Ragnarok Loki Build

Photo: luciferiphotography (IG)

I've wanted to be Loki since I got into cosplay, so getting a slightly simpler Loki costume to ease myself in with was amazing. Of course, when I say "slightly simpler", it's all relative. I had to make my own patterns, assemble 3D print kits, make foam armor for the first time, and go on a wild goose chase for pretty much all my fabrics, all in a very short amount of time. Note to self: don't start big builds three months before con. It was all worth it, but I didn't take any progress pictures or notes so hopefully this write-up won't be too confusing (if it is though, feel free to leave questions in the comments).

Wig
Starting simple, I got this wig from Wigisfashion. I still need to slick it back so I can actually wear it without the helmet. It's also a bit thick so either measure your head with the wig on before figuring out your helmet, or be prepared to thin the wig a little.

Helmet
I purchased this 3D print model file and commissioned an
acquaintance with a 3D printer to scale it to my size and print it for me. I then superglued the kit together and painted it. There are also other options on Etsy (probably more than when I was first looking, as I was trying to find this like a month and a half after the movie came out).

Vest/Jacket
There are multiple ways you can go about Loki's top, but I decided to make it two pieces: a vest and an under-jacket.
The jacket was easiest. I used New Look 6251, View A (C for men). I only made a few modifications to the pattern. I eliminated the pockets (I wouldn't be able to access them anyway), shortened the zipper so it would only come up to my chest bone (and thus be hidden below the neckline of the vest), and I modified the sleeves. Because I was short on time and because Loki's sleeves are quite frankly ridiculous, I simplified them considerably and

just split them to add gold braiding.
For both the jacket and the vest I used this faux leather from fabric.com. Because the jacket has a dark green collar/body (and sleeve details if I'd had the time and patience), and because green faux leather is apparently nonexistent, I used Angelus leather paint in dark green to paint the pieces for the collar and jacket body. For the gold detail on the collar edges, I used the same gold braiding as in the sleeves and sewed it into the seam allowances as I was building the collar.

I had to build the pattern for the vest myself. I used the vest from View A of Simplicity 8480 (which I already had for another project) to help draw out the basic shape. I then made lots of modifications and made a few mock-ups to test the pattern. Once again, I didn't take any notes and it was all a bit of a frantic blur, so I couldn't really spell out all that I did, so hopefully these detail shots will be useful.

The hidden dagger sheaths

I made bias tape from the same faux leather to finish the armholes and neckhole, and I installed a zipper on the left side so I could actually get the thing on and off (the neckhole is still very tight and isn't stretchy so I recommend getting your top half dressed before wig and makeup).
I also included two small slits in the back of the "belt" section (the v part at the waist) so I could use them as dagger sheaths.

Chest Piece
I honestly don't know what to call this thing so chest piece will do. For the weird little v-like decoration on the front of Loki's vest, I freehanded a pattern, then cut it from some thick craft foam. I then paper-machéd the piece to make it more sturdy. I painted it, then glued a strong magnet to the back so I could affix it to the front of my vest without stabbing holes in it with a pin.

Pants
I just found some faux leather pants on sale at H&M. Originally I considered adding the green details, but at the time there weren't enough reference photos to work off of, and I also wanted to be able to use the pants for other costumes, so I left them plain.

Boots
Once again, I had intended to make boot covers, but was short on time, so I've been using a pair of knee high black boots I already had for another costume until I can get more screen accurate boots.

Armor
Like I said, this was my first time making foam armor. I was very lucky to have pretty easy pieces to make and an awesome friend to help me out whenever I had questions. I got my foam from TNT Cosplay Supply. I used thicker foam for the main pieces and thin foam for details (except for the bicep armor, which was all thin foam). I was able to make the patterns for the gauntlets and hand armor myself, but for the shoulder and bicep armor, I used patterns from monstaas_cosplays on Instagram.
For the shoulder armor, I hot glued alligator clips to the underside so I could clip them to the shoulders of the vest. The hand armor was velcroed to the half-gloves I made from extra faux leather. The bicep armor and gauntlets are attached with elastic that is superglued on one side and velcroed on the other. Make sure to sew the velcro that will be on the elastic; I learned the hard way that even the strongest of adhesives is no match for elastic.

Hooks & eyes for attaching cape

Cape
I used the cape from McCall's 7000 View B, minus the front panels (I once again already had this pattern for a different project). The fabric I used is from Joann's and I believe is no longer available (I had to get mine shipped from a store a few hours away in order to get enough). Really you just want a mid-weight material with enough flow to billow dramatically in the wind, and not so heavy that it tugs your vest back and strangles you.
In order to attach the cape, I sewed hook and eye closures onto the shoulder ends of the cape and the shoulders of the vest. Once you clip on the shoulder armor, the attachments and cape shoulders are hidden.

