Long week of Socializing and Costumes

            I’m still recovering from all the festivities from last week and this past weekend.  So much to tell you about so let’s begin shall we…

             

            I returned back home on Tuesday with out my man’s knowledge and left the house before he returned home.  Now why did I leave the apartment before letting him know that I have returned?  Well I wanted to surprise him and I have a networking event that started before he got back.  The event was Show Your Shorts presented by Team Awesome and Leftjet Studios.  I ran into some old connections and a bunch of new ones.  It was a great little event where you can network and watch a bunch of short films as well.  The up side to all of this I might have a possible have some work coming my way because of this.  Meet a couple of directors who were interested in working with me on a couple of their projects… go me!  If you want to check out more info on Show Your Shorts click here: Show Your Shorts.

            When I returned home, I surprised my man who was sitting half naked on the couch playing video games.  I love him, he is so adorable.

            The next evening I went to my usual last Wednesday Film and music happy hour networking event.  I was a tad disappointed in the event due to it being more focused on music side for this month.  The guest speaker was a hip hop artist who was going to talk about how to expose yourself to more people via social media.  Their were so few people on the film side I left after talking to four people.  I will still attend this networking event but I think I might be more selective on when to go depending on the guest speaker for that event. 

           

            Thursday my man and I attended Carol Corps party thanks to our good friends at Comic Book Characters for Causes.  You can read more about my experience at the event and thought on it here: Bitchin’ Friday: How To Pull Off An Event

            Friday was me rushing to polish and finish my costume for Emerald City Comic Con for Saturday and Sunday.  I didn’t want to be rushing and running late due to me being under prepared and trying to put my costumes on.  Oh and during this I was rapidly sending emails to back and fourth to a couple of directors and producers.  Still fingers crossed on something magical happing to my career.

            Saturday was the big event: Comic Con!  Even though it was day 2 their were a ton of people and so many cosplayers running about.  I dressed up as Rock Star wonder Woman from Charles Holbert’s drawing.  Not many people took my picture but that’s ok, I was their to scope out items to buy for tomorrow and to hang out with my friends.  Here are a few picture of me in this costume:

            Sunday I went as Bombshell Wonder Woman created by the wonderful and talented Ant Lucia.  I was stopped often for pictures and was even called “sexy” by a stranger.  The two biggest highlight were being hailed down the hall by the sweetest cosplayer Apotheosis Cosplay to come take pictures with her in her steam punk Wonder Woman out fit.  We gushed over each others outfits and posed for several pictures. She is such a sweet lady and you should check out her website for more info about her: http://apotheosiscosplay.storenvy.com/

            The second biggest was meeting Ant Lucia in my costume.  I thought he might not like it but he got so excited he took a picture with me and his brother took a picture of me as well.  I’m a little sad that I don’t have a picture of me and him together but I did buy a couple of his art posters and now I just need to go hang them up on my wall somewhere.  I was so giddy you have no idea, check out more of his art on his web site here: Ant Lucia

           

            Over all the Con was great, got to meet a ton of my friends and hang out, spent a bit more than I would like but when in Rome.  Below are a few pictures that were taken of me in my cosplay. 

 

 

 

Out for some fun at ECCC as RockStar Wonder Woman

           

Just hanging out with my friend Storm.

 

Heading out for my second day of Con

Hanging out with the captain at Comic book characters for causes booth.

 

Me and the awesome Apotheosis Cosplay.  I look awkward...

 

All the loot from this weekend!

             This week it is back to the grind of finding work and going to the dentist.  Oh what a dull life I lead.  See you bots on Friday for a rant possibly on the PS4 vs. Xbox One.

            See you on the other side

Bitchin’ Friday: How To Pull Off An Event

            Last night I attended Carol Corp Celebration thanks to my wonderful friend, which I totally owe her something Hello Kitty related.  The event was held at the Museum of Flight, a perfect place for this event, and it started at 7pm.  Over all it was a good event, but I found it lacking in the presenting department.  I’ve noticed a trend lately regarding nerd/geeky events be it lack of organization, venue, or something as simple as a brief presentation can hinder an event from becoming a great event.

           

            Lets Start off with the obvious, Venue.  When picking a place for an anticipated large crowed, or even knowing that it is coinciding with a convention, you will need to rent out a large enough space for the maximum amount of people you believe will show. If you find that more people have shown up to the event than anticipated, then you need to limit how many people can go inside.  As soon as a group leave allow more people in.  People generally do not like to be squished in like sardines.  A flow of traffic between bar, food and other venders makes a more pleasurable experience.

            Next is ORGANIZATION.  If you are even off your game by a little bit, the whole crowd will feel it. This boils down to timing, for example food being brought out or opening your doors on time and not having you guest wait 30 minutes in the cold, and checklists.   Checklists will keep your event going off without a hitch and makes sure that everything starts on time.

            Finally Presentation.   This can something as simple as decorating the venue to fit in with the theme or have a brief speech to welcome your guests and thank the sponsors.  While this may seem to be the lesser of the three but it is the one that guests will first see and remember most of all.  This is where all your hard work has paid off and you see the fruits of your labor.

