MeltingMirror Cosplay

Recently, I got together with a group of 20 cosplayers and we each bought a copy of Fashionpedia when they launched their Kickstarter back in March 2016.

I was really excited to get a copy since I am a big fan of another book they created - The Fashionary - which has fine outlines of figures, so you can draw consistent designs over top. They even have variations for men and shoes. I just did my first read through the Fashionpedia and here are my impressions .

Note on Images: All subsequent photos are from Fashionary's website so that I don't post anything beyond what they are willing to share because copyrights are a thing.

Being able to make your own gems for projects can be a good way to save money plus get the exact look you are aiming for. You can buy resin casting sets in custom colours, however, colours are limited (red, green, blue and that's all folks) and resin dye can be expensive or hard to come by. You can also cast clear gems and paint the backs, but the colour is not visible from sharp angles. After some testing I found this method works great.

​Casting resin with acrylic INK!
​The colour options are limitless since you can mix your own shades and you can control the opacity of the gems. It's also cheap since a bottle of ink costs about $6(CAD). In addition, the ink can be used for many other purposes such as dyeing wigs, whereas resin dye has one specific purpose.

I've made a video tutorial below but you can also find all the steps and materials listed below.

At 1 drop per 10ml of mixture the gems are relatively clear. At 2 drops per 10ml, the gems were more opaque or milky in appearance. The thicker the gem the more opaque it was.
For the glowing gem look, place a metallic backing to the gem. In the 2nd and 4th photos, as well as the completed armour below, I use metallic wrapping paper. Embossing foil and silver foil will also work. The effect is very nice and noticeable at 1 drop per 10ml and visible but not as vibrant at 2 drops.

• Silicone molds tend to make glossier casts, while plastic molds have a more satin finish
• Use mold release to prevent the resin from sticking to the mold, especially for plastic molds
• FW Ink comes in regular shades, "pearlescent" (sparkle/glitter), and metallic
• Use clear adhesives to attach the gems to your projects such as super glue or hot glue
• Alternate use for acrylic ink: dyeing wigs, calligraphy, and airbrushing.

Here are the gems in action. Happy crafting!

Create subsections for your catalog using fabric types, attributes, or colour. These header cards will help in indexing the swatches. Whatever works for you. I decided on a mix of types and attributes.

Tape swatches to the card and add a brief description of the fabric (See above). Include whatever information you find useful. I tend to include a basic colour description, material type (silk, cotton, etc.), and  stretch information if necessary (2-way, 4-way, slight stretch).  If I used a fabric for a specific costume in the past, I also include that in the description section. It creates a great point of reference.

Blank cards can be used to keep track of scrap fabric - shorter pieces not worth measuring.

On a slightly more personal note than my usual posts, this blog will explore my pitfalls in getting too enthralled by my hobby.

As you may already know, I love cosplay - I live-n-breathe the stuff. Swimming in cosplay content everyday online fascinates me, and brings me joy. Although recently, I've started noticed that my hobby has been changing into an obsession; at times, with unhealthy consequences.

When you're essentially running yourself ragged to get your costume done for a convention, even after you've promised yourself to not go through that hell again - you may have a problem.

When you're only getting limited sleep, and it makes it harder to function during your daily duties - you may have a problem

When you have to turn down multiple engagements with friends, and hermit away in your cosplay cave to finish your work...you get the point.

There's an inherent flaw in the "sleep is for the weak" and "suffer for your art" mentality, especially when it's considered normal for cosplayers. It's a running joke, and even worse, it's expected. I think I pushed myself way too hard over the last few weeks. So much so, that my stomach is still recovering from being shot for the entire weekend, and my appetite was all over the place thanks to the stress and lack of sleep. My memory also fell victim, causing me to repeating myself - to the annoyance of those around me.

Although I had an overall good time over the past weekend, my Friday was a stress induced mess which turned me into an inconsiderate person. I thought I was being reasonable under pressure, but after looking back, that was not the case. I really have to thank my friends for putting up with my frantic state. I was so obsessed with making sure everything went well, that I didn't even realize I was stepping on toes. When everyone is stressed to the hilt, even seemingly innocuous comments hit like a brick wall. Most of the day was a blur that I don't even remember. This goes to show you that even though you go into something with good intentions you might mess up when stress and lack and sleep are involved.

Side note: I have a way better understanding of how everyone got their 'mean girl' edits in cosplay shows (or any reality competition show for that matter). Lack of sleep, stress, and a tight deadline does not make for a friendly atmosphere.

So here's the true dilemma: how do you find a healthier hobby/life balance? As of late, I've made the mistake of letting my hobby take up a too much of my life. I feel as if I've neglected my friends over the last few months; I know more about people's costume progress than what's happening in their day-to-day. The tricky thing is, so many of my friends and I bond over the hobby - especially those I only get to see at events.
I don't know if I can achieve a perfect balance, since I have continuously set my standards so high, but I sure as hell can try - I'll make sure it does. For me, it starts with better time management, and a shift in priorities.

Time Management: I've started to be less rigid with my line-ups for upcoming events. This way, I don't get people's, and more importantly MY, hopes up for the delivery new costumes. It's not the end of the world if I have to re-wear an old costume because the new one isn't finished. I should have backups ready to go in-case I have to drop something, or resign to the fact that I'll wear Version 1.0. Another key point is to not be pressured in having to deliver new content ALL THE TIME. Let's be real, the people who can pump out various costumes a year probably don't have the same work/life commitments as I do.  It's unrealistic to try and keep up. It'll serve me better to work at my own pace.

