This week I wanted to share with you the progress on my Husband's impromptu cosplay of Jacob Frye!
Now, my Husband isn't a cosplayer (at least not yet). This will be the first time he has worn a costume outside of Halloween. I found out that Fan Expo was hosting a couples cosplay contest and thought, this would be the perfect way to introduce him to cosplay and there is some incentive. Since Evie has a brother, this works out perfectly! He is super excited to cosplay for the first time, but also really nervous. We’ve been trying to make his first costume as awesome and accurate as possible to make him feel better about walking around in it all day! Here are some progress photos:
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There has been so much work going on with this costume. So many things turning out great, so many things going on wrong. This has honestly been the most difficult costume I have made myself, and the most difficult experience of making a costume. Once she is complete, I will post the whole story in my "Characters" section so you can read all about the trials and tribulations!
At this point, we are just finishing up the jacket! This week I'll be adding some snaps to hold the cape and pauldron in place, as well as painting and finishing up the shoulder guard. Once all this is finished, we are switching over to a quick project: Jacob Frye! I'm going to be making Jacob's vest, cummerbund and tie for my Husband to wear at Fan Expo! Stay tuned for some pictures of Jacob! Bullying is never something to take lightly, and it is important to recognize it when you see it.
Bullying happens everywhere and at every age, the cosplay community is no exception to this. While I may not have personally been a victim of bullying, I have witnessed it many times and even tried to stop it, so I feel it's important to share. People normally depict bullying as something that happens to younger kids, being picked on at the playground, being chosen last for dodgeball, being shoved into lockers. But these are not always the things you need to look for. Sometimes it's the way someone is being spoken to, it could be more manipulative than outright bullying. It's the way people act around each other, putting on a face to seem like they are your friend and are trust worthy, when really...they are using you. I've heard of cosplayer's being picked on because their costume wasn't good enough, or because they are a cosplayer. People get bullied for their size and how they look as the character they chose. They are either too big to be that character or too skinny, or too white or too this or too that. If you've been a victim of bullying or know someone who has, please seek help, speak up, help those around you who are facing the same things. As a disclaimer: Being in good physical shape is NOT mandatory for cosplay, and it is subject to your own personal health and decisions on whether this is right for you.
If I have a specific cosplay that I want to wear which might be tighter or more revealing that my other costumes, it motivates me to work out more, change what I eat so I can trim down to look and feel my best in that costume. Now to be clear, just because I start exercising for a costume, doesn't mean I don't do this regularly already. I make it a habit to eat well and I aim to exercise at least 3 times a week. If I have a costume to fit into, I just push it a little bit more! Here is what my regular schedule will look like when I'm prepping myself! I get up around 6am, and at 6:30 I'll do half an hour of exercise. I will rotate between going for a jog, or doing some floor exercises and weights. But I also make sure I have a little bit of cardio to keep my heart rate up. I will do this every 2 days. I do all of this in my own home, I don't have a gym membership, and I don't plan on getting one any time soon. For food, I will make myself a protein rich breakfast such as eggs with some ham or turkey bacon, and a side of fresh fruit or cucumber or tomato. I pack a lunch which usually consists of some protein like chicken, plus some veggies and a healthy carb like Quinoa or brown rice, and I pack healthy snacks for through the day such as fresh fruit, organic peanut butter and brown rice cakes, or yogurt. Dinner is tricky in our house hold as we are always home late, so It's usually something that can be cooked quick or we bake some chicken breasts ahead of time and steam up some veggies and rice. I try my best to do clean eating most of the time, and then treat myself to some frozen banana ice cream or dark chocolate. But of course, I also really like food, and I am a complete sucker for a good pizza, or ramen etc. So I like to treat myself to eating out once in a while. The main goal is to eat 80% healthy and 20% whatever I like. But I'm also human, and I completely fall out of this pattern at times, and yes I find it hard to jump back in it. But knowing that I have a costume to fit in, and a deadline coming up gives me some good motivation to start up again. Another thing I have found that has really helped my motivation is my Fitbit! My husband and I got Fitbits for Christmas and I just love seeing how many steps I can put in during the day. I also enjoy that it reminds me to get up from my desk every hour and put in some steps. It keeps me on track and motivated to keep going! Even when I don't have a costume to wear or a convention to go to I try really hard to keep this lifestyle up, mostly for the fact that it makes me feel good about myself! It's important to look after yourself and it's always healthy to motivate yourself for something important to you, but make sure and find the best way to do this for you! Everyone is unique and has different needs. Not everyone is able to get up early to exercise, sometimes people don't even have time to exercise at all through the day, but try to take a walk at lunch or take the stairs rather than the elevator once in a while. Good luck! Hoping to make some pretty awesome costumes over the next year, but first thing is first: finish Evie Frye and then take a break. There have been so many hiccups trying to get Evie Frye done for multiple "due dates" now, that it's definitely time to wrap it up and take a mental break from costumes for a bit. Once that's over the first costume up will be Princess Zelda from Breath of the Wild 2, designed by the talented Hannah Alexander. When I saw the art nouveau drawing she had done I was absolutely hooked. I knew I had to do this regal version of a short haired Zelda. So I have already bought all of my fabric, and now I am slowly picking up the notions to go along with it. This one will be a bit challenging for me as I have to dye the fabric myself, but I'm glad I have a good teacher for this one! Next will be my original character and group cosplay of Winter. My friend and I have designed the different seasons and have been recruiting others to complete the set. The challenge with this one will be the sequins that I will be sewing on in specific designs, but it's going to be lots of fun! Finally I plan to create Lilith from Diablo 4. Lilith may or may not become a 2021 project, but we will see. On top of all this, I also plan to squeeze in a halloween costume that I've always wanted to make. Over the past few years I have felt a little lost at halloween because I don't have a costume! I know this sounds silly coming from a cosplayer, because well...I have lots of costumes! BUT I haven't had a costume specifically for Halloween in a few years, and it's starting to bum me out. So I have one planned, but it's going to stay a secret for a while :) I wish all of you the best of luck and a very creative start to the new year! Hi all!
