#Comic Con At Home Masquerade | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wonderconathome · 3 years

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WonderCon@Home announces the winners of the 2021 Masquerade Costume Competition

Note that some winners are credited only by Tumblr accounts:

Best In Show: “Astra: Queen of the Frostborn”, a light-enhanced original design crafted by The Queen’s Armory.

Judges’ Choice: “Elphaba Act II Gown” from the Broadway musical Wicked, re-created in every detail by Shane Chandler (ShaneChandlerCostume).

Best Re-Creation: “The Ugly Stepsisters” A 2-person historical re-creation from Disney’s animated Cinderella, crafted by Devon Baker and Carrie-Lea Hoch (Komickrazi).

Best Original Design: “Cheshire Cat”, an original design inspired by Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, designed and made by Nina London Cosplay.

Best Workmanship: “The Ur-Dragon” inspired by card art of the Magic: The Gathering game. Crafted by Kensadi Cosplay.

Best Presentation: “This Is Quarantine” a 2-person re-creation from The Nightmare Before Christmas, imitating famous paintings, crafted by Perditas Wardrobe.

Most Humorous: “The Infinity Gauntlet” An original design inspired by Avengers: Endgame, crafted by Adolfo “Ariel” Estandarte, (Ariel004).

The above winners will receive WonderCon@Home trophies, plus free attendee badges to WonderCon Anaheim 2022. Also, the Best in Show winner Astra: Queen of the Frostborn will receive $500 in cash from Frank and Son Collectible Show, of the City of Industry, California.

Honorable Mentions:

Each of the 3 judges had a costume they liked very much but did not win. Here then they are:

“Oscar François de Jarjayes from The Rose of Versailles”, a re-creation from a Japanese shōjo manga series, and crafted by Yugiri315.

“Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”, re-created by Emily G. (GeekyGirlFashions).

“End Game Ironman” re-created from Avengers: Endgame, crafted by Capt Cash.

WonderCon gives a big thank-you to the contestants for all their work, to the guest judges for their time and expertise, to the Foglio’s for being our Masters of Ceremonies, and to Frank and Son Collectible Show for their generous support of the event!

Meet your 2021 WonderCon@Home Masquerade Judges:

Jennifer May Nickel

"What makes the art of Costume Design so thrilling is the opportunity to help tell a story and bring characters to life."

Jennifer May Nickel is a Costume Designer for Television and Film. For television, Jennifer’s Costume Design credits include Neflix’s Cabin with Bert Kreischer and Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis, the CW’s Containment, Fox’s What Just Happened??! with Fred Savage, Syfy's TV movie Miami Magma, the History Channel’s Legend of the Superstition Mountains, TLC’s TV movie The Secret Santa and Nickelodeon’s The Massively Mixed-Up Middle School Mystery.

Classically trained in theatre, Jennifer holds an MFA in Costume Design from Carnegie Mellon University and also studied in England at Oxford University (St. Edmund’s College: Myth and Ritual in Theatre). A proud member of the Costume Designers’ Guild Jennifer has won the Elizabeth Schrader Kimberly Costume Design Award, The Cecilia Cohen Award for Excellence in Theatre and The WCDAC Achievement Award.

Her more extensive bio can be found on IMDb.

Gigi “Fast Elk” Bannister

SFX Artist, Director, Producer, Actor, Director, Gigi "Fast Elk" Bannister (formerly Porter) has been in the film industry for over 35 years. Better known for her practical special effects and production work, Gigi is comfortable on both sides of the camera. She's appeared in over a dozen films and television shows, and is a popular guest at horror conventions, film festivals, workshops and seminars. For several years she has donated time at San Diego Comic-Cons to assist Masquerade contestants with their special effects make-up needs.

Gigi is credited as a Producer on Don Coscarelli and David Hartman's "Phantasm V: Ravager" (2016) and Steve King's "One For the Road" (2011) (Night Shift Anthology). As a character actor, she's appeared in "Bloody Bloody Bible Camp" (2011), "Carnies" (2009), in "Small Town Saturday Night" (2009) (with Chris Pine, John Hawkes, Reggie Bannister, and Perry Anzilotti), and again in Don Coscarelli's "Bubba Ho-Tep" (2002) (Bruce Campbell, Reggie Bannister and Ozzie Davis), and many more. She has produced and directed on numerous projects including dozens of live events, fundraisers and seminars, six independent feature films, and six shows for television.

More information on Gigi can be found on IMDb.

