Duela Dent Cosplay - Ame-Comi Version

All Photo Credits: TM 2013 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.

This was my third costume premiere at SDCC 2012. In 2011 I was lucky enough to find an Ame-Comi version of Duela Dent designed by the lovely Jim Fletcher of DC Entertainment while on my first trip to SDCC. After seeing her in person, I *knew* I had to cosplay her. How could I not? She was designed with so many wonderful small details in her outfit construction and clearly present is the steampunk theme, which I also love!

Below I have described my construction process, but as this was such a lengthy process I have only listed a selection of what I did. Follow the link for this and more images!

Rochelle Goyle Cosplay - Sponsored by Monster High x Mattel

Late Fall 2012, I was approached by Monster High x Mattel about doing an amazing collaboration. They wanted me to choose one of the newer characters from Monster High and create a cosplay for myself, recording all my process work and doing a final series of images of fully dressed up in the cosplay. My work would then be showcased on all their social media websites around Halloween. What an honor! I love Monster High and the talented minds behind it so it was a no brainer to say yes. I was even provided with a small amount of funding to cover some of the materials, for which I was very grateful. If you are a cosplayer or have seen my Toralei costume blog, you will know that cosplaying can be a very expensive endeavor. 

Frankie Stein, Home Ick - Monster High Cosplay

All Photo Credits: TM 2013 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.

The second cosplay I debuted at San Diego Comic Con 2013 was Frankie Stein in her Home Ick outfit. I immediately loved this outfit when I first saw it because of the multiple textile patterns in all her clothing pieces, especially the apron. This outfit has great accessories too.

I had already constructed my wig back when I did my Frankie Fearleading Cosplay and was happy to wear it again because it was super comfortable. I drafted and constructed the tunic, using butcher's paper to create the stripes and "stitches" down the center front. The apron was also created from scratch, silk-screened with a pattern that I digitally illustrated that referenced the original doll version. 

All Photo Credits: TM 2013 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.

I didn't have time to trek out to a fabric store for more white cotton jersey so I picked up a pair of white leggings, took them apart and screened the plaid pattern I had digitally illustrated on to them. This part was not very fun as my screen was pretty busted up while I was doing the leggings and it was a very hard pattern to match up for the repeat. I tried my best to connect everything so it would look as cohesive as possible but did have to fix problem areas with butcher's paper. This was the first time I'd attempted such an intensive repeating pattern! 

For her cuffs, I actually sewed a functional pincushion and placed real pins (although I had cut off the sharp pin tips) that coordinated with the ones on the original doll. 

All Photo Credits: TM 2013 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.

The other cuff was made from felt which I then used butcher's paper to created the "stitch" pattern on it. The bolt ring and earrings were both created using a combination of Sculpty and metal hardware/findings. The shoes were originally black Mary Janes that were spray painted white (except for the heel). The straps were made using red vinyl.

I didn't get too many photos during SDCC so the following photos are from Fan Expo 2012 where my friend wore the costume and attended with me :)

All Photo Credits: TM 2013 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.

I got interviewed by Vanity Fair in this cosplay which was an amazing experience!

C.A. Cupid - Monster High Cosplay

All Photo Credits: TM 2013 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.

C.A. Cupid is one of my favorite new characters from Monster High. The first time I saw an image of her I fell in love, I mean she's got a split RIB CAGE for her wings... That is seriously bad a** :D Her style is lovely and distinctive, I especially love the black dripping ink pattern coming down on the waist of her skirt.

I started working on this costume in January 2012 and it took me a few months to get all my patterns done, the supplies collected, construction, and finally putting everything together. I premiered it at San Diego Comic-Con 2012 and was very happy with how it all turned out (and that nothing got destroyed to the point of no repair on the plane ride there!).

