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hello! i'm finally going to an anime con and i decided to cosplay as sokka since i already have his haircut, but i'm having a problem with his clothes, his robe is so confusing! especially his belt since it fits around him without any knots. could you please help me please? thanks

If you’re talking this outfit, its actually fairly easy! The way I did it, was a blue under shirt, and then I found a tie-up tunic pattern from simplicity I believe, to make the over shirt.As for the belt, I wrapped it around myself, and then safety pinned it in the back so that it looked proper. (I was tying it at one point.)For reference, here’s a really old picture. This is the version that’s sleeveless and does not have the undershirt http://delegara.deviantart.com/art/Gagnam-Style-373953100However, the idea for the tunic is the same (the pattern I used also included sleeves, but I just bias-taped the edges to finish them off) I didn’t alter the pattern to be more accurate to the above image, but that’s not too hard (just adjust the side seam as needed, and taper it off in the front and back to make that front panel a little smaller)

I hope that helps you! Feel free to send another ask if you need more clarification!

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I would recommend Wolfe FX. It goes on super easy (just don’t drench it) and once it dries for you to be able to set it, stays on really well (just don’t get it wet because it is water based.) Removing it is super easy too!

can anyone recommend some good body paints that are more likely to go on smooth, last a few hours e.t.c? I WILL seal it, obviously, but right now snazzaroo isnt doing well at all. I’ll be cosplaying Peridot, either canon or this punky design (I have permission!) so it wont just be my face and my hands.

Thanks in advance!

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Con Survival Guide 2015

I'm thinking about doing this yearly, so that I'm able to add new things, or correct old things on the list. Until then, feel free to message me anything you think should be added or fixed! (So I'm able to get to it faster!)

All categories will be BOLDED for easy skimming, and will have points under them!

HEALTH

-Drink lots of water! Your water to pop ratio should be 2:1 and can be substituted for things like orange juice, apple juice, whole fruit smoothies, but water MUST be in there.

-Bring healthy snacks to help keep hunger under control

-Bring a few sweets to help keep energy up (but beware the crash!)

-Eat at MINIMUM 2 meals a day; Early lunch (11am) and late dinner (7-9pm) Snack between

-Get a minimum of 6 hours of sleep, max of 8

-Do not eat a minimum of 1 hour before sleep (it'll upset your tummy)

-Use the bathroom every chance you get, or follow this rule; wake up, lunch, after school, bed. This will help keep you from getting a bladder infection

-Bright yellow pee? Dehydrated. White/ very very light yellow pee? Over-hydrated. Neither are good.

-Shower 2/3 days minimum. Shower every day- recommended.

MEDICAL

-Do you have all your medication?

-Do you have a list of your medication?

-Does someone know how to give you your medication?

-Does someone know what to do if you need an ambulance?

PACKING

-Are you female? If you answered yes, pack pads, and a few tampons. (Pads are easier to use and dispose of, and have less of a chance of leakage. Keep those cosplays nice!) No, I don't care that you just had your period, do it.

-Do you have all your cosplay parts? Did you check twice? Yes? Check again.

-Pack a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, shampoo, conditioner, soap, razer, make-up remover, brush

-Going with lots of people? Divide up toiletries (but not pads. Everyone brings those. No exceptions.)

-Bring extra underwear. Just do it. Please.

-Got Pjs? Warm and cool ones?

-Change of clothes?

-Do you have your medication??

REST

-Get 6-8 hours of sleep

-Tired? Take a nap. 20 minutes (More alertness) or 1 and 30 minutes. (better memory, more alertness, recharges batteries.)

-Schedule in breaks. You need it. Even if you've just been sitting in panels, you need it.

Conventions

-Get a map. Just do it.

-Get a schedule.

-Make sure you know where the cafeteria, vendors, artist alley and info booth are. Figure out where 2 or 3 bathrooms are from there. Memorize it.

-Lost? Ask for help. Doesn't even have to be staff, stop someone who's walking the halls and ask.

-Plan out your day, figure out how to get there, enjoy

-Give yourself plenty of time to get ready, get there, find your things, and get oriented

-Do not overwhelm yourself. If things are cramped, kick something out. You'll be fine, I promise.

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Reblogging for my followers since its getting close to con-season (for a few people) Think about taking an hour out of your con-day to have a 20 minute nap and recharge those batteries!

