So sorry for my lack of updates! Following Dragon*Con, I had a month to construct a very labor-intensive costume to be debuted at AWA! Luckily it turned out great, and I'm just waiting on a couple more photographers to post shots. I already put up an album on ACParadise due to my excitement, though. So that can be viewed below~
I have another costume I finished as well, but won't post a link until I have decent photos. Hopefully the wait won't be very long~
Following AWA I went to Charleston, SC to visit family for a little over a week~ I had a great time visiting everyone and taking time to enjoy walking on the beach, which we don't have in Atlanta! ;_; It's the main thing I miss about living in Charleston so much! However, I should be visiting again in November for Thanksgiving, so I can focus on looking forward to that! :)
Concerning anime and cosplay, I've begun a new (for me, at least!) series called Shugo Chara!, and so far, it's really good! I started watching it due to the number of recommendations I'd received from friends. I also have my eye on a character I'd like to do for an event later this year, so hopefully I'll like her~ It would be nice to be able to cosplay with two really close friends of mine again, which is another plus to doing it. It would be the last costume I'd do this year, too, so I have to make it count! Here's a picture~
I'm really excited to start on Utau, but I feel I should get a better grasp of her character before I become too devoted! Haha.
I have a couple plans for 2012 already, but I'll wait to post them~ I will say one thing though: I'm really excited! Next year is going to bring about a lot of exciting plans!
Otakon came and went fairly quickly! We departed bright and early on Thusday morning and arrived in Baltimore around 5PM. We waited for our roomies to show up, and once they did, we all checked into our room at the Hilton and unloaded our stuff. The rest of the evening was used to scout the convention center and its neighboring food locations. We crashed around midnight that night.
For Friday, I wore 2 new Klan outfits! Luckily, Al (EBK) got some photos (which you can see by clicking the banner below), so I was able to change out fairly early. Leo even got a few of the first outfit I wore, and I'm anxiously awaiting them! :) Friday night we ate at Jimmy John's with a handful of friends.
Saturday was Ariel day~ I'm happy I got a chance to break her in, as there are a handful of things I would like to fix before D*C. I also accidentally got paint from Steven's Mass Effect helmet on my corset, so I'll need to clean that up. Al got a few of Ariel and Leo got 1 or 2. I'll wait until those are put online before I update the costume on ACP, though. We retired to the room/hanging with friends early Saturday though. Ended up eating at the Cheesecake Factory and treated Jo and Steve to dinner! :) It was his birthday, after all! Speaking of...
Mine was the 16th! I completely forgot to post about it! So Steven and I got to celebrate around the same time! I'm now 21 and he's 23! :D
Sunday was spent packing up and waiting in the lobby for our friends to come get us and help us load up. I also spent some more time hanging with Jo~ :D So that was my Otakon experience.
Overall, I rate it a 9 out of 10, only because of personal reasons. Hopefully the convention will be much more exciting next year!
now for some updates~
I hope I get a chance to wear either of these again, especially the waitress variant! Sadly, my Dragon*Con and Anime Weekend Atlanta schedules are full, so I doubt I'll get a chance to wear them... However, I have a lot of new and exciting things planned! I also have been really into Luka & Gumi's "Happy Sythsizer". It's the first time I've actually wanted to learn the dance to something! Maybe I will. Hmmm. Hahaha.
A few days ago, I finished uploading all the links to costume pages. They're not pages on this blog, but on my other portfolio site, American Cosplay Paradise. I really enjoy the way they have everything set up for cosplayers and how simple it is to browse, so for now, the links will just lead there! When I finish up with con season this year, I'll think about setting up specific pages.
Speaking of con season, Steven and I have just gotten word that we have a high chance of attending Otakon! We're super stoked, but trying to keep our nerves under control until official word gets out that we have a place to stay. Until then, it's the high-tension, anxious waiting game. I have an idea of what costumes I would bring, but will wait until it's confirmed to post about it here~
But for today, I'll be making a JoAnn run with Megan to pick up some odds and ends that we need for Dragon*Con costumes. She's been trying to get me to cosplay from Game of Thrones with her, and even though I'm highly tempted (and borderline starting), I have 6 costumes to finish for myself, and 2 to finish for Steven before the con rolls around. If for some reason I have time, I'll do it. :3c But we'll see!
happy 4th of july!