Daggers
I got two 3D print kits from Billythebrick on Etsy to assemble and paint. He also provides resin kits for Loki's daggers.

And there you have it! Once again, if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments. I know this isn't the most detailed write-up, but if you're curious about any specifics, I'm more than happy to help if I can.
Happy cosplaying!

Cosplay Spotlight: Billythebrick

Welcome to another cosplay spotlight! This week's interview is with local cosplayer Billythebrick!

Photo by: Girl with the Blue Hair

How and when did you get into cosplay?

Technically I started when I was 14. I fell in love with Star Trek: The Next Generation thanks to
some VHS tapes my dad left me when he died and I had a command jumpsuit custom made and I made a phaser out of cardboard using the Technical Manual as a blueprint. It was the first costume I wore to a convention. I got made fun of for it back then and stopped. Fast forward 20 years and I wore my first cosplay that started me on my current path - my son and I did ECCC 2014 together as Endor Luke and Wicket the Ewok. That was what really started me on the path to really getting into cosplay and prop making.

What was the first cosplay you ever did?

Oops, I sort of answered this above :D

What’s your approach to building a cosplay? 

Step one is to find all the reference photos or screenshots I can. And then take some of my own. If it’s from animation (which I do a lot of), the next step is to figure out my interpretation of how something would look in reality. And then I decide on materials, what type of fabric, do I need to 3D model and print something, mold and cast something, etc.
Once I have all of my references and parts and materials list, then things get a little chaotic. I tend not to focus on just one piece until it’s done because there is often so much down time (waiting for a print, waiting for something to cure, waiting for Barge, etc.) that I flit between pieces of a cosplay (or even pieces of multiple cosplays). Which of course means I always have several in progress, not finished costumes or props at any given time :)
I also tend to be pretty methodical and iterative on the things I’m making. Unless I find a perfect pattern for a piece of clothing, I’m almost always either modifying a pattern or drafting one from scratch which means at least 1 or 2 mockups out of muslin before I get my final pattern. The same thing applies to making prototypes out of cheap foam before making a final piece, or printing a low resolution prototype or 3 before finalizing a model.

It’s really hard to pick just one favorite cosplay, and I know for me it depends a lot on the situation, so I have a few different categories:

What is your favorite cosplay to wear to cons?

Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke for two reasons. First, I get to wear a mask. Wearing a mask is the easiest way for me to disappear into a character when I want to. Secondly, although its not as popular as some of my other cosplays, the people who do recognize it absolutely love it and the character.

What is your favorite cosplay to wear for photoshoots?

Azkaban Sirius Black. I’ve actually not done many actual photoshoots in general and I’ve only done one with this, but I feel like I have more pose and expression options with this cosplay than any other. In the one shoot I did with Kyla, we got 24 amazing photos. If I get 4-6 from a shoot, I consider it a success and we got 24! It probably helps that I also work really well with her.

What was your favorite cosplay to make?

This is a hard question. I always try to challenge myself when choosing my next costume, so there is always something I’m learning or doing with each build, but I’m going to go with Ashitaka again. It was my first ‘real’ cosplay that I made head to toe from scratch. I’d never touched a sewing machine, sculpted clay, carved wood, made a mold or cast a piece, 3D printed a prop, or used thermoplastic before I started that cosplay and I had to learn and do all of those things to make it happen. There is not a single thing on that costume that I didn’t make myself and so I’m super proud of it. (Loki is a very close second though).

If you can choose, what is your favorite cosplay in general?

Right now it’s Loki. This one will probably vary a lot over time, but even after spending 12 hours as Loki at SDCC, I can easily say it’s my favorite overall right now. I’ve never taken more pictures with more people than I have as Loki and I’ve only worn Loki twice to cons! When people not only love the character but also your cosplay, it makes it hard not to enjoy wearing it no matter how miserable you might get in it.

Favorite fandom to cosplay from?

This is also very hard to answer, but I’m going to go with Voltron. I have 2.5 cosplays from Voltron (Keith, Old Man Keith, and Hipster Lotor) and I always enjoy wearing them and hanging out with other Voltron fans. Sirius is a close second because, like Voltron, it’s hard to not find other cosplayers from the same fandom who want you to hang out and take photos together.

Favorite con/cosplay moment?