"Take care of your body. It’s the only one you will have in this life." Quinn McDonald

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hey quick PSA for people that bind

if you’re sick with the flu, a cold, or any other respiratory virus (ie. symptoms of coughing or difficulty breathing), DONT BIND/WEAR A BINDER. even if youre getting over a sickness, its a good idea to wait a few days before bind. binding while sick with a respiratory virus can seriously damage your lungs and prevent fast recovery. especially if its winter for you right now, be careful and stay safe. 

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I would say no, and here's why;

For you, its a harmless headcanon. On paper, its a harmless headcanon. In a fanfic, its a harmless headcanon, but how are you going to pull that off in real life? What experiences do you have with being blind? Do you have a friend who would be ok with being a helper all day while you cosplay an un-canon version of a character?

What happens if you run into someone who is blind? How would they feel if your talking to them and let something slip that they might find offensive? (ie; you're really good at acting blind! are you blind? it's really hard acting blind, etc.) For the person with the disability, even if you don't mean any harm by it, including your headcanon can be extremely disrespectful or offensive to the individual.

All in all, unless you are part of that minority, it's better if you don't. Even if you are part of that minority, going around flaunting your disability, handicap or whatever you would like to call it, may be annoying or considered rude to others.

is it ok to cosplay a character who is not canonly blind but you have a headcanon that they are?

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Making a weapon glow

Alright, I’m a major WoW fanatic and I am about to purchase the Warglaives of Azzinoth, however they are actual weapons, not merely replicas. Meaning, it’s not some cheap, plastic/foam, it’s a real blade. Naturally, real sword places won’t go all out in the ultra fine and awesome detail of the game, and I’d like to alter the blade a bit…particularly the part where it’s not green and glowing.

How might I go about making it glow? I considered just lining the back of the blade with tiny LED lights and placing it’s power source in the middle of the grip…I certainly don’t want to paint it because that would be cheap. Any ideas/methods you know of that would make it look more accurate?

Here is a link to what I’m planning on buying.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item-img/Free-Shipping-High-Quality-WOW-World-of-Warcraft-Ered-ruin-Warglaive-of-Azzinoth-Sword-1-1/1199329708.html

Unfortunately, this is something I'm unsure of how to do. I'm still trying to figure it out for my Weiss prop.

However, I'll post it so my followers here can see it, reblog it to my main account and see if some friends can reblog it for help!

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Ok, so first things first, it looks like its full of static (due to the parts sticking up on the top) what I would do is take a bounce sheet, and rub it all over the wig to get rid of as much static as possible (might require a few sheets)

From there, I'd brush it out again and see how it looks. That might end up being all that it needs. If not, how heat resistant is the wig? Would you be able to straighten out some ends on a low heat setting? 

Honestly, besides a little styling (either hairspray or styling wax, maybe a little bit of trimming.) I'd say that's all that's wrong with it. Just be patient with it, as it looks like the ends are going to be the biggest concern after the static. Also, if your not sure if your wig is heat resistant, start on a low setting and try it on the end of a piece that could be easily removed if it melts. If its not heat resistant, brush it out as best you can, then use a little bit of styling wax to merge the damaged ends together. 

Hope that helped you out! Good luck!

I somehow need to turn this monster of a wig into a sleek aph Russia cosplay wig. I have a spare one kinda styled but I didn’t have to work that one much and I don’t even know where to start with this one.

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As long as you know what you're doing, its not. And the fact that you're doing a tunic will make it easier for sure.

Just make sure to measure lots and measure your torso length, shoulder length, bust, waist and hips, and make sure to note where each of those are in relation to your torso.

I’ve been thinking of trying draping to make Lucina’s tunic-thingy, because it doesn’t seem that hard, but I probably don’t realize how much work goes into it.

Is not using a pattern/drafting your own actually something that’s difficult to do?

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Unfortunately, wig caps come in one size, and you basically have to let it 'rest' to the point where it actually fits. (basically, your making the elastic weaker. Some would call this 'stretching')

I know that you've mentioned that you've worn this wig many times previously, but is there a possibility that it's being worn 'incorrectly'? Or perhaps you have the hooks done up too tight? (the elastic part that's adjustable in the wig.)

Maybe try wearing it, and adjusting the tightness of the wig on your head to see if that helps, or adjusting where its sitting on your head. I know for some of my wigs, I need to wear them quite a ways forward to keep from my head hurting, and some I need to wear right at my hairline. 

