Latest News
A quick note on adverts
Some of you may have noticed the adverts changing around the site, and we just wanted to make a quick note on how they work and why we're changing things. >>
Toko and Amecon dates for 2020
The residential cons of next year have announced their official dates! Tokonatsu, a festival of fun, anime and camping is running 30th July to 3rd August. Amecon, running alternative years with Kitacon, is running a smaller AmeChibi event in 2020 between the 7th-9th August. Sign ups for both will be open a bit later in the year so keep your eyes on their social media for updates! >>
Recent Progress Journals
Wing progress
InuyokuI have been working on the wings for rias, they are made from 2 sheets of poly props foam stuck together. I have dremeled around the edges to give a curved appearance and used flexi filler on any unsightly seams. They have an aluminium wire skeleton inside to help keep their shape. I've got so much more work to do on them!
Beeeeeads done
DelusionalAll of her beads are now done, I've temporarily strung them up and now they're put aside until I've done the fur collar that they attach to. (Will sit lower than pictured, as they'll start from a bit lower). Also made the beads for her braids and lower leg straps. Not sure if the blue is a bit bright, but I'll decide once I have all the colours and top put together, can always tone down / weather a bit if so! All the beads are resin clay from Coscraft, painted with acrylic inks with a varnish coat to hopefully protect them a bit.
Dyes, dyes and dyes!!!
White TigressSince my last entry the tail, sash and mask are almost done. I am about half way into the wig colouring progress. Most Volpina wigs in existence seem to be brown by default and have additional wefts attached and some even painted on at the ends. I decided that maybe gradient dying might be my most favorable method. I have never done any wig dying before, let alone creating ombre effects, and decided to challenge myself. The thing is Volpina's hair colours seems to change based on reference pics. Some pics her hair has orange and sometimes red. My gut instinct suggested that the best way around this is to have fun with it and mix the colours together as I am a sucker for wigs with many shades and highlights. I spent ages reading and watching videos about wig dying and made a start by buying a Alex wig from Coscraft in White and using Rit Dyemore in Racing Red to create a base for the rest of the colours to work on. I had a bit of a scare as I thought the wig was gonna be a irreparable mess due to the tangles but thankfully with the combination of a soak in fabric softener, a comb and a hairdryer it was saved. From there all of my dyes have been, and will be created by myself using the sharpie method that involves using sharpie cores and rubbing alcohol (there are many tutorials and are easy to make!). Currently the wig has orange and black and right now I have brown dyes and more black dye soaking in my studio right now. The wig itself is sectioned ready as I plan to 'paint' the rest rather than spray.
Fake animal hide test
DelusionalSo Aloy's outfit is mostly made out of animal pelts and skins, which for sake of cost and ethics I've replaced with synthetic versions. Mostly synthetics are easier to work with, however trying to get a raw edge that you see on hides is a bit tricky with woven materials mostly because they fray like hell. For the test piece below, I've backed the faux suede with light iron on interfacing, giving it a bit more structure and helping keep the threads together. That wasn't quite enough when I did some rough edge cutting though, and it started fraying - so I coated the back around a 1cm of the edge with PVA glue. Once that had dried, I could easily cut jagged edges in and fine-grit sand the very edge for a faded / weathered look. No fraying woo! Underneath the test piece is the blue material I'm going to edge it with (that the fake hide sits on top), but it needs some fading and weathering to match the colours right.
Weekly Costume Showcase
Akemi Homura from Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Each week we highlight a fantastic costume that has been nominated by the community. Check out their profile and give them some love!
Events
Upcoming Events
Cambridge Comic Con - Cambridge (24th August)
Stars of Time Film & Comic Con 2019 - Weston-Super-Mare (25th August)
Exeter Film & Comic Con 2019 - Exeter (14th September)
Kupocon - Pomex 2019 - London (21st September)
Coastal Comic Con 2019 - Bournemouth (28th September)
New Event Added
We've just added a new event to our calendar!Add yourself to the event if you're going.
Plymouth
8th February 2020
About Cosplay Island
Cosplay Island is a news, portfolio and resource site for UK cosplayers.
- Cosplay News - Stay updated with all the latest news from the UK scene, from conventions and competitions to general interest articles.
- Costume Portfolio - Join for free today, create your cosplay profile and share your photos with other cosplayers, or browse thousands of costumes by our members.
- Event Directory - An extensive directory of UK cosplay events where you can find out info, add your costumes to their line up and see who else is attending!
- Tutorials - Learn new techniques in our member-submitted tutorials.
- Showcase - A community suggested focus on fantastic costumes that some of our members have made.
For all PR and news around cosplay, conventions and competitions, please contact Kat at news@cosplayisland.co.uk