I hope everyone enjoys their 4th of July! I'll be working that morning, but no plans have been set up for me just yet. I plan to at least catch some fireworks! Have fun!!
Thus far, I have added a Media page as well as individual icons for each costume! I am debating with myself on if I should create individual costume pages or just link straight to my ACParadise. The only issue is that creating individual pages on a site made for blogging might prove to be fairly difficult and time-consuming. If I find myself with extra time, I'll figure it out, but for now, links will have to suffice.
In other news, I've recently received pictures of my newest original "rave outfit" from a friend! I'll be putting the gallery and icon up for it soon, so look for that. I got to use my white-out lenses for the first time, and I will just say that it was pretty surreal. It was almost as if I was looking through a veil of water the entire time. So hopefully I can figure out a way to possibly see better when I wear Gem for the first time and also this outfit again at D*C. Speaking of, only 2 months left!! It's both exciting and scary! So much to do! Ahhhhh. But now that this site is live, once I add the links to my ACP pages, I'll be able to focus solely on costumes! Wish me luck! Hopefully the heat of this viscous summer's heat won't kill me...
: Do As Infinity - Kimi ga Inai Mirai : Coca Cola : Home
I would like to welcome everyone to the grand "re-opening" of my cosplay portfolio. I've decided to pick up working on a site again, and have also decided to start small this time. I've come to believe that using a simple site like Blogger would actually be a lot more simple when it comes to updating my costumes and whatnot. I've already devised a plan for posting individual costumes on here! :) So hopefully I'll finish that up soon!
Convention season is in full swing for many at the moment! I have already attended 5 conventions this year, and still have 2 of my largest to attend: Dragon*Con in September and Anime Weekend Atlanta in late September/early October. I'm still juggling the idea of attending JapanFest in the middle of the two, but that depends on if friends are going and if I get my AWA costumes done! I'm looking forward to Dragon*Con the most out of the two, as I have a bunch of new costumes in the works for it. Honestly, it's more than I had intended, but before I knew it, I had SIX new costumes planned! So I'm hoping I'll be successful in finishing them for the con! Wish me luck!
Hopefully updates will be fairly frequent due to my hectic work and school schedules. Though I decided to not take summer classes, so I'll have more free time this summer (if my two jobs don't kill me first!). Good luck to everyone working on costumes this summer, and I hope I see many of you at D*C! :)
So sorry for my lack of updates! Following Dragon*Con, I had a month to construct a very labor-intensive costume to be debuted at AWA! Luckily it turned out great, and I'm just waiting on a couple more photographers to post shots. I already put up an album on ACParadise due to my excitement, though. So that can be viewed below~
I have another costume I finished as well, but won't post a link until I have decent photos. Hopefully the wait won't be very long~
Following AWA I went to Charleston, SC to visit family for a little over a week~ I had a great time visiting everyone and taking time to enjoy walking on the beach, which we don't have in Atlanta! ;_; It's the main thing I miss about living in Charleston so much! However, I should be visiting again in November for Thanksgiving, so I can focus on looking forward to that! :)
Concerning anime and cosplay, I've begun a new (for me, at least!) series called Shugo Chara!, and so far, it's really good! I started watching it due to the number of recommendations I'd received from friends. I also have my eye on a character I'd like to do for an event later this year, so hopefully I'll like her~ It would be nice to be able to cosplay with two really close friends of mine again, which is another plus to doing it. It would be the last costume I'd do this year, too, so I have to make it count! Here's a picture~
I'm really excited to start on Utau, but I feel I should get a better grasp of her character before I become too devoted! Haha.
I have a couple plans for 2012 already, but I'll wait to post them~ I will say one thing though: I'm really excited! Next year is going to bring about a lot of exciting plans!
Otakon came and went fairly quickly! We departed bright and early on Thusday morning and arrived in Baltimore around 5PM. We waited for our roomies to show up, and once they did, we all checked into our room at the Hilton and unloaded our stuff. The rest of the evening was used to scout the convention center and its neighboring food locations. We crashed around midnight that night.