            Hope this gives some assistance to any event coordinator out there next time they are planning an event.  What are your horror stores attending events, let me know in the comment section below.  This weekend is Emerald City Comic Con; I will be attending Saturday and Sunday as Wonder Woman (bombshell and rock star versions).  If you spot me come say hi take a picture.

            See you on the other side

Sewing,Sewing,Sewing

Good Monday to you little bots.  If you can't tell from the title I was working on cosplay all last week.  I have so much done I only have a few accessories to complet and style the wig.  I'm very excited to debute my cosplay at ECCC and for you lovely bots as well.  So here are some WIPs that I have taken of my progress: 

And some makeup and contact test run.

So as a result of my progress, I went to my parents house this past weekend.  It had nothing to do with a doctors appointment or needing help with my straps for rock star Wonder Woman.  

Hahaha....

 This week I have one lady doctor appointment and a couple of networking events that I really should attend.  Also this week is Carol Corps on Thursday and the weekend is ECCC!  If you see me come say hi, I promise I won't bite...hard.

See you on the other side

Bitch'n Friday's: Comic Book Characters For Causes

    Good Friday morning little bots.  I completely forgot what day it is today and thus had to scramble to put something up for you all.   So i thought long and hard (like 2 minutes) and I thought I would give a shout out to my friends charity Comic Book Characters for Causes.   
      What CBCC is a Seattle based "charity" raising money for local children hospitals, camps, and American cancer society all for children dressed as comic book heroes, and some villains.   Why I put charity in quotes because they are still working on reviving there federal employer identification number which is used for tax purposes.  So if you donate to them as of now you cannot write it off in your taxes.  However I still highly encourage you to donate if you see them at one of their charity events or at a convention since every is volunteer and all the money goes to the children.  
      Their next event is Carol Corps Celebration at the Museum of Flight and also Emerald City Comic Con.  If you would like to go to Carol Corps click here for tickets:

And for more information on Comic Book Characters for Causes click here:

    See you Monday for a weekly wrap up.

See you on the other side

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

            Top of the morning to you bots.  As many of you know today is St. Patrick’s Day or other wise know as an excuse to consume alcohol excessively day!  Since I’m watching my weight for ECCC I will not be partaking in the drinking of this day.  Sad I know, but it is for the best for my waist line.

            This past week I worked on my costumes, check out last Friday’s blog for updates/progress.  I also had some computer issues in which my poor 10 year old laptop decided to get sick and have a massive about of pop up on every website and lag like a granny.  Turned out it had a huge amount of malware and a virus.  So I did what any good broke artist would do for there computer, threw it out and bout a new one. 

            I’m kidding, remember the broke part.  I installed updated anti-virus software and anti-malware and ran both those programs for 5+ hours on my computer.  Luckily it was my fart around computer and not my work computer.  I know I should probably retire this old beast but I love her so much.

            Other than the computer issues, I sent out quite a few resumes this past week.  Only heard back from 3 and I think I may only get one of those jobs if I’m lucky.  The two that I properly will not get is the one in New York (most likely going to go with someone local) and the marketing associate job for SIFF.  The one I’m hoping that will pan out is a comedy-drama independent film, I saw their trailer for the film and I think it is wonderful.  Fingers crossed for that one.

            Over the weekend, my man and I went to see 300: Rise of an Empire in IMAX 3D.  The movie was just meh, you are only there for the visuals and muscular man pecks. On Sunday, I went over to my friend’s house for a crash course on how to use a broken sewing machine and to work on out cosplay crafts.  Back at home, my man and I watched Cosmos before bed. 

            However I found it very difficult to sleep last night due to my man showing me the scariest 3 minute short film in my life.  I found it creepier than the cat with hands film.  It’s called Light’s Out and was part of the Who’s There film challenge and won best director (David Sandberg).  I was so scared I had to switch place on the bed last night so my man would be next to the dark stair case and I had the wall.  I need a barrier between me and the dark places in my apartment ok!  But the film was great and you should check it out for yourselves, 

and if the director ever sees this blog please contact me I am a sound designer (click here for website: CMBSOUND).

           

            This week I’m trying to finish as much of my cosplay as I can and again sending out more resumes. Fingers crossed for me.

            See you on the other side

Bitchin’ Friday: Cosplay Prep

            Late blog but I do have an excellent excess for it.  I was finishing up sewing/embroidering side one of my bombshell Wonder Woman cosplay.  Good lord my fingers and neck are sore from stitching.   But with   Which is why if you plan on cosplaying at any convention you should always plan ahead of time and figure out how long will each take and how much time you have to spend on working on it all together.

Emerald City Comic Con coming up in two weeks, I really need to get my butt into gear and get things done.

            I have been planning out my two wonder women costumes for about 3-4 months.  The very first step is to gather as many reference photos as possible of the character/outfit you want to do.  If you only have one or two photos of the outfit, try your best in interpreting what the backside or lower half my look like.  Try drawing out a few sketches to flush out your ideas.

             Next is to make a list of what you will need for the outfit, for example if you are doing a traditional wonder woman your list might look something like this:

• Tiara
• Red corset
• Blue shorts
• Cuffs
• Boots
• Rope

Then turn each of these items into categories, and in each category you will make a list of materials you will need to make that item. 

