nohriannovices-blog

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If anyone is curious, this is the full Camilla cosplay I debuted at ACEN 2017!

My Instagram is @ belladonna.black , so feel free to check out everything there!

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Advice for the Newer & Nervous Cosplayer

You’re about to attend your first con, and sure, you’re nervous! You may think your cosplay isn’t good, or something’s off, but here are some tips to make your first con a blast. From the Novice of Nohr to you, here’s how I survived my first con!

1. Be confident.

For a convention nerd, being confident and sure of yourself is a good thing. Your first cosplay isn’t always going to be the best, but just remember, everyone ALWAYS looks good in cosplay. And don’t be afraid to talk to someone - if they seem nice, and they’re not making you uncomfortable, you can always make a new friend.

2. You Have the Right to Say NO!

If someone is pressing you for a picture, or something else, and you don’t like that, you can say no and ALWAYS tell con staff. They’re there to keep you safe and happy - don’t let anyone ruin your experience.

3. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t cosplay!

If you want to cosplay, YOU cosplay. Do not let anyone tell you that you can’t cosplay a character because you don’t have the same skin tone, or you don’t have the right body type. Cosplay what you like, sweetheart. It’s not about anyone else but you.

4. You don’t have to go alone.

If you’re scared about being alone, it’s always fun to travel in groups. If you don’t have friends who cosplay, you can always try and get a sibling or cousin involved. You don’t have to cosplay from the same show, and they don’t even have to cosplay. Bonus, if you see people in the same fandom, you can always try to make friends with them and travel with them! Photoshoots are a really nice place to meet people in your fandom if you feel up to it, by the way.

5. Be courteous to other cosplayers.

Being loud and bothersome at a con is a good way to get yourself in trouble. Always be courteous of others; if you see someone struggling to get by with a prop, ask some people to let them through. If someone drops a wallet, give it back to them. Just be aware of your surroundings and be kind.

6. Make sure to eat, drink, and take breaks.

Keeping hydrated, full, and comfortable is a key thing for any cosplayer. Always try to locate a restaurant in walking distance, carry snacks on you, and if you’re feeling worn out, you can retire to YOUR OWN HOTEL ROOM or find somewhere to sit for a while. Never go into someone’s hotel room who you don’t know, even if you’re hurting. Stay in public view.

7. If you’re over 21, never accept drinks from strangers.

I was hoping this would be common knowledge, but it happens a lot. If you’re at a con and getting buzzed, bring someone with you and NEVER accept any drinks from strangers. Drugging happens, and you never know what could happen after you lose control.

8. Regard Convention rules.

Always look over your conventions rules, so you don’t get in trouble for something minor!

Final Rule - Be careful.

You never know who’s out there. Keep watch of your surroundings, and if something doesn’t seem right, make note of it or tell someone. No one would want you guys getting hurt, including me. So please, PLEASE, be careful; but enjoy yourself, too.

This concludes my advice for the newer crowd - if you have any other questions, don’t be afraid to get in contact with me! I’m here to help you.

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Camilla’s Leg Armor (Written Tutorial)

A bit blurry, but this is what my leg armor looks currently. I’m touching it up, but this a basic tutorial on how I did mine.

Mine attached with velcro at the back, since my foam didn’t wrap completely around the leg enough for it to be a boot.

You Will Need:

• 3-4 black sheets of craft foam.

• Black metallic paint.

• 2 pieces of gold/glitter craft foam.

• Strips of velcro (recommend black, use whatever is available).

• Hot Glue

• Some sort of stretchable and durable purple fabric.

You’re going to want to start with some regular, black craft foam. You want it to be thick, since you’ll be moving your legs around a lot. Paint it with a metallic black paint, and then after that dries, paint on her leg details with gold paint.

After that dries, measure your craft foam to a little under your knee - I didn’t want mine to connect in the back so I could easily take it off, but if you want yours to, I’d suggest velcro to help you out.

Glue velcro onto the spots where you want your piece to connect, and try them on for fit. Walk a bit, and make any adjustments if you need too. I also added a strap on the back so my legs wouldn’t pop out of the back, but if yours is closed, this won’t be necessary.

Take some gold and cut it into the shape of Camilla’s top armor piece. Glue it on and secure it. Walk around and make any adjustments necessary.

Cut pieces of purple fabric to fit around her sock-like pieces. Glue the ends over to make it stand, and glue it to the inside of the boot. Check for fit.

For her claw-like pieces, I cut 2 side pieces, connected them at the bottom, then made a little top piece to put in-between the two. I made 6, glued them onto boots; booyah, you’re ready to rock the footwear of a Nohrian Princess!

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Camilla’s Bodice (Tutorial)

Hello! This is a tutorial on how I made my Camilla bodice for my FEF cosplay.

What you will need:

• Black Craft Foam (choose your size, recommend 4mm)

• Masking Tape

• Plastic Wrap

• Gold Ribbon

• Hot Glue

• Golden Craft Foam (2mm+ will work fine.) 

• If your bodice doesn’t connect at the back, you can use a corset and sew/hot glue it. I had to.

• If yours fits, you’ll want a piece of felt to connect the back pieces and a zipper in black.

• Hair Dryer/ Heat Gun.

• Black Metallic Paint

Start by wrapping yourself in a few layers of plastic wrap, and comfortably wrap the masking tape around the layers. Make sure you can bend over and breathe, because this will be your pattern.

After that step is done, draw out your pattern on the masking tape. My mother helped me with this step, so don’t be afraid to ask for help! 

Cut the bodice off of you, down the spot where you want it to connect. I obviously did mine down the back, of course.

Cut out your pattern, and add pieces of masking tape where pieces will connect. You want to add the masking tape to the pieces that will connect so your bodice doesn’t get smaller when you piece it together.

Create cups for your boobs by taking a bra that fits you and putting masking tape over the top, and down the sides to make sure it will attach to the bodice. Mine didn’t really work out, since I didn’t have a heat gun to shape my foam to my chest.

Cut your pieces out of foam, paint them, assemble them, and then add your minor details.

You want to cut out your pieces and glue each side piece to the middle; some say not to glue your side pieces together, but I did. For the hip piece on the bottom, I just attached two pieces of foam on an angle and glued them together. If you find a cleaner way to do this, all power to you. Paint your pieces now with either metallic spray paint, or metallic acrylic paint. I don’t have any recommendations, so try to find a color you like best. Cut out your ribbon and attach it where need be. **For the cups, I didn’t have a heat gun, but if you do, find a bowl about your cup size and slowly heat up the foam, molding it to your cup size.

If your pieces meet nicely at the back, you can sew a zipper into some felt and attach the back pieces to the felt. You can also glue your bra into the corset, so you don’t have to wear anything under.

If yours doesn’t, you’ll have to find a corset that fits you and either sew or glue the foam to it - I found one at Savers for about 3 dollars, and I first tried to attach it by sewing it on - that didn’t really work, so I turned to wearing a few layers under the corset to block the glue, and gluing the entire thing securely onto a corset. Since I had a corset, I didn’t need to glue a bra in, but I still did anyway.

This is how mine fit when I was done, so unless you want to add any minor details, you’re finished! Good luck!