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