You’re in trouble if you succumb to the claustrophobia while encased in the material.  I had a hysteria attack with tears pooling in my eyes but then I freaked out even more because where are the tears going to go?  ~Kricket

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Lifecasting is the process of molding your face (or other body part) in order to cast an exact replica.  It has many applications within the cosplay community.  If you cast your face you can experiment with building a latex nose, chin, or ears; animegoa masks; furry heads; or specialized head accessories.  If you cast your body, you will have a mannequin specifically tailored to your measurements, on which you can build tight-fitting costumes or mold wonderflex into armor.  It is a useful technique for the advanced costumer who has the money and desire to learn about molding and casting while building upon their professional portfolio.  If you are still a novice at costume-making, don’t worry!  Beginners can often find products offered by the cosplay or theatrical community to meet their cosplay needs.

Choosing The Mold Material

The material you use for the mold will depend upon your budget and the desired mold properties.  While there are many mold-making websites out there, Smooth-on is well respected within the community.

	Alginate is the most economical material.  It sets in a matter of minutes into a rubbery material with just a little bit of stretch. The downside is that it is only good for one to two casting and can only accept certain casting materials such as plaster of paris.  Petroleum jelly is an acceptable release agent.
	Alja-Safe® is an alginate created by Smooth-On.  It claims to be a carcinogen-free improvement on the basic alginate but it still has the same downsides listed above.  What is interesting is that it claims that it “does not stick to anything” – probably referring to skin and facial hair – and can safely mold hair if used in conjunction with hair conditioner.
	Body Double® Silicone Rubber  is a long-term mold material produced by Smooth-On.  It sets in 5 minutes and demolds in 20 minutes.  Although it is quite expensive it can last for years, through multiple castings, and is quite stretchy.  Use with body-double release cream, gypsona plaster bandages, and a latex bald cap.

Step-by-step Lifecasting Instructions

For this tutorial, we decided to use Body Double for ease of removing the head.

	What You Will Need: Mold Material, Release Agent, Bald Cap, Ear Plugs Plaster Bandages Expendible Paint Brushes and Tongue Depressors Mixing Containers Bucket of Water
	Before casting, apply a release agent to any facial hair (eyebrows, eyelashes, beard).  You can protect your hair with a bald cap that completely conceals all hair.  The wig cap shown was not sufficient and as a result we had to cut off strands of hair that had been captured in the mold.  If casting over the ears, wear ear plugs.
	Mix a small amount of mold material as it can set within minutes.  Remember to have a supply of disposable brushes nearby as they will quickly become unusable as the material sets.
	Apply a thin base coat and watch for air bubbles.  It is best to start with the back of the head, leaving the eyes and nose for last.  Usually it is enough to make sure the nose passage is unobscured for breathing, but it is not uncommon to stick a straw in someone’s mouth to allow air circulation through the oral cavity.  If the material accidentally gets in your subject’s nose, have them exhale air forcefully to remove the material.
	Continue to apply a thicker coat (recommended 3/8″ thick).  It does not matter if the first coat has cured before you apply the second coat, since Body Double adheres well to itself.  Remember that your subject can still hear, so continue to talk to them and make sure you have some prearranged communication method.
	Once the Body Double has set, soak and apply the plaster bandages.  Cut thin strips for detailed areas such as the bridge of the nose.
	At this point, your subject should only have been in the mold for about an hour.  Once everything has cured, you can cut the plaster bandage from ear to ear.  The Body Double can be cut straight up the back of the neck, allowing enough of an opening to pull the flexible material over the crown of your head.

If you’ve made it this far you now have a mold of your head! The next step is to pour the cast into your mold, using the dried plaster bandages and a box full of packing peanuts for support.  Check with the manufacturer to determine which material would be best.

You can also find instructional videos at smooth-on.com.

“Batik” is a fabric dying technique that allows you to create two-tone patterns on fabric using wax.  How this works is when the specialized wax is painted on a natural-fiber fabric, it acts as a dye-barrier and prevents penetration into the fabric.  What makes batik wax special is it’s mixture of beeswax, which adheres well to fabric, and paraffin wax, which is brittle.   If you have the time and energy, I would recommend this method to add a personalized, hand-made touch to your cosplay costumes.  Yet, there are definite limitations to this method.  If you are trying to paint a large area of fabric, achieve crisp lines, or add multiple color palettes then this process might not be for you; instead order custom-printed fabric at spoonflower.com.

For the purposes of experimentation, I decided to try three different types of waxes: Pure Beeswax, Batik Wax, and an Easter Egg crayon; and three application methods: tjantings, paintbrush, and crayon.

