mangosirene

[mangosirene]

Hey Nina! Was wondering if u were gonna be at Daisho this weekend? It was awesome seein ya there last year! ❤️

I won’t be there this year, I’m sorry! My next con will be Katsucon in February. I hope everyone at Daisho has a great time, though -- hopefully I can attend again in the future!

#theradicalkev

[mangosirene]

will you be going to youmacon this year?

Yes! Emily and I will be there Friday-Sunday. I don’t think we’ll have a costume schedule, we’re probably just going to wear whatever we want on whichever day. As always please feel free to come say hi if you do see us, it should be a pretty low-key and chill weekend!

#*ask mango #mintypatronus

[mangosirene]

hey mango, i was wondering if you would ever consider making a video abt cosplay mistakes you've made. things like bad seam work, dyeing gone wrong, chipping paint, things like that. I personally am a perfectionist and it really gets me down when i see my mistakes in my costumes when other cosplayers look so flawless. seeing a someone i would consider a professional making mistakes would really make me feel better abt my mistakes. if you would be uncomfortable with that, thats also okay !

I’m not sure if I’ll ever make a video about it, but I can talk about it here, no problem!

Every costume of mine has a mistake. Every single one. I don’t say this to degrade myself or be self-deprecating, just stating the truth! Every costume I’ve tackled has been a learning process, and mistakes are part of the learning process. By the time I’ve completed a project, there’s always at least one thing I would do differently if I had the chance to remake it. I’d choose a different fabric, a different method of detailing, a different wig color, etc. Maybe I messed up on a top-stitch or smudged a paint line or cut a bang section too short. Maybe I proportioned something wrong, maybe I had to rush through something to get it done on time, maybe I didn’t finish something on time and had to make due with an alternative. Trust me, those mistakes absolutely happen for me. All the damn time. Why? It’s because I’m still learning, too.

Learning = mistakes. Just accept that. Be at peace with it. If you’re still learning something, you will make mistakes. It’s okay. If you’ve never done something before, you can’t expect that it’ll be 100% perfect, no matter how many tutorials you read or how many walkthroughs you watch. Understanding a concept doesn’t automatically result in flawless execution. Cosplay, like any other art form, takes practice.

I spent the last ten years of my participation in cosplay really dragging myself down for all of these little mistakes. I’d get to the con and not even want to put on my costume because that stitch wasn’t perfect or the wig doesn’t look quite right and, man, it’d just bog me down. It was the pits. It took a lot of the fun out of wearing my costumes because I was so hung up on every mistake I’d made in the construction process, certain that people would notice and criticize me for it.

But you know what? For the most part, people didn’t care -- if they noticed at all. Most people were just happy to see someone dressed up as a character they liked. At Daishocon, no one cared that I had some proportion/silhouette issues with Moa; they were just excited to see another Show by Rock!! fan. When I wore Panne, no one pointed out the paint that had chipped in transit, they just yelled “OH MY GOD BUNNY WAIFU” at me. While in Lan Fan, no one got hung up on a slight gap between my sleeve and the automail; they complimented me on my automail and then we’d talk about how amazing FMA is.

I think, as an artist, it’s important to be aware of mistakes. It’s important to acknowledge them so we can learn from them and improve our craft. But don’t let those mistakes cause you to lose sight of the best parts of cosplay: bringing a character to life and meeting other fans who love that character, too. That’s what separates cosplay from general costuming: the ability to emotionally impact another person over your shared connection with a character or fandom. Don’t lose sight of that just because of some messy stitches. You’ll have better stitches next time.

#*ask mango #cartersboyfriend #*inspiration

[mangosirene]

Quick PSA.

Hey! While I’m over here on good ol’ Tumblr, I want to address one thing that didn’t come up in my stream (since it was already 3 hours long, yikes).

Over the years, I know I’ve done my best to answer questions, but occasionally I’ve gotten... rather rude when doing so. I’ve had instances of lashing out when asked certain questions; not because the asker upset me, but usually because there was something else going on and I was having trouble dealing with it (personal issues, insecurity, etc). I also had a tendency to get edgy if someone asked me about a cosplay technique I’d never done or a cosplay project I had absolutely no idea how to make, since it reinforced to me how much my own craftsmanship skills were lacking. And I’m sure there are a dozen other instances of poor inbox-related etiquette that I could name; I’ve been on this site for seven years, after all. :’D

Regardless of the reason for it, there was absolutely no excuse for me to ever get angry or be rude when answering a question. If I ever directed that attitude towards you, I’m extremely sorry; you did nothing wrong. I was likely just being sensitive and overreacting because of my own personal bullshit and using a question as an excuse to lash out instead of dealing with whatever was going on. It was immature, and it set a bad example. I’m sorry if it ever made you feel unwelcome or upset as a result.

