One Bad Apple

Cosplay is a wonderful artistry that I am grateful to be able to take part in. It allows me a break from the every day, mundane life that plagues us all, but mostly it's just FUN! Who doesn't like to get a little weird sometimes?

 There are many different types cosplayers (too many to name, that's for sure!), maybe you're a hobbyist that likes to dress up from time to time or maybe you are old hat and have been on the scene for 10 years. It could be that you don't have a lot of funds to support your habit, so your costumes are often made from found objects or perhaps you are lucky enough to be able to afford putting all your time and focus into making costumes. Maybe you are just like me, someone who works a regular job, has a family and other obligations and interests but who still enjoys cosplaying and the process to bringing a character to life, so you make time for your passion. It doesn't matter where you fall on that spectrum, we are all part of a community that loves to dress up and who take pride in what we do.

I've had a few weeks to mull over a situation that happened to me while competing in an online costume contest, which involved a 1st place prize of $150 and free tickets to future events hosted by the creator of the costume contest. And I shall impart my wisdom unto you, Young Jedis: This is my tale...

Everyone knows that at some point in your cosplaying career (and most definitely in your life) you will run across another person who doesn't agree with your point of view. That's just people being human. There's nothing you can do about it, so go ahead and accept it. However, there is a way to handle it (well a couple of ways), and my preferred method is one that keeps me from getting my hands dirty. Stooping to someone else's level just makes you look as childish as they are being. Never be afraid to defend yourself and what you believe in and if you believe that you are in the right, then that is all that matters in the end. And don't ever let those people control how you feel.

 I had entered said costume contest, which only had two rules: 1) submit a photo of you in costume. 2) Get as many votes as possible. And the person with the most votes wins. Those are some pretty loose terms, which means it was an event open to many people and all types of costume-play. A person could submit themselelf in a Halloween costume, their niece dressing up for a play, or you in an outfit you bought off the internet, a commissioned piece or handmade costume, it could be anything really. There were no themes or direction of the contest, just to be in costume.

I spent a little bit of time deciding on which photo to submit, I wanted to win! Already people had started submitting entries and it looked like stiff competition. So I was going to find something that really stood out! I had recently gone to a photo shoot party where I was able to debut my Peter Pan cosplay and finally get some pictures of my hardly photographed Daria. 

The two pictures I debated on using were both pictures of Peter Pan.  Pan was a joint effort between my friend Natacha and I. Since I'm pretty new to sewing I required the assistance of a wiser wizard than myself. My outfits usually combine handmade pieces with already existing pieces, then add some ingenuity and sweat and you have a cosplay! Which is how I'll continue to make costumes until I acquire the skills to do it all from scratch! Together she and I made the tunic from scratch, I made the hat with felt, bought a belt from Goodwill and spray painted it, the knife I borrowed from my husband (a collector of all things sharp), I purchased the wig and had it professionally styled, and bought the tights and boots. All in all I considered it a good genderbend of Peter Pan and was very proud of it.


Option 1

Character: Peter Pan
Cosplayer: Daemonic K
Photographer & Editor: Winston Jeffrey Photography

Option 2

Character: Peter Pan
Cosplayer: Daemonic K
Photographer: Bohdi Tree Photography

The two photos are completely different from one another- duh, because photographers each have their own style-but both were awesome and show my costume in a different light. Winston Jeffery Photography has a unique style that involves adding backgrounds and editing with Photoshop to embellish the character and make it feel more whimsical. Bhodi Tree Photography highlights the cosplayer's already existing attributes and gives the photo a more life-like feel. I think both photographers captured the merits of Peter Pan well, but in the end I went with Option 1. The rules of the contest were simple, so I chose the photo that went above and beyond displaying my character and  caught flack from other local cosplayers for it. *Still shaking my head*

Initially I was flattered. I was excited to have been noticed by another group of people because all publicity is good publicity right? But that soon turned to dismay as it went from one person giving an opinion on my costume to a group of people trying to disqualify my entry because "it didn't show the costumes details" and had been too heavily edited for their taste. -WHOA- 

 It didn't get crazy until I was fighting for 1st place with the person that had initially commented on my costume, whom we shall call Cosplayer X. So as it went, the group surrounding Cosplayer X - who actually had a beautiful leather costume made by hand and a picture similar to Option 2- got more and outrageous with their comments and more brave in their telling. Of course, you can't control what other people say, but you can take the high ground! I defended my costome/photo and it's merits and never backed down, nor did I sink to the level of picking apart Cosplayer X or her costume. What's the point? You can't change a person's character, but you can always improve your own. I also should mention that I had a TON of friends and family backing me up, which made me feel a lot better about the whole situation. They voted every day (you could only vote once per day/ per device) and stood up for me in the forums. The confrontation only lasted about a week and ended when the votes were tallied up and the contest over. My entry had beaten second place by 150+ votes and third place by a couple of hundred! I had won, which made my decision to not hurl insults back an even better one. 