I was wearing Sirius Black at RenCon last year and as I was walking down the street a little boy yelled out ‘Sirius!’ I turned around and his face was pure joy and shock. He threw out his arms and ran over to me and hugged me. He didn’t say a word. Then ran back to his mom and we went our separate ways. A few days later his mom found me and messaged me to say that he had been sad about Sirius’s death ever since watching the movies and when he saw me he was so happy to find out that Sirius was actually still alive.

What is your dream cosplay (or cosplays plural, if there’s more than one)?

I have 2 dream cosplays - and they are both big robot builds. I really want to do an Optimus Prime and there is a really cool Art Nouveau take on him that is just gorgeous. I also really want to do Roy’s VF-1J from Macross/Robotech, but I want to do it so that I can get out of it and be wearing Roy’s flight suit and helmet inside.

Be sure to give Will a follow!
E-Mail: billythebrickcosplay@gmail.com
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Cosplay Spotlight: Cosplaypeigi

For this week's spotlight, we're taking a hop across the pond to talk to UK cosplayer, Cosplaypeigi!

How and when did you get into cosplay?

I began cosplaying around August 2015. I started as I was invited to a convention by friends and felt like it would be fun to go in cosplay.

What was the first cosplay you did?

The first costume I did was Clementine from The Walking Dead Game, I still have it hanging in my wardrobe!

What’s your approach to building a cosplay?

I usually plan my costumes far in advance. I’ll typically spend 1-2 months researching, looking for references, gathering samples, reading up on others who have made the same costume and get a general idea of how much I’m spending. Then I will then start to pattern out the costume, making sure to cross-reference it (sometimes I’ll even ask friends to check if my pattern looks right). After patterning I’ll actually begin the construction process, this usually takes (what feels like) forever; I’ll develop and change the pattern, things will go wrong and sometimes I’ll take short-cuts.

I usually enter a project open minded, however, sometimes I do get frustrated when I can’t get  right or my machine isn’t working. But often I’ll get over whatever issue I’m having after I walk away for a couple of hours.

It’s really hard to pick just one favorite cosplay, and I know for me it depends a lot on the situation, so I have a few different categories:

What is your favorite cosplay to wear to cons?

My favorite costume to wear at conventions would be Satine or Rey. I love the reaction people get when I wear Satine as people are happy that I’ve made a costume for a character that is slightly more niche. Rey is easy to wear and there isn’t hours of kitting up and putting on makeup.

What is your favorite cosplay to wear for photoshoots?
Satine, I can get to pose in regally. I like the way the colours within the costume are complemented by more neutral backgrounds, making locations easier to find, especially at conventions. Lastly, I like the way that the headpiece surrounds my face and the detailing within the costume makes closeups look nice.
I do prefer wearing Rey for location shoots as the costume is really good for action shots, loactios with Rey are also easier to access as I live near forests and areas that fit with the scenes in ‘The Force Awakens.’

What was your favorite cosplay to make?

My favorite costume to make was Satine. It was the first big costume I made completely from scratch and was a huge learning experience, from the pattern drafting to working with worbla and corset making.

If you can choose, what is your favorite cosplay in general?

My favorite costume has to be Satine! I’m so proud of the costume and all I’ve learned from making it; as well as being able to portray a character that means so much to me.

Favorite fandom to cosplay from?

Star Wars!

Favorite con/cosplay moment?

Meeting one of my best friends who has taught me so much as well as meeting many other people who are some of my closest friends. I also love being able to be part of a community that is bigger than me; and have a sense of belonging amongst like minded people.

What is your dream cosplay (or cosplays plural, if there’s more than one)?

Ohh, I have loads! I would love to do Phasma as well as actually finishing Hux. But it changes all the time!


Your favorite cosplay photo 
I have two.

Photo by Phoebe Potter

Photo by Anthony Curley Photography

Be sure to give Peigi a follow!
Instagram: @cosplaypeigi
Twitter:  @peigilovescows

Interested in being featured? Message me on Instagram or Facebook!

Cosplay Spotlight: Flaming Monkey Society Cosplay

Well, I figured it was about time I brought back cosplay interviews, so here to kick things off again is

Flaming Monkey Society Cosplay!

But first a little backstory to his chosen photo because it is just way too hilarious: "I accidentally walked into a roving gang of Matt the Radar Technicians.  We got into a heated discussion about how lame Kyleo Ren is.  This guy pulled out a light saber and I said "well that's a fancy laser sword there buddy, thanks for the light".  Proceeded to light my fake cigar on it lol."

How and when did you get into cosplay?

I've always made my own Halloween costumes,  but I had never been to a con before 5 years ago.  I was invited on a free vacation to Dragoncon. I learned there was a place for my passion to be appreciated. 

What was the first cosplay you ever did?

