out better than others, but it's not like I'm getting paid for this; I'm doing it for fun and to hopefully help others a bit, particularly novice cosplayers who are fairly new to the hobby. I feel like I'm on a good start and very excited to see where this blog may lead me in the coming year and beyond.

The year to come

I've already got big plans for 2012.

A top secret masquerade group for Anime Boston with Shiva and others, a Serah & Snow duo with Neige (hopefully done in time for AB), a big Rainbow Brite group at Dragon*Con, and with some luck a few costumes pulled out of the graveyard such as Mami, Ariel (and her mermaid sisters), Amelia (maybe Pokota too), and possibly even Hikaru!

I'll be hitting up Anime Boston and Dragon*Con for sure, as well as staffing ConnectiCon. PortCon and AnimeNEXT are both tempting, but I may only be able to afford one. Would love to try to make it to AnimeUSA too. Only time, though, will tell what the year will bring.

How I got into cosplay

Animerica May 2001

It was probably about 2000 or 2001 when I first discovered cosplay in the pages of Animerica magazine. Back then the American cosplay and convention scene was nothing like it is today. The closest anime convention to where I lived was Otakon, and though I begged and pleaded with my mom to go in 2001, it was too far away. In 2002 a convention started in Portland Maine called PortCon, but that too was farther than she was willing to travel for some "Japanimation" conference. Finally in 2003 Anime Boston opened, and even fell on my 16th birthday! But so did Easter, and so I again stayed home.

Mia & Gale at ConnectiCon 2003

Then, that summer, a convention opened at the University of Hartford in Connecticut called ConnectiCon and my parents finally agreed to take me. I even convinced my mom to make costumes for me and my friend: Miaka and Nuriko from Fushigi Yuugi. They had to pick me up from the last day of summer camp to go straight to the convention, but as sleep deprived as I was from staying up half the night, the excitement kept me awake until late into the evening. It was incredible! Tons of other anime fans just like me, a vendors’ room full of anime paraphernalia, and workshops and panels all about Japan and anime! At one point in the afternoon there was an "All-Cosply Photoshoot," during which some groups broke off for smaller group photos, such as

"All Cosplay" Photoshoot Saturday ConnectiCon 2003

"Anime," "Final Fantasy," and a group called "cosplay.com." We even heard tell of a costume contest at the "rave," but it was getting late and I could barely keep my eyes open, so we climbed back into the car and drove home.

When I got home I decided to look up that "cosplay.com" I'd heard of at the photoshoot, and what I found was an inspiration. I promptly registered and got to work researching my next cosplay project. The following year, in 2004, I decided I had to go back to ConnectiCon. This time I endeavored to make my costume myself, but still needed help from my mom. I dressed as Yuna in her songstress outfit from Final Fantasy X-2.  Earlier in the year I'd even gotten my hair cut like her--the first (and so far only) time I ever had short hair. Once we got there I immediately asked about the cosplay contest, and signed right up. Craftsmanship judging was held outside. We all stood in a line next to a brick building and were called up one by one. Ashamed as I was of all the inaccuracies my last-minute construction left me with, I still showed my work to the judges with pride and they seemed at least a little impressed.

After judging the line moved to a lecture hall with a stage. By chance the girl in front of me was dressed as Lenne also from FFX-2 so we decided to go on stage together. We sang the chorus of "1000 Words" and then I sat down to watch the rest of the show. Most were "walk-ons" who were given only 30

ConnectiCon 2004 Masquerade Craftsmanship Winners
Photo by David Ng

seconds on stage, but there were three skit entries as well. When it came time for awards to be handed out, I was shocked when they called me up on stage for the "Best Video Game Costume" (Teen/Adult division). It was at that costume contest I first met, or at least saw, some friends that I continue to see and keep in touch with today.

Having won an award only fueled my obsession, and in the following years I branched out attending more conventions. Lately I average about 4 cons a year, 5 if I'm lucky, trying never to miss Anime Boston, ConnectiCon, or Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA. In 2009 I even joined ConnectiCon's convention staff in the Guest Relations department. To date I haven't missed a single one of ConnectiCon's conventions since it started in 2003.

Gale & Friends at PortCon Maine 2011
Tardis by Sketch

Now that I've graduated college I don't really know where life will take me. It's becoming harder and harder to find time and funding to dedicate to this ridiculous, and yet wonderful hobby. Easily half of the friends I feel closest with are those I've met through cosplay and congoing, and I'd hate to loose that, but sometimes I feel like I'm just hiding from adulthood, and I know I have to grow up sometime. Then I attend another convention and I remember all over again why I do this. If I have any say in things I'll be around the cosplay scene for a while yet. Maybe I'll attend fewer cons and make fewer costumes, but there's no way I could cut out such a wonderful part of my life entirely or for good.