I guess what I'm saying is that... Haters Gonna Hate. Elitism absolutely exists in the cosplay world, which is sad, but be prepared to be challenged in one way or another  Don't let them bring you down or change your perceptions of yourself. It takes time for cosplayers to evolve into what kind of cosplayer they want to be, so no matter where you are on that journey don't let others ruin it for you. . You are all cosplayers in my eyes. Keep up the good work. I'll keep learning and honing my skills and you should too!

<3 DK

Zombie Make-Up Tutorial

I'm sure you have all dreamed of being a zombie! Eating brains for breakfast is the best way to start any morning, right? Zombies are such a huge part of our culture now, especially with t.v. shows like the Walking Dead and cult classics like Day of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead,etc., we need to represent our fandom! And there are so many ways to do it and places to exhibit your work that people are looking for ways to show their enthusiasm.

Well, if you haven't successfully reached the "other side" yet, don't worry, it's not a problem. I have a step-by-step tutorial that will help you to blend in with all the other bone-crunchers! I was lucky enough to take a monster make-up class with artist Shane Morton in Atlanta, GA. He offers one about 2 times a year and they are absolutely worth attending if you get the opportunity. 

So let's get this ball rollin'!

It probably took me about an 1hr. 15 min. to complete the look (and that includes the 20 min. dry time).

The things you will need: 

• Hair Tie
• Chapstick
• Cotton balls or cotton lengths
• Liquid Latex
• A Paper Plate- for mixing latex and cotton
• Face Paint- I use 2 kinds. A crappy set that you can get at any make-up store and Ben Nye brand.
• Brushes- to apply face paint.
• Water- To rinse brushes
• Fake Blood
• Barrier Spray

Step 1: Clean your face! That sounds kind of remedial and I'm sure you're thinking, "Duh." But just in case there are a few window lickers out there I am throwing in ALL the steps. So do it. Clean your face!

 

Step 2: Pull back your hair. You really don't want it to get caught in the latex or make-up.

Step 3: CHAPSTICK. "What?!" you say. Oh yes, chapstick will save your life! (I say get something flavorless, but mine is cherry flavored and it wasn't a problem). Chapstick creates a barrier between your skin, which has a ton of tiny little hairs, and the latex, which will rip all those little hairs out if you don't apply said chapstick. Basically, it's like ripping duct tape off your face. You'll thank me later.

Make sure you apply liberally all over the face, because we are going to be putting latex EVERYWHERE. Apply extra heavy on places like eyebrows, side burns, lips and chins.

 Step 4: Grab your paper plate, cotton balls or lengths and your liquid latex. This is what I was using. The "Shane Morton Zombie Skin" is just liquid latex, which you can buy online or at a Halloween/Costume store. Also, I prefer a length of cotton because it allows me more freedom and options to place disfigurations.

Now have a silly moment! :3

Ok, get back to work.

Step 5: You can be generous with the amount of liquid latex you use, but in my picture that was barely enough to coat a 1'' cotton length. You will need to make sure the cotton is very saturated or you won't be able to pull it and stretch to create the zombie skin. You will get the hang of it as you go! A good way to test the saturation of your cotton is to pull it apart and if there are still dry threads on the inside then you need to add more latex. 

Step 6: Start applying latex soaked cotton to your face. The goal is to distort your facial features to make it seem as if you have started to rot and decay. I begin on my brow because that is going to need many applications of cotton to create a sunken look to my eyes.

After putting a good layer on my brow I started working my way down my nose. Whenever you apply the cotton to your face don't just slap it on there and be done with it. Make sure to pull it apart and create holes and tears, this will give your skin to get the texture of a zombie's skin. And don't forget to smooth out the edges that meet your own skin. Don't be afraid to get really into it, pulling and pushing and creating weird patterns. The more you have going on, the more complex your zombie will look.