The first cosplay at a con was a yellow lantern sith crossover. I didn't have access to a sewing machine so I bribed my mom to make a cloak of my design.  Bought a light saber from ultrasabers and repainted the hilt. Then made a very basic set of armor.

What’s your approach to building a cosplay?

I have an absurdly long list of characters I want to do, including a few OC. My approach for making/research is always random, like I'll have a dream of 2 characters that got a crossover. Then I'll go wander around hobby stores,  visualize in my head things I can use to make props. Then I'll take my 2 favorite versions of what I'm making and combine them to try and do something newish with something old.

It’s really hard to pick just one favorite cosplay, and I know for me it depends a lot on the situation, so I have a few different categories:

What is your favorite cosplay to wear to cons? 

That would a tie depending on location/weather.  For warmer cons: Iron Bull from Dragon Age. No shirt, and people will go out of their way to run over and take photos with me. So both meanings of the word cool.  In cooler weather: Ghostrider.  Not only did it come together and epic, the skull has a surprisingly high breathability and vision for me.

What is your favorite cosplay to wear for photoshoots?

Probably Ghostrider, for a demon from hell, he is surprisingly photogenic.

What was your favorite cosplay to make? 

Indiana Jones as a jedi.  Because I  have a lightsaber whip.

If you can choose, what is your favorite cosplay in general?  

I'd say Iron Bull.  Such a fun character, and it's always well received. 

Favorite fandom to cosplay from? 

Probably Star Wars...its so easy to do crossovers and it's my favorite fandom.

Favorite con/cosplay moment?  

Last year at Dragoncon,  I got in the hotel elevator to go get pre-con coffee.  The other people waiting for the elevator were the cast of Legends of Tomorrow.  I started chatting with them and ended up getting invited to eat breakfast with them. The wife and friends were upset I didn't go back and get them buahahaha. 

What is your dream cosplay (or cosplays plural, if there’s more than one)?

Probably Arthas Menethil from Warcraft.  With a glowing frostmourne.  It's a big armor build with lots of room for sweet LED armor. Plus probably the best sword in the series. 

Be sure to give Matt a follow!

Instagram: @flamingmonkeysocietycosplay

Etsy: flamingmonkeysociety

Interested in being featured? Message me on Instagram or Facebook!

Poe Dameron Build (The Force Awakens)

Photo: @captain.m.photography (Instagram)

It's been a tragically long time since I posted on here, so I decided it was time to finally write the walk-through of my TFA Poe cosplay. Never mind the fact it's been like half a year since I finished it. It's a fairly easy build, especially considering I didn't make the jacket myself (which would have made this cosplay twenty times harder, and the jacket probably wouldn't be nearly as beautiful, because leather).

Jacket
Arguably the most important piece of this cosplay. Certainly my favorite. As previously mentioned, I didn't make it myself. I purchased this one from fjackets.com; it also comes in men's sizes, for those of you who are actually cosplaying your own gender, just go to the Star Wars section of the website for all the options.

Wig

My wig is a Benny from Arda Wigs, in the color that was previously Natural Black. Which I think has now been changed to Deep Brown. I didn't do any styling, I just have to wrangle the curls every time to make them go the directions I want.

Shirt
I used McCalls M7291 View B with a few simple modifications. I left off the front patch pockets, replaced the fold-down collar with a mandarin collar from a different pattern, and left out the lacing up the front. The front V goes a bit low, so I put a hidden hook-and-eye closure to keep the shirt closed. My fabric was a natural/beige linen from Joanns.

Pants
I used Simplicity 4110, View A, which is an out of print pattern so you'll need to do a little hunting to find it. I got mine on Etsy. I left much of it the same, but I left off the back pockets, side pocket, all the little loop things, and I doubled the width of the belt loops to make them more screen accurate. I had a hard time finding a fabric that was the right weight and shade of brown (all his scenes in this costume are dimly lit and it's a whacky shade of brown as it is). I finally found this twill on fabric.com.


Belt
I got a belt blank and a two inch rectangle buckle blank from Tandy Leather. I used a dark brown leather stain (also from Tandy) to dye both sides of the belt, then attached the buckle once it was dry. I then measured the length and cut the belt down to size, then punched a hole for the buckle closure.

Boots
The screen accurate boots are from Pozu, but they only come in men's sizes and I have tiny feet, so I found a similar pair on Ebay and modified them by removing some buckles and straps to make them more accurate.

Blaster Rifle
Poe's blaster from the beginning of the movie is a bit complicated because no one ever made a toy of it and there aren't many people who sell them on Etsy. Also I'm very small so the ones on Etsy are definitely not to scale to my size. However, the blaster is a rifle version of the blaster Finn uses through much of the movie, which they did make toys of, so I bought the Finn blaster, painted it up, then used thick craft foam and paper mache to make the rifle stock.

