~2013 Commissions OPEN~

Just so everyone is officially aware, I’m open for cosplay/costume commissions! : )

What does this include: Wigs, accessories, shoes, whole costumes, and partial costumes (i.e. just a skirt, etc). 

Price Range: My prices are all done individually, via email. If you’re interested in something I can give you a quote. I am able to do price plans for people on a budget- so if you need to spread out payment over weeks or months, that’s doable. 

If you’d like to run something past me and have me give you a quote- just email me at torafox@gmail.com with the heading “Cosplay Commission Quote:______” and fill in that blank with your name. If you have a price range, need a budget plan, or have a deadline, PLEASE tell me upfront. 

If you’d like examples of my work, you can click the “cosplay” tag button on my blog, or visit my deviantart page. : )

The Peri wing stencil is finished! I put my slipper/foot in there for size reference. 

Costume Analysis: Periwinkle

So, a lot of people are looking for good photos of the character Periwinkle, from Disney’s new movie The Secret of the Wings. Peri is a super fun, lovable character and her debut in the new movie really made a lot of people want to make her outfit (me included)! I figured I’d make this quick resource/analysis post to help everyone out, if they’d like! All the photos here are screen shots from my own personal copy of the movie- PLEASE, don’t use without linking back to here? ALSO- if this analysis helped you, link back to it so others can find/use it too!

Periwinkle’s hairstyle:

Peri’s white hair is a classic “pixie” cut at the nape of her neck, which then grows longer in length and is “mow-hawked” into an updo that curls at the top. Her face is framed with bangs. I’ll post as many pictures here as I can so you can see, okay? In my opinion, this is the most difficult part of the cosplay, since short, heavily styled wigs can be really easy to mess up. 

         

Periwinkle’s Dress and Capris:

Peri’s dress is two, large frosty blue leaves sewn together at their sides, and it covers an underskirt made of soft, fluffy snowy owl feathers. The leaves tend to move around a little bit, and give off the appearance of being “uncentered” as it moves around. The feathers seem to be three in the front (although the center one is covered by the leaves), two on the sides, and three in the back. Her capris are also made from leaves, but are a darker blue. The veining is even, and goes down the sides of them. The ends of the pants are slightly below her knees, and end in delicate curls outwards.

       

Periwinkle’s Shoes:

Like Tinkerbell, Periwinkle prefers flats with cute little fuzzy white pom-poms on them. However, Peri’s are blue and seem to have a bit more of a point to them than Tink’s. She also apparently “usually just leaves them [the pom-poms] on at home” so there’s parts in the movie where she doesn’t have them on her shoes. Either or can work. ; )

     

Periwinkle’s Wings:

Peri’s wings are VERY important to her cosplay because they were a huge part of the movie- and they connect her to her sister in a very important way! They’re identical to Tink’s. 

 

Wig help?

I really can’t decide on a Luna wig. It’s killing me. 

I really, REALLY adore cosplaystation’s Luna wig, but it would come out to about 120$ (including shipping). It’s 35” long and looks like this. I’ve dealt with cosplay station many, many times before and have never been disappointed. I can’t tell you how many people have stopped me to ask if my Rapunzel wig is my real hair. It’s THAT good of quality. It’s super pricey though… (you get what you pay for I suppose?).

On the other hand, lots of people have commented on having good experiences with Arda-Wigs and when I look at their Claudia wig and two buns… it’d come out to about $47 (not including shipping). The Claudia wig in black looks like this, and it looks like this in the back in terms of length, and comes to roughly 28”. I like the idea of being able to remove the buns and possibly use the wig for another cosplay… but I’ve never used Arda before so I’m hesitant… mostly after the total flop that was cosplay.com (there went $30 down the drain). 

So, what is your opinion? Which is the better buy? I’m really open to opinions and I’d like to hear if you guys have any personal experiences that’d help me out?

Wig Curious- Questions for my fellow cosplayers.