For Friday, I wore 2 new Klan outfits! Luckily, Al (EBK) got some photos (which you can see by clicking the banner below), so I was able to change out fairly early. Leo even got a few of the first outfit I wore, and I'm anxiously awaiting them! :) Friday night we ate at Jimmy John's with a handful of friends.
Saturday was Ariel day~ I'm happy I got a chance to break her in, as there are a handful of things I would like to fix before D*C. I also accidentally got paint from Steven's Mass Effect helmet on my corset, so I'll need to clean that up. Al got a few of Ariel and Leo got 1 or 2. I'll wait until those are put online before I update the costume on ACP, though. We retired to the room/hanging with friends early Saturday though. Ended up eating at the Cheesecake Factory and treated Jo and Steve to dinner! :) It was his birthday, after all! Speaking of...
Mine was the 16th! I completely forgot to post about it! So Steven and I got to celebrate around the same time! I'm now 21 and he's 23! :D
Sunday was spent packing up and waiting in the lobby for our friends to come get us and help us load up. I also spent some more time hanging with Jo~ :D So that was my Otakon experience.
Overall, I rate it a 9 out of 10, only because of personal reasons. Hopefully the convention will be much more exciting next year!
now for some updates~
I hope I get a chance to wear either of these again, especially the waitress variant! Sadly, my Dragon*Con and Anime Weekend Atlanta schedules are full, so I doubt I'll get a chance to wear them... However, I have a lot of new and exciting things planned! I also have been really into Luka & Gumi's "Happy Sythsizer". It's the first time I've actually wanted to learn the dance to something! Maybe I will. Hmmm. Hahaha.
A few days ago, I finished uploading all the links to costume pages. They're not pages on this blog, but on my other portfolio site, American Cosplay Paradise. I really enjoy the way they have everything set up for cosplayers and how simple it is to browse, so for now, the links will just lead there! When I finish up with con season this year, I'll think about setting up specific pages.
Speaking of con season, Steven and I have just gotten word that we have a high chance of attending Otakon! We're super stoked, but trying to keep our nerves under control until official word gets out that we have a place to stay. Until then, it's the high-tension, anxious waiting game. I have an idea of what costumes I would bring, but will wait until it's confirmed to post about it here~
But for today, I'll be making a JoAnn run with Megan to pick up some odds and ends that we need for Dragon*Con costumes. She's been trying to get me to cosplay from Game of Thrones with her, and even though I'm highly tempted (and borderline starting), I have 6 costumes to finish for myself, and 2 to finish for Steven before the con rolls around. If for some reason I have time, I'll do it. :3c But we'll see!
happy 4th of july!
I hope everyone enjoys their 4th of July! I'll be working that morning, but no plans have been set up for me just yet. I plan to at least catch some fireworks! Have fun!!
Thus far, I have added a Media page as well as individual icons for each costume! I am debating with myself on if I should create individual costume pages or just link straight to my ACParadise. The only issue is that creating individual pages on a site made for blogging might prove to be fairly difficult and time-consuming. If I find myself with extra time, I'll figure it out, but for now, links will have to suffice.
In other news, I've recently received pictures of my newest original "rave outfit" from a friend! I'll be putting the gallery and icon up for it soon, so look for that. I got to use my white-out lenses for the first time, and I will just say that it was pretty surreal. It was almost as if I was looking through a veil of water the entire time. So hopefully I can figure out a way to possibly see better when I wear Gem for the first time and also this outfit again at D*C. Speaking of, only 2 months left!! It's both exciting and scary! So much to do! Ahhhhh. But now that this site is live, once I add the links to my ACP pages, I'll be able to focus solely on costumes! Wish me luck! Hopefully the heat of this viscous summer's heat won't kill me...
: Do As Infinity - Kimi ga Inai Mirai : Coca Cola : Home
I would like to welcome everyone to the grand "re-opening" of my cosplay portfolio. I've decided to pick up working on a site again, and have also decided to start small this time. I've come to believe that using a simple site like Blogger would actually be a lot more simple when it comes to updating my costumes and whatnot. I've already devised a plan for posting individual costumes on here! :) So hopefully I'll finish that up soon!