Allan Lavigne

Costumer, make-up special effects artist, sculptor, and [MJ1] painter with 40+years with credits from Lucasfilm, Sony Pictures, Disney, and more, his costume fabrication work has been exhibited around the world in museums, film premieres and numerous conventions. His Bronze Armory studio is in the San Francisco Bay Area where he creates, lectures, and teaches. His newest exhibit of screen-accurate motion picture and television costume reproductions “The Batman Armory” will be re-opening soon at the San Francisco Cartoon Museum, requested by Warner Brothers to promote the new Batman encyclopedia: Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Films and Beyond which Allan was technical advisor for. Formerly a top winner for many years in fan costuming at many conventions, including San Diego Comic-Con, he brings with him great insight from having learned and honed his costume skills as a contestant himself.

Additional information about Allan’s work can be found at https://thebronzearmory.com

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fandom · 4 years

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2020 Masquerade Costume Competition Winners

This just in from Comic-Con@Home (@comicconathome): The winners of the 2020 Masquerade Costume Competition, as chosen by the Comic-Con@Home judges!

Feast your eyes on these cosplayers:

Best in Show

Astra, Queen of the Frostborn

An Original Design crafted by Sarah Kruger (@queenofthefrostborn) “The Frostborn are a people, beings made of that frost, that fog, that cold and mystery. Their queen is strong as ice, and just as beautiful. Astra. As her story came to me, playing out in my head, I knew that I had to make her real.”

Judges’ Choice

Cinderella With a Twist

An Original Design by Mandy Pursey, with Ryan Pursey (@bethesparkcosplay) “Growing up as an arm amputee, I dreamed of the day when fairy tales would include characters who looked like me too! I came up with the idea of Cinderella trading out her glass slippers for a glass arm, and set to work making this story come to life.”

Best Re-Creation

Iron Mask 85, Avengers: Endgame

Made by Frank P. (@franklybuilt) “My late father took me to see the first Iron man in 2008 when I was about 16 years old and ever since then I’ve been hooked on the MCU and specifically Iron Man. I always dreamed of having my own armor. I mean what kid wouldn’t? But it was always this impractical goal and I had no idea how to use EVA foam or Papercraft. Years went by and eventually, I felt it was time to try my hand at a Cosplay after watching Avengers Endgame and being blown away with the MK85 Armor! It was time to make my first Cosplay. Enter 3D Printing.”

Best Original Design

ACK! The Kenku Monk

Designed and made by Breanne Cremean (@thegeekstresscos) “Ack! is a part of an amnesia Dungeons and Dragons campaign and has no memory of her past. She chose her name because it’s the first sound she can remember anyone making in reference to her.”

Best Workmanship (A tie!)

Mercy (Classic Skin), from the Overwatch game

Made by Birdy Cosplay (@birdy-cosplay) “Costume is made by me, the only purchased parts are the yellow wing parts (I ordered them already in this shape) and the wig (I styled it myself, but bought the base from Arda Wigs). It was my biggest project so far and it took around 9 months with some short breaks to complete it.”

Best Workmanship (A tie!)

Arturia Pendragon, from the anime & game Fate/stay night

Crafted by Daniella Lo Presti (@ksfabricartist) “I created this costume in order to bring to life this character in a realistic way. To replicate the skirt embroidery I deconstructed and pieced back together with different types of lace and I used several layers of cloth so that, when twirling, the gown would open up like a flower. Indeed, in Fate Zero, Arturia is described as being the flower of the battlefields.”

These cosplay costumes were so good, a photo can’t capture them. You need to click through to see the original video in all its glory!

Best Presentation

“Ready to Fight!!”

Consisting of assorted recreations, from Noe Ernesto Cruz Vargas (@lobisonx9) “In this video, I show most of the cosplay that I have done for several years, in the pure gamer style. It has been a lot of creative work, use of many materials and hours and hours of work. We have an altruistic group in Mexico, we visit children’s hospitals, orphanages, children with cancer, etc.”

Most Humorous

Sally, from The Nightmare Before Christmas

Crafted by Liz Gatouco (@cosbrarian) “I built the wig and dress from scratch, using second-hand materials to contribute to Sally’s “Ragdoll” persona. I used scraps from tablecloths, pajamas and clothes, upholstery samples, and even the yarn was sourced second hand.”

These cosplay costumes were so good, a photo can’t capture them. You need to click through to see the original video in all its glory!

Best Group

Luke Skywalker, C3P0, R2D2, from Star Wars

Made by Tim O'Sullivan and JT Stevens (@1flukeskywalker)

Don’t sleep on these Honorable Mentions…

Adrienne C. (@waxsealedcostumes) 1740’s Elizabeth Swan, from Pirates of the Caribbean “My 1740s Elizabeth Swann is almost entirely hand sewn with historical materials and historical construction methods from the outside in, starting from the shift, stays, panniers, under petticoat, matelassé outer petticoat, to the silk pleated-back English gown.”

