iii strength tarot
This card can be taken as an indication of the outcome of a struggle such as that symbolized by the Chariot. It represents the inner strength of the seeker, and, when well-aspected, indicates courage, energy and success. character: Even though she is just a 14 year old, lil Yuzuriha has courage and strength when fighting against the Angels. Even when Inuki died, she still wanted to pitch in and help Kamui fought against Fuuma, and through her strong will, another Inuki was born, in a way indicating success. In addition, she is always filled with energy, showing that Strength is the card for Yuzuriha.

Inspiration

Yaya had been looking for art for her character Hinoto and sent me many pages of Clamp art to peruse. I knew I had wanted to do one as well for a while, the art being so beautiful. I felt Yuzuriha was an appropriate choice, no only because of the tarot art, but because I felt she was something I could seriously identify with.

Creation

This costume is one of my favorites. I had a great time making all of the pieces.

Two kimonos were created using an altered Folkwear pattern, the arms being threaded with gold cording through many buttonholes.

The wig was purchased. Yaya cut and styled it accurately. Ribbon for the forehead was trimmed with gold cord and bells. The necklace was a combo of hand-painted wooden beads and hand-sculpted comma-shaped beads. The arm gauntlets are made from red stain opera length gloves trimmed and sewn. The shoes are asian-type sandals trimmed with gold cord and hand-sculpted comma-shaped beads.

The obi is oversized and is made in two pieces. The band being velcroed in the back with the bow being attached afterwards. The obi is completely hand-painted matching the pattern on the drawing as accurately as possible. The white satin cord is tied on in a triple square-knot. Red satin is tucked and sewn into the top for color. A rectangle of patterned bridal satin is sewn into a fan shape and embellished with a handmade emblem. The emblem is made from 2 sets of satin frog closures, painted with champagne metallic paint, hand sewn together with a marbled stone button in the center. The tassel is attached with another marbled stone button.

• Thanks to Meg for allowing me to borrow various authentic Japanese undergarments and tabi socks.
• Thanks to Yaya for the gift of the white crepe back satin for my birthday, helping with the wig, and for the sculpting of several large beads.
• Thanks to Melissa, Millie and Yaya for help in hand-painting the uber-large obi.

Awards

KatsuCon 2002: Best of Friday Hall Costume

Reference

Character courtesy of Clamp

Gallery

KatsuCon 2002 photos courtesy of Anna-Neko, Dave “Boots” and Kevin Lillard of Fansview.com

Modeled photoshoot of Hanime and Yaya Han courtesy of Maboroshi of RisingSun.net

CLAMP images and characters © 1997–2010 CLAMP All rights reserved.

While searching for a way to reverse Kuruku’s spell, the Demons tell Cheri and Unico to ask the Sphinx for an answer. Unfortunately the only person they find (or finds them) is the Sphinx’s daughter. She is a wild one who gladly helps Unico in his quest.

Inspiration

Several friends suggested that I do this costume, since they were doing other characters from the Unico films. She fit my personality and of course, I have natural fangs, so I had to create her.

Creation

Wig – created from 4 large bright blue feather boas glued onto a hood that was made to attach to the body suit.
Bodysuit – made from a 4-way stretch, lightweight faux suede material and zips up the back. Legs flare out.
Tail – matches the bodysuit and the wig in materials.
Paws – Mittens and Slippers covered to match bodysuit. Brown yarn used for the accents.

Reference

Character courtesy of Xxxx. Screenshots courtesy of Fujikoma’s Unico Tribute Page

Gallery

Animazement 2001 Convention photos courtesy of Jason Martin

AWA 2001 Convention photos courtesy of Jason Martin and MappyMan

Inspiration

I first saw this illustration in a EVA Art Book. I fell in love with it and decided it would be a great way to do a Rei costume, that was not the same as everyone else.

Creation

Wig – Store-bought. Being redone soon.
Fan – Hand-drawn and watercolored design. I handmade the entire fan from watercolor paper and bamboo skewers.
Kimono/Obi – I found a very similar fabric to the illustration and created the kimono from a standard Folkwear pattern. I also made a cream colored under-kimono as a slip. The obi is a single color brocade, lined with interfacing.

Reference

Character courtesy of Gainax

Gallery

Animazement 2001 Convention photos courtesy of Kevin Lillard of Fansview.com

Being the Flower Division’s top mechanic and inventor, Kohran works diligently on maintaining and upgrading the Koubu which defend the Imperial Capital from evil. Thanks to her industrious labor, the Flower Division can go in the battle confidently, and use the Koubu to the peak of their abilities. Kohran occasionally goes off to the Hanayashiki branch to oversee the maintenance and development of new equipment for the Koubu. While one of the weakest of the girls in terms of spiritual power, Kohran’s Koubu packs quite a punch with its high-explosives and rear-mounted rocket launchers; all guaranteed to put a damper on any enemy armored attack.