Convention season is in full swing for many at the moment! I have already attended 5 conventions this year, and still have 2 of my largest to attend: Dragon*Con in September and Anime Weekend Atlanta in late September/early October. I'm still juggling the idea of attending JapanFest in the middle of the two, but that depends on if friends are going and if I get my AWA costumes done! I'm looking forward to Dragon*Con the most out of the two, as I have a bunch of new costumes in the works for it. Honestly, it's more than I had intended, but before I knew it, I had SIX new costumes planned! So I'm hoping I'll be successful in finishing them for the con! Wish me luck!
Hopefully updates will be fairly frequent due to my hectic work and school schedules. Though I decided to not take summer classes, so I'll have more free time this summer (if my two jobs don't kill me first!). Good luck to everyone working on costumes this summer, and I hope I see many of you at D*C! :)
a little background...
I grew up in the coastal town of Charleston, South Carolina, where I was raised by my two loving parents. I have been attending cons since I was 16, and have been cosplaying for that
long as well. It all started with purchasing my first two costumes on eBay, and I never dreamed I would one day be sewing my own. But here I am, cosplaying with people
I admire and even becoming very close friends with them! I enjoy how much cosplay has helped me to meet some of my closest friends! I hope to continue cosplaying until I'm ready to settle down and lay it to rest (but that's a loooong, long time from now!)
During my years so far as a cosplayer, I have won several awards for my craftsmanship and helped other friends win skit competitions. I occasionally sew for friends
should I desire to (if they lack time to finish something) and every so often make props for them. I really enjoy cosplaying with my friends and will do many things to ensure it happens! :)
other facts: ✩ Major: English ✩ Current position: Student & Seamstress ✩ Likes (<3): Music, drawing, swimming, conventions, sewing (occasionally), the outdoors, the beach, and visiting family. ✩ Dislikes: Art theft, bad attitudes, immaturity, impatience, and drama. ✩ Favorite series: How to Train Your Dragon (books & movie), Madoka Magica, Hatsu Inu, the Tinklebell series, Sailor Moon, Toradora, K-ON!, Wedding Peach, Macross F, Fairly Oddparents, & Powerpuff Girls
fanlistings//hatelistings.
costumes
❤ in progress ❤
❤ 2013 ❤
❤ 2012 ❤
❤ 2011 ❤
❤ 2010 ❤
❤ 2009 ❤
❤ 2006-2008 ❤
conventions
2013
Momocon(March 8-10) - Atlanta, GA SeishunCon(June 28-30) - Atlanta, GA
Dragon*Con(August 30-September 2) - Atlanta, GA Anime Weekend Atlanta(September 27-29) - Atlanta, GA
2012
Katsucon(February 17-19) - National Harbor, MD Momocon(March 16-18) - Atlanta, GA MTAC(April 6-8) - Nashville, TN Dragon*Con(August 31-September 3) - Atlanta, GA Anime Weekend Atlanta(September 28-30) - Atlanta, GA
Momocon(March 20-21) - Atlanta, GA SeishunCon(June 25-27) - Atlanta, GA Metrocon(July 23-25) - Tampa, FL **Won Yume Cup Regionals for Taokaka (Duo)** Dragon*Con(September 3-6) - Atlanta, GA Anime Weekend Atlanta(September 17-19) - Atlanta, GA **Won Best in show for Finn Fish (Group)**New York Comic Con/Anime Festival(October 8-10) - New York, NY **Guests for Yume Cup Finals**
2009
Momocon(March 14-15) - Atlanta, GA MTAC(April 3-5) - Nashville, TN Metrocon(June 19-21) - Tampa, FL **Won Best Group for Klan Klan (Duo)** Dragon*Con(September 4-7) - Atlanta, GA Anime Weekend Atlanta(September 18-20) - Atlanta, GA
2008
Momocon(March 15-16) - Atlanta, GA Nashicon(April 4-6) - Columbia, SC Metrocon(July 18-20) - Tampa, FL Dragon*Con(August 29-September 1) - Atlanta, GA Anime Weekend Atlanta(September 19-21) - Atlanta, GA
2007
Momocon(March 17-18) - Atlanta, GA Anime Weekend Atlanta(September 21-23) - Atlanta, GA
2006
Anime Weekend Atlanta(September 22-24) - Atlanta, GA
media
Panels/responsibilities
» Cosplay Track Director for SeishunCon (June 2011)
» Cosplay 101 at Anime South (December 2009)
» Charming Fairy Maid Cafe at Anime South (December 2009)
awards
» Best in Show at the Cosplay (Skit) Competition (assisted) for Final Fantasy 6 at Metrocon (June 2011)
» Best in Show for Finn Fish (Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne group) at Anime Weekend Atlanta (September 2010)
» Yume Cup Regional Qualifier for Taokaka (Blazblue duo) at Metrocon (July 2010)
» Best Group for Klan Klan (Macross Frontier duo) at Metrocon (June 2009)
This is where I will put any videos of me in costume, usually just award ceremonies or skit competitions.
