illiara of CatParade!

San Diego Comic Con 2009

nobody@vox.com(illiara) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:46:01 -0800

Since I have been absent for.... far too long..... it's time for a quick costume update before I begin costume blogging again.

SDCC 09 - The Pro

TGG - The Pro

SDCC09 - Rockzo's Dancer

San Diego Comic Con 2009

SDCC09 - Metalocalypse

A Complicated Romance

SDCC09 - Street Fighter Swimwear

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San Diego Comic Con 2009 - Line Up

nobody@vox.com(illiara) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:33:12 -0700

SDCC09 Costume Lineup

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w3rd Up, Milky Way!!!

nobody@vox.com(illiara) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:02:00 -0700

Xylem Xixa

Xixa has been completed and shot for over a month now! Exceedingly sorry for the delay, but I've been moving (yes *again* I know) among other shenanigans. rest assured I will be constantly updating progress now that I have a decent living situation and the internet at home (not to mention a functioning camera!). At ANY rate! Here are a few shots from our Xixa extravaganza! Mostly behind the scenes stuff though. I will be posting more final edits SOON!

Xixa: behind the scenes BEFORE SHOOT

Mmrrmrmppfffff

Xixa & Pink

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Xylem Xixa (Dadward) - boots

nobody@vox.com(illiara) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:11:34 -0700

Xylem Xixa

Remaining Tasks

Xixa_and_Pink_by_Dadward

Prosthetics (85%)

Ears (100%)
Earrings (100%)
Contacts (100%)
Claws (100%)
Tail (95%)
Antenna

Arm Warmers (95%)

Boots (75%)

Bodysuit

So the shoot got pushed back until this upcoming Sunday due to our photographer being wiped out from his NY trip. I was also glad for this because while I could have busted my ass completing the costume in time, I know have an additional week. Yay! Okay, let's tackle those boots!

WIP - Xixa (boot shape)

Even after deciding to use my plats instead of go-go boots, I still had a lot of reshaping to do! First I wrapped the boots with a sturdy felt-based interfacing and held it in the desired shape with heaps of tape! Not too pretty, but it works! I then carefully pinned the interfacing and sewed it in place.

Next I had to permanently adhere the new shape to the boot. I tried using some Fabri-tac because it was there, but had no real hope of it working. It predictably did not work so I then turned to Gorilla Glue, which is AWESOME but expands like crazy. After carefully aligning my foam shape, I glued it on and held it down with some lamps and other heavy shit I found lying about my room. A few hours later and it was dry! A few snips to remove any excess fabric and I'm good to cover them with the finalized leg warmers!

WIP - Xixa (tail)

While waiting for the glue to try I tackled the tail. I was *about* to begin mixing dyes when I happened to glance at my rounder rack and was stoked to see that my Golden Girl's Marathon Party Old Lady Gear was the *perfect* color to match Xixa's skin. Not wanting to hack up my posh ass granny jumper, I instead removed the shoulder pads (a necessary sacrifice) to be utilized as Xixa's tail. Since 80's shoulder pads have a minimum of 2" thick foam, I didn't have to worry about how to maintain shape AT ALL. I simply determined my shape, sewed it up, cut off the excess fabric, flipped it right side out and ready for paint!

WIP - Xixa (paint test FAIL)

As it turns out, the paint I bought from the Fashion District was janky as hell. It more closely resembled *clay* than paint... I tried (in vain) to paint Xixa's purple freckles on the extra shoulder pad. I had to fish out the paint with the back end of a paint brush and mash it into the thread fiber in hopes of it sticking. It crumbled off... LOL!

WIP - Xixa (paint test)

Rooting around in my paint drawer I discovered I had a purple container of So Soft Fabric Paint. Yus! I again tested the paint on the additional shoulder pad and was pretty please with the outcome, but I still think it's too dark. Ho hum. I have to go to Michael's anyway so I'll keep an eye out for a better paint.