Inspiration

Newly introduced to the art of cosplay and this being only the second costume I have ever made, Ri Kohran was always one of my first choices when I was deciding what to make for my first ‘cosplay-con’. I had owned her action figure for quite some time and it became my perfect reference.

Creation

Wig – borrowed from H-chan. Braided and attached painted napkin rings for her ‘hair ties’. Wig to be redone very soon.

Dress – Make from high-quality red chinese silk brocade, dark green silk habotai lining, yellow satin bias strips and specially-ordered matching yellow frog clasps. An altered pattern served as the basis for the entire dress.

Shoes & Props – store bought shoes, green notebook and green pen.

Reference

Character courtesy of SEGA

Gallery

AWA 2000 Convention photos courtesy of Maboroshi of RisingSun.net and Kevin Lillard of Fansview.com

Nanaka is the serious down-to earth half of the Nanaka/Sae dangerous duo. She tends to be short tempered, slightly loud mouthed, and a little bossy at times. She also has no problem with telling anyone off. It doesn’t matter if her victim is her superior or not. She’s also fiercely protective of Sae, since the two have been friends since Kindergarten. On the flip side of that coin, she’s easily embarrassed by Sae’s air headedness. Not taking the Magic Club very seriously, she tries to get Sae to ditch it with her… Nanaka has a major crush on Ayanjou, even though she knows who he truly loves. However, after she tells him how she feels, they become very close friends because they can understand each other by knowing how the other feels…brought together by unrequited love.

Inspiration

The first costume I have ever built! When I was looking for interesting costumes to create for my first ‘cosplaycon’ I ran across Nanaka and Mahou Tsukai Tai in a random anime magazine. I rented some videos to check it out and thought the series was pretty cute ^__^ Nanaka stood out to me and I liked her personality. In the future, I’d seriously consider Sae, as I feel like she fits my personality better.

Creation

Wand – The emblem recreated and colored in Illustrator. It was printed on label stock and adhered to gatorboard, then cut into shape. Paperclay was utilized in creating the shapes below the wand-head. A wooden dowel and other wooden pieces round out the rest of the wand with acrylic jewels attached to the end. Everything was painted and sealed.

Hat/Wig – A base of plastic needlepoint canvas was created in the shape of the hat. Duplicate shapes done in matte satins cover the hat. Wig is store-bought.

Gloves/Stocking – Store-bought and dyed yellow to match. White stain cuffs are attached to the gloves.

Shoes – Store-bought black ankle boots with a front opening, cut down to shape. Covered in matte satin.

Cape/Top/Skirt – Created in yellow and black matte duchess satins. Skirt and top from altered patterns. Cape is layered and appliqued with the circle, star and symbol.

Thanks to Heather Martin on the construction of some of the costume pieces.

Awards

AWA 2000 Craftsmanship Honorable Mention, shared with Heather Martin

Reference

Reference courtesy of Mahou Tsukai Tai! Art Book

Gallery

AWA 2000 Convention photos courtesy of Kevin Lillard of Fansview.com

Modeled photoshoot of Yaya Han courtesy of Maboroshi of RisingSun.net

The Canada lynx has very thick, light brown or gray fur with light black spots. It has large ears with long black tufts at the ends. Its tail is short with a black tip at the end. It has a pointed, beard-like ruff and long legs with big paws. Its paws work like snowshoes and distribute the lynx’s weight, helping it move in the snow. The lynx’s range extends over most of Canada and Alaska and south into parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. On March 24, 2000, the contiguous United States population of the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Inspiration

The call for entries for the 2001 IronCat Cat Girl Calendar went out and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I collaborated with artist Doug Smith, an IronCat employee at the time, to design a unique kitty girl costume for me. We came up with the idea of a Lynx, so I set about researching the big cat.

Creation

Since I was growing out my bleached blond hair at the time, we incorporated it into the original design.  I created a headband with kitty ears and white furry tufts on the top and sides to resemble the lynx.

The body suit is made from a spotted faux fur with white furry accents and leather lacing up the front. I made a small bobbed tail and paws with acrylic nails. The feet are covered slippers with white furry trim.

Reference

Illustration courtesy of Doug Smith. Photos courtesy of wikipedia Canada Lynx entry.

