Day 386

Last night, after I blogged, I worked on my Link ears a little more, messing with the makeup. I didn't get any allergic reaction today, and it's been more than 24 hours, so I plan to use them for AOD. I made them darker, since they were way too light anyway, and put more shading and highlighting. They still need a little work, but I've got over two months.

That's about it though, I haven't worked on anything. I haven't really wanted to. Just want to get out of the house.

READ MORE - Day 386

Elf Ears (Days 384 & 385)

So I tried on the elf ears that I plan to use for Link today. I'm a little worried about them, though. Most obviously, they're not accurate. While Link's ears point more outward and downward, the ears I have point upward, and they're about the same size as a normal human ear, so they don't point outward very far.

Most importantly though, they're latex. I wasn't allergic to latex when I bought them a couple of years ago. That's part of the reason I decided to try them on today, to see if I get an allergic reaction. They didn't bother me when I was wearing them. Well, the back of my ear itched at one point, but that could have easily been the wig. I freaked out when inside my ear started itching, and I couldn't scratch it. But that was just a random itch.

Anyway, I also can't hear very well out of the elf ears. They cover my entire ear and have no ear hole to hear out of. When i wear them, it sounds to me as though I have a head cold and my ears are all stuffed up. But conventions are loud anyway, and I like my quiet.. Then again, I said the exact same thing about my Chi ears, haha.

Of course, they're not the exact same color as my skin. Even with makeup on them, they're a lot lighter than my face. I'm considering using a slightly darker makeup on them to see if it matches my face a little more. I had to shade and highlight the ears with makeup to make them look more realistic as well.

The ears also don't match each-other. The left ear (the one I wear on my left) is thinner and wrinkled in weird places, and it looks like it's been cut, so the ear lobe is closer to my face than the one on the right. The left ear also doesn't have some of the structure that the right ear has, so I had to create the illusion that it did using makeup. It needs some work, but it's mostly covered by hair anyway. I also need to put makeup on the backs of the ears.

Anyway, if I do end up getting an allergic reaction, even a small one, I know of an online tutorial for making custom elf ears. They won't be as convincing or comfortable, and they probably won't stay on as well, but I'd rather take the hit than risk my health over it. Also, I'll get to make them into the exact shape I want, so they'll be more accurate at least.

READ MORE - Elf Ears (Days 384 & 385)

New Pikachu Headpiece! (Day 249)

After much deliberation (all of five minutes =O), I decided to make a new set of Pikachu ears. Originally, I tried to make the ears to put on the headpiece, but they didn't stay up. So I took an old pair of Pikachu ears and used them instead. I must say, I think it worked wonderfully =]

The ears themselves were storebought about a year ago, and came attached to a Pikachu mask hat thing. I originally took them off and put them on hair clips, but those were hard to keep on and couldn't be worn for longer than an hour without having to be readjusted.

So I ripped them off of the clips and sewed them onto a piece of yellow fleece, which I then trimmed with white lace. It's held on like a headband with a piece of elastic.

Today, I also realized that I really, really, really need to buckle down and start making Pokemon hats. I need to make 62 of them just to have the minimum of what I originally planned. I may just give in and buy all of the fabric I need for all of them at once. Ah, the money. I will miss it..

READ MORE - New Pikachu Headpiece! (Day 249)

Hideki + Chi (Day 238)

So on a whim, I re-made my Chi ears, and I may have to remake one of my remakes, haha. They're open now, with wires coming out. I guess I just wanted to do something a little different, and they're so much easier to hear out of! Plus, for some reason, I think they look cuter.

