Cosplay Stitches

Monday, June 13, 2011

An Update - GASP!

14 followers? Last I checked I had 10. Hello four new followers!

I have not updated lately for several reasons.
1.) I have been super busy lately! There was Animazement (which was not a good con, but I had fun doing non-con things) and Electronic Entertainment Expo (which was an incredible event!). This is my first full day home in a week. Hopefully I can start blogging more.

2.) My desire to market this blog and gain a readership. After a year of having this blog and my movie blog, neither have reached a high number of readers. I do appreciate the readers that I do have (and hope they continue to follow me), but, as a writer, i am all about gaining readers so my writing gets read. Eventually I want a writing related job so it is a bit disappointing when reader numbers are low.

3.) I can not think of anything note worthy I have done cosplay wise! I have been meaning to talk about how i made Litchi and, now, Baby Doll, but I am not exactly "proud" of these costumes. Actually, i am proud because I made them myself with little to no help. But I do not know if they are appreciated enough by others to warrant being written about. That shouldnt matter, but, unfortunately, it does.

4.) I have been wanting to rant about cosplay. Just RANT about it. There are just so many things that are irking me about the community. Unaware if this is just the anime side of the community, I need to attend different genre conventions to see if these issues are just within the anime community. And also does it have to deal with the size of the cons as well. There are many variables as to why this issues arise but i need to research a little more before I discuss them.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Say Hello To: Cupcake Disko

Samantha Handler, or Cupcake Disko, is a 23 year old cosplayer from Winter Garden, Florida. I first saw her on cosplay.com. Her username was quite cute to me and she had uploaded a picture of her Baby Doll (Sucker Punch) charms and I inquired about purchasing some from her for my own Baby Doll costume. After that, I saw her picture popping up in several places and also in Ackson's videos from Megacon. I was highly impressed by her costumes, especially since she had only started cosplaying last year. I wanted to interview her a bit to get to know more about her and to put her in a well-deserved spotlight.

-You have not been cosplaying for very long, but are very talented. Did you know how to sew before starting this hobby? What made you start cosplaying?

:: I actually hadn't had much sewing experience before I got into cosplaying. My grandma taught my sisters and I how to knit when we were young, as well as mend simple holes in our clothes. But using a machine was certainly a learning experience! I do have a degree in Interior Design though & I feel its helped me a great deal in planning cosplay projects.

What made me start cosplaying was the amazing textures/layers/details that you find on your favorite characters. Its amazing how easily you can bring that character to life! Plus who wouldn't want to walk around for a day as someone else?! haha

-What did you think of the movie Sucker Punch?

:: I absolutely loved the movie Sucker Punch. Despite all the poor reviews, I thought it was a very interesting film that presented a unique style of story telling. You have to admire the actresses for learning so much about the weapons they used in the film. Over all, the visuals were great, sound track was so powerful, fight scenes were incredible and the story was exciting!

-What made you choose Baby Doll over all the other awesome ladies in Sucker Punch?

:: I immediately wanted to cosplay Babydoll over the other girls in Sucker Punch just because she looked like so much more than just a pretty face. And I was right! She has such a complex background and I think her character is wonderful! Another reason why I choose her over the others to cosplay is her weapons. I loved how personal they were to her. The little charms hanging from her pistol put a divider up from being just an ordinary weapon to an actual personal possession of hers. Also Babydoll's Katana has an inscription design along the blade telling the story of her life. I thought that was so unique for a character!

-Your Vanille is very impressive! What was it like making and wearing that costume? Was it difficult or easy?

:: Thank you! Vanille was my very first cosplay and she means a lot to me! Making the costume was a long process. I had finished my first version within 4 days of the game release and went to MegaCon 10 that weekend. A few months later, I made her Binding Rod, then went ahead and tweaked the beading, skirt, purchased a wig, altered the boots and changed the fur. I premiered my "second go" at MetroCon 10 but still wasn't 100% satisfied with it. For Dragon*Con 10 I changed the fur for a third time then changed a few more details. I can now officially say Vanille is finished ^_^

Wearing Vanille's outfit is so much fun! It takes a bit of time to put all those layers on, but she's such a sweet and endearing character that all those feelings sort of come over me as well!

-How do you choose the characters your cosplay?

:: That is a great question! Its more than just a pretty outfit. I have to feel a connection to the Character as well as feel comfortable walking around in their clothes! What seems to be a trend in the characters I choose [besides the reoccurring pigtails] is that they are all strong characters in their own way. They all symbolize innocence as well as strength and I believe that is how I portray myself.

-What conventions do you attend? What has been your favorite convention experience?