Jennifer Yi (@kaiweevil) Keesha's Hungry, from Star Wars “Her eyes are made from dyed round plastic and her mouth, nose, and teeth from painted sculpy. Ears are cut sheets of foam and everything is covered with fur. Cowl is pigskin laced with leather and I used some bones, feathers, and teeth I had lying around for decoration. Hands and feet are modified Yoda hands.”

Congratulations to the winners of the 2020 Masquerade Costume Contest! Your sewing and sculpting and hemming and hawing paid off brilliantly. If you’re curious about their prizes, you can read all about ‘em over here.

To all the participants: Thank you for making @comicconathome such an exceptional experience for every Comic-Con fan out there. We see you and we appreciate you.

#ComicConAtHome #ComicConAtHomeMasquerade

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komickrazi · 3 years

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2021 Comic-Con@Home virtual Masquerade

Devon Baker (Komickrazi Studios)

Costume Name: Carlotta

Costume Description: Phantom of the Opera Musical, Hannibal Scene (Re-creation)

This costume is a recreation of Carlotta’s Dress from the Phantom of the Opera’s Hannibal Scene. It contains a Multiple layered skirt on a steel hoop frame. Each Tab on the skirt was carefully embroidered with embroidery floss, sequins, and seed and bugle beads over the course of 4 months. The bodice is fully boned and contains 4 layers of fabric (a satin liner, duck cloth, velvet and gold lace netting). It was trimmed and beaded with an assortment of sequins, gems and plastic and glass beads. The costume took approximately 300 hours of work to complete.

Creator Bio:

Devon Baker is a cosplayer from Canada. She has been making costumes for over 20 years. She loves nothing more than a spooky horror movie, a good cup of tea and maybe a musical soundtrack or two to sew to.

youtube

#Comic-ConAtHome #Comic-ConAtHome2021 #Comic-ConAtHomeMasquerade #Carlotta #Phantom of the opera #poto #costume #cosplay #temperance #komickrazi studios

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masquerade-at-home · 3 years

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Welcome to the Comic-Con@Home 2021 Masquerade!

Distinguished artists, writers, and publishers Phil and Kaja Foglio, Master and Mistress of Ceremonies for Comic-Con's and WonderCon's in-person Masquerades for many years, give you an introduction to our virtual contest in this short video before you enjoy the amazing costumes.

Don't miss any of the videos the contestants have included, some have important information and music. Anytime you see an arrow on a photo, click on it, and be sure your sound is turned on. Enjoy!

Learn more about our Categories, Prizes and Judges here

#Comic-ConatHome #Comic-ConatHome2021 #Comic-ConatHomeMasquerade #comic con@home

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ninalondoncosplay · 3 years

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Comic-Con@Home Masquerade Entry: Nina London Cosplay

Costume Title: Arachne by Sakizou

Costume Description: Re-Creation (from manga artist Sakizou)

This costume is entirely handmade.

Starting at the top, the wig is actually three wigs cobbled together. The fifth photo in this post shows the basic process: one wig forms the bottom layer, the middle is stuffed with pillow batting, and the remaining wigs have been styled around the batting in curls and tendrils. The entire thing was sealed off with Mod Podge to endure many wearings. All trim (ribbons, etc) were hand-styled and are permanently attached.

As for the ruff, the third photo depicts the basic frame, which is made of 16 gauge wire covered in fabric, lace, and beads. The ruff stays attached to the costume through wires that run down the front of the corset.

The corset is the only piece of the costume for which I used a pre-made pattern, and I layered various pieces of lace and ribbon over the front to achieve the detailed effect.

The bustle is actually two layers. The base layer is simply there to give it that “pumpkin” shape. Once I had that in place, I took several small pieces of satin and hand-sewed them directly onto the pumpkin to make the layered, bustly look.

The train is delicate mesh, which I reinforced with water-soluble interfacing while I hand-stitched hundreds of beads into spiderweb shapes. The bottom of the skirt is also cut with pinking shears and stained with arcyllic paint thinned out with vinegar for aging.

#Comic-ConAtHome

#Comic-ConAtHome2021

#Comic-ConAtHomeMasquerade

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capuchinocosplay · 3 years

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Comic-Con@Home Masquerade Entry:

Capuchino Cosplay- Miguel and Lucy Capuchino

Costume Title:

Lord Captain America and Iron Lady in “Avengers Masquerade”

Costume Description:

Original Design by Lucy Capuchino

Photographer: Susana Clark ~ IG- susanavestige

Bio:

We are a married couple who have enjoyed designing and creating costumes together for at least 30 years. We love to come up with mash up designs and creations for conventions. However, our passion is mostly dressing up in various characters from different fandoms like; Star Wars, DC, Marvel, Disney and Peanuts; for children’s charity organizations and events.