More work to be done tonight! Imma have this done in no time!

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Xylem Xixa (Dadward) - Sleeves and Wrapping

nobody@vox.com(illiara) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:04:28 -0700

Xylem Xixa

Remaining Tasks

Xixa_and_Pink_by_Dadward

Prosthetics (50%)

Ears (100%)
Earrings (100%)
Contacts (100%)
Antenna
Claws
Tail

Arm Warmers (95%)

Boots (50%)

Bodysuit

Almost ready to cross Xixa's arm warmers off of my list and I am loving how they are coming along! This weekend I plan on taking a huge dent out of my task list. There will be a lot of experimental dye mixing to get that perfect tail hue. :) The arm warmers should be done 100% by this weekend and I anticipate the completion of the boots as well. I'm hoping to have the majority of bodysuit completed by this weekend (I'm still trying to figure out a way to avoid using closures. Hmmmmmm......), which leaves me with a week for attending to details.

Xixa Sleeve

First I carefully drafted a pattern using muslin, taking great pains to make sure the points at the end were just right as well as the curve around the back of the wrist. Xixa's sleeves begin below her elbow, which generally is what holds them up so I had to make sure the fit was fairly tight. I then marked off where the wrapping would go and cut my final piece out of my white vinyl. Next came the construction of the wrapping itself. I cut ten 10.5"x3" strips of vinyl and used Fabri-tac to secure a fold of 1" for all of the strips (thanks Gray's Anatomy for acting as a weight). Once this had dried I folded over the remaining inch into a glue line once again secured as it dried to ensure no bubbling. I could have sewed these shut much quicker, but was looking for a seamless finish, which is why I also chose to also glue them to the sleeves rather than sew. All I have to do now is paint the power switch on and sew up the inseam!

For the boots I did the exact same method for the wrapping except the measurements were 15.5"x3" to accommodate my calf, which is decidedly beefier than my forearm. I started out using my white vinyl go-go boots as a base for construction. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but much like my Dethklown boots, I scrapped em at the last second instead opting to forever alter my beloved white plats. Ho hum. I figure it's worth the sacrifice though because I'll have unique kickass boots at the end of this and can always buy another pair of white plats later on. Not like I wear them too frequently ANYWAY. The shape fit better and I wouldn't have to deal with filling the gap that the heel creates. I got some batting and wrapped the plats to make them more conical and without a, uh, foot shape (Xixa's feet are apparently made for stampeding). Next came the muslin draft of the boot cover pre-marked to take in account wrapping space. Tonight I'll be cutting my vinyl draft and gluing down the wrapping to the final cut. Next step is adhering it to the boot itself!

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Xylem Xixa (Dadward) - a new beginning

nobody@vox.com(illiara) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:52:28 -0700

Xylem Xixa

Remaining Tasks

Xixa_and_Pink_by_Dadward

Prosthetics (50%)

Ears (100%)
Earrings (100%)
Contacts (100%)
Antenna
Claws
Tail

Arm Warmers (25%)
Bodysuit
Boots

I was approached by the artist of these awesome characters to bring to live, Xixa, his plant-based alien girl. Dadward, the artist, will be illustrating the tentacle pal, Pink, into the pictures after the shoot. I couldn't be more excited!

Last weekend I did the bulk of my supply shopping. I picked up a few different dyes to get Xixa's skin tone perfect. I'm going to have to play chemist a bit to ensure the match, but I am confident that I can do it. I should clarify... the skin itself is going to be airbrushed on entirely, the dyes are for replicating the skin tone for the antenna and tail. The fabric I decided to go for was a white vinyl. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a decent 4-way stretch last weekend and ended up settling for a 2-way stretch instead. I am still very happy with the quality of fabric I got, I'm just going to have to be *that* much more careful with my measurements.