I’m really curious about other people’s answers to these sorts of questions. I think we all have experiences and opinions about cosplay wigs. And I think sharing them could really help out other people in their wig buying decisions. So, if you do have the ability to answer these questions, pass on your opinions and wisdom? 

• In your opinion what is a reasonable price range for a cosplay wig? Which price ranges would you designate as “cheap wigs”? Which are “overpriced wigs”? 


• About how much was the cheapest wig you’ve ever bought? Was it a “good buy”? About how long did it last?


• About how much was the most expensive wig you’ve ever bought? Was it worth the price? About how long did it last?


• In your opinion which is more cost effective- buying a pre-styled wig, or styling one yourself? Why?


• What was the worst wig experience you’ve ever had?


• What’s a wig you really want to buy but haven’t bought yet?


• Do you have a preferred seller that you buy from? If so, who and why? Are there any wig sellers you refuse to purchase from? If so, who and why?

Constructive Critique anyone?

I’m really curious for responses and I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m just trying to get attention?

What do you like most about my cosplays? Is there a specific cosplay you really enjoy? If so why? Are there things you thought I should have changed? Is there a cosplay you think I should do? Is there something specific I should do if/when I do it (in your opinion)? (Keep in mind, I never do literal cosplays… ever.)

I’ve been planning and doing drawings/scheduling for my costume making plans for 2013 (since I’m gonna be full time with work and school soon, I gotta schedule my time wisely), and I realized I’d love some feedback. I normally don’t get constructive feedback, most of my feedback are comments like “Oh pretty” or “you look really nice” which are fantastic (thank you so much!) but I’d really like constructive stuff so I can see if there’s things I need to change. A lot of times when I see someone’s costume, I’ll comment on the seaming, or their use of color, or how they incorporated their own personality into it- that sort of stuff. I think it really helps to know what was a good thing, so you can know to repeat that process in the future. I’d really, really, REALLY like some feedback- anything is welcome, even if it’s a little harsh. 

Keep in mind- a constructive critique gives feedback about the positives and negatives and offers helpful comments on how to possibly fix those negatives. It’s not saying “It’s nice” or “It sucks”. If you’re just going to be rude, please don’t bother?

For some photos of my cosplays/costumes look here, and here. I made all of them (wigs included) except for the movie style Rapunzel one. 

Am I the only one that hates when people use markers (mostly ones that aren’t specifically for fabric) on the fabric of their cosplays/plushies? Like, Rapunzel skirts/sleeves with the flower pattern put on with Sharpie, or pony plushies with the eyes drawn on with Copics? I feel like… it cheapens the project and ruins all the work they put into making it. I know not all of us have insurmountable funds with which to make costumes (trust me, I know), but that doesn’t mean you need to use markers at all, let alone non-fabric markers? Like, yeah, maybe you’ll have to wait 5-6 more weeks to have the funds to get embroidery floss or an iron-on, or some sort of specialized marker… and yeah, maybe you’ll have to take a few more steps to use those… but isn’t that nicer than ruining your whole project (or at least making it look tacky) by using markers? Am I the only one who feels this way?

So, generally when I get sick of a certain project, I work on another one. My Merida dress was driving me up a wall, so I decided to work on Ariel.

Just like my Rapunzel dress, this is my version of a “modern” Ariel. It’s a little more theatrical, or dressy, but I really like it. I have to re-work the bust and the side zipper a little bit, since it’s about 5/8” to big… but I’m still really happy with it. The dress looks exactly like my sketch did. : ) It’s entirely designed and made by me, even the pattern.

The wig… ugh that wig. It’s so horrible. I’m going to save up and get a nicer one, but for the time being this is all I have. ;m;

Enjoy.

Last Rapunzel photos, I swear! <3 (These were the only ones I edited. The original photos were pretty bad looking in terms of lighting, so I went into PS and fixed them a bit. enjoy.)

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