I wanted my nose to appear flat, as if it was sinking into my face, so I connected my nose to my cheek with a couple of pieces of cotton. I'm always looking for different ways to make my zombie (obviously they are not all the same!). In the future you may want to try other techniques, such as covering up an eye or making an eye look like it was bulging. After my nose I move on to the rest of my face. Just remember to keep pulling the cotton apart and connecting it to other parts of the face, it'll look like muscle and sinew when you put make-up over it.

  

As you start covering up your face you will notice that the latex on your fingers is starting to dry and turn into gross, gummy boogers. Just let it dry completely and then pull it off. It's just like when you were a kid putting Elmers Glue on your skin then letting it dry and peeling it off (or was that just me?). DON'T THROW AWAY THE LATEX PIECES. Save them on your paper plate and as you continue to add cotton onto your face experiment with adding the latex pieces for a change of pace. It will add another layer of depth to your make-up. Plus, why waste something if you don't have to?

Step 7: This was about where I was comfortable with moving on to the next step. I made sure to cover up all parts of my face. Let your latex dry for about 20 minutes. This will create a firmer surface to apply paint to.

Step 8: Now for the make-up! This was the generic stuff. I mainly used the white, black, pink and green, but feel free to try your own combinations! This was where I wished I was back in Shane Morton's Monster Make-up class. They were kind enough to airbrush your face with a base gray, but unless you have that kind of equipment you are going to have to apply it with brushes or sponges  (I prefer brushes). I started by mixing a bit of water and black into my white to create a deathly hue and begin to cover my face. 

As I go I start to fill in holes and crevices with a darker grey to create depth and variation. 

I wanted my eyes to appear sunken so I covered them with a dark grey/black. This will also make my brow a lot more pronounced.

I begin to add in spots of color (pink and green for a rotting flesh appearance). Some places look purple due to the mixing of the grey and the pink, but that's ok, just adds another dimension to your make-up.

Don't forget your neck and ears (or other exposed extremities). This is important to make your appearance complete. I skipped my ears for the sake of time and clean up.

Once you have your whole face covered, go back in with darker versions of previously applied colors. This creates more shadow and depth. You are a corpse after all. 

Then go back in with some highlights on prominent areas like the brow, nose and cheekbone. Try to get all the way to your hair line and then some.I added a bit of latex over my lip for effect, however, this did hinder speech after that (and drinking!) Liquid would make the latex peel right off, so I had a glass of water I was drinking with a straw haha.

Once you have a nice foundation we are going to add the Ben Nye (not to be confused with Bill Nye) make-up which was for creating cuts, brusies,etc. This is an oil based make-up and goes on thickly. 

I used the red and yellow in places that I wanted to look like infected flesh.

The green also gives off a good pallor when strategically placed. I wanted my lips to look like the skin had been torn away. Next time I may decide to make it appear as teeth instead of bloody flesh. 

I darkened up my eyes a little more and went to the edges with eye liner. I connected some of the places that looked torn for effect.

Step 9: Now it's time for the fake blood! It has the consistency of syrup (it's probably made from corn syrup)! Yum :) But the wetness adds a lot to your zombie. Now he's not some dried up bag of bones, but a rancid zombie who's got some fight in em'. 

Now I look properly gooey! 

Step 10: Not absolutely necessary, but if you plan on being a zombie late into the night give your face a light misting of this barrier spray and you will be good.

 

Now go be a badass zombie! 

*Grr. Snarl.*

To remove zombie make-up use an axe and..... JK! It'll peel right off (IF you properly applied the chapstick). If you are having problems removing it, just hop in the shower and scrub down and it will come off your skin and out of your hair with warm water and soap! 

I hope this tutorial was helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. 

Much love <3 DK

Nerdacon 2012

So, every year for the last 7 years Nerdacon has been at Columbus State University. It's a collaboration of anime, gamers, cosplays, and FUN! This was the first year I've been and I have to say, for a free con, this was definitely worth it. Thank you BentPic5 and Atlas Photography for my photos! 

I busted out my Saeko Busujima cosplay from High School of the Dead, which is my first and only cosplay so far. However, it was nice to get into a more comfortable setting with my costume. The first time I wore it out I was afraid something wasn't going to look right, or (since I had a lot of pieces hand-made) that something was going to fall off. I kept asking my friend, who was such a good sport, if my wig was on straight and if I looked ok. Thankfully she didn't knock me out or slip some kind of sedative into my kiwi soda, but I'm sure it detracted from her experience a little. So Nerdacon was a fun experience for me! 