Seasons_Greetings_from_Xylem_by_Dadward

Last night I drafted out a pattern for her arm warmers and made the final cuts out of the vinyl. I'm cutting strips of vinyl tonight to place and layer for the wrapped effect she has at the top of each sleeve and boot. I expect this to be finished tonight and I can start painting the power button on the sleeves before stitching them up and being done. I think I'm going to knock the boots out tonight as well so I can spend the bulk of my time on the bodysuit and finishing up my prosthetics. Our shoot date is set for May 2nd and I have a bit of work to do still before then, but so long as I remain diligent I don't think there will be any stress in getting this done.

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Brief Update

nobody@vox.com(illiara) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:21:07 -0700

Wow! It's been entirely TOO LONG since I updated. I'm going to officially kick this back into gear! To start, here is a brief photo update (to be followed by an actual post).

Street Fighter - Delta Cammy

Catgirl Samurai

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SDCC08 (DAY ONE - THURSDAY)

nobody@vox.com(illiara) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:36:36 -0700

Badass McAwesome

The rush of Comic Con has passed and Downtown San Diego can start working on dispersing the noxious funk of pungent fanboy left in its wake. TheGamerGirls.com and I went to SDCC this year to wreak havoc and horde fandom. Wednesday night I was to meet up with Heatherling and TheBatman after work; I finish my packing only to discover that my luggage (roughly the size of 8 children’s torsos) cannot possibly be strapped safely to the back of my motorcycle. Annisse was kind enough to bring my luggage with me in her car the following day so I grabbed Thursday’s costume (Delta Cammy) and headed down to San Diego at around midnight. As uneventful as the ride was, it was the most fun I have had on a stretch of freeway for a long time. There was absolutely no traffic and I was able to get my bike up to 120mph for the first time.

Pikachu! <3

The following day we donned our street clothes and grabbed our badges; it would still be quite some time before Annisse would be arriving and we had a vendor’s hall to scour! Inside the vendor’s hall we found no shortage of action figures, trading cards, books, clothes, and general Con Swag. Not as many cosplayers as at Anime Expo, but the ones that we saw I was impressed with. Poor Annisse ended up getting stuck behind an exploding truck of some sort and got held up in traffic for over 6 hours! It is then that I realize I am missing costume pieces that are likely in her car so I had to call and cancel meting up with G4 that day. Booooo.

Later that night Heatherling and I were to meet ShadowLadyChun-li at a party that G4 was throwing in collaboration with StrangeCo. Featuring The Wonder Women of America, who released their book of cosplayers this year. Since we were in the book, we wanted to come and celebrate with Ruth and Russell (who put out the book), but it was so crowded there wasn’t any room to raise your glass to your lips let alone socialize. It was also discovered that the bar, which we understood was an open bar, was charging $8+ for drinks so we left after the first round.

Wonder Women of America

Heatherling and I found ourselves hanging out with EuroBeatKing for a quick photoshoot of our Faye and Ed costumes around the Hyatt. After which we took a taxi to Annisse and DaBun’s hotel having failed at procuring any more liquor for the night. Eric and TheBatman are with LeavingHope drinking at a topless bar down the street during this whole time. Now let’s fast forward to 3am where we approach our slightly ajar hotel door and find a single Sukiyaki Western Django playing card sticking out of the key slot. Not knowing quite what to expect we push the door open and are showered with no less than 4 packs worth of cards. Blinking in the darkness we see Eric and TheBatman curled up together sleeping in the bed furthest from us. In unison they lurch forward and douse us with the Sukiyaki Western Django water pistols that had accompanied the playing cards. OF COURSE a full on battle ensues. At least 20 packs of cards are strewn about the room and are exploding in bursts against headboards and walls while the four of us attempt to mutilate our offenders and stay at least a little bit dry. In the end we came to a truce and called it a night. What wonders does day 2 hold?! You’ll have to wait for the next blog to find out. :P

Sukiyaki Western Django BATTLE!

