So things might be a little confusing here on Patreon for a while simply because I'm going to be working on multiple projects at once! This particular project is The Big One. I'll be working on this on and off for the next few months, interspersing it with smaller, fun projects for when I get bored with too much hand sewing or painting. What is this costume, you ask? Why, it's the Water Sprite Barbie! *fanfare* This particular Signature Barbie is from the Faraway Forest collection, a set of mystical fantasy-inspired Barbies that even come with a cute little fantasy story. I highly recommend checking out the rest of the collection, as they're beautifully designed! This project is a huge undertaking! It involves intense wigwork, a new (to me) armor creation technique, my first corset & undergarments, and sequin fabrics that I've never worked with before! It's been a while since I truly pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and I'm ready to hop back into the fray. Break it downI have a bit of a confession to make: I was supposed to start this costume about this time last year. But, as many of you can attest, Katara took far longer for me to complete than I anticipated. I've learned my lesson (sure, Ginny) and I'm giving myself a full five months to construct the costume from start to finish. The first part of that is, of course, the planning. I've had a full year to plan, and I believe I have a pretty good method of attacking every little bit of this costume. Step one? Break the costume down into its components.I came up with five major elements:
If this costume had a single word to express it, the word would be “sparkle”. I looked for ways to make every single element reflect light in as many different ways as possible to make it look like I were stepping out of the water in the midday sun. You thought Katara was like a crashing wave? HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS. DressI planned the dress as two separate pieces because I will be using two different sets of shoes for this costume, one pair of 7” tall Death Heels™ and a pair of flats. I want to be able to raise and lower the skirt to the correct height above the ground, regardless of the height of the shoes I choose to wear. First of all, I'm planning to make my very first underbust corset to act as a base for all of these pieces! The skirt is going to be so heavy that it will drastically need the structure. Plus... Barbie has a curvier figure than I do! I have a nice basic utility fabric I plan to make the corset out of. I'll be lining it with a soft cotton featuring beautiful Disney princesses! I also purchased several yards of 1/2" spiral steel and 1/2" spring steel boing from corsetmaking.com.
Then… accomplished seamstresses in the cosplay and fantasy community started using this beautiful fabric.
Armor As you may well know, I primarily craft with foam when it comes to armor. I used Worbla to make a breastplate ONCE and it was one of the worst crafting experiences of my life. Plus, it’s incredibly expensive and just overall not worth the struggle for me. VIVE LA FOAM! The bracers, headdress, and necklace will all be a 4mm foam base. The bracers will zip up because I’m obsessed with that method of closure now. The headdress is going to use combs, or attach via some sort of magnet or elastic headband underneath the wig. The method will almost certainly depend on the weight of the crown once it’s done! The details will all be added via hot glue casting as well as dremeled and sculpted foam bits. The whole thing will be sealed with XTC-3D.
Wig
Accessories
Planning Complete!Well, I've obviously bit off more than I can chew. But you know what? That's what makes cosplay so darn fun. Challenging yourself to learn new things, work with strange materials, and really push the boundaries of your own skill and knowledge. I'm so excited to tackle this whole project!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Ginny Liz StorytimeEntirely too much rambling about costumes, but if that's your thing... Archives
October 2018
Categories
All
|