30 Day Cosplay Challenge!
1. Your first cosplay.
Christine Daae. Funnily enough. Not a direct copy, an interpretation for a Song in Costume class for the North Shore Performing Arts Competition in 1994.
Can’t find my photo of it online. Ah well. I still have it. To remind myself of how far I have come but also what you can do with blind ambition 😉
I won that class by the way 😉
2. How many costumes have you done?
Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm……………………………..
http://costumes.glittersweet.com/resume.htm
That’s most of them.
I count 92 there….. And that doesn’t include the ones this year….. or last. Right. Okay.
3. Your most recent cosplay.
Darth Tykhi. Sith Togruta.
4. Your cosplay communities, where do you go to talk about cosplay?
Livejournal, cosplay.com, CNZ, the RPF, SWNZ, Flagship Eclipse, Rebel Legion, Australian Costumer’s Guild.
I also have many yahoo groups I am still on, though many of them were from when they were called eGroups or were hosted elsewhere.
5. Blatant self plug! Link us to your cosplay page, be it dA, ACP, Coscom, whatever
Okay………
http://costumes.glittersweet.com
http://articles.glittersweet.com
http://glittersweet.deviantart.com
Not really sure I want to link to all my profiles online everywhere 🙂
6. Your favourite cosplay (that you have done)
Coooooo…… ummmm… I don’t have just one 🙂 I do way too many different things that I cannot fairly compare 🙂
(Added ‘cause I meant to originally say:)
Because of the pretty intense research and development of all of them. I really need to get more of that online. Whoops!
7. The character you have cosplayed that is most similar to you (if none that you have cosplayed, then one that you will cosplay)
Hmmmm…… I don’t think i chose characters because they are like me so I really can’t say any is most like me without it being “most like me out of a whole lot thataren’t like me at all.” 😉
I like to choose characters that have some story to them and mostly their stories are not the same as mine. I don’t think anyone could say I am like a character I have ever costumed from. I may share some strengths and some weaknesses.
8. Your cosplay plans for the rest of the year (if you have no more for this year, then do next year!)
Oooh, well I have been trying to scale back but these are the ones I need to do:
Shae Vizla: Bounty Hunter from the Deceived cinematic trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Mina: Red “absinthe” dress.
Glinda bubble dress: from Wicked, I can sing the part and I just reallyw ant to fluff around and eventually have a sparkly frock for child centric events:)
Then I also need to finish a few projects to get them out of the UFO pile:
Mystique: boots nearly made 🙂
Padme fireside: I love the fabric so much
Worth Sunburst gown: 1887 gown at the met Museum. I will be doing my own version seeing as Worth copied the gown at least once for another client and with different colours and pearls in place of faceted beads. So I have the pearls of one and the colour of the original
c1600 Stupid Spanish Gown: as the name suggests silly project of epic silliness. Ruff as wide as my shoulders, 2kg of bling trim and an entire 60L container of fabric.
1830s day dress: windowpane cotton dress.
And any work others may fling at me 🙂
9. The dream cosplay that might just happen
I have just about completed that list 😀
My dream costumes have all been from the artwork that inspired me from my early days. So they are:
Slave Leia: I saw the film at the theatre when it was first released. I collected all the cards i could as they were all I could afford. It was probably the first costume that inspired me as a costume and so it was a long time coming. Also girls can freaking make props and work with resin!
Catwoman: I didn’t see the film at the theatre I don’t think but fairly soon after. but I loved Catwoman growing up and this version is so wonderful for so many reasons, though as a stand alone.
Christine Blue Dress: I was 9 or 10 when I first heard music from Phantom and very soon after got the recording. Hooked.
So the ones left:
Mina Red Dress: Eiko is amazing her costumes are pure art. And this one is nearly finished.
ummm.. and I think that’s it. I have a lot of “want to make” but not so many Dream costumes left. A heck of a lot of “want to make” like several G worth of files…. But they don’t have the same connection to them that I have with these.
10. The dream cosplay that will never happen
Only because I am broken and don’t like getting help (pride, the fact that I have a valid reason makes it harder to accept help) The Elizabeth Armour in real metal. I do still want to make it but will probably do so with plastic.
11. Something cosplay-related that you will never do (eg. crossplay, cosplay from a certain series)
Hmmm…. probably cross play actually. Though no I have done that. I don’t make a very convincing boy. I’m okay being a Bob- clearly girl in boy clothes a la Bob from Blackadder II- but being a convincing boy?
So not for “moralistic” reasons just that I really would not do any justice. Though I do want to be The Kurgen one day. And I do want to Dress as Freddie For a Day.
So maybe that’s not really on point…
12. Your cosplay idol.
Animal X yo!
Not a cosplayer but costumer as artist and craftsman. She is amazing and was one of the very first to really elevate this dressing up lark.
All you yungin’s need to get The Costume Maker’s Art. You need to. See what was being produced long before the internet and easy access to information from others and even easy contact with other people who share the same passion.
So:
http://www.costume-con.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=1373&g2_page=8
My favourite of her work.
And lighting up costumes since 1991!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJTdJ3DpcH0
the book:
http://biblioz.co.nz/lp25762225886.html
I read that very soon after it was published, it basically gave a name to what I wanted to do. At a time when there was nothing local it was very reassuring.
13. Your cosplay specialty (ie. something that seems to apply to a large amount of your cosplays, it could be a specific series, or a common feature in their appearance, such as glasses)
Ermm… I’m not sure. I don’t think there is a pattern:
http://costumes.glittersweet.com
Except I do have a liking for a lack of furbelows and overly ornate details. I like a bit of subtlety in that regard. So I like textures and manipulation of fabric (pleating, slashing quilting etc.) over lots of lace and embroidery. I love solid fields of colour as opposed to patterns. If there is a pattern I prefer woven in design over print and generally geometric over floral.
Heck even the bubble dress is a symphony of use of one colour in many diffferent materials and textures.
And I love a challenge! tailoring proper, historical patterning, casting and molding, sculpting… I love it all 🙂
14. Your cosplay-making habits (eg. singing while working on cosplay)
Hmmm… Making a great big mess! Atcually no I like to keep things as organised as possible but there are times I just can’t tidy due to not leaving enogh energy to do so. It can be hard figuring out that point at times.
I do though like to work to a few things:
~ BBC2 Pride and Prejudice. What can I say. Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle. And it’s 6 hours so I can pace myself fairly well.
~ Musicals!!!!! I generally cycle through the following: Phantom (Dutch and Canadian casts for preference), Wicked, Aida, Jane Eyre, Martin Guerre, Hey Mr Producer. I will also pop in the double CD of Jekyll and Hyde (Anthony Warlow, melt)
~Movies: Fifth Element, Space Balls and Ghost Busters usually. They are just fun to listen to and a tiny bit camp 😉
~TV: Big Bang Theory, IT Crowd.
Which of those depends on the weather and what I am doing as they play on my mood a lot. Generally though musicals during the day and movies at night or I wake the neighbours singing loudly. I sing. A lot. Oh yeah, and usually to Mozart and musicals. Mozart knew how to write for the voice, difficult in many areas but not straining or ruinous for the voice.
15. Your least favourite thing about cosplay
The same old. The issues that arise in all groups! But on the personal journey aspect? Hmmm…. When I have spent too long too closely looking at my work that a 1mm difference in width of a 150mm wide strip becomes so freaking important!