#comic-con@home2021 #comic-con@home #comic-conathomemasquerade

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child-of-irony · 3 years

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In the days before Raava, the spirit of light and peace, met Wan, the man who was to become the first Avatar, she spent her days in the wilds, joyful and carefree.

Young Raava enjoyed the sunlight.

She delighted in the warm breeze.

She took in all nature had to offer.

But what’s this? A dragonfly bunny spirit!

Raava made a friend!

These good times may not have lasted...But they were golden while they were to be had.

*this story is purely fictional and is not Avatar the Last Airbender/Legend of Korra canon.

Comic-Con@Home Masquerade Entry: Kathryn Henzlere

Costume Title: Raava’s Day Out

Costume Description: Re-creation, The Legend of Korra (part of the Avatar The Last Airbender universe)

The Raava costume/puppet is a combination of a wood, plastic, and wire frame, with a hand-painted fabric overlay which has a mesh panel for visibility by the wearer. The overlay has an outer layer of chiffon to add a ghost-like affect, with curling tendrils along the edges. When worn by a person instead of being used as a puppet, the costume includes a skirt, leggings, and split-toe shoes (the only part not made by hand). The Bumju plushie is made of fleece, felt, cotton batting, and faux fur, with wire and embroidered chiffon ears, button eyes, and a hook at the back for using it also as a puppet.

Bio: Kathryn Henzler is an award-winning designer and creator of theatrical costumes, cosplay, skating costumes, and geek couture. She has exhibited at conventions and art museums and is a four-time Her Universe Fashion Show contestant. In her day-to-day, she is also a Japanese-English translator, composer/musician/audio engineer, actress, activist, archer, and adult figure skater.

Direction: Kathryn Henzler

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Emmert

#comic-conathome #comic-conathome2021 #comic-conathomemasquerade #masquerade #atla #avatar #avatarthelastairbender #legendofkorra #korra #raava #spirit #spiritworld #harmonic convergence #bumju #dragonfly bunny #mikeandbryan #avatarstudios

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adventuresofclever · 3 years

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CleverMax: SDCC 2021 Masquerade Entry

Comic-Con@Home Masquerade Entry: Adventures of Clever Costume Title: CleverMax - Mr. Clever as a Borderlands boss Costume Description: Recreation of Mr. Clever from the Doctor Who episode Nightmare in Silver, written by Neil Gaiman, done in the style of the video game, Borderlands. Bio: They/He pronouns

Greetings all!

I realized that I never wrote about how I made my CleverMax mashup cosplay, so when SDCC posted about their At Home masquerade, I figured this was the perfect time to do so! Most of you know that I cosplay exclusively as Mr. Clever from Doctor Who, with the random mash up thrown in here and there. I’ve always wanted to be a Borderlands cosplayer, and the following is how I managed to combine the two together.

As always, enjoy the blog and if there are any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Let’s step into the TARDIS and jump back to October 20, 2009, when the first Borderlands game was released. It was my first foray into FPS (First person shooters) and I was hooked from day one. In 2012 they released Borderlands 2 which is, in my not so humble opinion, the best video game ever created. We got some of the most iconic charcters and storylines in that game. Including the best DLC ever, Bunkers and Badasses. And my second favorite villain of all time – Handsome Jack.

Jack’s sass, sarcasm and charm fits well with Mr. Clever’s personality. And in the pre sequel you get to play a version of him called the Dopplegnager. I mean, this pretty much wrote itself.

Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2 and Mr. Clever from Doctor Who

Borderlands cosplayers have aIways left me in a state of awe and admiration. The style of the game is so unique and seeing it recreated in person is nothing short of incredible. I’ve always wanted to figure out a way to be a Borderlands cosplayer. For the past eight years I have only ever cosplayed as Mr. Clever from Doctor Who. In the summer of 2019 I decided that was the perfect time to try to make this happen before NYCC.

When I initially decided to do this, it was going to be more of a mash up between Handsome Jack and Mr. Clever. I had planned on wearing Jack’s basic outfit, but in Clever’s colors with the a few add ons. Namely the bow tie and the cybernetics.

After much research and drafting, I decided against that. I ended up just turning Mr. Clever into a Borderlands boss. Same basic outfit as Mr. Clever/11th Doctor, but cel shaded and with weapons, cause Borderlands.

I made the accessories, chess set, and obviously the working cyberplanner piece itself for my Nightmare in Silver version of Clever, but I have never tackled anything this ambitious. An entire costume from scratch? Not something I thought I could do. Not knowing how to sew and being visually impaired were both challenges that I had to work around.