::MegaCon [Orlando, FL] MetroCon [Tampa, FL] AFO [Orlando, FL] Dragon*Con [Atlanta, GA]

Dragon*Con was my favorite for 2010, it was overwhelming! Stretching across 4 hotels!
But as of this year, MegaCon 2011 was very awesome! Was able to be featured in two of Acksonl's videos. Very excited about that!

-What do you like to do besides cosplay?

::I feel like I've let work get the best of me. I work & work & work! But when I'm not, I spend as much time as I can with my fiance relaxing at home with our two dachshunds that we love! I also have a clay jewelry business that I started off as a hobby and now is quickly becoming a full time job! My etsy shop is www.oiiseau5.etsy.com

-How was it like working with Ackson for his videos?

::So awesome!! He first found me about about 7 months ago on cosplay.com and mentioned the videoshoots he does. I didn't think I could pull of "acting" as the character but once we met in person, it wasn't difficult at all! He is a unique artist and I was pretty impressed with his work, especially since its all for fun. I thought it was a great experience and I am very thankful for the opportunity!

-Where do you see yourself in a couple of years with this hobby? What do you want to accomplish?

:: I'm not sure where I see myself in a few years cosplay wise. I know that it has opened my possibilities up and has expanded my clay business. Being able to share my cosplay pieces with others, across the world, is such a great feeling! Being recognized and having my art/work appreciated as well as giving inspiration to others is really all I ever wish to accomplish!

Thanks, Samantha! I can not wait to see more of your costumes. Maybe we'll run into each other at Dragon*Con later this year!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Jessi's Guide To: Conventions in the South East

Since I live in the South East, I always wondered just how many cons there are in this region. There seems to be THOUSANDS at times as my friends, who are spread out across the South East, seem to attend conventions every weekend. I decided to create a handy dandy guide to conventions here in the South East!

*Sources
Animecons.com
My own knowledge

All dates are 2011 unless otherwise noted. Organized by STATE.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

EQUALITY FOR ALL

Whether or not you think America is an equal place, I believe in equality and hope that one day everything is equal. I personally believe America is semi-equal, but, with the cosplay world, it is very unequal. Let's face it, in a hobby about "looks", people and their different perceptions of beauty oftentimes come into play. There is some over arching ideal of what is beautiful in cosplay that I do not necessarily agree with. Everyone is beautiful and should be allowed to do what they want (for fun) without being judged and mocked. We are all in this subculture - all in it for the fun of running around in our costumes. We do not (purposely) put our looks out there to be judged. Hell, we just want you to like our COSTUMES. But put a pretty person in a shitty costume in everyone goes absolutely nuts. Or a rather thin person. Or a person of an "acceptable race". It just infuriates me to no ends that people rarely judge on skill level anymore. It's making a way for those "cosplay models" who do not make their costumes to gain large fan bases for doing nothing, but looking attractive.

I would hope that, one day, all manners of people will be accepted to do this hobby without getting ridiculed within the fandom. Because that is driving people away. If solace can not be found in the fandom then where can it be found!?

Now, I am glad more people are becoming active in providing equal rights for different types of cosplayers. Because we are all human and all humans are not going to look the same.

http://plussizecosplay.blogspot.com/
Amazing blog that just started. I can not wait to see it grow a bit more to showcase the plus size cosplayers out there.

http://www.facebook.com/projectkaleidoscope1?sk=info
Project K is devoted to bringing ALL cosplayers together - no matter race, size, etc!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Nashicon TOMORROW

I will be attending my fourth Nashicon tomorrow. It's an anime convention in Columbia, South Carolina on the campus of the University of South Carolina. It's hard to believe that this con is four years old! I remember the first year it ever was held. It was tiny then, but I knew that it would only get better. Now the word seems to be out and I'm expecting a decent sized crowd tomorrow.

I will be roaming around out-of-costume at first. Taking pictures and videos for youtube! I will change into my costume around 3:30 so that I can prepare for my panel, which is at six.

PANEL: Cosplay On A Budget - 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Probably will leave shortly after that to drive back home. Can't wait to see everyone tomorrow!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

AWA costume reveal!

I've found my Anime Weekend Atlanta costume! Although I did not enjoy the convention last year (not because of the con itself), I may return this year depending on funds and such. Not 100% sure of course! I think I have enough time to make this costume if I did choose to go to the convention - depending on, of course finances. I have plenty of other projects to keep me busy in the meantime before starting this monster.

I have always wanted to do something a little more detailed. After having been working on Litchi (Blazblue) for going on two months, I really do not know if it is ideal for me to work on very detailed and strangely constructed things. It is time that I learn to buckle down and get things done - but in actuality I just want to get things done quickly so I can wear it! If costumes could arrive ready made at my door then I would certainly put them on and wear them to conventions.

