Friday, August 23, 2013

Dat Rainbow (It'sh Sho Intenshe!!)

This is from Bakemonogatari, right?And did y'all spot the Double Rainbow reference?If not, I'm disappointed.And you probably didn't spot the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei references a few posts back either, or the Oreimo ones, or the Kuroshitsuji ones.If that's the case, I'll be horribly disappointed in worldwide youth culture.Ya gotta be able to handle hard-core references!!It's practically a requirement!



Updates;




1. I'm just back from summer camp, where no electronics where allowed.Thus, I have not posted...



2. I also has to marathon everything I missed while at camp.And paint.And draw.And read.You get the idea.



3.Here's a helpful tip;Whenever your mouse stops moving well, and your track pad starts to hurt your finger, blow hot air on your finger.The heat sensor will pick it up better.



4.I have recently watched both Future Diary and Attack on Titan, as far as that last one has been aired.



5.I have a DeviantArt now!It's got some of Alice's stuff, as well, but that's to be expected...She dislikes trying to keep up with stuff.Look for MatryoshkaMiki, I will have pretty stuff on there when I get around to finishing it.



What this Post is Actually About;

Cosplay for Beginners



Since you all have neglected to email me questions, I saw no reason to set up a YouTube until I had a tutorial, quickdraw, cover, skit, etc.Thus, I am posting a written series on how to cosplay.Since I want y'all to take this seriously I won't use any emotes.I think I'mma start with general prep, so... Sorry if this turns into a lecture.



Cosplay is amazingly fun, and you can meet a lot of great people doing it.It's also amazingly time-consuming, and money-consuming.I love cosplaying, but I have to admit, it has a lot of drawbacks as a hobby.If you have no steady source of income, don't start.It's addicting.You make one outfit, and then suddenly every time you watch anime you analyze the outfits and wonder what you would need to make that sword. And if you don't put in enough effort and thought, it looks awful.Basically, if you're not sure about this, don't get into cosplay.



With that said, let's get into whatcha need to do.



Most people will tell you to start by picking a character, but that can wait a moment.You don't need to do that until the month before whatever you're doing (at latest.)



Let me explain something.Cosplay is a hobby, but it's also more or less a beauty contest.The more attractive you are, the more fans you'll have, the more money you can make on prints and ads on websites and/or books.A pretty face makes for pretty pictures.And people want to see their darling character in real life, which means you wanna look as perfect, huge-eyed, and fit as you can.



So, you'll need to start skincare about six months prior to whatever event, and try to keep in shape.I'm not saying you can't cosplay outside your body type, I'm saying you can make money if you're pretty.This goes for guys too.Look at it this way; more you take care of your skin, more members of the opposite gender will like you, less make-up you have to wear.



Skincare brand is kinda important, but that's an individualized thing.Find what works for you.You'll probs want at least a cleanser and a moisturizer, and depending how much acne or oil you have, you might want acne treatment and toner.Toner will keep down the acne before it happens, so you won't have to use as much acne treatment.And yes, you really do need to use moisturizer, because if you don't your skin dries out from the stuff in the cleanser and acne treatment, and your face will peel and flake off like dandruff, only on your face.Everywhere.It's not pleasant.Also, you can get moisturizer with oil control, so you won't need as much oil mattifier and foundation and whatever.I'll get around to makeup routines later.



As to keeping in shape, all you really need to do is take a walk once a day.That's it.Well, a little more than that would be nice, and you'd probably live longer, but at bare minimum, take a walk.



Choosing a character;



Here's another explanatory blurble; When you cosplay, people aren't going to judge as a person (if they're seeing prints and stuff, or you're in a contest.)They're gonna judge you as a character.Thus, you want to pick a character who's close to you in personality and looks.(From here on, when I say looks, I'm not referring to your hair, I mean your face and body.)If you're short and flat-chested, you're a loli.Or a shota.If you have a large chest, you're perfect for a great deal of female characters.



But since you're a beginner, it's best if you stay away from complicated or revealing costumes.This is even more true if you have no idea how to sew.Yes, you could always buy your costumes, but costume companies tend to use cheap fabrics.



To give you an example;A while back I wanted to be Alice from the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film for Halloween.(This was before I started seriously cosplaying.)So what do I do?I go to the Spirit store, which, for those of you who don't know, is a huge Halloween everything store.They have a website, in case you want Halloween stuff before September and after the first week in November. I tried on thecostume, and it was the only one they had left.It was just a tad too small, and I'm a very small person.I can wear children's shoes.The back ripped.And besides that, the pattern of the embroidery on the bodice was screen-printed on, and the fabric was sheer and clingy.No way that was gonna work.It was also ninety-nine dollars, which is a lot for a piece of crap.



You could also commission your costume, which is absolutely fine.It also means your costume's being made by a professional cosplayer, so they know what they're doing.But you won't be able to see your costume until it's finished, unless the person you're commissioning it from lives in the area.



Anyway;you want an easy costume.Goodwill is your new best friend.Characters like L or Marceline are good examples of what you want.You can find the outfit easily, and wigs for popular characters can be found on eBay.I buy my wigs from thefivewits.net.They're a little more pricey, but can be curled or straightened.



Complicated costumes are a little much for a first or second time cosplayer, as you don't quite have enough experience with fabrics or stitches to sew a brocade ballgown.No offense.Revealing costumes will get you a lot of attention- the unwanted kind.Both will ensure that everyone with a camera will stop you for a picture - and as a first-timer, you probs don't have any poses on hand.



So no, you may not try a plugsuit for your first cosplay.



That's it for the first installment in this series!If you have any questions I didn't answer, email me at levelspectre@gmail.com.



Kira, chu!
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