Also, bandage? Like, you had an injury bandage, or ace bandage? (If its the latter, stop. Just use wig caps and bobby pins and you'll be fine.)

Quick question for all experienced cosplayers out there.

I cosplayed Hetaoni!Italy at Shadocon yesterday and about half way through the con I had to take off my wig. (Seen here) I was in a lot of pain, it felt like a headache but the pain instantly went away when I took off my wig.

As you can see, my hair is fairly short (though still thick) and is shorter than the last time I wore that same wig+cap. I don’t know why it has started to act up now. It isn’t the wig, since as I said, I’ve worn it many times before and it’s a great quality wig. I tried taking off the bandage around my head, but it made little to no difference.

Anyone know good ways to put my hair into a wig cap? Or maybe I just need a bigger one? 

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I can walk you through an entire tutorial if that's what you really wanted haha! 

But no seriously, shoot me any questions you have, and I'll give you a detailed walk through for making it.

So I’m gonna try to make Nick a Godtier John cosplay for christmas, so if anyone has any suggestions on how I go about doing that, send them this way!

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So, because of the lighting, I don't see a lot of the make-up, so my question for you is; are you going to be outside lots? If so, I'd see if I could "over do" the make-up, so that it shows up a little better in direct sunlight. If not, maybe look up some make-up tutorials to see if there's something that you could do to look more like Elsa? 

Also, you look tired (could be a variety of things, it happens) so I'd say that if you wake up morning of, and you think you look tired, ask someone (and make sure to let them know you want an honest opinion. And I say ask, simply because you mentioned that you can be hard on yourself) and if they say that you look tired, take some concealer and try to lighten up any dark spots under your eyes (you can also find tutorials for this, so it doesn't look like you plastered make-up on)

Other than that, I think it's coming along great! I'm sure the wig will be the hardest part, so make sure to take care when you work on it! I hope you have fun being Elsa!

I have no idea why, but I feel defeated today. Like a had drank a whole bottle of redbull and now i've hit the bottom.

This is me with makeup for Elsa all done and her wig some what done. I don’t know, but just after I took, this is when the feeling came. I have over 130 people planning...

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Blonde; 

Anna- Shaman King

Izumi- Love Stage

Kida- Durarara

Rhyme- TWEWY (The World Ends With You)

Black;

Rukia- Bleach

Luffy- One Piece

Izaya- Durarara

Loveless- There's a few characters

someone give me fairly simple cosplay ideas with either short black hair or short blonde hair

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I'm SO  sorry that this is so late T.T 

It probably is the same one. She's not one to know brands or keep anything that would tell her (the only thing she remembers is where she bought it from.) So if that's the only one there, it's probably the same one, unless they got rid of one within the last year and a half.

From what I understand, the reason that the lenses turn, is because they're weighted incorrectly, and that can't really be helped, since they're not fitted for your eye. If they turn like mad, then that is an issue and you might be able to get replacements if you can prove it (which shouldn't be hard.)

has anyone used yellow cat eye lenses before? 

im looking on pinky paradise and honey color, but there are no reviews for them— 

It would be super helpful if you guys had any feedback on any lenses that you’ve used! 

thanks! 

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Ok, so here's what I did; (this is long, short form at bottom)

Everyone was generally responsible for their own cosplay. So if we were doing Naruto, and Kakashi and Naruto decided to be lazy and not get it done, it was their fault and not ours. We also have guidelines for everyone to follow in regards to making/ buying costumes (We usually look up what we're wanting them to look like, and which sites are close enough to that, just in case people cannot make costumes)

That's generally how it works for me. If, however, everyone decides "Hey, I'm good at this" and wishes to divide it up like that, then I would usually designate someone who would make sure everyone is getting things done (usually myself) and give deadlines for updates. ie;

Need to have x amount of props done by this date (2/10 props done in one month on a 5 month time-frame)

If you have a large enough group, try to divvy up responsibilities based upon experience, expenses and to more than one individual. So is everyone making their cosplays, or is that going to be given to two or more individuals? Is everyone styling their wig? Is everyone making their props?