Along with showcasing my cosplay, I got to see a lot of local cosplayers at work! My friend Alliecat Cosplay wore her newest piece, Felicia,  and it was fantastic! I'm going to have to buff up my sewing skills so that I can have such badass cosplays.  

On the other hand, now it's time to up my repertoire and start a new cosplay! I'm still interested in the couple that I discussed earlier on in my blog, now just to choose one..... (mind made up).  

Looking forward to this upcoming year: MomoCon, DragonCon, AWA and more??

Cosplaying on a Budget

Being as new to the game as I am I do everything in baby steps. The first goal as a baby cosplayer is to look in to EVERYTHING. I've checked all the websites, I've seen lots of homemade costume tutorials, I've drooled over the extravagant wigs that people create and to be honest I get a little lost.

So, baby steps it is.

The other day I decided to go shopping for a few pieces that would eventually become a part of my Edward Scissorhands cosplay outfit. My initial limitation on myself was to do it on the cheap, which worked out, since all I was really looking for were belts (Edward has a LOT of belts if you hadn't noticed). Those suckers can get expensive at $8, $10, $15 and even $20 a pop, which I most definitely couldn't afford, so my first idea was to go to a local Goodwill and check out their belt selection. I basically struck gold.

I grabbed every suitable black belt that I thought would even possibly work on my outfit....all at $1.50/belt. Now that's what I'm talkin' about! With my great success at the first Goodwill and 6 belts in my possession I decided to head to the "big" Goodwill that was a little bit further away to see if I could locate a leather jacket or pants that I could alter to make up my outfit. No luck there of course (that would have been TOO lucky), however, I did pick up another 6 belts at $1.00/belt. So now I have a dozen belts and spent less that $15 at both places combined! Hellz yeah! 

My next move is to figure out the jacket and pants situation, those are undoubtedly going to be harder to locate, but I'll do my best! I promise to keep you all in the loop. It's not hard to be a cosplayer, but there is a lot of well made costumes and I want to be recognized for that. I am an artist, to say the least, so here's to another successful shopping trip in the future!

Make-up is an Art

Well, today I thought I would give the Edward Scissorhands costume a test run for make-up. Needless to say, I was a little unprepared.

Thankfully I had a friend who was willing to help (and loan me her theatrical make-up!). The pictures were so amateurish that I would be embarrassed to even post them, however by the end of the trial run all was not lost. I could definitely see little Edward hiding in there somewhere!

We were using Ben Nye theatrical make-up and started off with a light neutral base all over, including lips and eyes. Next, we started shadowing; the eyes and cheekbones are most prominent on Edward. so we used a combination of dark and medium toned browns above the eyelid and beneath the cheekbone to create a sunken look, highlighting angular features.

-Then we powdered-

Next, we did the lips. Edward has a lot of different lips; some pale, some pink, and then there's the one with the black lipstick, which is what I chose. Since the lips were already a neutral color we added a little red pigment to them to liven them up. Then we added the black lipstick, not all over, mostly on the bow of the upper lip and curve of the bottom. (It was actually very sultry, I'm impressed Johnny Depp pulled it off so well).

For the finishing touch we added scars, which Edward has a lot of (duh, scissors for hands), we did this with little white lines made more visible with a light outline of red. It was a pretty simple effect, but still a good one. Powedered again! I also put on mascara to make the eyes pop and tousled my hair appropriately. It wasn't quite what I wanted, but I know where it's headed and that's always a good place to be. 

The Beginning of My Nerdy Journey

Ok, so this is my first time EVER trying out cosplaying (and blogging for that matter) and I'm pretty excited about it! I'm new to the whole scene, which either means I'm lucky enough not to know the rules -and therefore do not have to follow them- or we will all get to watch as I flounder helplessly in a sea of super nerds. Ha. We shall see.

I recently graduated with a degree in Fine Art which I think will help tremendously when it comes to making my cosplay outfits. I'm not saying that they will all be made from scratch, but I want to bring some art to the stage, which in my opinion means getting creative even with my first attemptsat costume making (which could turn out disastrous).

Here's my costume line-up for 2012 :

Lenalee: D. Gray Man

Edward Scissorhands via Rule #63

Saeko Busujima: Highschool of the Dead

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter