8.28.07 Hello and Welcome to my Cosplay Creation Journal! If you didn't already know, I am psycho_nurse I'm sure you are all wondering what is is all about so I'll be sure to tell you! I first got the idea from sailorastro's cosplay journal, gwendolyn_wish (go check it out, she's amazing!)
What I plan to do here is have a main reference post for each project I have taken on and update it with my progress. Regular updates with my doings will be added with convenient links to the original post for reference. Important updates will be documented in this post for easy access ^__^
The Point of this journal is really to keep track of where I am with certain projects of mine and to archive my work in a more personal and interactive environment.

Updates
8.27.07 - [no link] - Journal Created!
9.03.07 - [no link] - Layout Changed!
9.20.07 - [Entry] - Outline Changed
9.23.07 - [no link] - quick links added

Quick Links


Suu Rikku

Guess what i am wearing as i type this... almost ALL of my Ashe cosplay! I'm really tempted to take "myspace style" pics again but this weekend i should have the whole thing done! I just need to finish the skirt, which i ended up having to re-do because the color was wayyy off from the shoe paint. No worries though. the first skirt i made had "no bending room". I added a little length in the back and hopefully it will do the trick!
I have added Velcro EVERYWHERE! I've never used so much Velcro in my life! I also need to paint the design on the flaps of the shirt, then i am FINISHED!!
I'm so excited to have this so close to finished!!

As promised, i have pics of the shoe process! Leather paint is expensive but definatly worth the results!

( Pretty In Pink!! )

And armor pieces!

( Beauty lies under that hard shell )

So hopefully, at some point this weekend, I'll have pics of the entire thing completed!!

Yeah, Ashe has a corset... that made me giggle a bit. They seem to be a trend in my cosplays.

( Corset )

I have a change in plans for the shoes. I'm going with boots. Mainly because i KILL my feet at every convention and i can do more of what i want with the boots than i could with the shoes. I'll probably add attachments to the old shoes and wear them to the swimsuit gathering so i dont waste them :D

( Shoes and stuff )

Anime Boston is almost exactly 2 months away. I have been very busy with work, injuries (cosplay related) and sickness that its taken me a while to update here. My apology! I am going to make 2 separate posts for Ashe, mainly because they are going to be image heavy and i don't want to kill anyone's computer :D The first (this one) will be about the treaty blade and the second will be for random peices of the cosplay i've finished or nearly close to finishing!

My treaty blade is almost complete! Last time i left you, it was a rough view of the sword after being hacked out of the pink insulation foam. Its current status is carved, sanded and sealed! The next step (after adding a few details) is to take it down to my dads to be resined, sanded and painted! That shall be done within the next 2 weeks.

( Picture view of the process )

All in all it is coming out very well. The raised detail in the center is (as i planned) the most difficult part to figure out. There really are alot of details in it but i ended up designing it a little different to keep it realistic to my skill.

Sophie has 4 hairstyles:
- A long brown braid, she has in the beginning of the movie with her green dress.
- A short grey "curved" braid she has when she is turned old, worn first with the green dress then majorily with the blue dress the rest of the movie.
- A long grey braid when she is young but still cursed, worn with the blue dress.
- Short grey hair, at the end of the movie, worn with the blue dress, and the yellow dress at the very end.

Sophie's Short Wig
In a panic over the weekend, after finding out my long white wig was not going to be in the following weekend, Shilo and I headed to the Garment District to see what kind of selection they had for a temporary wig. Not much of one... but i found out some interesting info. The GODIVA wig, sold on cosworx can be purchased there, and i believe it is cheaper. The downside is, you dont get the obvious selection of colors as you would online, but if you need a blonde or black wig, you are in luck!
Now back on track! After bugging the hell out of the poor kid working there, i finally settled on an imperfect wig i could "make due" with, by trying some hair color spray on it. The price of it made me confident to play around with ($15 thank you very much!) and to my excitement, i made the imperfect wig into PERFECT!
I got this wig:
( Trend Setter )

After getting it home, I played with it and decided to just remove the black wefts instead of spraying it all white. Unfortunately it did make the wig thinner, but after styling and spraying it to hell, the thin spots have been covered and you would never even know! I ended up finding silver hair spray at Spencer's to make it look more greyish, but not make it lose its white glow.

( Omg the same wig?! )

And of course, trying it on was fun! I actually like grey hair :P

( Zomg Sophie? )

Shilo bought two wigs for Howl, i need to work on them. The black one is in good condition but the blonde one had these weird creases in the top. I am trying to relax them with water but i might end up using some sort or spray in the end to keep it down.

( Something worth fighting for )

Now i mentioned in a previous post that Sophie has 3 hairstyles, i lied sorta. Old grandma Sophie's hair was out of the question because it was silly for me to throw on a wig and say i was grandma Sophie. BUT i have a solution to that! My very own Nana is willing to cosplay. YES MY NANA IS GOING TO COSPLAY!! This is going to be the coolest thing ever :D
When i make the blue dress, i decided not to take in the waist so the both of us can wear it. This works out because alot of the times when Sophie wears the blue dress, she is wearing an apron. Thus relieving the need to tighten the waist! I AM GENIUS!

Sophie's dress is 90% done. I just have to add the collar, hem the bottom and the sleeves, then decide on what I'll do about the waistline. I ordered a lily enchantment wig http://www.amphigory.com/wigs_enchantment.html for her silver braid. I'm still looking for a long brown wig, thats not too expensive, for her brown braid. Unfortunately the wig i ordered may not be here until after the Skating event, so I'll be looking for silver hairspray and just be short haired Sophie. Luckily, she's got 3 styles i have to work with :D

Last night I stopped off at walmart and got some fabric in the correct colors for Howl's Jacket. I got the dark pink for the lining cut out and the blue for the back done. I just need to cut out the triangles, arms and collar then start sewing! I plan on this being done by the end of this weekend!

As mentioned in my personal journal, my dad brought over some pink insulation foam for some props i am going to be making. Please note... this is my very first attempt in prop making (not including the fail papermache dagger in 2005 :/) Thanks to 4chan drama, a tutorial on how to make keyblades was brought up, and i decided to put that method into making other things. After reading it, it seemed very easy and at first i had no intention to be making the treaty blade but i decided otherwise.
Also planned to use this method on: Rikku's Daggers and Teresa's Claymore

So pretty much, its a simple process. You carve out the design on the insulation foam. Layer it with a papermache coating. Paint on resin. Sand down. Then Paint the desired colors.

I have been afraid to use resin, this is one of the main reasons why i was always deterred from making props, but silly me... my dads a contractor and it never occurred to me to ask him for help :P After i get the whole thing carved out, I'll be bringing it to his house where he'll be showing me how to use it.

( Now for pictures! )

Original Post

While browsing Cosplay.com's forums, I took some advice from an old post and purchased a McCall Pattern for a dress similar to Sophie's.
http://www.mccallpattern.com/item/M9423.htm

( Dress )

It was reasonably cheaper than buying it from Walmart, which surprised me.
So yeah, i am cutting out pieces as we speak. Figured I'd update so i wouldn't forget to :P After i cut out the pieces, i'll be taking apart an old lab coat to make my own pattern for Howl's Jacket since I'm too cheap to buy another pattern, since i have other means to make it.

For those of you who don't know this, I absolutely hate using patterns and this fact drives Nana NUTTY!

Anyhoo, if anyone is in need of a pattern for an apron, or bonnet or even this dress (after I'm finished) you can have it :P

I GOT A HAIRCUT!! I cut about 12 inches off o_O;; But i sooo love it!
I really despise taking pictures of myself in a mirror, but my photographer isn't around so i had to make due :P
( snip snip! )

Original Post

Well... here it is!! You have no idea how much I've been obsessing over this! It's been pretty hard to keep it under wraps for as long as i did! My kitchen has fallen victim to the cosplay battle (some of you may remember this image of my bedroom after a cosplay incident.) Luckily, I've broken this down into several pieces so not to get myself overwhelmed by doing everything at once as i normally do.

( The Begining... )

Well thats all for tonight!