A lot of people enjoy the journey of making their costumes from start to finish. They love perusing the fabric stores, picking what fabric will work perfectly with their costume. They enjoy sitting at the sewing machine and grinding for hours. They love packing their costumes carefully in their luggage as they head off to the con.

Personally, I only love that some of the time. I have had the most fun in costumes that took little to make or that I just brought to modify (I never tend to buy a costume and never do any modifications to it...) To my pessimistic brain I think working very hard on something can oftentimes lead to little pay off from the convention crowds. Either no one pays you attention or you get a lot of attention. There is the grey area of finding those few sole people that absolutely love your costumes. I have had that happen to me once or twice.

Some enjoy making their own costumes to have a feeling of accomplishment. Attention and Pictures are some of the payoffs. A lot of the times it is also good networking that allows for those pictures. The attention, however, is all based on whether the convention crowd gives a flying hoot about your costume.

Even still, we should love our costumes no matter what. It is something I am slowly learning. Challenging myself as I have started to do has allowed me to learn new techniques and I can only continue to do so, improving with each new challenge I take on. The sky is the limit!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Road to Dragon*con

I have always described my first convention trip as an "Otaku Pilgrimage". It was 2003 and I was only fifteen. The convention was Animazement, only two hours from my house. My best friend and I had somehow convinced our mothers to take us.

It was incredible.

I had never been at anything like it. That weekend cemented in my mind that I would continue to take these various treks across the country to visit these large gatherings of like-minded geeks.

Of course obstacles have jumped in the way during these years of convention going. Whether it be financial, unsupportive parents, or just be a moment in time when I am completely unwillinging to submit myself to be around those people; there have been so many things that have hindered me from getting to a lot of conventions or even just the ones I really want to be at.

This year I am going to try something a bit different. I am going to potentially ditch all conventions just so I can go to what is presumably the mecca of geekdom in the South East: Dragon*Con.

For the past five years I have been trying to get to this convention. At first, I was a bit wary about attending - especially before I was 21. It did not seem like the convention would be for me if I was not of age, but also I did not want to be surrounded by a large crowd of drunk and naked people (and by no means am I a prude).

Now, I'm 23 - will be 24 before Dragon*Con - and being around drunk and naked people just seems FUN. Maybe I will be one of those drunk and/or naked people. Anime conventions are becoming a bit juvenile in my opinion. The young crowd runs around yelling their heads off while shouting out of date internet memes while the older crowd backstabs each other at costume contests and whatnot. Don't get me wrong, I can not completely give up on anime conventions. Dragon*Con does not seem a welcoming place for anime and gaming. Anime will always be something I enjoy watching and going to the conventions is one of the few places I can share that love with others, wearing costumes from the series that I love so much.

But I am still an adult now. I still want to do adult things at conventions. I want to have fun and I want to party. I want conventions to be my escape from my existence in my small, rural town in the South. I want to make up for the years in college when I did not really party.

Dragon*Con seems the perfect place to do that.
It seems like some four day costume party for adults and that is exactly what I need in my life.

Getting to Dragon*Con is not easy for me. With the adult crowd comes the adult prices. The pass is incredibly expensive in my opinion and so are the hotels which, by the way, sell out as soon as the reservations open. Also, I would pretty much be alone at Dragon*Con as I would probably drive the six hours to Atlanta alone and do not typically have one friend and/or significant other that I can spend countless hours with during the convention.

Despite all those little setbacks, I have to get to the convention this year. I would kick myself if I went another year without going - especially with the looming doom of 2012 and the end of the world coming.

I am, also, very very tired of hearing everyone talk about how awesome the convention is. I would rather experience it for myself so that I can make my own assessment of it.

So, here I am again. Planning yet another Dragon*Con. Hopefully this year I will go through with attending. Here is my potential costume list:

Baby Doll from Sucker Punch, a movie which will possibly prove to be very popular amongst the female population of conventions this year. And rightly so. The designs for the movie are spectacular. The trailers are visual orgasms of all kinds of action motifs that movie goers want to see. Now, lets hope the movie does not suck.

Robin from the line of Ame Comi DC statues. Ame Comi is not becoming as popular as I wish it would, but there have been several cosplayers that have created some Ame Comi statue costumes - mostly Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. The Robin version not only has the Boy Wonder genderbended into the Girl Wonder, but is also a very flirty and ridiculously cute costume design

Sally from SyFy's Being Human. The costume is remarkably easy if I could find a sweater exactly like the one she is wearing. I basically want something comfortable to run around it and see how many people notice me. Maybe even crash some Twilight related shoots looking for Aiden.

So, as I prepare for this convention I can only hope that everything pans out. It seems that I am having a difficult time this year and I can only chalk it up to finally crossing over in the adult world.