On second video, start at 7:50. We are announced and come on stage at that point! :)
Start first video at 1:00. We have a brief appearance in our sukumizus!
link in.
link out.
catherine
catherine
reference images
why?
My friends Kavin & Cristine had taken a serious interest in this game and eventually came to me and asked if I would cosplay it with them.
I thought it over, and after figuring out how little I would have to spend on making the costume (due to already having materials for the wig, having the shoes, and knowing a friend who would lend me a corset), I decided to do it.
It's a good costume to wear for drinking/partying at Dragon*Con, so I ended up committing, and I'm glad I did, as I had an amazing time with those in my group, who are featured in the photos below (Minus the Vincent, who we met right before our shoot)!
construction notes
The dress is made from Casa Satin with white lacey trim. The choker is also made from the same materials. Basic red casa ribbon was used for the bow (which is very much inaccurate). The corset was borrowed~
wig styling notes
I started with a wig I had laying around from a few years back (a Melissa from New Look in 24) and two ponytail clips (medium length, also from New Look in 24).
I harvested the wefts from one of the clips (since I wasn't planning on using one anymore) and layed them on a flat surface. Once I felt they were nice a straight, I attacked them with Got2B freezing spray and Got2B hair glue. I coated them several times and made sure they were as straight as could be.
Once they were dry, I cut them into several sections - the appropriate width I felt the curls should be.
I made a wire frame, exactly like the curls, with a circular base that could be sewn into the wig. I started hot gluing the wefts to the frame, starting at the base, and continuing to the point. I glued wefts onto both sides in order to hide the wire - pretty much sandwiching it.
Once the hot glue was dry, I assaulted the curls with freezing spray again. Once THAT was dry, I trimmed the tip of each curl, as well as any stray hairs that were floating on the side. Those strayed didn't worry me since once they spray was dry, it wouldn't cause more hairs to fray. Once they were perfectly clean, I sewed each curl base to the wig.
costume photos
photos by ljinto
erza scarlet
fairy tail
reference images
why?
When Megan asked me to do this, of course I was intimidated. I had to try a lot of new techniques and was a little scared things wouldn't turn out like I wanted. However, things went surprisingly well and I am very satisfied with this costume! The only complaint I have is lacking a hoop skirt. I ran out of time to make a custom one, so hopefully I'll have time to make one for the next time I wear this.
Though, I'm really happy I got to do a dream costume group with Megan. She adores Fairy Tail and I had so much fun doing this with her! <3
construction notes
● Corset: I decided to make an under-bust corset since I felt it would work with the design easily. I did a two-part pattern. The gold in front is a crepe-back satin from JoAnn. The white sides are white casa with black satin-stitched details. There are 12 steel bones (1/4" from Delicious LLC.) throughout the corset (though I would use more for next time) and it's lined in a cheetah print cotton I had laying around. I used tiny bias tape around the edges in order to finish the garment but also make it hard to see. There are 16 eyelets in the back and I went ahead and bought some corset lacing from Delicious LLC to use.
● Undershirt: I used a simple white cotton knit to make this. Instead of going for the hard armor look, I went with a more stylized approach. I made a basic tube shirt and gathered about 6" of the bust. I made bias tape out of the same knit to enclose the top of the shirt as well.
