Monday, December 13, 2010

Finally some costume updates!

Life has been rather wild for quite sometime now, but things are finally smoothing out, and I have a whole plethora of things to prattle on and on about!
First and foremost, costume and convention updates.  We had originally planned on attending InvaderCon, but SADC is holding an event again this year at KawaKon and I felt more compelled to attend a con closer to home then drive all the way to Atlanta for a weekend, no matter how much I love Invader Zim.  That and it is my cosplay group, they do get some precedence.  So my regrets, apologies, and all that but unless I fall into a large sum of money the Victorian/Steampunk Gaz and Professor Membrane will be put on an indefinite hiatus.  But as we will be attending KawaKon again this year we have some new costumes floating around as possibilities.
Unlike last year we're planning on attending for only two of the three days.  From what we noticed last year the Sunday of the convention is mainly a pick up and go home day, so in all truth theirs no need for us to be there.  So you'll be able to find us there Friday and Saturday till sometime late when we decide to drive home.  Friday night is the SADC event, or at least it was last year, and as they always have the rave Sat night it stands to reason.  The theme for this year is "Ciel and Cain's Victorian Social Ball" based off Godchild and Black Butler.  Personally I'm unfamiliar with both but cest la vie I'll give it a shot.  I get to make whatever I want for DragonCon ne?  So in the spirit of the ball I've offered to be Prince Soma and Pip is slated for Lau.  With Lau their isn't much option costume wise, red or black trim is all the variance I've seen when I've googled it, however with Soma I'm going to have a couple options.  The two pictures I've found of Soma are first, followed by Lau. 




The costume on its own is a challenge, an interesting challenge to me.  First and foremost, look at my Revy costume. 


Notice anything?  How about how pale I am?  Now scroll back up and look at Soma.  Personally I have no interest in a tanning bed, I don't tan even with routine use.  I've tried sunless tanners in the past, and I have disliked them.  They smell, they smear on my clothes and all around look bad.  Not only that I don't want to be that brown for my regular life (it would look beyond fake if I did) so that leaves me in an interesting place.  How to make myself that brown for the night, but be able to go back to work Monday and be my usual self.  I may have a solution.  When I was working on my Poison Ivy costume I wanted to paint myself green, or just make my skin have a greenish hue.  When I was looking for ways to do this I ran across a Starfire someone had done and the girl had the perfect orange glow to be Starfire, and she was even nice enough to explain how she did it.  Using Mehron's body paint she mixed it with lotion and slathered it all over.  Now I tried this with the green and it didn't do bad but it wasn't as flawless as I'd liked.  But Mehron sells that stuff in about every color imaginable.  So I'm tempted to buy another bottle or two (I'm eying the Light Egyptian, Amber Tan, or Rich Topaz) and see how well that would work.  It depends on which costume I decide to make.  If its the dark one then that and some good bronzer would pretty much do me cause all that's showing is my face and hands.  But if I do the white then it will have to work because so much more of me is showing.  Of course as much as I like the white I'm not sure how to do it.  I mean crossplaying in and of itself poses new challenges, but to have an open top?  Oy.  That will take some researching and trial and error I'm sure.  But for whatever reason I think I'm more drawn to the white.  *shrug* we'll see. 
As for whatever else I'll wear to KawaKon, I'm still very much up in the air.  I may not make anything else, I may wear Revy or V or something again.  I've toyed around with the idea of Sango from InuYasha, but only if Pip agrees to be Miroku.  Re-L from Ergo Proxy maybe a winner, the costume isn't to wild but she doesn't have may 'action' type shots so that takes the fun out of the photoshoot.  I've pondered on Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop, but not sure I want latex shorts.  Then I went to Batwoman and Black Cat.  But I know I lack the chest to do Black Cat justice and as much as I like Batwoman I'm just not feeling it for that con.  So anyone's ideas or opinions are welcome. 
As for as DragonCon goes, I already have one costume lined up for that as well.  We have a group doing the 'Defenders of Enchanted Realms' artwork.  I'm Belle.  Here's a link to the first and second picture that was done for her, its not my art so I don't want to repost.  And I have a more definate set of costume prospects for that. 
Ghost.  
Yea its been eating away at me to make it.  So she's very much on the top of the list.  Other then that Madame Mirage or Masquerade are sitting pretty high on the list.  I'll keep you posted though, its still quite awhile away. 
Now on to other non costume related things.  I've got my own place, finally.  Well I say my own, Pip and I have our own place.  We're still trying to get everything set up the way we want but its getting there.  Theirs a lot of stuff we're going to need though.  So costumes, travel, hotels, are going to probably going to take a bit of a hit.  On the upside if I'm only making a few a year I'll have more time to fuss with them and make them perfect.  Or so I'm trying to convince myself.