I can’t say I have the answer to every cosplay question out there, but please know my door is always open if there is anything you want to chat about or ask. (That also goes for anything I’ve failed to address that you’re still curious about, or if you’d like to offer constructive criticism or critique!) I’ll do my best to check this inbox whenever I have the chance and get back to you.

#*mango talk

[mangosirene]

Ignore this if you don't want to answer something like this at this time, but I'm curious. I know that you have since quit professional cosplay, but do you think you would ever start hosting panels again? In your stream you had said that you had enjoyed hosting them, and I know people who aren't professionals still do them, but I didn't know if you would. I've been following you for a long time now, and I didn't ever get the chance to see one of your panels, and I would like to if you do again.

Oh, no worries, I’m happy to answer! Like I said in the stream, I really did love hosting panels, it was one of the few things about being a “pro cosplayer” that were 100% enjoyable. (Which, inadvertently caused me to try to host too many panels during guest weekends. Cons would ask me to host 2-3 panels and I’d usually offer to host 4-6 if they had room in the schedule or needed to fill up time blocks. Getting to share cosplay info with a group of real life people is 100 times more fun than talking to myself in front of a camera, alone in my bedroom.)

I’m not sure if cons will ever be interested in inviting me as a guest from now on (which I totally understand and am not complaining about!), so hosting 4-6 panels in a weekend may no longer be a possibility, but either way, I’d definitely like to apply to host panels again in the future! I’d love to be able to expand on some of the topics I discussed in my recent stream, and maybe explore more workshop/open-table formats that can generate more participation and conversation with the audience. I know I do want to be able to relax and enjoy cons more than I have in the past… but I also get restless if I don’t have enough to do, and hosting panels here and there would make me feel like I’m still positively contributing something to the community and the conventions I attend.

We’ll see what happens! Regardless: thank you so much for the support. The notion that you’d want to attend a future panel even if I’m not ~*Pro Cosplay Senpai Mango Sirene*~ anymore means a lot to me.

#*ask mango #probably-not-haru

[mangosirene]

Hi! I know you're on hiatus, so you probably won't see this until way after I sent this, but I just want to compliment the hairstyle choice for your fem Suga cosplay. I feel like with the genderbends I've seen, especially for HQ, people tend to give them either pixie cuts or ponytails. So I think it's nice that you did a braid. It's feminine but still practical for sports.

Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! Fem!Suga’s wig is one of my favorite’s to wear. :D I’ve seen lots of adorable interpretations of Suga’s hair for genderbent cosplays, so it was really a challenge to decide how to interpret it for my own version! I decided to base it off the “mom” role he has on the team and went with the “tragic anime mom” hairstyle of a side ponytail.

Practical for volleyball and making him 10 times more likely to be eaten by a Titan!

#*ask mango #elikerin #sugawara koushi

[mangosirene]

Hey Mango, what tips do you have for people wanting to make their own Facebook cosplay page?

Honestly? Don’t bother. Facebook reach is tremendously awful these days, especially for those just starting Pages.

Focus your energy on Twitter, it’s pretty much the only platform with decent assurance that your followers will actually see what you post. Instagram is a close second but they’ve messed with the algorithms over there so much that it’s started to decline, too.

Also: don’t ever switch to a Business profile on anything. It’ll nuke your reach unless you cough up money because the platform will assume you’re using that profile to make money, so they want to charge you for it. Think of it like... A cosplayer can totally walk around a con to show off their costume. But if they start selling prints of their costume at that event, the con will want to charge them for a Dealers/AA table, since the cosplayer is using that venue to earn money. (Similar to how a lot of cons make photographers buy a special photographer badge if they’re charging for shoots at the event.)

#*ask mango #irl-nanami

[mangosirene]

Fabric: the bread of the cosplay world. You can laden it with your beads, lace, and trims like any great BLT, but your fabric is the foundation of your costume sandwich. And just like with bread, we all have our favorite kinds! Whether you like melonpan or minky, taftan or taffeta, pumpernickel or poplin, or maybe something more exotic like cauliflower pizza crust or "crêpe" de chine, cosplay introduces us all to a wide variety of fabric types. And after ten years, here's a video counting down my personal favorites I've gotten to use while making costumes!