● Petal Skirts: There are two petal skirts that make up the whole skirt. The white one underneath consists of 4 petals, severely interfaced, all "lined", and stitched together, which close via snap in the back. I decided to give it a little extra flare by adding some beaded details on the corner of each petal too.
The red skirt consists of 4 petals as well. Each has their own appliqued design and is top stitched (I didn't like how the satin stitching looked) with hand-made gold bias tape. Both the designs and the bias tape were made from the same gold crepe satin I used on the corset. The red petals are all stitched together and close via snap as well.
● Armor & Jewelry: Almost all of the armor is made with sintra and heat-formed. I used craft foam for details on specific pieced, and some pieces are solely craft foam. Is made of sintra, the piece has been beveled to give it a smooth edge.
● Gauntlets: Made with sintra and pink insulation foam. I carved the insulation foam to the dome shape and glued it to the sitra pieces once they were heat formed. Once adhered, I filled the gaps with spackle and sanded smooth one it dried. I then primed them and painted them gold, adding white foam details and rhinestones to give them a little flare.
● Choker: It's just gold crepe with interfacing. I cut the wing shape out of foam, coated it in polyurethane, then painted it, adding the line details afterward. The gem is from JoAnn in their jewelry section. It has a light blue flower inside, and I felt using that would be better than a plain light blue gem.
● Arm bands: Made solely out of craft foam. The raised details are also craft foam. I added rhinestones to these as well for a little flare, though some areas are canon to the design!
● Chest piece: Sintra with black line details for the wings. It attaches to the shirt & corset with hook & eyes.
● Belt: Made with pieces of styrene painted gold (4) and white(1) with foam detail pieces. The belt attaches with velcro in the back. The wings are also made of foam and attach to the belt.
● Boots: Used the same gold crepe satin from the other pieces. It has an outer layer, a duck cloth center for stabilizing, and lining in that cheetah print cotton. The white details are bias tape. They're attached to the base shoes with hot glue.
wig styling notes
I wanted the perfect wig and color, so when it came to reliability, I went with Arda since I had purchased one before (Melody)and their wigs are gorgeous.
I originally ordered a Le Tigre Long in maroon, but they were out of stock and wouldn't be restocked until mid-October, so I had to settle for another style. They recommended their Claudia, which is curly, but that I could straighten it. I wasn't sure of how long it would be once straightened, but I decided to give it a chance.
It arrived really quick and I proceeded to straighten it. I had left my awesome straightener in Maryland (from Otakon) so I had to use a different method. I decided to use an iron with a damp cloth underneath, and it worked WONDERS. It started out looking like this. Here's an in-progress shot of it straightened, and here it is finished with bangs cut in.
Overall, despite having to exert more effort, I still am happy I went with Arda. Their wigs are amazing and I am SUPER happy with the color. It's exactly what I was looking for and I'm pretty sure I'll be going with them for all future wig purchases.
costume photos
photos by nicolai andrews
photos by ljinto
photos by lionel lum
melody
josie & the pussycats
reference images
why?
My friends Kavin & Cristine had taken a serious interest in this game and eventually came to me and asked if I would cosplay it with them.
I thought it over, and after figuring out how little I would have to spend on making the costume (due to already having materials for the wig, having the shoes, and knowing a friend who would lend me a corset), I decided to do it.
It's a good costume to wear for drinking/partying at Dragon*Con, so I ended up committing, and I'm glad I did, as I had an amazing time with those in my group, who are featured in the photos below (Minus the Vincent, who we met right before our shoot)!
construction notes
The print is a 2-way stretch spandex from a local fabric store in Atlanta! Blikku picked up enough for the 3 of us and we got together one weekend to make these costumes! :) The bodysuit is composed of said spandex plus white spandex. The ears are from Yaya, and covered with the spandex and leftover short fur from Yashuntafun's Felicia costume. The tail is stuffed with polyfil and has a wire base that attaches to the main bodysuit. Shoes are random curved-toe bases I found at Goodwill that I covered in both spandex with black lines painted on! My drumsticks are simply rock band ones, haha.
happy 4th of july!
: Younha - Taiyou no Tomatoe
: Pepsi
: Home
Hopefully the heat of this viscous summer's heat won't kill me...
♡ Name: Samantha