            From there you go forth to your craft, fabric, and hardware stores for your materials.  Make sure you buy a little bit extra of each item just in case you mess up or might need it for your repair kits for the convention. 

            Next you will want to make templates out of paper (or whatever) of your items to make sure that they will fit on your body.  From there I usually break it down to what is important or biggest/time consuming part of the outfit and do that first.  You will want to start on this no later than a month and half out from the convention.  The rest of the items prioritize those, leaving accessories towards the end of the list (unless your character is known for that item them you might want to put that near the top).

            That is pretty much it for prepping to make your cosplay.  It may seem simple and unnecessary, but you learn very quickly you don’t want to be running to the craft store last minute hoping the have the material you need to finish you costume. Also, do not leave painting last minute; you will end up with tack paint with the possibility of it smudging and getting on the rest of your costume.

            I’m very frazzled, have been all week, with any luck I can get my head back on strait this weekend and rock out next week.  See you bots Monday for a weekly wrap up.

            See you on the other side

Feeling The Crunch

            Don’t hate me for not writing a blog post on Friday.  It was my travel day back from my mom’s house and I was hot and wanted to be a potato for the rest of the day.  So blargh.

            So Monday meant that I went off to my parent’s house to visit my dad who came back from Peru for a week and to raid my mom’s house for supplies.  Consequently I also had to be their for taxes, yeah it suck but hey I didn’t have to pay anything this year!  Tuesday we all went to the apple store to pick up my mom’s new computer.  And for the next four days trying to set up her email account which they forgot their password and needed to call the Whidbey Telecom to help them set it up.  I told them on day one to call and either have some one come over or talk with customer service.  It wasn’t until I left they were able to get things running.  So now my mom has to figure out how to use a Mac after using PC for over ten years.  Good luck mom.

            It wasn’t all about trying to set up a computer while I was over their, I also raided my mom’s closets and craft supplies for some much needed supplies for my wonder woman, or would it be women since I’m doing two separate ones, cosplay.  I found some earrings, needles, thread, and a good piece of sequined “rope” for the bomb shell one.  I’m feeling pretty good that I can get everything done with out rushing now.

            Saturday my man and I went to the leather store to buy leather laces and a sheet of leather for the costumes.  We found this beautiful and soft light tan pig skinned leather that will work perfectly for making the bracers and cuffs.  We also wondered over to JoAnne fabrics for some more thread, foam, and yellow fabric for a scarf.  So glad I have all my supplies, now I just have to construct everything and style a wig.  Joy!

            This week I plan on working on my costumes, already have the cuffs sitting on the table with the first coat of paint on them drying.  I also need to finish my demo reel either today or tomorrow morning.  I also need to send out resumes by the end of this week.  Busy stuff and I hope things will start to come together soon.

            See you on the other side

Food and Cosplay

            Good Monday morning to you little bots.  Hope this past week was as productive for you as it was for me.  So what did I accomplish this past week?  Well a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

            On Tuesday I went out to the University of Washington to view the film I worked on at the school of law.  Listening to it seemed a little low, but I noticed that the speaker level was low when I went up to the podium after the show.  It was well received by law students but I don’t know how well it will do in the festival circuit.  I have a feeling the director will not be able to play the promotional role for this film, but at least she is passionate and gets shit done.

            The rest of the week was dedicated to rewriting my resume and figuring out my cosplay for ECCC.  I am happy to report that my website is nearly done I just need to finish my new version of my demo reel and then I should be set. 

            For my cosplay I now have all my bottom pieces for both costumes, top to one, and the fabric for the other top.  My list of things to do is to add the details to all the bottoms (which I have to decorate the boots and add stars to the pants), make the top for rock star wonder woman, make the accessories for both, and styles my wig.  It may seem like a lot but I still have a month and at least the top that I have to make should be relatively easy just need to go to a friends house to use a sewing machine.

            This past Saturday was a culinary adventure and I only hope I didn’t gain too much weight.  To start off my man and I had brunch with friends at Lola’s.  They are known for theirs doughnuts but what I love is the pork apple sausage, the right amount of sweetness and pork.   After that we had some down time and were going to meet up with a friend at a cosplay event but they were running late and we had errands to run to we missed each other.  Next up we meet up with another couple to have cocktails and dinner.  We had cocktails at my favorite spot The Cannon.  It is up on Capitol Hill, small little speak easy/ prohibition style bar.  The best place to grab the best cocktails, they are smooth and the flavors palette lingers on you tongue giving you an experience long after your fist and last sip.  Afterwards we drove up to Kingfish Café for some good old southern food.  I had the fried catfish and it was so delicious, it had this spicy sauce accompany it that was wonderful.  Everyone else had the fried chicken, holy cow this chicken is the real deal.  So moist and crunch, and even the collard greens were good.  The deserts were huge and so good.  I highly recommend going there for some comfort food fix!

            This week is taxes, and heading to my parent’s house to raid my mom’s house for some cosplay supplies.  Keep safe this week my little bots and I will see you on Friday.

            See you on the other side