toughtinkcosplay

[toughtinkcosplay]

we had a dapper lil day at epcot yesterday~❤️

it was so damn hot tho 🫠

#dapper day #vintage fashion #epcot #wdw #very proud of myself for having a wardrobe where i coupd put together this look last minute

[toughtinkcosplay]

Adam and Eve…Galatea. Barbie. Frankenstein’s monster with long yellow hair.

Honey and Heather Photo gave me the most exquisite shots from our Alecto photoshoot, aka AL Couture, aka Saltwater Creature. She has. So many names.

This project was also a stash buster, using up 2 existing costumes that had run their course (including my last Alecto look) and a lot of other materials I had collected over the years. There are also 9 skulls hidden throughout this gown. :3

#alecto cosplay #alecto the ninth #alecto #tlt #the locked tomb #tlt cosplay #gtn #gideon the ninth #alecto the first #atn #katsucon #katsucon 2024

[toughtinkcosplay]

This is super duper still under construction, but I've been slowly building my own cosplay archive website! I really only have 2023's cosplays up so far along with a couple others, but I'm really proud to have been able to code even this much.

I'd like to give it a snazzier layout in the future, maybe one with some pixel art flair, but I'm happy to say I have a little place of my own for the moment!

#if this goes well then i might just make a site for my art portfolio too #instead of letting it live on crevado #but i'd like to figure out a bit more first #cosplay #personal news

[toughtinkcosplay]

Finding Cosplay Photoshoot Locations: Part 1

📸Want to do cosplay photoshoots but don't know how to find that perfect place to shoot? This tutorial covers how to brainstorm a location for your shoot, logistical and cost concerns with shoot locations, and how to actually find your dream location.

📸This tutorial can be applied to shoots of all types, including but not limited to self shoots, shoots with friends, and shoots with hired photographers. Self shooting or shooting with friends only requires a camera (a phone works!) and possibly a tripod.

Part 1: Location Types

Coming up with the general type of location you want requires some brainstorming about what you want from the shoot. Think about your specific goals and types of photos you want and how certain types of locations would work for your goal. Remember you can always do multiple shoots for the same costume with different concepts!

For example, if you want big, sweeping shots, you will need a location that allows for wider framing and still looks good, while if you are primarily after shots with closer framing, you can go with a location with only a small usable portion. If you are looking to primarily showcase the costume itself or your posing, a flatter and simpler background works better than a busy background, but if you want cinematic shots or shots where you are existing in the environment as the character, somewhere that can show off the location itself as well as how you exist in it would work better.

Types of Locations

There are three main types of locations for cosplay shoots in relation to the cosplay itself. Of course, you can combine these types and there is a lot of overlap, but thinking of these three location types will help you conceptualize your shoot.

The first type is locations that are similar to something in the series, or an exact location from the series. My cover image is an example of this, where I took photos at the location of the climactic battle of the manga. Most fictional locations don't exist in real life so exactly, however, so think of locations that look similar to where this character might be found. The example on this slide shows a cosplay at a nature preserve with grassy fields and oak trees, which is similar to the locations the character traverses several times throughout the game she is from. This category can also include locations with similar vibes, such as a studio made up to look like a fancy European castle for a character from a series about European royalty, or a shoji screen backdrop for a character who lives in a Japanese-style house.

The second location type is locations with symbolic meaning. These locations showcase something about the themes or character arcs present in the series, and this can be accomplished with anything from specific props and setpieces to the entire background. One shoot I'd love to do with this concept is of Lady Blackpearl staring into a mirror -- this would symbolize her dual personality nature -- or of Lady Oscar wrapped in thorns, with the rose thorns symbolizing her glorious but fragile life. I chose to represent this location type with Ultimecia, a sorceress who wants to compress time so she is the only one who can live in the combined past/present/future, set among ruins. The ruins aren't accurate to the game, but show her crumbling reign marked by the passage of time.

The third location type is locations chosen for pure aesthetics. Obviously all locations are chosen for aesthetics, but these are locations with no deeper meaning and may not represent anything from the series at all. These can range from a simple colored wall backdrop to a sweeping landscape that simply looks good with the colors of the costume. Some examples are the Yasuho Hirose ocean shoot on the slide, where it doesn't represent a particular scene or location in the series but simply looks good with the cut and colors of the costume and the sailor theming, or my Princess White Rose milk bath photoshoot, where again the character never takes a milk bath, but a bathtub full of milk and roses shows off the detail of her floral hat and showcases the opulent nature of a rose-themed princess.