#cosplay #cosplay fabric #mangosirene #mango sirene #*mango vids

[mangosirene]

i was just wondering how you created your own parts for pigtail wigs, i havent seen it explained anywhere and the time has come for me to implement this technique. all i really know is it involves a skin cap, i believe?

cThere are a few methods that me and people have used in order to do that. 

My favorite method is using the skin cap of another- or multiple wigs. This gives the more clean ‘skin’ look for it.

For example, this wig was gluing I believe 3-4 pieces of skin cap and then using heat to force the fibers to go in those specific directions. This makes it look a little more natural.

Another method if skin caps aren’t available is setting wefts close together to get a faux part. I used this method for my great fairy wig.

The general idea is setting the wefts down in a line where the fibers are going in the opposite direction of where you want them to go, and then utilizing heat to pull them over the weft line itself and therefore giving it a ‘parted’ look. Rachsaysmer has a great tutorial on this trick.

The last general trick if you are only working with your supplies on hand is to make the ‘woven’ part trick to cover the wefts across.

The basic idea is pulling the fibers back and forth across to make this sort of back braided look that allows you to make twintails. There is this tutorial and another one from Arda on how to do it!

#*resources

[mangosirene]

My cosplay wing tutorial is now complete!  I tried to cover as much of my process as possible for making feathered wings. I hope you find this helpful :) Facebook | DeviantART | Twitter

#*resources

[mangosirene]

Hi! I'm making a female Prompto costume and I was wondering, like with your Pokémon cosplay, how did you keep it recognizable but yet original? Thanks! Hope your having a great day!

Making a genderbent design is a little different than a gijinka, but here are some basic tips:

Think about the character’s personality. What kind of clothing/aesthetic do they feel comfortable wearing? How much effort do they put into their hair? Are they the type that would experiment with makeup, or is that too much work for them? Do they value comfort over style? Matching or clashing colors?

Keep in mind the aesthetic of the series. (For FFXV: edgy grown-up Hot Topic gear with a gratuitous heap of studs and skulls.)

Go beyond just “adding/subtracting breasts.” (Remember, breasts don’t automatically mean a female identity!) Think about how a different gender identity would affect this character’s life as a whole and how their preferences/personality would translate to that new presentation.

Hopefully that helps; best of luck~!

(P.S. If any of you are attending ASTL next week, we’ll be presenting a panel on this topic on Sunday @ 12 PM! Check the program for “Gotta Go Your Own Way: Genderbent & Gijinka Costume Design” for more info~)

#*ask mango #multi-fandoms-life #*resources

[mangosirene]

Hi Nina! After losing interest in cosplay over the last few years, your Sheik cosplay inspired me to decide on cosplaying an art nouveau design by Hannah Alexander! The problem is, I'm a huge perfectionist - sometimes I get so obsessed with producing a perfect end result, that I'll legitimately feel bad when things don't turn out the way I want them to. Have you ever been fixated on perfecting details of a cosplay? And did this affect how you felt about wearing it?

Hey there! I’m so glad to hear you’re giving cosplay a shot again. This post may help you out when it comes to perfectionism; it’s something I deal with a lot and wrote about there!

Good luck, and welcome back to the world of cosplay~

#*ask mango #skully-cat

[mangosirene]

"The world's gonna know your name... What's your name, man?"

Coming up with a good cosplay handle can be a lot harder than you might think! If you've been struggling to think of a name by which to call yourself, I've got a new video out with a bunch of helpful tips to help you brainstorm!

#cosplay #cosplay help #*resources #mangosirene #mango sirene #*mango vids

[mangosirene]

10 Tips From a Cosplayer

Okay, so I’ve been doin this nonsense for about 8 years now and here are my 10 biggest tips for anyone else doing this sadistic hobby (This is a bit geared towards people who make costumes just FYI. I will post another more geared for beginners or those who buy later)

1) Remember Why You Do This.

Maybe you showed up to con and were 1 of 74 Jinx’s. Or maybe your costume wasn’t as accurate as someone else’s. Or maybe it feels like everyone else made theirs and you bought yours. So what? Did you have fun? Did you meet friends, and/or bond with the people you came with? Unless you’re in the contests, remember that it ISN’T a contest. And even the contests are meant to be fun. Alternatively, don’t let any elitist fans ruin your fun.

2) Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously.

Remember that being a cosplayer doesn’t make you ‘more’ of a fan than someone who doesn’t. Remember that you do this for your own enjoyment and that is all that matters. Spend as long or as little as you want on a costume, end a con with 20 silly selfies and some new friends, compliment that other cosplayer in the same outfit because you clearly both have something in common, don’t think of them as competition.

3) Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help.

Parents, siblings, teachers, friends, neighbors, craft store employees, theater teachers, art teachers, people online. There are tons of people who could offer help with even little things like what glue to use on foam that needs heatshaping(non-flammable x-treme elmers glue is nice) , what paint to use on leggings (apparently fabric paint stretches with it just fine), ask your grandma what stitch is best for rounded edges on cotton (idk), ask a JoAnn’s associate what thread to use. In my experience store associates are extremely helpful, even with things like a second opinion on matching colors.

4) Use Coupons.

Seriously. If you can, set up an email just for coupons. Going to Michaels for a 2 dollar little thing of paint? Use that coupon they emailed you and now it’s 75 cents and you have more money for other things like fancy fabric or idk food. Check if any stores have student or teacher or senior discounts if that’s applicable, then you’ll have a discount even without coupons. Especially good for big purchases. If you’re buying everything at once there is almost definitely some sort of 5 off of 30 type of coupon out there. If you are able, this is a good way to set up a savings for con or your next costume maybe, just look at the receipt, see how much you saved and set that much (or a part) aside for food/hotel/gas/merch.

5) Look at your Source.

No matter how well you know your character or your design do not go very long without looking at the source. Working on a wig? Have a picture in front of you the whole time. Maybe sketch out the different angles beforehand. Going fabric shopping? Stare at the original. If you print out a reference pic know that it may be slightly off. If you’re doing a costume where the color seems different in every shot (like Rey from Star Wars) then pick the one you like. If you can, consider coloring or painting a swatch of the color on an index card and bringing it with you to compare. Seriously. Keep checking the source when working. It’s equivalent to “measure twice cut once”.

6) Measure Twice Cut Once.

Even in crunch. I know, it’s stressful and scary and frustrating but you know what is more frustrating and scary and stressful? It being 8pm the night before the con and you just cut that last bit of fabric too small. Or your wig too short. Seriously. Just double check yourself.

7) Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself.

Outdated meme but useful tip. If you’re getting anxious to a difficult level, or exhausted physically or mentally  address it. Take a break. Take a nap. Eat a meal. Go for a walk. Watch an episode of that show you’re trying to cosplay. Play that game. Watch cosplay videos if you’re scared of losing motivation. Just don’t push yourself too hard or you risk messing up parts of your costume and more importantly, you risk hurting yourself. Don’t work until you accidentally stab yourself with a hot iron and have a panic attack. Would you rather spend 15 minutes playing with your cat or crying and bandaging yourself?

8) Use It.

Found some fabric you love for that SnK skirt thing, but it’s infused with glitter?Who cares, use it. Every cosplay you have seen of Red Hood has a lot of leather and cargo pants but you want skinny jeans and suede? Use it. The costume is for you. Make it how you want. To quote the great Hilary Duff “Why Not?” Also, go listen to that song if you need encouragement. 

9) Enjoy The Whole Process.

Maybe it is redundant at this point but seriously. Have fun. Not just at the con, party, photoshoot, meetup etc. Have a wig styling party. You finished that jacket? Nice, wear it out shopping and be proud. Make a playlist for each character you work on or general motivational music. 8-tracks.com is great for this too. Test those seams/that hairgel/ those shoes/ flexibility by putting on your jam and dancing around. Send snapchats to your friends when you test your make up. Skype your aunt to show off that circle skirt. Put your hat on your dog. 

10) Procrastination isn’t Great.

Probably don’t put off making your costume by making a list of tips for other people.

#*inspiration

[mangosirene]

Make Your Own Sculpting Tools

I never have exactly the tool I want for working with clay, so I recently searched out how to make a new set of rakes and loops for my tool box. While most instructions called for brass tubing, I found out that old paint brushes and knitting needles worked even better for the super small tools I needed.

#*resources

[mangosirene]

i just wanted to say i'm super duper excited for your anastasia! your features fit her so perfectly and that dress is so beautiful - i actually watched anastasia for the first time after seeing you were gonna cosplay from it, and i love it!! it's such a lovely film with wonderful songs!!! REALLY looking forward to the cosplay!

Ahh, thank you so much for the support! It’s a dream costume and the film has meant so much to me throughout my life, so I’m excited to get started on her once I get a bit farther with Ashe! :D

#*ask mango #colonelkepler

[mangosirene]

Do you have any tips or tricks on destressing/ripping denim jeans and jackets? Im making a punk wicked lady.

Hey there! I have a video on weathering and distressing techniques here! Many of those techniques should be useful for what you’re trying to do.

#*ask mango #ritsukalooks