Cosplay debut: The Smuggler (Elite)

I promised photos of my completed cosplay, so here they are. These were taken the morning before Melbourne Supanova 2013 in the CBD by a friend of mine. I had finished the costume back in November for a friend's late Halloween party, but I had only just finished the hidden blade the night before/morning of. Unfortunately, I managed to half-snap the tip of my blade before I had even left the house! >_< It was made out of foam board and I had to do a quick-repair with tape and a little piece of cardboard as a brace. I'll be replacing that foam board with something more sturdier at some point.

For a self-conscious, first-time cosplayer, I cannot express how nervous (and somewhat excited) I was walking out of the house like this and taking the train into the city. But I got a lot of positive comments from other cosplayers at Supanova and from passers-by as we were taking these shots.

Pre-Supanova test photo shoot. Location: Southgate/Arts Centre Bridge, Melbourne
Photographer: Glen Yeo (c) 2013

Pre-Supanova test photo shoot. Location: Southgate/Arts Centre Bridge, Melbourne
Photographer: Glen Yeo (c) 2013

Pre-Supanova test photo shoot. Location: Alexander Gardens, Melbourne
Photographer: Glen Yeo (c) 2013

Pre-Supanova test photo shoot. Location: Alexander Gardens, Melbourne
Photographer: Glen Yeo (c) 2013

I know it's not an environment the Smuggler would be found in, but I love the contrast between the green background and the costume.

I am so happy with how this costume turned out. The white layer of the pants need to be re-made as well because it wasn't as ruffled as I'd like it to be, as well as the boot covers (paint marks from the greaves) and the greaves (not pictured) . From the time it was completed in November to when Supanova happened in April, I had lost a little bit of weight, so everything was actually a lot looser than I had made it to be! But that can be fixed by moving the fasteners, etc.

At some point, my friend and I will plan another photoshoot in/around the city at various locations. Melbourne has some fantastic historical buildings that have a very AC feel to them. I have quite a few in mind, but 1) we need to find the time to meet up and 2) I need to gain the courage to walk around in costume again when there's not a convention on. :P

Hope you guys like it. Like I said in a previous post, I am aiming on posting some WIP shots and links to where I sourced things, but it depends if I can find the time. Feel free to contact me if you'd like information on how I made anything.

Look for me at PAX Aus 2013!

Dedicated to: Cosplay

Welcome to my new blog! This will be dedicated to my cosplay creations, including any prop work that I may do. Originally, I was posting on my personal blog, but I decided that it needed a blog of its own instead of flooding my personal one. On here I will endeavour to document my cosplay WIP and tutorials (time and work permitting).

I know that when I first decided to make my own costume, I spent countless hours Googling for sewing tutorials, etc. and a lot of the time, particularly in trying to find ones specific to The Smuggler, I came up relatively empty-handed. It didn't help that she's not a very common cosplay choice. Yes, there are thousands of tutorials out there, so I'm going to add myself to that list with tutorials on my own costumes I've made, and hopefully someone out there will find these useful!

Things that I'll include:

• Type of materials and fabrics used
• Amount of fabric needed (if possible. I haven't been keeping very good tabs on this...)
• Links to other tutorials that I found helpful.
• Pattern designs
• WIP construction photos
• Any hints and tips that I found along the way that may be helpful to others

I plan to make individual blog posts for each costume piece because otherwise a single post will be too long and I don't want to bombard readers with information all at once.

I hope this becomes a useful resource for any cosplayers out there, whatever your skill level :)

Please be patient as I set this up.