Foxy Lady - #37

testing two gold tones of Pébèo Studio Acrylics

The Pébèo customer services answered my email, asking for further details and, after I asked them for the same gold paint in other formats, they redirected me to the Studio Acrylics range on their website. But they don't ship outside of France, so I was stuck again. I have to say, this is the best customer service I've dealt with so far, and they said they'll be sending me a new Deco Spray can... But I'm traumatised, no more sprays! After looking for official Pébèo vendors in Portugal online, to poor results, I called Imaginação das Cores (also not much updated info on their website), the shop where I bought the Deco Spray, and they had the Studio Acrylics in gold. So, yesterday I bought the two gold tones available, Rich Gold and Iridescent Gold, not sure which would be the best match. After making a quick test on a popsicle stick, including a 50/50 mix of both, the Iridescent Gold was a match!

I grabbed a thin brush, and started doing something I wanted to since I started painting these ears, painting the meandering cutout sides. One thing I like about acrylic paints, is their glossy, almost rubbery finish, which is awesome to fill in small scratches and gaps. After a few hours, I made a mock padding ball by tieing a bit of upholstery foam around itself into a ball, to wad paint the ears. Usually, padding balls are made from a piece of cotton cloth wrapped around a cotton wad, and used to apply shellac on wood. Now I'm applying thin coats with it, and, after one very thin first coat I already can see some better results. This way, I can get a smooth homogenous finish, without the need of a spray (although I'm sure it can be thinned down to be used with an airbrush).

Meanwhile, I noticed that the middle front and back joints were cracking again, so I reinforced them with some wood glue. Now I'll be applying one coat every day, letting it dry overnight, painting the other side the next day, and so on, until I have at least two full coats. They'll be surely finished by next week, and I can go ahead with the shoe embellishments.

+ The Studio Acrylics Irisdescent Gold is a perfect match to the Deco Spray Gold, so I'm very happy. I like to paint with acrylics and I know how to leave a proper smooth finish. Tomorrow I'll make a test with glossy polish, to see if it dulls or enhances the metallic finish. If it enhances it, I'll add a final sealing coat with it.

- In order to have a smooth finish it will take time, by adding one coat per day, but I like to take things slowly.

THE CUNNING PLAN

Finish the ears, sculpt the shoe/leg embellishments, test the lathe with scrap wood. Maybe make a 1:6th scale baseball bat for the Blythes. 

Saki Asamiya - Serafuku #1

Saki Asamiya - Sukeban Deka OAV

COSPLAY ID

CHARACTER Saki Asamiya

SOURCE Sukeban Deka OAVs, by Shinji Wada

COSTUME Serafuku

COSPLAY BREAKDOWN

• dark blue serafuku, with two white stripes, short blouse and longer skirt
• pink wig with red cord ties (have the wig, making the cord with leftovers)
• white neck kerchief
• sleeveless dark red turtle neck top
• white knee high socks
• black mocassin shoes (have)
• brown driver's gloves (or yoyo gloves)
• large red yoyo with white trim

I guess I'm trying to check the long listed items from my Cosplay wishlist. I mean, making so many complicated costumes in a row, made me crave to make simpler, comfortable costumes. Saki has been on my wishlist for very long. I've always wanted to make a schoolgirl, to make a serafuku, as I love those so much. Ever since I first heard about Sukeban Deka, about a former delinquent girl turned teenage detective, I thought she was the perfect tomboy for me. I'm also a fan of the Sukeban girl gangs, and their imagery, this anime was the perfect combination.

Then, even though the anime is only 2, 45 minute episodes long, I never even had watched the first one properly. While deciding to go ahead with this costume, I finally watched them. They're fun! Very early 90's, including a bit of gratutious fan service. It only reinforced my will to cosplay her.