I started with looking around my house for various items that I thought I could use. I figured if I messed up, might as well mess up on something I hadn’t spent money on yet! I was going to toss a pair of my old paddock boots as they had some rips in the leather. Ripped leather? How very Pandora. They were the first thing I tackled.

Old paddock boots that I refurbished for the cosplay

This was my first time using leather paint and I have to say I am very pleased with the Angelus brand of leather paint. I have worn these in the rain and through puddles, and they have held up 100%.

After the boots were done, I started on the vest. I had an old black vest lying around the house that was sort of the shape and size I wanted. I don’t have a dress form, so I put it on myself, inside out, and used safety pins to make it the size I needed, then hand sewed around the safety pins. Not ideal, but it works.

I had a spare pair of black jeans, button down light blue shirt and a plain bow tie that I just ended up cel shading.

The only item that I really couldn’t figure out was the purple frock coat. Try as I might, I couldn’t find one to modify. So the coat was actually made by my friend Heather Long. I did alter the length after NYCC.

With the clothes themselves all set, for the most part anyay, it was time to paint. This was my first time trying to recreate the art style of Borderlands, often referred to as cel shading. I have a few “art of Borderlands” style books that I poured over before I sat down to attempt this.

Other than the accessories and anything leather, I used the same materials and techniques for each article of clothing. Instead of describing each seprate piece, I’ll just explain what I did to achieve the overall look.

When you look at a Borderlands character on screen, it can be a bit overwhelming. So many colors, and so many nuances of each color. I did my best to visually sift through all that, and try to establish what I thought was the base color.

Once the base color was determined, I just added blotches, blobs, shading, low lights, highlights and other variations of the base color itself throughout each piece. I recommend keeping your fabric wrinkled and using those wrinkle as guidlenes for where the lines and shading would fall naturally.

Once all of that dried, I then went over different sections of the fabric with white and black lines. To get that crisp, almost comic book looking outline of each piece I used black sharpie, and white fabric pens as well as white fabric paint.

When I sat down to do the coat, I wanted something a little different than just cel shading. During a second playthrough of Tales from the Borderlands, I noticed Rhys and other characters had interesting logos and designs on the back of their jackets. I ended up putting a chessboard pattern on the back as a homage to the chess game between the 11th Doctor and Mr. Clever in the episode.

Great shot of the chess board and my Judd Nelson pose

The materials that I used for all of the clothing items were craft paints that I had around the house. Any brand works, but I prefer Americana paints. I then added an additive that you use to make the paint water proof and used various sized brushes. Dry brushes are also very useful if you have them.

Black sharpies of different sizes and any fabric markers are also very helpful. Heat setting is required to make the paint waterpfoof, so if you mess up before you add sharpies, you can wash the clothes and start over.

A few tips if you decide to undertake cel shading clothing: Until now I hadn’t noticed that there aren’t many thing in Borderlands that are true black. Due to the art style most things that appear black are in reality shades of grey, with a grey base colr. This makes it easier to add the lines, shading, and what not. Looking back, I should have bought GREY clothes. It was a ton of work to make the pants look like they were a mixture of greys. And as a result of so many laers of paint, they are stiff, lost their stretch and feel an entire size smaller! So I would recommend grey fabric as a base for black clothing and buy a size larger.

The pants are so stiff that I think they will stand up on their own

This entire process was way more fun than I thought it would be and I’ve since become addicted to cel shading anything I can. I may or may not have started cel shading my guest room.

After the clothing was finished, I started on some accessories and props. The first being the easiet – a wee little cybermite that I cel shaded. My cosplay of Mr. Clever always has a cybermite on my lapel, so I took one of my older ones and repainted it.

You can’t have a Borderlands character without some sort of weapon, so I painted a nerf gun that looks similar to the one that Clara Oswald holds in the episode.

I have never had to carry a gun for my Mr. Clever cosplay before so weapon checks are sort of new to me. I didn’t want to go through that at NYCC so I came up with a clever, no pun intended, way around it.

I took a photo of each side of the gun. Went to Staples and had them printed on heavy cardstock. Then I cut around the guns, glued them together between a piece of cardboard then added some black electical tape around the edges. Viola. Instant weapons check approved gun that is lightweight, and also acts a fan when it gets hot. It was a huge hit at the con. A few security guards were like “ we have to check your…wait..is that flat?” And they proceeded to play with it. I highly recommend doing this!