Gallery

Photoshoot courtesy of Brian Stelfreeze at Gaijin Studios, Atlanta, GA

KatsuCon 2002 Convention photos courtesy of various unknown photographers

Inspiration

Word got around about other cosplayers doing ‘Fetish Disney’ costumes and I snapped up Cinderella, as she was the only one that called to me. I really enjoyed the response to this costume. I wore it several other times for Halloween.

Creation

Wig – Purchased from Jin’s Wigs on Auburn Ave. in Atlanta. I was so surprised to walk in and see exactly the wig I needed, styled exactly as I needed! I wound matching ribbons and silk flowers into the back of the wig for some interest.

Headband – I purchased a padded satin headband from a wedding store and covered it in matching crepe-back satin from the dress. Giant costume jewelry clip on earrings were glued to the ends of the covered headband.

Bodice – Purchased white lingerie bodice with clear blue vinyl panels sewn on, the upper edge trimmed in lace. Sleeve caps are crepe-back stain covered in blue vinyl, trimmed in white vinyl piping.

Skirt – Clear blue vinyl sewn together with wired piping using a ballgown skirt pattern. A waist band of two layers of 2” nylon belting with a heavy plastic clasp combine to attach the skirt and side poofs together.

Accessories – Satin opera length gloves, box purse, lacey bloomers and garters, thigh-highs, clear acrylic high-heeled shoes, all purchased from various places.

Reference

Reference courtesy of Walt Disney

Gallery

Photoshoot courtesy of Dragon*Con official masquerade photographers

Dragon*Con 2002 Convention photos courtesy of various unknown photographers

Inspiration

A friend had seen the Jade Cocoon II illustrations when they were first released in the US. He emailed me and laughed at how much the character really looked like me. hehe! In late 2001, Yaya also emailed me the same pics and reiterated the same sentiment. You have to do this costume!! She is YOU! So I saw how easy it was and went at it.

Creation

This costume is very simple in construction. Bright yellow fleece was used for the dress, hat and slippers. Bright orange sparkly dance spandex for the hat and wings. White beasty fur for the fluff. A very simple summer dress pattern was used. For the Hat and the Collar, I looked at existing patterns and created my own. I covered slippers for the shoes. Bells, silk poinsettia petals and feathers were added as finishing touches for the costume.

Reference

Reference courtesy of RPGfan.com

Gallery

Photoshoot by Meg Hanson

KatsuCon 2002 Convention photos courtesy of Yaya Han, Dave “Boots” and Kevin Lillard

Inspiration

While looking for an easy hall costume to create, Lindze mentioned that she and her friends were wearing their Danger Girl costumes again. She pointed out that I looked alot like Silicon Valerie at the time. Knowing I could pull this costume together pretty quickly, I went for it.

Creation

The hair and glasses are my normal everyday style. Store bought pieces are the boots, camo pants, military webbing belt, white t-shirt, vest and backpack. I placed a cardboard box inside the backpack to fill it out. I found an old headset and ran its wiring to the backpack. I machine embroidered Silicon Val’s name onto the name tag on the vest. The strap-on leg computer system was created from an old broken keyboard, craft foam, vinyl and velcro. The keyboard actually spells out Danger Girl.

Reference

Art by J Scott Campbell

Gallery

Dragon*Con 2001

Inspiration

Akuma has always been my favorite Street Fighter character. When the chance to cosplay a Femme version came along, I certainly did not pass it up! Lindze originally came up with idea after seeing the art from Fred Perry. With Lindze as Ryu, H-chan as Ken and myself as Akuma, we had a blast cosplaying together. By far, this is one of the easiest and most comfortable costumes I own. I love it!

Creation

The hand-guards are made from thin upholstery foam covered in black stretch material. The wig is a “Diablo” wig with horns removed and matching top-knot tie added. The belt is upholstery cording, that is tied off and frayed.

The necklace was fashioned Styrofoam balls that were gessoed, then painted with metallic copper craft paint. I recreated the Japanese character in Illustrator and printed it on label-stock paper. After trimming and adhering the character to one of the painted balls, I sealed the balls in a gloss clear-coat. I pierced holes and threaded elastic cording to string the over-sized beads, tying them off.

The karate-gi was one of my old, worn-out karate-gis from my shotokan karate days. I dyed it a grey-blue with RIT dyes. I distressed the fabric by washing several times after cutting off the sleeves of the top and lower legs of the pants. The recreated Japanese character was used as a template for the red applique.

The tank-top is a purchased black tank-top, that is cut off and frayed. The Japanese character was used again as a template for the red applique.

Reference

Main art by Capcom. Femme Street Fighter characters by Fred Perry

Gallery

Photoshoot by Jason Martin

Animazement 2001 photos courtesy of various photographers