Requirements of your Shoot

Once you have a general concept, think of what is required to fit that concept. This can be as general as specific backgrounds or types of backgrounds to as specific as particular items at the location or particular lighting setups. Some shoots might need specific props, such as furniture to sit or lounge on, and props that won't work in a public location, such as realistic weapons that may cause panic or worse. Also keep in mind any accessibility needs, whether it is an accessible location in general to accommodate a disability or a need that is caused by the costume itself. Check not just the specific area you want to shoot, but how to get there from the parking lot or transit stop. Finally, keep in mind that unsecured outdoor locations, such as a park or beach, are locations where you can't change things about the location and you may encounter other people. Discussion of how to be respectful of such locations is in part 5.

Stay tuned for the rest of the parts~!

#cosplay tips #photography #tutorials

[toughtinkcosplay]

By now, you probably know that 3D printed cosplay props are made from plastic, which produces quite a bit of waste. So, if you are an environmentally conscious cosplayer, it's only fair to ask what steps Dangerous Ladies is taking as a business to cut down on plastic waste, and what materials we are choosing in order to lessen our impact on the environment.

Here at Dangerous Ladies, we primarily print with Polylactic Acid (PLA) filament. PLA is a thermoplastic polyester that is derived from renewable resources. In our case, eSun PLA+ (our preferred filament) is manufactured with corn starch! This means it is biodegradable and recyclable.

You read that right. PLA is recyclable… but it has a catch!

Take a look at our blog on sustainability and cosplay on our website!

#neat! #3d printing #sustainability

[toughtinkcosplay]

A Fearne Cosplayer told me that the 3d prints of the staff- and often the non-3d prints of the staff- break with almost certain regularity.

Is this true? Has anyone noted a definite weak point? What is wrong with the design that causes that? Where does it break?

Help me help you. What can we do, here?

#i was like WOW what a good breakdown! #and then i realized it was from vic lmao of course it's great #also extra laughs from that horizon zero dawn guide coming up again #but uhh yeah! i haven't made fearne's staff #but if i did #i'd simplify the shape to be straighter and probably counterbalance the top by putting some extra weight in the bottom #and making sure everything added to the top was as simple and light as possible #cosplay problems #props #critical role #fearne #fearne calloway

[toughtinkcosplay]

i debuted a new alecto design at katsucon this weekend! this one was specifically for the cosplay couture gala and was a stashbuster project using mostly materials i already had, including cannibalizing my former alecto dress and my ghost of christmas past cosplay. i’ll say more about it once i have non-phone photos to post. (we took SO MANY photos.)

#cosplay #alecto #alecto cosplay #katsucon #tlt cosplay #the locked tomb #alecto the ninth #alecto the first #cosplay couture gala

[toughtinkcosplay]

okayokayokay, teeheehahaha, but i HIGHLY recommend making capes detachable with snaps or velcro or something so that in a pinch it will tear away instead of strangling you. i've even seen some cosplayers cleverly hide them in folds that make it look like a regular cloak that ties around the neck, but actually the long part can tear away. cosplay safely!

I didn’t take many photos this weekend, but you can enjoy this one that made me laugh.

#muah muah i just want everyone to have a fun and safe time in cosplay #i know silhouette cos doesn't need to be told this tho #this is just more general cosplay tips #capes #tips #cosplay tips

[toughtinkcosplay]

the goal for this week is to make some serious progress on my new stashbuster project!! i got the petticoat done this weekend, which checks off the last of the under structure for my plan, so maybe i can actually start….sewing the outside together??? which unfortunately, despite this being a “use what you already have!!!” sort of project, means i need to probably venture to a real store and get more chiffon because what i have only gets us part way there. :/

i have the whole week off, so the plan is to split some time between prepping this cosplay for katsucon and doing some staycationy activities, which in central florida will include visiting theme parks to see my friend display her work at the festival of the arts currently happening there.