Gun and its flat counterpart

I am holding the flat gun in this picture from NYCC

In the actual game, you can equip your characters with mods that give them certain abilities and bonuses. In the Pre-Sequel, you can play as a Dopplganger of Handsome Jack so I searched for some of his mods and found one in purple which seemed perfect. I made the mod with cardboard, covered it in craft foam, modge podge to set, and installed led lights. The first time I wore it I put it on my belt which didn’t work. It kept falling off. I eventually put it on my lapel and wore it like Jack does. Unfortunately, someone glomped on me at a con and broke it, so I recently had to remake it all over again.

No Borderlands costume would be complete without cel shading on yourself. This was a huge challenge for me for a few reasons. One, I’m visually impaired so doing line work like this was challenging. Two, I am highly allergic to so many materials and ingrediants that finding a make up brand that I could wear was a trial and error process that ended up with many break outs and rashes before I found the perfect combination.

I used mostly eye liner pencils and liquid eye liner to achieve the look. The Wet n Wild liquid eye liner lasts forever, and is actually difficult to remove, but that is not a bad thing as it stood up to the heat of a very crowded venue.

As for the cel shading itself, I relied on many refernce photos of various characters in the game. I started with the eyebrows first as that seemed to frame the face nicely and give me a nice mischvieous look. I then just outlined the bones of my face, adding some random lines here and there. It never looks the same way twice, but that’s ok. Playing with different angles, lines, shading etc is half the fun!

The only real challenge were my hands. The make up didn’t last that long on my hands so I had to touch it up throughout the con. I also eventually started to use band aids that I cel sahded to cover up a tattoo on my inner wrist.

Figuring what to do with my hair is an on going process that I still haven’t 100% mastered. I opted to not use a foam wig as I have over heating issues on a cool day let alone trying to wear one if it gets warmer. I have had adverse reactions to craft foam in the past, so I don’t want it touching my skin, and lastly, I think a wig AND a facial prosthetic would be too much for me. So I decided to just cel shade my hair.

This takes forever to do, and I’m still figuring out better techniques every time I wear it.

I have a really great brand of colored gel, called Mofajang which I apply with a baster brush that you would find in the kitchen gadgets aisle. I also use a clean mascara brush to add some finer lines here and there. Set with way more hair spray than I ever used in the 80’s and it becomes fairly waterproof.

I have learned that due to how hard the make up and hair color is to remove, I really need to wear this on the LAST day of a con. I made the mistake of wearing it on day one of Long Island Who one year, and spent hours scrubbing my skin and hair for the next day. Far better to just leave the con with a tad bit of left over cel shading. Which makes it very interesting when you stop at a roadside bathroom on the trip home.

With the entire costume done it was time to work on the actual cyberplanner appliance.

Next time I make a variation of Clever, I will make this FIRST. Making these pieces is the bane of my existence – I love wearing them, hate making them. It’s a long process.

I am allergic to latex, silocone, scuply, most clays, and so many other things that seem to be every cosplayers go-to. When I made my first cyber piece back in late 2013, I spent weeks trying to find a substance that would keep attached to my face all day without causing a rash. Like an alchemist in a fantasy novel, I submerged myself into creating the perfect concoction. It took 22 days to finish the final product.

I admit that I rushed a bit on the Borderlands one. As a result, it doesn’t quite fit as well as my others, and is a bit heavier than I expected. I only added two working lights, instead of the usual four, to hopefully balance the piece out. It lasted through two full days of a con, despite the heat of a crowded venue, but I did end up tweaking it a bit after. Even with the tweaks, it still doesn’t fit as well as I would like. It is too heavy and brings down the entire left side of my face, making it difficult to keep my eye open at times. I really need to sit down and force myself to make a new one.

There are a few more things that I would like to add to this costume eventually. Like a belt of grenades, and maybe another gun. But aside from that, I am incredibly pleased with how this costume turned out. It is by far, my favorite Clever variation that I have done.

I hope this post gives you the inspiration to go off and cel shade something, and possibly even play some Borderlands!

#doctorwho #misterclever #mrclever #nightmareinsilver #cosplay #borderlands cosplay #doctor who cosplay #comic-con #comic-conathome #comic-conathome2021 #comic-conathomemasquerêde #cyberplanner #borderlands

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leguin · 3 years

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notes on smike from various sources

Smike himself is denied the kind of idealization Dickens's prose allows- muting with rhetoric the realities of deprivation in a process that touches even as it distances- but is made to stumble on stage with bent, swollen, deformed legs and the perpetually disconnected expression and open-mouthed contortion of the spastic. At once more and less human than in the original conception, more literally a medical case history and more symbolically a clamor for social change, he may well prove (as does the central figure in the vastly overrated The Elephant Man) merely an encouragement to sentimentality and self-righteousness in the audience.

- “The RSC ‘Nicholas Nickleby’: A Review,” Margaret Ganz, Dickens Studies Newsletter 11:3 (Sept. 1980).