Also, finished sewing the lining into the sleeves of my boyfriend's Hideki jacket. Next, I have to do the collar, but I need more fabric for that, so the plan is to go get it tomorrow. I also made a bowtie! Yay! I'm so proud of it. I based it off of a bowtie I bough a couple of years ago, but other than that, I had no idea what I was doing. My mom thinks it's insane that I can look at something and figure out how it's sewn, usually without taking it apart. It's a gift, I suppose. Making the bowtie still took around five fricken' hours! Would have been a lot faster if I had known what I was doing more and didn't mess up big time twice. First I cut things too thin and didn't realize it until after I had sewn them, then I sewed something together backwards >_<

But I am extremely proud of my little bowtie.. That doesn't fit me.. Because it's for my boyfriend. T_T If he dumps me, I'm gonna cut him with sewing utensils. Or something. Not really. But I'd fantasize about it xD

ANYWAY, happy thoughts~! Fanime is sooo cloose! Four days away! Even though I'm only going Thursday to pick up my badge and hopefully a finalized schedule of events. Then Friday I'm going for the Dealer's Room (assuming it'll open Friday, since it closes on Saturday afternoon), but then I'm leaving, and Saturday and Sunday I'm staying overnight. But since I'm leaving for home Thursday and Friday, I'll actually have parts of those days to work on last-minute cosplay things =] So I have more time than some people.

READ MORE - Hideki + Chi (Day 238)

Cat Ears! (Days 120 & 121)

So, it turns out my closest cousin and a bunch of her friends are also going to AOD =D So I cut a deal with her friend through her. I'm giving them a discount on my home-made cat ears & bell necklaces, as long as they wear them around the con. So far, I'm getting paid $24, plus my cousin's buying Volume 1 of Chobits from me (I had an extra), and two of her friend's friends may buy ears & necklaces, so I may be making a total of $49 =O Almost enough for the rest of Fanime! Yay!

So I've just been working on making ears and necklaces, I haven't worked much on my own stuff, heh.

If anyone's interested in buying at AOD, I don't have a booth, but you can find me, I'll just be selling out of my backpack xD (Not sure on the legality of that... >_> Hush..)

READ MORE - Cat Ears! (Days 120 & 121)

Ammy's Wings & Chi's Ears (Day Eighty-Six)

I always forget how time-consuming Ammy was. I like to think it's similar to the fact that women have hormones that make them forget how horrible their pregnancy was after they had the baby. After I stop working on Ammy and wear her to a convention, I completely forget exactly how much time, money, and effort she took.

I spent three or so hours on Amaterasu's shoulder wings today, and I only covered one wing with fur, plus a couple of minor things. Although I do want to say again how thankful I am for this blog, both to my starting it and to my readers. If it weren't for my strange yet extremely strong desire to post something, I probably wouldn't work on my costumes until a week or so before their debut. Then today's setback with Ammy's wings would've been a big deal. It turns out that the wings are too heavy and need more than just the one arm band I have to hold them up. So I figured out how to fashion new arm bands that will be attached to the wings in addition to the ones I already have. The new bands won't be as visible though, so the overall look will stay the same.


In addition to all of that, I finally got fed up with waiting to buy a headband to put Chi's ears on, so I improvised. I used elastic, the same kind I used on the back of my mask, and made essentially a headband. I'm not thrilled with it, but it works very well and actually gives the ears a better shape, I think. I may tweak them a bit more, but if for some reason I run out of time or something, they're definitely usable. I also attempted to give them a metallic shine by painting them with an opaque silver paint. However, that may have only made them look dirty. I'll see when they look like tomorrow and go from there. If all else fails, I'll just paint over them with white paint and seal them. The sealant should give enough of a shine.

READ MORE - Ammy's Wings & Chi's Ears (Day Eighty-Six)

Chi's Ears (Day Fifty-Four)

I like how "Chi's" sounds like "cheese" =] It amuses me all the time..

Anyway, Chi's ears are harder to make than I thought they'd be. The pink and white parts just don't want to fit together. And there wasn't enough foam to make the pink pieces long enough to go from the tip of the ear to lay flat against my head. In addition to all of that, 'm having trouble getting them to be the right shape. I'm hoping to finish them tonight, but who knows. I could be at this for weeks.

After they're built, I have some almost-clear silver paint that I may put over them to make them look more metallic, as they should be.

READ MORE - Chi's Ears (Day Fifty-Four)