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Anime, Comics, and Cosplay! Oh my!

nobody@vox.com(illiara) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:58:57 -0700

Street Fighter - Cammy White

Anime Expo 2008 was by far the most fun that I have had at a convention since 2003. I decided to go it alone that year figuring I would run into someone eventually, which was apparently the right decision. Fluffy was there working as Merch Manager and I was able to crash with him and hang out for a bit (although not as much as I would have liked, but oh wells... he was busy). I ended up running into some old friends from Sacramento that I hadn't seen in ages. I also had the chance to meet up with some new friends that I had previously only known online.

I entered the karaoke contest this year, but was *totally* unprepared. I ended up having no time to memorize lyrics so tried speed memorizing them and surprised myself by remembering more of Love Hina than Noir, but I digress. For the preliminary round I sang "Broken My Heart" from DDR dressed as Alice. For the semifinals I sang "Copellia No Hitsugi" from Noir dressed as Mirielle Bouquet. This song I ended up faking 1/2 the lyrics cause I went completely RETARDED on stage, but apparently it was enough to advance me to finals where I sang "Sakura Saku" from Love Hina dressed in an original design. I was shocked that I nailed all of these lyrics considering that I didn't know them much at all 24 hours prior. Aaaaaaaaaand (drum roll please) I placed 4th and took home about 5 DVDs, a CD, shirt, hat, and some Naruto figurines that I gave to the 1st well dressed Narutard that I saw. XD

Cowboy Bebop - Faye Valentine

LACC was probably the best venue for AX. I *know* that all of the Anaheim Nostalgia Junkies will be stomping their feet at this, but it's true. There was no need to travel to multiple buildings for different events as LACC is large enough to accommodate ALL AX activities. The after con entertainment around that area is fantastic seeing as it is Downtown LA not to mention the great selection of places to eat. Since the hotels were a bit of a walk they provided a shuttle service to the surrounding hotels all weekend. All in all I rate the LACC as a 9. My only gripe is the seeming unavailability of shooting locations. Ho hum. Maybe I didn't look hard enough. But OMFG *so* many good cosplayers this year. I was blown away by the overall quality of the cosplayers this year. Well done everyone!

The San Diego Comic Con is in a few days and I cannot wait to go! It will be a record breaking year for TGG attendees as well as the epic debut of season 2 of GGTV. This is my 1st year at Comic Con where I will be free to run amok and I have the best people to do it with. Each day will feature a different costume. My cosplay line up looks a bit like this:

Thursday: Cammy White (Delta Red Version) - Street Fighter
Friday: Faye Valentine - Cowboy Bebop
Saturday: Cammy White (Alpha Version) - Street Fighter
Sunday: Mirielle Bouquet - Noir

Thursday is going to be a pretty big day for me. From 3pm-7pm I will be with G4TV and starting at 9pm is a party with G4 and The Wonder Women of America, whose cosplay book is being released this year. My friend, Ivy, and I are in it so I can't wait to check it out! We got to invite one guest and I chose Heather, who will be making her cosplay debut as Kirika of Noir. Woo hoo!

My one major disappointment is not being able to finish my Tandem Twin catgirl in time, which means I will not be cosplaying with Annisse. T_T Oh well. Maybe next year. I also had to push back my Emma Frost, but next year it is happening for real!

ANYONE GOING TO COMIC CON FEEL FREE TO HIT ME UP SO WE CAN HANGOUT. :)

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TRAGEDY!!!

nobody@vox.com(illiara) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:49:24 -0700

Wow... so.... a DOUBLE tragedy has occurred. First and foremost while cleaning my newest skirt design with my generally handy steamer, I melted the vinyl panels of the skirt. T_T It has this gnarly faded white patchwork on it now, which is totally lame in every regard. I *would* post pictures of this, but tragedy number *two* occurred when taking a picture of a prop for reference at work and my flash bulb EXPLODED! My camera is pretty much useless now. Oh wells, it was pretty cheap to begin with. -_-

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