#cosplay wip

[toughtinkcosplay]

Hi! I love the themed masks posts that you made — if I may ask, what did you use for decorating them? (acrylic paints? paint pens?) It’s such a cute idea! Thank you for your time and for sharing your progress and photos; you have such gorgeous and mischievous energy 💕

lmao i had no idea what you were talking about and spent a full couple minutes staring at this before i realized that you meant the facemasks i painted for dragoncon! 😅

yeah, that was just acrylics with some smallish brushes. part of me wondered if that was like…a bad idea for putting on a mask that i was going to breathe through, but i figured if i kept the painting light enough it wouldn’t really matter. also, they’re basic craft paints, like the kind you’d trust kids with—not the kind that would have cadmium or whatever else in them.

oh! except for the meryl stryfe mask. that was just a ball point pen i think? it felt easier with the itty bitty scale. you could probably use gel pens just fine too as long as they dry on the mask texture properly.

you are so sweet! thank you for taking an interest in my creations! 🥰 if i have time, i fully intend to make a few more for katsucon next month because they really didn’t take too much effort and were certainly faster than making fabric masks to go with every cosplay.

#asks #cosplay wip #facemasks

[toughtinkcosplay]

let’s goooooooooooo

oh jeez i gotta actually make stuff for katsucon now

#katsucon #cosplay wip

[toughtinkcosplay]

oh jeez i gotta actually make stuff for katsucon now

#cosplay problems #i have about a month #i do have a full week off work in that month tho

[toughtinkcosplay]

on the first day of 2024, a 2023 cosplay recap! ✨✨✨

my cos-creation has definitely slowed down in recent years (only like 4 of these projects are completely new, most were reshoots or updates), but it’s been fun doing more of my own things and trying to update and reshoot cosplays/fashions from years past. i got to participate in a tarot project, visit the ren faire, meet the critical role cast thanks to my husband’s work, and go to paris for the first time. i had a chill time at metrocon which really felt so much more like the good ole days of cosplay and then introduce some of my best friends to dragoncon! and finally, i managed to squeeze one more cosplay in at the end of the year with holmat in addition to taking some of my hufs looks out of the closet again this year. it was fun!! here’s to a 2024 of doing what we want instead of what social media expects, to a year of moving at our own pace, learning fun new skills along the way, to avoiding burnout, to treating ourselves with the love and respect we deserve, and to a year of more original projects and making art instead of content!🥂

#cosplay #cosplay recap #2023 cosplay

[toughtinkcosplay]

i did some small updates to fearne and took her out for some photos at metrocon. the best update? replacing my furry stretch velvet leggings with brown tights. soooo much easier to wear, especially in the heat! another fun fact is that i gained enough weight in my boobs between this con and the last time i had worn her (at dragoncon the previous year) that i ditched the extra stuffing for fearne's bombshell cleavage lmao

photos by @shmaba, ears by the little mantis menagerie, cosplay & editing by me

#fearne calloway #fearne cosplay #fearne #critical role #cr cosplay #bells hells #metrocon #cosplay

[toughtinkcosplay]

the tiger. she destroyed her cage. yes. YES. the tiger is out.

finally edited a few more alecto pics from way back at metrocon 2023 (i'm about 6 months late oops). maybe now we'll get a cover reveal for alecto the ninth!

sword & photos by @shmaba, cosplay and editing by me.

#alecto #alecto cosplay #cosplay #metrocon #alecto the ninth #alecto the first #the locked tomb #tlt #tlt cosplay #nona the ninth #harrow the ninth #gideon the ninth

[toughtinkcosplay]

update: the con starts tomorrow (today, it is 1:20am), but i’m aiming to wear this cosplay on friday. it is currently Unwearable. So!! gotta fix that. mostly this entails a back closure for the bodice—perhaps velcro for now—and sewing up the straps at the right height which i find impossible to measure without a helper. and then it’a embellishments! gotta make it like candy or the cosplay’s honestly not worth wearing. :///

oops i dragged my feet too much again and now i gotta try to make 2/3rds of a cosplay in a weekend!!!

#cosplay wip #cosplay problems #holmat

[toughtinkcosplay]

i did not finish it—i’m maybe at 70%? that’s being generous and is not even wearable. however. i have a very well pressed bodice in 6 pieces which includes the lining!! (fashion fabric is in 2 pieces, lining is in 4) which is much better than the nothing i started this weekend with and even better than the 24 pieces i had when i first cut everything out so. there. nyeh. :P

i gotta mail xmas presents and go to ballet tomorrow night, buuuut i do have until friday to try and wrap this up! wish me luck! i have at least busted some of my stash for this if nothing else.

oops i dragged my feet too much again and now i gotta try to make 2/3rds of a cosplay in a weekend!!!

#cosplay problems #holmat