Makeup
I contour my face to make my features a bit more like Poe's, then for the five o'clock shadow, I use black cake makeup and a dry stipple sponge (wetting the sponge gives it a darker pigment, and since I'm going for shadow, not full beard, the dry sponge technique keeps it a bit faded). I also use a little bit of the black makeup and an eyeshadow applicator sponge to fill in my eyebrows so they match the dark wig.

Map Piece
This was just a fun little piece I made that I haven't really gotten to use in any shoots yet, just because it's tiny and hard to utilize. After a great deal of hunting for decent references, I made my map to Luke Skywalker out of thick craft foam (leftovers of the same stuff I used for the rifle stock) and paper mache, then I painted and weathered it. I then made a little sack out of some scrap fabric from the pants and some twine for a drawstring closure. I've actually made quite a few extras of this prop that I plan to sell on my Etsy store when I eventually have time to reopen it.

And there you have it! Poe is honestly one of my favorite characters, so getting to cosplay him has been a dream, and this costume was fun and pretty easy to make. I've got a couple other Poe costumes in the works so keep an eye out on my Instagram for those, and keep checking back here for more build walk-throughs! I also plan to get back to the cosplayer interviews I started at the beginning of the year. Until then... May the Force be with you!

Photo: @russell_photography_pnw (Instagram)

Cosplay Spotlight: Madly Megan Cosplay

Photo: kaylaevansphotography

2017 is coming to a close, and what better way to welcome in the new year than with the first cosplay spotlight interview: Madly Megan Cosplay!

How and when did you get into cosplay?


I remember there was one day I was home sick and I was watching the syfy channel, a show about cosplay was playing. I never really knew that was a thing until then, the costumes in shows and movies were always so cool and it looked so fun! But it wasn’t till I went to my first con a few years ago and saw all the amazing costumes in person that I really wanted to dive in!

I went to school for theater and did quite a bit of costuming while there, cosplay offers the perfect opportunity to use those skills!


What was the first cosplay you ever did?


My first cosplay was Speedy from Arrow


What’s your approach to building a cosplay?

It depends on whether I’m going for the closest replica of the costume as I can or not. I’m currently working on a couple characters that will be genderbent, for those I’ve been looking at different version of the characters costume and create something that’s my own. 

If I’m doing a close as possible to the original I find as many photos from as many angles as possible. Next I determine if I can find patterns for the costume or if I need to draft my own. I always do a mock-up in MusLin because it’s cheap and allows you to test for size. Once I find fabric that’ll work I create the final version of the costume. 


I know it's really hard to pick just one favorite cosplay, so I have a few different categories:


What is your favorite cosplay to wear to cons?


So far my favorite has probably been silk, the fabric is really light so I don’t get to warm and the character offers so many fun poses!

What is your favorite cosplay to wear for photoshoots?


I haven’t done many shoots yet so I can’t really say on this one. 

What was your favorite cosplay to make?
 

Black Siren! I’m constructing her right now. It’s the first costume I’ve done completely from scratch including the pattern. 

If you can choose, what is your favorite cosplay in general?


Casual Raven! I just love her!


Favorite fandom to cosplay from?


Marvel so far!


Favorite con/cosplay moment?


All of Rose City Comic Con! It was my second Con cosplaying and I got to meet so many cool people!


What is your dream cosplay (or cosplays plural, if there’s more than one)?

Oh man… Sally (nightmare before Christmas), Rey (Star Wars), X-23, starfire… the list could go on and on

Be sure to give Megan a follow!

Instagram: madlymegancosplay

Facebook: Madly Megan Cosplay

Interested in being featured? Message me on Instagram or Facebook!

Coming Soon: Cosplay Spotlights!

Greetings, fellow nerds!

This little post is just to announce that starting next week, I'm going to be introducing a new feature on my blog: cosplay spotlights! These posts will feature a different cosplayer every week or so and will include an interview, one of their favorite cosplay photos, and links to their social media so you can continue to follow their amazing work. I've already got a number of applicants and I'm super excited to share these talented cosplayers with you because they're all incredible!

If you're interested in being featured, just send me a message on either my Instagram or Facebook and we'll work out the details. Interviews will be conducted and published in order of submission, so you'll be added to a queue, and it may be a few weeks before I send you the questions, but I assure you I've got your name written down and you won't be forgotten!

I hope you're all as excited for this as I am! The first interview will be up next week, so keep an eye on my social media for that announcement.

May the Force be with you!
-Megan