...it is not at all easy to locate the precise spot on the continuum of tone to slot this denial-cum-endorsement of the heart on the sleeve, or even the following utterance by Smike:

“To go with you - anywhere - everywhere - to the world’s end, to the churchyard grave,' replied Smike, clinging to his hand. Let me, oh do let me. You are my home - my kind friend - take me with you, pray.'” (159; ch. 13)

On the one hand this alludes to Ruth 2.17 ("Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me") but the allusion is pushed and dramatized almost out of recognition, as if the language of the opera libretto (almost always concerned with archetypes and absolutes) had once again supervened upon the restraint of the Hebrew/Jacobean English text. We recall, for instance, how, in the Italian translation of Cherubini's Medee, Neris cries "Ti seguirò ognor fedel, con te saro ognor fedel, / in morte a te fedel saro! a te sempre fedel" ("I shall follow you, always faithful; to you I shall always be faithful; I shall be faithful even in death - always faithful to you") (39). Smike has a weak mind, after all, and Dickens is not above suggesting that devotion so intense is abnormal, though the suggestion is perhaps too delicate for us to be certain it is there.

- “Marring Curious Tales: Code-Crossing Irony in ‘Nicholas Nickleby,’“ Rodney Stenning Edgecombe, Dickens Quarterly 18:1 (March 2001).

In the novel Smike at his worst comes across as a male test case for Little Nell; he is one of those child characters driven to an early death but lingering long enough to drop every tear along the way. So too the Dotheboys crew might appear tokens of Victorian pathos, but consummate acting and sensible direction keep pathos in check at the Aldwych. The brain-crippling effect of child abuse comes across with painful clarity. Even though Smike's efforts to con the apothecary's lines in Romeo and Juliet draws a laugh, his trembling performance and his recollection of it just before he dies remain grim reminders that performance, even among the phenomenal Crummleses, may mock rather than invariably sustain life.

- “The RSC ‘Nicholas Nickleby’: Dramatic Rites for Dickens,” Richard Dunn, Dickens Studies Newsletter 11:3 (Sept. 1980).

At such points Nicholas seems poised to deepen, and perhaps even darken, the meaning of his life and adventures, to show youth, hope and spirit truly embattled in their struggle with a world that rolls on "from year to year, alike careless and indifferent" (791), embodying in his own person something of that darker spirit which Jerome Meckier has seen hovering over the comic world of the novel.

But it is Smike and not Nicholas who plays out the alternative fate suggested by episodes such as these. It is Smike who suffers at the hands of the enemies Nicholas heroically defies; Smike who despairs and is defeated while Nicholas triumphs; and Smike who carries a broken heart to the grave as Nicholas goes on to win both wife and fortune. It is as if the impulse towards the "natural" which, in the early chapters of the novel, finds expression in the comedy Nicholas provides is transposed by novel's end to the near tragedy of Smike. In a sense, the born victim serves as surrogate for his more fortunate cousin,allowing Dickens to dramatize "natural" (that is non-literary, unconventional) possibilities of deprivation, suffering and, finally, death without, as he would later put it in the case of Walter Gay in Dombey and Son, "making people angry" by depriving them of the happy ending they naturally expect. Such sufferings as Nicholas does endure - in contrast to Smike - are, like those of any fairy-tale prince down on his luck, reassuringly short-lived. Benevolent spirits in the shape of the Cherrybles soon intervene on his behalf and he is whisked off, not to a castle, but to the still more solid comfort of a rent-free cottage in the country. Once again, it is the "natural" that loses ground as the conventional, and Nicholas, win out.

- “’Nicholas Nickleby’ and the Idea of the Hero,” Beth F. Herst, Dickens Quarterly 5:3 (Sept. 1988).

The imaginative critical investment in Smike as a reform- provoking icon of child abuse tends to obscure the novel’s later emphasis on his effortful adult expressions of sexual agency.

Traditionally, critics have tended to interpret Smike as “worship[ing …] his deliverer” and exhibiting a “dog-like devotion” to Nicholas. The canine comparison, which frequently recurs in critical descriptions of Smike, obscures the actual complexity of his multifaceted and very human response to Nicholas.

- “Charles Dickens’s Families of Choice: Elective Affinities, Sibling Substitution, and Homoerotic Desire,” Holly Furneaux, Nineteenth-Century Literature 62:2 (Sept. 2007).