This is just to let you all know that the blog will be on a 2 week hiatus for the holidays! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! See you in January! Life gets out of hand sometimes. Everyday we fill every moment with work, chores, social activities, hobbies and we don't leave much time for ourselves. But what does it really mean to take time for yourself? Aren't doing your hobbies, or watching tv, or spending time with friends and family taking down time?
Taking time for yourself means relaxing, listening to your body, and taking time to do nothing. Put the phone down, stop the movies and video games, put your book down, plant yourself in a comfy seat and just enjoy the fresh air, appreciate the silence. Give your body time to reset itself. Look after yourself physically. Make time to get out and exercise, even it's for 10 minutes a day. It doesn't need to be anything vigorous, even just a nice walk outside. It gives you a chance to clear your head, breathe fresh air, get your blood flowing and reset your body. This is also the best way to get all those positive chemicals moving in your brain! Next time you go out for a walk, observe how much better you feel after doing it. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Without a strong, healthy, balanced mind it is really hard to complete even the simplest of tasks. Be mindful of your surroundings and your actions. Observe the world around you. Take time for yourself to stretch, do some yoga. Meditate. All of these things will give your mind a chance to reset. Breathing exercises can be your best friend when you are stressed and overwhelmed. Be aware of what stresses you out and what your symptoms are. Stress affects everyone differently but is equally as dangerous to each of us. Take time to step away from the stressors. Put your phone away, turn off the TV, take some deep breaths, go for a walk and give yourself time to heal. How does cosplay affect my health? While cosplay is a hobby and can feel relaxing to sit down and work on that costume, it can also be extremely stressful trying to get something done on a deadline, or to a certain degree of perfection. The more intricate, the more complicated it is the more work there is to be done which can feel like a vicious never ending circle. And the closer you get to that convention you want to wear your costume to, the more you feel the pressure to be getting things completed. You may also have too many costumes planned. This can be just as stressful as trying to get one costume done on a deadline. You're not sure what you want to start, what you need to pick up. It can just be a bit too overwhelming. Don't ever let your projects get in the way of your own well being. No costume or convention is ever worth you stressing out over and causing your self mental or physical distress. It's important to be in a positive headspace when working on things, to get you excited about your costume, to feel good about what you are doing and why you are doing it. If you find that life is taking you in a negative direction, it's ok to put things away for a while and take a break. Re-group, find yourself again. There is only ever one you, and you deserve the best. I personally feel like this is where I have the most fun with cosplay. Working together with friends to get stuff done on your cosplays! You learn so much from each other, and help each other reach your end goal!
There are a few ways you can do collaborations. You can invite friends over to help you with the bigger more complicated pieces, or to help out with the nitty gritty details, but you can also out source work on your cosplay. Pieces that you may not be able to complete on your own because you don't have the skill yet. Another great way to collaborate is doing a group cosplay! Each of you picks a character from the same show/game/comic book and you work together to get your costume done! I have seen where one person will design a bunch of character outfits, and each member of the group will select one to create. Or in other cases each member will make specific pieces of a costume for the other members. There are so many ways you can collaborate on your projects! So get out there and have some fun! Cosplay commissions can be a great way to have fun and make some money on the side, but you have to have the right head space to do it.
Making a costume for someone else is always a challenge, as you'll need to set up fittings, take their measurements and make everything not only to the concept art or character they want, but also to their specific taste. It can be really fun working with a client to make a costume for them, and you'll learn a lot from the experience in customer service, sewing and fabricating skills and social skills. My personal experience having done a single commission for a friend taught me that I never wanted to do a commission again. While it was lots of fun planning and working with my friend to make the best costume possible for her, it was a lot of work, time consuming and I spent a whole year working on the commission and getting nothing done on my own costume. Even though I was happy how the costume turned out, my friend was thrilled, I found I was exhausted and frustrated at how long it took, and how little time I had to work on my own costume as well. Commissions are just not my jam. I have been approached by many people who want to "hire" me to make them a costume or sew something for them, and the answer is always a hard NO. Commissions as I said are a lot of work, so you need to be ready to dedicate all your time and effort to making that costume and making your client happy. If you aren't into making costumes for other people, but rather would like to find someone to make a costume for you, there are lots of cosplay commission sites online! You can find shops through Etsy and Facebook that make commissions, as well as stand alone websites. Just google "Cosplay Commissions" and you're set! If you've never made a commission for someone and want to try it out, I say go for it! It's always good to try things and see if they are the right fit for you! And you may find that you absolutely love it! Good luck! Group cosplays can be a lot of fun! As a group you decide on what fandom you want to dress up from and each member dresses as a character.
This gives great opportunities for photo shoots and meet and greets. I have never gotten to do a group cosplay before but always wanted to. I had planned once with friends to go as Princess Zelda and Link, but the convention we wanted to attend was happening during school exams, and the next time my friend asked me to go as a group, they didn't tell me when the convention was until the DAY OF. So needless to say it never happened. I am pleased to say that I am currently working on a group cosplay right now! But details for that will come much, much later ;) |
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