Priorities: It's always good to sit back and reflect on what you find important. If friends are what I value most about my cosplay experience, then I need them to take up more time in my convention planning. Nothing made me happier over the weekend then being able to spend time with friends I seldom see, and be able to have a genuine conversations with them. Part of why my Anime North wasn't the most enjoyable this year was due to me only being able to have 5 minute conversations with my friends throughout the weekend, and got to see the sights for one whole hour.

So dear readers, what I hope you take from this is that cosplayers are real people with real life problems. If you notice a friend is pushing themselves too hard, help them slow down and get them out of their cosplay hermit shell. I'm grateful that I've surrounded myself with such great friends, because great friends give you a reality check when you need it.

~MM

There are so many ways to dye a wig here’s a breakdown of several methods. Follow the flow chart to a preferred method the read the corresponding write-up. But first...

General Supplies:
Wig head or clothes line for wefts (see photo above), hair clips (for sectioning off wefts),  gloves (latex or rubber), mask with a  filter if you are using alcohol, covered working area (plastic sheeting)


General Notes:

• Result of dyeing varies depending on the type of fibres. I mostly work with Kanekalon fibres.
• You cannot dye a wig a lighter colour.
• I highly suggest with starting with a white wig or wefts. If white is not available then light colours like silver.
  
• If you are dying a coloured wig, stick with colours within that range (lilac ->purple->dark purple).
• Only heat resistant fibres can be used with fabric dyes and tea dyeing.
  
• For sample results see the bottom of the post, detailing my experiences.
  

INK *My preferred method*
Supplies: Acrylic ink (FW Ink recommended), 70% alcohol, and a spray bottle
Technique(s): Mix ink and alcohol in spray bottle and spray onto wig. Can use for gradient effects.
Note: The pearlescent shades of FW ink have a fine glitter which can rub off and will make your wig shiny.

Pros: Easy to coat large amounts of fibre, little ink required, good for getting consistent colour, easy to make new colour by mixing inks, good for applying gradient effects, and easy to detangle fibres after dyeing
Cons: Strong smell, not as precise as hand drawn Sharpie, messy, and hard to find product.

Tutorial/links: Arda tutorial &  Cosplay.com thread

FABRIC DYES for POLYESTER
Recommend for: Dying large amounts of fibres
*Fibres must be heat resistant*
Supplies: Polyester Dye (iDye Poly recommended), a stainless steel pot with boiling hot water
Technique(s): Boil water, add dye, add wefts/wig, stir while boiling, and remove after a few minutes (see Arda Dye chart linked below)

Pros: Colour is true to the package, can dye large amounts
Cons: Boiling water curls and tangles the wig (Ex: see 1st image) which means you have to detangle and straighten it afterwards (Ex: see last image), cannot use on curly wigs, cannot easily add gradient effects, colour can be patchy if not stirred properly, messy and can stain your floor/tables/appliances.

Tutorial/links: Arda colour dyeing chart

FABRIC DYE (REGULAR)
Recommend for: Dying large amounts of fibres, a stainless steel pot with hot water
*Fibres must be heat resistant*
Supplies: Dye packet, a big pot with boiling hot water
Technique(s): Boil water, add dye, add wefts/wig, stir while boiling, and remove after satisfied with colour. Rinse with cold water and hang to dry.

Pros: great for large amounts of fibres,
Cons: Boiling water curls and tangles the fibres which means you have to detangle and straighten it afterwards, cannot use this method with curly wigs, end result colour is uncertain, cannot easily add gradient effects, colour can be patchy if not stirred properly, messy and can stain your floor/tables/appliances.

Tutorial/links: Arda colour dyeing chart

SHARPIE – PENS
Supplies: Sharpie/Alcohol based Pens, Alcohol (depends on technique)
Technique(s): Various techniques. See tutorials/links

Pros: Precise if done by hand, certainty of colour results,
Cons: Strong smell, sometimes rubs off or runs, very time consuming (by hand), messy, and can stain your floor/tables/appliances.

Tutorial/links:
By hand - Grab some wefts and go! I prefer doing this on a flat surface. So I lay out some newspaper and some white paper on top so the newspaper ink doesn't stain your wig. No alcohol needed. When complete rinse with cold water until clear.
By Spray bottle - Epic Cosplay
By batch/bucket 
By sponge


TEA BAGS
Recommend for: Dying large amounts of fibres to natural looking light blonde.
*Fibres must be heat resistant*
Supplies: Dark tea bags, hot water
Technique(s): Boil water add many tea bags and let it steep, and drench wig.

Pros: Natural look.
Cons: Very limited colour choice (white > pale blonde), takes a long time to set.

Tutorial/links: Example for a doll wig & Danika's notes 

I had to dye a lot of fibers for a project and I used many of the methods above. Here are the results of dyeing white wefts.

From the left:

1. Royal blue Tintex - left in boiling water for 5 mins after completing another batch (See #3) It looks nothing like the package - almost purple
   
2. Hand-dyed orange Sharpie - This took a long time and the colour rubs off a bit even after rinsing it 
3. Royal blue Tintex - left in boiling water for about 8 min. Results match the packaging
   
4. Hand dyed light blue Sharpie - also tedious to colour
   
5. FW ink in canary yellow - Mixed with alchohol and sprayed onto wefts. It almost looks neon, very crisp and bright colour
   
6. Idye poly dye in red - left in boiling water for 3mins with half a packet of dye and it matches the packaging
7. Yellow-gold Dylon dye - Left in boiling water for about 9-10min with the full tin to make sure the colour stayed. The result is more yellow (lighter) than the packaging
   
8. Two shades of green Tintex dye in boiling water for 7 mins