While [the Nickleby] family can accommodate socially marginal figures such as the hard-up single landlady Miss LaCreevy and the eccentric and impoverished Newman Noggs, the place it affords Smike is less secure. Michie has justly expressed frustrations with a plot, which having held out the promise of an elastic ideal of domestic kinship, suddenly tightens to exclude its most vulnerable new member. Michie rightly rejects an entirely affirmative reading of this novel’s‘capacious sense of family’ by dwelling on the questions ‘Why can’t Smike marry Kate?’ and ‘Why must Smike die?’:

“Smike’s presence is a consistent reminder of the porousness of family. While this porousness is a virtue for most of the novel, it cannot and must not survive the marriage plot, where all relations, including Nicholas’s to the Cheeryble brothers must be rerouted through the law and through marriage.”

Though in-lawing can provide a way of linking marital and homoerotic plotting, exposing the queer spaces within the institution of marriage that only masquerades as sealed and straight, Dickens never acknowledges Smike as an acceptable suitor for Nicholas’s ‘pretty sister’. In consequence, Smike cannot realize his fantasy of legally enshrined brotherhood with Nicholas, and so dies of a broken heart. Though Dickens allows Smike a brief, exclusively male Arcadia, being nursed and cared for by Nicholas in an idyllic and remote rural setting, there is no recovery from his desire,which here proves to be terminal.

- Queer Dickens: Erotics, Families, Masculinities, Holly Furneaux, 2009.

#long post #nicholas nickleby #i read...many essays tonight

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ninjathrowingstork · 4 years

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Sugarplum Princess Barbie - for ComicCon @ Home

Comic-Con Masquerade Contest: Maddie Caffarel

Costume Name: Sugarplum Princess Barbie

Description: I began this piece in early May, then after finishing the basic bodice and skirt construction, I ran out of steam and it ended up sitting on my dress form. The announcement of the Comic Con at Home Masquerade finally provided the motivation to finish it, and in four and a half days I bedazzled the thirty-ish flowers that were hand-sewn to the bodice, drafted and hemmed the satin hip pieces that got another forty bejeweled flowers sewn on before getting added to the skirt and the waistband finished, straps and arm pieces made, and the inner button and elastic fastenings made.

The Bodice is fully lined and boned, with an extra layer of canvas reinforcing the center panel to support the embellishments, which also include the ribbon sewn down to imitate the design on the doll’s bodice. The same narrow ribbon is also sewn onto the tulle ruffle along the bodice front, with a wider strip running down the center, like on the arm pieces. I tried to keep as close to the original doll’s design, but changed the shape of the bodice to allow for more freedom of movement, with a shorter hem that meets the satin panels on the skirt, extending the line down to the floral trim. The bodice and skirt are separate pieces, with an inner fastening system of elastic loops that hook over buttons sewn to the lining of the bodice, so I have a full range of motion while not worrying about the waistband shifting around or the skirt slipping down.

The skirt has somewhere around fifteen yards of tulle and organza in total, with the iridescent organza sandwiched between the glittery light pink and a darker pink tulle, both for added volume and sparkle and to protect the delicate, sheer organza. I also hand-rolled and sewed the hem on the organza, to keep it from fraying and to hang better, since the material doesn’t scorch into a smooth edge when I tried to burn the fibers, like you do with synthetic fabrics. Hemming that alone took most of a day, but it’s worth it for the smooth drape the hem gives the fabric. All the pink gems, both on the tiara I bought and the dress, I dyed with sharpie ink in order to get a matching shade and to make sure I had enough for the dress and still have clear ones in the same size for contrast. My necklace is a pendant I found and put on a new chain (the original the doll had, now lost like her crown, was a heart, but I couldn’t find one that matched in time).

Overall, it’s taken countless hours, hundreds of rhinestones glued down, nearly three spools of ribbon, and left my room covered in glitter. I’ve made or customized nearly everything I’m wearing, down to the pair of dance trunks I made from the plum lining fabric to go under my sheer skirt. It even has a couple pieced leftover from my own dance days, since I’m wearing the pointe shoes I broke in back then and a hairbow we had made for when I was in a local production of The Nutcracker, and has somehow survived since then. The doll I have now is not my original, but I remember having one as a kid, and it’s been amazing to finally make the outfit I’ve loved for so long (even if there are still a few minor additions I want to make to it!)

Bio: I’m a cosplayer and costumer from San Diego who’s been active in the local communities for the past five years now, except for the one I took (mostly) off to earn my MA while studying in England. I’m sure I had some other plans for how this year would go since getting my diploma in January, but since that’s not happening I’ve been spending my time working on my costume portfolio and sharing memes.

#cosplay #ComicConatHome #ComicConatHomeMasquerade #nutcrackerbarbie #nutcrackerbarbiecosplay #nutcrackerprincessbarbie #nutcrackerprincessbarbiecosplay #barbienutcracker #barbiecosplay

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