I digitally illustrated the textile patterns on the bottom of the skirt and the stockings using reference images that the few lucky people who had this doll when it first came out were nice enough to post online (this was back in January/February 2012). This was actually one of the first times I attempted to silk screen a pattern. It was very stressful, particularly because there are two colors on the repeating heart pattern of the skirt that intertwine with one another! I also dip dyed the bottom of the skirt fabric pink but due to the type of fabric I used (upcycled peau de soi) it did not take too well to the fabric and ended up going lighter more than I hoped. I felt that was better than making it bright fuchsia though :)

I created the head band, sculpted the earrings and ring, transformed vintage ballroom gloves with a butcher's paper stencil and screen ink, drafted and sewed the skirt and corset from scratch, created the arm guard, screened the stockings, broke down a pair of shoes and sculpted the footwear embellishments, and created the wings. I don't have detail shots of the accessories right now but I will try to photograph them to post them soon.

All Photo Credits: TM 2013 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.

Below is a picture of me posing with the C.A. Cupid doll at the Monster High booth at SDCC 2012 which MH featured on their Tumblr. I got to meet the amazing team behind MH and was blown away by how lovely they all were :) It was the first time I ever saw the doll in person too! I also got to chat with Erin Fitzgerald, the awesome voice actress of C.A. Cupid who was totally adorable. She actually does six of the characters on the show and during the Monster High panel it was hilarious to hear her and the other actress switch so easily between their character voices and "normal" voices. The panel was amazing, I could not have been happier with all my MH experiences at this years con. I had a blast cosplaying C.A. Cupid and can't wait to see what other outfits MH designs for her!

Above two images are property of Monster High / Mattel

Hopefully I can win the grand ticket battle for SDCC 2013 and make the journey again. I'm pretty sure I know who I'm going to be working on next ;)

Toralei Stripe Cosplay - Monster High

I made all these pieces from scratch, including hand screening all the patterns on my arms, legs, kerchief, and the dress! I will post a more in-depth breakdown of my Toralei Stripe cosplay when I have a chance (it was an intensive process to say the least!). For now you can enjoy some of the photos :)

All Photo Credits: TM 2012 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.

Toronto Zombie Walk 2011 - Baywatch Zombies

For Toronto Zombie Walk 2011 I finally got to execute a concept that I had envisioned over two years ago! Last year I had to miss doing the zombie walk because of my new insane grad school workload but this year I was having none of it. Baywatch and zombies seem like the perfect combination to me so I was dying (harhar) to do a mash-up for the walk. The garments were all modified and distressed for the costume and I made the patches myself. All the makeup and prosthetics I did from scratch! The best part was that we did the slow motion Baywatch run zombie style, it was great to hear people cracking up as we passed them on the street :) There are a ton of photos online of us but I'm only posting three!

Oh yes, and we made it on to BlogTO! :) http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/10/toronto_zombie_walk_2011/

Monster High Fearleading Cosplay - Frankie Stein

The final costume of the Monster High cosplay trio that I designed was my own character Frankie Stein :) As with Draculaura and Deuce Gorgon's costumes, I designed mine from scratch, hand screening all the trims, body coverings and using a vector rendering of the MH logo I'd drawn for the chest. I had never modified a wig before this project so that was a HUGE accomplishment. I'm so happy with it I think I'll likely do a post just to show it close-up :) I made it stable enough that it hasn't changed since I first put it on! This costume between the uniform, arm and leg coverings, and the f/x makeup was a huge amount of work and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved. 

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved. 

I made the earrings from scratch using my long-lost childhood sculpting skills with Fimo/Sculpty and created Frankie's skull earrings. My ears are stretched larger than a normal gauge plus a normal ear piercing wouldn't be able to handle the weight of these so I opted for the clip-on earring backs. They were nearly impossible to find in the city! I could not believe the amount of store employees that gave me brain dead stares when I asked if they carried them. Who would have known they were so rare!

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved. 

The f/x makeup was done by myself. I made the cheek stitches from scratch, actually sewing through the semi-completed prosthetic while it was on my face. It turned out great! I loved being able to incorporate some authentic elements into something like this.