.	WHAT YOU NEED: Wax + Applicator Natural fabric Double Boiler Cold Water Dye
	You will need to melt the wax on low heat in a double boiler. The wax will harden quickly when taken off the stove, so it will be best if you set up a candle-heated fondue pot at your work station to keep the wax pliable.
	IF USING A CRAYON:Although this is the easiest way to control the wax, it does not penetrate the fabric deep enough to prevent dye saturation.
	IF USING A PAINTBRUSH:Keep the wax warm at your work station, otherwise the wax will build up and make it difficult to paint fine lines.
	IF USING A TJANTING: (This device is a little tricky to use) Keep the metal heated or the wax will clog Make sure the melting pot has a fine pouring spout Have your design pre-sketched because you can’t stop the wax once it’s dripping!
	Before you begin dying, check to see that the wax is completely saturating the fabric and that the lines are crisp.  If this is not the case, you should suspend your fabric within a quilting frame or picture frame.
	Place the fabric in a cold-water dye-bath (such as Dylon).  If you make the mistake of using warm water, the wax will melt prematurely.  Once it reaches the desired color, rinse the fabric until the water runs clear and let dry.
	To extract the wax, place the dried fabric in-between layers of paper and iron on a low temperature.

And that’s it!  Please keep in mind that we included multiple variables in this experiment to demonstrate alternative methods for applying batik wax.  Obviously, the technique you use will depend on your desired result, but if you asked me which one offered the most control I would recommend using the paintbrush.

Anime has definitely changed over the past few decades.  Although it used to be part of recluse geek culture, it has definitely achieved global recognition and appreciation.  With new anime being produced constantly, there has been a definite increase in international cosplay hobbyists and now you can find cosplayers of every ethnicity.  But, if you were to closely study the anatomy of anime characters, I wonder which ethnicity would most closely resemble the artist’s intent?

There is a presumption that Japanese cosplayers provide some of the most authentic representations of anime characters, mainly due to their cultural heritage.  They have both the demeanor and a physical attractiveness that makes them seem better equipped to emulate anime characters.

Yet, during the past few years, we’ve begun to notice an increasing competitiveness among international cosplayers, as they participate in world-wide photo contests masquerade competitions.  Many of these cosplay competitions seeks to increase pride in one’s ethnic and cultural background, as it relates to cosplay.  There is an unspoken question as to which country can best emulate specific characters.  Yet, even though one’s physical attributes might enhance a costume, it is important to remember that we’re all united by our love of costuming and our desire to bring our favorite characters to life.  Let’s appreciate the ethnic diversity among our cosplayers and enjoy the new interpretations that it provides within our community.

The energetic Madoka is the president and only member of the Sweats Club, dedicated to involvement with practically every other club’s activities.  Finally, a new prospective member appears, but she’s a bit odd.  She dresses in an strange uniform, talks about mission, displays no emotion and of course convinces Madoka to go pilot a jet-like mecha, just in time to fend off a sudden alien attack.

It’s really a pretty standard mecha show with all the shadowy organizations, hidden pasts and baffling physics that go along with the genre.   It’s a well-made one though, really hinging on the enthusiastic Madoka.  Somehow it’s a natural progression for her to go from helping with the film club to practicing her wrestling moves against giant robots.  Her (simpleminded) enthusiasm is infectious and makes the whole thing much more enjoyable than it would otherwise be.  I certainly don’t expect this to become dark and compelling like Eva or Rahxephon, but for lighter mecha fare, it’s promising.

(Side note – Anime already has a Madoka.  That name should be off limits for at least another couple years.)

Let’s assume for a moment that you are a crewman on a ship.  Tragically, your highly esteemed captain has just passed away.  Now, you could find a new qualified captain for your vessel, or you could promote the first officer to the captain position.  Or you could automatically hire the captain’s estranged schoolgirl daughter due to some strange concepts about genetic succession.  If you would choose either of the first two options, congrats, you don’t belong in this anime!  Unfortunately for Marika, she IS in this anime and since her space-pirate captain father has just died, she’s the only viable candidate to take over his space-pirate ship.  Granted, she’s a little miffed that nobody ever bothered to tell her about this ahead of time.

I have to admit – this concept seems like a stretch.  Going into it, I expected madcap antics, but instead found a surprisingly restrained and interesting story.  Right from the start, Marika calls the concept out as being kinda ridiculous, and with that out in the open, they’re free to move on to character development.  This is a series that believes in taking it slow, with naught a pirate ship to be seen in the beginning.  There are still amusing scenes, but the story hinges primarily on Marika being an interesting and likeable character struggling to adapt to the bizarre expectations suddenly thrust upon her.  It’s a compelling take on a silly idea, and it’s worth checking out.