For now, I'm not going to buy the fabrics, nor the white trims, but I already have the shoes for a few years, just need to break them in. Even though Saki usually wears flat mary-janes, both in the anime and manga, on the DVD (and VHS) cover she wears mocassins, which, although I'm a mary-janes girl, I feel fits the Sukeban look much better. So, when I found cheap ones at a local shop, I bought them. I bought the wig to make two other Utena costumes, but haven’t got to those yet, its fine for Saki, although a bit shorter. The red top comes from my wardrobe, I got it in the 90's, it's the perfect colour. I'm on the look out for the white knee high socks, and the yoyo. Somehow, white knee high socks seem to have become "unfashionable", the only thing I can find are either shorter socks, and in 5 pair packs, or sports socks, which I don't like at all, because I don't like hot feet. I need to ask at old school socks and underwear shops, there’s one nearby. How I miss my dear Rei das Meias! They used to carry all kinds of socks and tights, and good quality ones. In a way, it's the same for the yoyo. I searched AliExpress, but I either have to buy a pack, or they'll send it in a random colour. Ah, and they're all transparent... I'd like a semi-professional yoyo, as I still know a few tricks, from a yoyo fad in the 80's, and usually they're harder to achieve with cheaper yoyos. Besides, cheaper yoyos are usually for kids, and very small. I went to a local shop that used to carry all sorts of these toys, yoyos, kites, etc., but they mostly had boxed puzzles and games now... The plan is to buy one of those transparent yoyos that light up with a red centre at AliExpress, and paint the centre disc opaque red (and see if I can add the opening lid or not). But I'll wait, for now there aren't many choices over there, and I can get one shipped in less than one month. Maybe I'll get two, as I'm thinking about redoing Jun, from Gatchaman.

+ Finally I'll be making a serafuku, and Saki is a very cool character.

- I'm a bit crazy, I can't add any more costumes to the immediate to do list, because I still need to finish the Foxy Lady and fix and finish some things in the Mad Hatter. Besides, I need to start buying materials and planning Princess Saphyr. No more new costumes until I finish writing the thesis neither!

THE CUNNING PLAN

Be on the lookout for the socks and yoyo.

Yuuko Ichihara - Foxy Lady #36

ears ready for a new coat of gold,
inside the new paint booth, a large cardboard box

 
Since I first used that cursed Pébèo Deco Spray - Gold 868, I wasn't happy with the painting job. All three cans have splurted instead of spraying the paint, giving the ears an unwanted texture. Since I last painted them, and tried to glue them to the headband, they came off the headband and a few cracks opened. I talked about adding holes to the headband and nailing them to the ears, but I couldn't make the holes with my dremmel, and I'm not in the mood to bother some cosplayer neighbours, that have more tools than I do, just for that. Then it stroke me, maybe I could tie them to the headband with thin wire, if it's gold wire, the wig may hide it partially. Fortunately, I had some in my stash. I don't know why I have it, maybe it was for something for the dolls, I don't remember. Or maybe it came in the big fabric and related stuff haul my friend Ana gave me.

a very bad paint job

So, I glued the damaged parts, sanded them, removed the glue from where I tried to glue them to the headband, and added another gold paint coat. Honestly, I shook the can for about 15 minutes, it still splurted the paint out... I let them dry overnight, and, in the next few days I wet sanded them smooth, to remove most of the texture. Because I tagged Pébèo on Instagram, they reached out to me, first through private message, and then asked me to send them an email. I'm now waiting and hoping they'll get back to me, and suggest some alternative. I still have the shoe embellishments and the sceptre to paint.

ears, headband, awl and thin gold wire.

Then I pierced the ears with an awl and a thick sewing needle, two small holes near the centre in each and joined the ears at the centre, by glueing a piece of thin yellow ribbon to the bottom part with super glue. I first glued one half to one ear, and let it dry. Then, anchoring the ears, I glued the second half of the ribbon to the other ear. I let it dry again, and reinforced it with a second coat of super glue on top of the ribbon.

I cut four pieces of wire, about 12 cm each, and threaded them through the small holes in the ears twice. I placed the headband through the wire loops, and started by tightening the outer wires around the headband, and then the inner wires. I took turns tightening them, and shaping them if needed, and when I was overall happy, I started to twist both ends on each wire with tweezers. Again, I started twisting the outer wires, and finished with the inner wires. When all wires were tight, I cut the ends about 5mm long, and turned them inside, to not catch on the wig and to hide them.

ears attached to the steel headband with wires

I tried the ears on, and they're pretty stable. Only the side thingies make a bit too much pressure on my skull, and get hidden by the hair, but they should be more visible against the black wig. So I may try to twist them a bit with the help of the heat gun.

testing the ears for comfort and stability

Meanwhile, I've been zigzag hemming the petticoat flounces, 14 down, 10 to go.

+ I'm glad I changed the way to attach the ears to the headband, the wires are hardly noticeable on top of the hair, they're the same gold, and the ears feel very stable.

- The paint issue has been a real pain in the arse, and what is more frustrating is that this is probably the best quality metallic paint I've worked with so far. Very resistant. Besides, it's the exact yellow gold tone I need.

THE CUNNING PLAN

Keep hemming the flounces, and embroidering the collar. Once the hems are done, thread the sewing machine with grey and sew the goddamn dress!