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved. 

Monster High Casketball Cosplay - Deuce Gorgon

Ah, Deuce Gorgon. Putting the Deuce in seduce ;) This year I was very excited to have my partner join me for his first time cosplaying! After debating which Monster High character he wanted to be for Fan Expo Canada we decided on Deuce Gorgon. I had a heck of a time figuring out how to translate his snake hair and initially planned on doing an insane f/x prosthetic. In the end there just wasn't the time to execute it so I came up with an alternative plan and it worked beautifully. I designed a hat and hand screened a gradient print that was a larger scale pattern to what Deuce's hair looks like. Instead of opting for the Casketball hair version where his snakes are sticking up, I opted to go with the flipped down style of his Dawn of the Dance hair. This was more fun anyways since my partner got to flip it from side to side and put a snake in front of his eyes like a loose curl when he felt like it :)

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.

I made the uniform from scratch, hand screening the trims and drawing a vector MH logo for the chest. I also made the socks and hand screened the pattern on them. The glasses were painted with stained glass paint to make them green.

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved. 

Monster High Fearleading Cosplay - Draculaura

After attending SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) this year and meeting Garrett Sander, creator and design manager of Monster High I knew I HAD to do this group cosplay for Fan Expo Canada 2011. Initially the friends I usually do a group cosplay at Fan Expo Canada were all going to join in this Monster High epicness (I'm the official costume maker for the group) but a large number of them couldn't attend this year! Regardless of that, we represented with a group of 3 and I don't think it could have be more epic :)  

This is the lovely Draculaura in my original Fearleading uniform costume design. I made the uniform from scratch, even hand screening the trims. Many many many yards of trim! I also created a vector logo in Illustrator for the MH logo on the uniform chest. Draculaura made her own wig and did her own f/x makeup, all for her first time. I think she looks great!

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved. 

I made the earrings from scratch too, free-handing the design on shrinking plastic and then making them into earrings. If you've seen my blog before you know how much I like to play in the area between 2 and 3 dimensional props so I liked the idea of using these for her costume instead of real safety pins :)

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved. 

Monster High Cosplay - Fan Expo 2011 PREVIEW - UPDATE!

UPDATE! I've now published three new posts about my Monster High Fearleading (and Casketball) cosplay designs for Frankie Stein, Deuce Gorgon, and Draculaura! Check them out :)

I can't resist posting this one.. 

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.

(ORIGINAL POST)
I attended SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) this year and one of the many highlights was meeting Garrett Sander, creator and design manager of Monster High at the official MH booth! The experience along with all the amazing doll prototypes pretty much decided it for me.. I was determined to cosplay as Monster High characters for Fan Expo Canada 2011!

I'll be doing a long post for these costumes but this is a sneak peek! I designed the entire costumes from scratch for Frankie Stein, Deuce Gorgon, and Draculaura (minus her wig which she did herself). So excited to do a post on these, they were a huge amount of work but I am so happy with how they turned out! Can't wait to do more ;)

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.

A Pupae Twin Purse - The Venture Bros.

For a LONG time now I've been working on a costume for Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, one of the totally epic characters from The Venture Bros. I think I ordered the yellow wet look spandex around three years ago and just haven't had the time to actually start until this past christmas! Well the costume is about 90% done with just the final wig styling to finish and I knew I needed a purse to go with the costume (as per usual). There was no other option than to do a Pupae Twin (Murderous Moppet)! Vinyl and PVC with 4 d-rings in the back so I can wear it as a backpack or as a side purse :) Super happy with how this turned out! Hopefully I'll be able to do the other Pupae Twin some time.

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved. 

TOS Star Trek Tricorder Purse

Last year for Fan Expo I created 5 Star Trek - The Original Series skants for my lovely cosplay group of ladies! Inspired by my design adventures of converting 2D objects to 3D and vice versa, I decided to convert the Tricorder worn in the show into a "flat" purse!
Made from vinyl, holographic spandex, rivets and random materials for the embellishment details. The hardest part of this was screening the silver details on the vinyl. The paint didn't particularly like the vinyl and the butcher's paper I was using to make the outlines was not adhering properly or creating the seal with the fabric! Whewf. In the end it all worked out though :) So happy with this creation!