Some girls want constant attention, and some girls just want to be left alone.  Ririchiyo of the wealthy Shirakiin family is very much the latter and not at all the former.  So when she moves into an upscale condo building, she’s dismayed to find that she’s been assigned a full-time bodyguard and attendant.  Soushi is a completely loyal, selfless and thoughtful companion, but Ririchiyo wants nothing of the sort.  Now his duty becomes to convince the sullen Ririchiyo to accept his help.

Oh, and they’re both secret half-monsters!

As a character, Soushi is clearly designed to the longstanding shoujo ideals of romantic manliness.  He’s an effeminately good-looking guy with absolutely no thoughts of self-interest, no wants or desires apart from simply serving Ririchiyo.  He’s pretty shallow as a character, but as a parody of the genre, it’s pretty great.  Of course, what really turns the situation on its head is her thorough rejection of such an ‘ideal’ companion.  The yokai twist doesn’t really fundamentally change the story, but it provides just a few more story hooks on what otherwise might become a somewhat stale cast, and also offers a little more explanation for why the characters act the way they do (Soushi is actually more believable as a nine-tailed dog spirit than he would be as a human).  Where does the story goes from here?  Probably into normal shoujo territory, but with a rather unique angle.

A bedroom offers such a real and intimate look into the relationships of the characters we love, but we never get to see such a peaceful and ordinary slice of life when watching anime.  Even though shoujo is usually about relationships, the characters tend to be adolescents experiencing shy first love or passionate “against the odds” love that never fully develops into something steady and mature.

Fan-fiction is a great way to explore what happens outside the scope of an anime.  But, whereas many individuals use fan-fiction to explore character pairings in intimate and sexual relationships, I would rather see snapshots of these characters’ everyday lives–you know, the days that aren’t filled with drama, chaos, and the need to save oneself and/or the world.  How would these characters spend their everyday lives if they had a few years of peace?

Cosplayers have the unique opportunity to bring these touching scenes to life.  Below are some examples of “slice of life” cosplays that might inspire your photography.

This photo gallery is from a more private photo shoot with photographer Brandon Tofanelli.  We toured the UC Davis campus looking for gloomy buildings and tall staircases.  Although we took a lot of experimental photography, the best photos are displayed below.  Which is your favorite?

We had an amazing photo shoot over the holidays with Tricia “Ratgirl” Peterson, Jessie Silverman, Erin Voudy, and Pete Peterson.  We were blessed with a light rain, which provided us with a stark and overcast zombie-infested landscape.

This photo shoot was inspired by our recent Anime Con of the Dead event and wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Ratgirl Productions!   I’d also like to extend a special thanks to our photographers, Brandon Tofanelli and Derek Loring, for their time and commitment.

If you want to quickly and easily create a gun prop to accessorize your costume, we recommend implementing a technique called “silver leafing.”  The term “leafing” normally refers to a sheet of paper that is used to transfer metal pigments onto a solid surface by applying pressure; however, we tend to use it’s simplified counterpart “Rub n’ Buff Silver Leaf” which is a rub-on paint.  As you can see in the above picture, this technique will add dimension and distressing for an authentic-looking prop.  (Note: Silver is one of many available in the “Rub n’ Buff” collection.  For gun props, we recommend using traditional metallic colors, such as gold, bronze, or silver.)

In order to make this tutorial completely beginner-friendly, you should purchase a pre-made base for your gun.  You can usually find plastic models of guns similar to what you need, since toy manufacturers model their foam-projectile guns off of real guns.  As a starting point, be sure to check out the toy guns at Nerf, Buzz Bee, Lanard, and MacTommy.

Once you have your prop base, use the following tutorial to complete the “leafing” process:

	Color Any Hard to Reach Areas Are there any areas of your gun that you will not be leafing?  For this specific gun prop, we wanted the front of the barrel to be silver and the rest of the gun to be black.  We started by applying a coat of silver paint.
	Add Painters Tape as Needed You can protect your gun by wrapping tape around different parts that should not be painted.  In this way, you can continue to spray paint large areas without worry.
	Apply the Base Coat to Prepare for Leafing This can be any color you choose – though we believe that matte paints will provide the best accent.  For a standard gun, black is an acceptable color choice.
	Apply “Rub ‘n Buff” Leafing Be sure to grab a clean rag and squeeze a small drop of leafing onto it.  If the base coat is completely dry, you may begin to apply the leafing, rubbing any hard edge, raised text, engraved pattern, or random “scuffed” surface.  You really can’t over-do this effect.  However, be cautious of the transient nature of this “paint”; it doesn’t dry and it will continue to smear upon contact with any surface. Once you are satisfied with the level of distress, you may remove any tape and apply a clear-coat sealant.

(As mentioned in a previous post, when preparing gun props for a convention, you should disable the trigger and add an orange tip on the end of your barrel to distinguish your weapon as a costume prop.)