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| Photo by Chris Goss Photography |
Struck First gives you a first look at a cosplay just as it's been debuted/had its first photoshoot. Cosplayers have been kind enough to let me have a first crack at analyzing the cosplay by providing me with brand new pictures.
In this edition of Struck First, I have something very unique and special for you guys. One of my best friends Mink the Satyr is a whiz at creating gijinkas within the Pokemon realm and had the idea to share one of them with me specifically for you guys! The outfit in question is a reimagining of the staple nuisance Ratatta but if it took on the form of a human Thief! Very Dungeons and Dragons/Final Fantasy like to me in my opinion. Rather than having me talk about it though, it'll be Mink herself walking through the process of how each item was created (less typing for me YAY haha). Throughout this first look, I'll have WIP pictures posted throughout the discussion in addition to the photoshoot style pics that were taken like the one you see above you! With that being said, I'm gonna turn things over to Mink! I really hope you all enjoy this :)
Let's go with purchased items first: I purchased the wig
(Arda wigs), the leather boots (Amazon Prime) and the gloves (Prime) The prime
part is important because although I had a purple wig already coming in the
mail for me, I decided I wanted to make this costume on a Friday night and I
wore it on Sunday. So I gave myself 36 hours to make this. Friday night, I made
the mask (as you saw with photos) from craft foam and Worbla. Very easy stuff.
I primed it with primer/paint that I had laying around and painted it with
acrylics. I happened to have light gels, which I glued behind the eyes. I also
happened to have pin backs, which I glued at contact points behind the mask.
The mask sits on the wig by being pinned in place! I was really careful about
color matching. I was super lucky to find the right color short pile fur I
needed for this cosplay. But I didn't intend on having my rogue mask to be
furry. I made my ears from a Worbla base. I glued pink fleece to the shaped Worbla
using Barge cement and I used a combination of contact cement and hot glue to
affix the purple fur for the ears. The ears are stitched onto the wig so that
it's all one piece. This makes storing the wig a little more complicated.
Basically, I use a bigger plastic bag to store this one.
For the costume itself, the first thing I made was the
corset. I drafted the corset using measurements I took from my body along with
tutorials from a historical recreation site. The sweetheart over-bust corset
needed to be extra long and fully boned for this design. I'm a child and I
still think terms like "fully boned" are hilarious. I cheated, since
I only had 24 hours to work at this point. I used pre-cased plastic boning for
the corset. This meant I didn't have to cap the bones nor create a special channel
or channel layer in the corset sandwich. I also didn't intend on using busks or
grommets (I use a zipper), so that saved on time as well! Remember... I'm
trying to do this FAST! Like Sonic! I sewed the pre-cased boning directly to
the inner fabric, a nice sturdy sateen. A polyblend jacquard fabric was used
for the actual fashion fabric exterior. I sewed up everything but the edges
that meet, as that is where I sandwiched my separating zipper. Corset took
about 4-5 hours. Not the best, but not the worst for time.
Next I tackled the
bolero. By this time a friend had come over, so I split my attention between
helping her with her work and doing my own. The bolero patterning was easy! I
put my measurements up on my adjustable dress form and used muslin, pins, and
sharpie to mark how I wanted my fabric to lay. The fashion fabric wasn't
terribly expensive, but the muslin patterning process is deeply ingrained into
my drafting/draping process! The bolero is made up of 3 pieces for the body, 1
piece for the collar, and four pieces (two each) for the straps. The straps
have functional buttons on them. I need it to get in and out of the bolero!
The pants were a funny creature. Ultimately I created a
pant piece that was very similar to a wiiiiiide bottomed PJ short. It contained
2 pieces plus the top belt. I covered the original fabric, a linen, in a sheer
silk. This made it such that the pants had some stability, but in person have a
softness to it. Sheer silk is a pain to work with. I had to pin it down extra
well and use my Serger just to make sure all pieces lined up smoothly.
Thankfully there were no raw edges that I'd have had to burn. (burning prevents
fraying on the raw edge) I made two calf "channels" for the bottom
part of my pants. This was so that I could make a "boot pant". The
covers were cut on the bias to be extra form fitting on my lower leg. They are
covered up by the boot, so you will not see them in any photos or in person
(unless I take off my shoes!) I gathered the open leg of the shorts using my Serger
and sewed the smaller channels in place. Tada! Shorts are now pants!
The tail and the cloak remained the last pieces. Tails are also easy. I made a weird candy-cane like shape
(the hook of the cane was more bulbous though) and stitched that together.
Stuffing it was a beast, but when it was done, I closed it up and sewed a loop
of fleece to the contact point where the tail meets my butt. :D
I had a little hand-stitching to do to make the tail curl
up properly. This is all done with a ladder stitch and some patience. In the
butt area of my pants, I cut and hemmed a whole large enough to thread a belt
through it. I thread the belt through the hole, through the fleece loop, and
back through the hole. I tie off the belt under the pants. That tail sticks on
for good!
The cloak was the true "last minute" thing I
did. I did it on Sunday morning! I don't love it, but it's a "cloak",
so it does complete the look. I might remake it with a less distracting purple
fabric interior. It is made from velvet and polyester brocade. It's a 3/4
circle cloak with a 16"x20" hood (rounded off on one corner. Because
I'm a crazy-person, the whole thing is reversible (but why would you reverse
it? I feel like that's waaaaaaay to much purple)
The first time I did makeup for this character, I was
playing around. I feel like I hit my stride the second time around. I use
Mehron cream stick for the purple band around my eyes. I have dry skin, so this
grease based makeup does not cause me to break out. If you have oily skin, use
the water-based pancake makeup for similar results. I applied by drawing the
top/bottom lines with a makeup brush and then dabbing to fill in the center
with a sponge. DABBING IS IMPORTANT. Spreading with a sponge or brush leads to
streaky, uneven application. Cat eye was done with black Mehron cream stick and
a brush. I set it with black eye shadow from the Urban Decay 2 Naked Palate and
did some light shading over the crease of my eye in black and toaster purple
shadows. The whiskers I later added were done in Mehron cream stick makeup and
a brush. Though, for my other whiskered cosplay, Meowth, I use a dedicated
liquid eye liner brush pen.
My lipstick is a berry base for the bottom lip with more
purple Mehron cream stick to POW the colors. The top lip is NYX black lipstick
with touch ups with their extra thick black lip pencil. I seal all my makeup
with Mehron barrier spray. It's a good all-around sealer and keeps my cream
stick makeup from smudging or losing opacity as the day wears on. It all comes
off quite easily with 1-2 makeup wipes from Neutrogena (the pharmacy-named
brands usually take a like 2-4 wipes for my face).
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| Photo by Photography by Amie. E |
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| Photo by Photography by Amie. E |
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| Photo by Photography by Amie. E |
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| Photo by Chris Goss Photography |
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| Photo by Chris Goss Photography |
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| Photo by Chris Goss Photography |
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| Photo by Chris Goss Photography |
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| Photo by Photography by Amie. E |
I do hope that not only you all enjoyed this, but possibly learned new skills that you can incorporate in your own next cosplay! Mink the Satyr is a wonderful human being and I cannot suggest her work enough. Please check out these links for more of her mythical adventures <3.