Photo Credit: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved. 

Out take from shoot below! Pictures to follow of full costume :)

Photo Credit: Mert Demir TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved. 

Toronto Underground Cinema - Raptor Costume Revisited!

The Toronto Underground Cinema's 2011 pinup calendar features the lovely Sam in my Raptor costume pieces! The hood and gloves are my original designs :)

PHOTO CREDIT: IF YOU FALL PHOTOGRAPHY + TORONTO UNDERGROUND CINEMA 2011. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Studio: Deconstruct/Reconstruct Sustainability Project

For studio class this semester we had to create a sustainable garment out of vintage or second hand garments. The goal was to use 100% of the materials to create an upcycled clothing piece. As I hate the crunchy patchwork style that is commonly associated with reconstructing second-hand clothing I knew I needed to do something that directly spoke to my own aesthetic. This led me to conceptualizing the idea of using unsustainable fabrics to design fetishwear! The fabrics used to create fetishwear are typically quite bad for the environment and the idea of 'sustainability'.

Over 33 million of tons of PVC is produced annually and it emits toxic compounds from manufacture to disposal. The shiny lovely durability it boasts is unfortunately also its downfall-> It is not biodegradable or degradable, which means all the PVC that gets dumped in landfills either just sits there for decades.. Or it is burned and releases toxic fumes like hydrogren chloride gas and dioxin :/ I knew I wanted to use PVC garments for this project for just this reason.

My first order of business was to find some interesting PVC material and I immediately thought of children's raincoats. They had fun patterns and didn't have excessive amounts of material or lining! I picked up three coats and opted for this Mickey Mouse version because it reminded me of my childhood adventures in Disneyland :) From there I also knew I wanted to make a corset so I found a kilt in my closet that I didn't mind parting with that would work for the lining.

It was a huge amount of work but I was very happy with what I produced. I started with 651.5 grams of fabric from my garments which included the weights of all extra embellishments that were needed, such as the boning and eyelets. And *drumroll* I ended up being able to use 100% of the original garments! I even saved the thread from the original constructions.. I swear, there was method to my madness! lol The fruits of my labor are posted below. I constructed an underbust corset, Minnie ears, a pair of spats, a purse, and a little neck tie :)

The construction process was VERY long and painstaking and contains many pictures! For this reason, I'm not posting it directly here. If you'd like to read more about my adventures click below!

Uberfriendship.com's Show About Games Show - Ezio Cowl

David over at UberFriendship.com needed a costume piece for an upcoming segment on their Show About Games Show at The Escapist Magazine! The upcoming segment features a character based on Ezio from the Assassin's Creed video game series. I created a cowl based directly on the game version and I was happy with how it turned out. I wasn't sure how I wanted to do the closure initially but I ended up putting Velcro down the centre front and it is inconspicuous enough that it doesn't detract from the rest of the top-stitch detailing.

 All Photo Credits: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved. 

Archived - Toronto Fan Expo 2009

This has been long overdue because I was hoping to have done a shoot with the ladies to post here but I figured it was about time! At Toronto Fan Expo 2009 I designed 7 Merlotte's waitress costumes, of True Blood fame, for me and the ladies! I styled myself as Sookie Stackhouse, bites and all :) We also had a guy with us who was styled after Sam Merlotte!

I made all the aprons from scratch modelling them directly off the style worn in the show. I also created iron-on decals with the logo and applied them to each t-shirt our group members provided me with. For my own costume I converted a pair of pants into short shorts and also picked up a pair of white canvas sneakers like Sookie wears in the TV show.

Photo Credits Above: TM 2011 SMASHWORKS. All Rights Reserved.