I would attempt to get a skype chat/ everyone together and see what everyone wants to do. Everyone is responsible for their own, or everyone has certain jobs. Once you figure that out, if they want to divvy up jobs, see who is better at what/ what they can afford to do. The reason I say "afford to do" is because I usually make the props, which can get expensive. So I would make sure everyone either a) pays me ahead of time, or b) had some sort of payment schedule set up.

Then I'd go out and figure out the approximate cost per prop, and make sure everyone knows the price of their prop, and paid. I'd pay whom ever was making my costume, ect.

Another thing we would do, is divvy up jobs, figure out expenses, and then make sure that what everyone was spending was equal. So if making costumes was $500, props were $700 and wigs were $200, props wouldn't pay anyone, but costumes and wigs would have to pay props, until everyone was spending the same amount. (So add up the costs, divide by number of people, that's the cost. ie; 700+500+200= 1400/ 7 people= $200/ person)

So the way we would do that is 

3 people working props = $233/ person

2 people working costumes = $250/ person

2 people working wigs = $100/ person

So wigs would need to pay $100 each divided between costumes and props to even it out. And we would make sure everyone was ok with that BEFORE anything was purchased or started, because there was usually someone who would get mad and be like "I'm NOT paying $20/ person to five people just to get a prop and cosplay" and then we explain its either that or they switch jobs and end up paying more out of their pocket.

So in short;

Everyone makes their own and follows guidelines

Jobs are divided up

Everyone pays the same for costumes

I hope that helps and isn't too confusing...But that's generally how we (my group) works it out when doing larger group cosplays

Does anybody know the general etiquette and/or division of labor understandings for large collaborative group cosplay?

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Here's the number one thing I am going to tell you, that I want you to remember; no matter your skill level, you are going to run into things that are going to make you frustrated, mad, or just generally be difficult for you. If this happens, take a break, then come back to it, and before continuing MAKE SURE YOU LOOK AT WHAT YOU WERE WORKING ON.

The reason? You're trying to figure out what was making it so difficult, and how to fix it before you try to continue on with the piece.

Now for things that you can practice before working on your first piece;

Follow patterns

Take your time

Give yourself lots of time

Research different stitching methods (so that when you read them in the pattern, you know what it is. This'll also come in handy when you make things from scratch)

If you cannot find a pattern, research how to make it, print it off, and have it there

Measure twice, three times, four times, ten times, then once you are 110% confident with your measurements, cut.

Learn different ways to finish your cosplay via hemming

Learn different ways to finish your cosplay without hemming

Learn which is best for what fabric

If you're unsure which to use, (hemming or no hemming) ALWAYS HEM

When hemming, I recommend hemming pieces before you sew them together. This will help keep bubbles out, and help keep everything smooth

Iron before sewing/ hemming pieces together, iron after sewing/ hemming pieces, iron once everything is done (it makes everything look better)

Lots and lots of references, especially picture references!

Try out different stitches. Zig zag, straight, tight, loose. Figure out which you like best, and keep as your default (it'll make sewing that much easier.) mark it on your machine so that you know where your default is (this helps when you have small children in the house with fingers)

Best way to make ruffles; straight, loose stitch, stitch about 2 inches or so, pull at the loose end (the part that is already been stitched) to make it ruffle up, then continue sewing. Viola! Instant ruffles!

Learn how to make 'seamless' seams (you should be able to google this and get lots of results) this'll be difficult at times, but for certain cosplays, its a life saver!

So i FINALLY have my own sewing machine. (It runs and had all parts and accessories, for 40$ haha SCORE) I had been using my mom’s vintage Singer from the 1940s and that thing is just the most sour machine in the world. I needed something that was mine and had a top loading bobbin (oh my god it’s so amazing) BUT i am huge newb when it comes to sewing things with machines. I hand sewed most everything on ahri besides the front and back panels. Do any of my fellow cosplay followers have any tutorials or resources i can use to build myself up from the bottom of the sewing ladder?  I’ve labled my machine with the basics in permanent marker so i don’t forget but man this thing is kind of intimating. I have a cloak pattern i want to try in the next month for my nightingale cosplay, but i wanna do some practicing so i am comfortable with the machine. Thanks!. 

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Ok, I'm going to ask for some clarification before I answer this. Are you meaning;

Your own cosplay group, with a large number of people? Or

Two or more cosplay groups coming together for something (ie; wanting to cosplay Naruto) which ends up being a large group?

Does anybody know the general etiquette and/or division of labor understandings for large collaborative group cosplay?