Azula: My first armor based cosplay : The Build

It's been over a year since I made Azula. Which was before my fb page so I don't have any documentation photos, sorry! I'm just going to do my best to explain the process and link to the products I used.
First off, let's start with why I chose this cosplay.
Well, I didn't. The group of girls I was still cosplaying with at the time had decided we would do Ozai's Angel. When they didn't commit, I was left elbow deep already in my first (surprise!) solo cosplay. Not that am loving this cosplay now and her character more and more, as I find myself becoming her.
In the end, I wouldn't trade doing her for another cosplay. It happened that my boyfriend's friend from high school cosplayed as a high profile Aang (and I mean by high profile is that that dude is everywhere, seriously, I had seen so many photos of him with other ALTA characters even before I know who he was). Who I was excited to meet.
Also the seemingly endless comments about how I look like Azula (both online and at cons) really make me feel so... Azula.
Patterns:
Learning my lesson from my Pokemon starter cosplays, I started the patterns over winter break. I remember working all day, everyday for two weeks before the semester started and I still wasn't even done with the patterns. I drafted the patterns of the armor with poster paper from the department store. It was just eyeball city. Because my dress form at the time I had weird boobs and no shoulders, so I had to test almost all of the patterns on myself while looking in the mirror.
Then I drafted the fabric patterns. I also spent too much time on. I shifted the leg seam to the back center leg. The skirt also only has one seam in the back. Unless you're a tube single seam patterns generally will never work properly. Which then I probably spent way too much time sewing because only the sleeves, collar and pant legs were going to be seen. But I was exploring my new found ability to sew.

 

Here's a photo of the under shirt, pants and chest plate/ yoke test fit. I think the progress photo of this cosplay I have.

The shirt and pants were made of 100% polyester (suiting I believe). I choose this fabric because: it was the rightish color, wasn't shiny (it has a tiny amount of sheen in strong light, for a wonderful visual interest), had a nice feel (aka royal garments), had a nice weight and it DRAPED BEAUTIFULLY. The draping was especially important for the bagginess/gathering of the sleeves and pants. The sleeves/pants are gathered with a string elastic put through a sewn in channel at the edge of sleeve/pants.

On to the armor!

Which was extremely stressful. I had no idea that armoring and sewing were two entirely different beasts! Armor just works differently. To some degree, I did anticipate this and tried to plan around it but mostly it didn't work out. 

First of all, I hate glue and paint for that matter. I hate waiting for it to dry. I am not patient. I can not tell you how many times I put my fingers in wet paint. My knowledge of products (glues) really held everything back. At the time the only glues I was using were hot glue, pvc's and superglue. Let me tell you for two months I had superglue and hot glue caked on my fingers constantly. 

Perfectionism Made me do the following....

The armor is craft foam, surface lined with marine grade leatherette from ebay.  Like so BLACK-MARINE-BOAT-VINYL-5-YRD-ROLL-AUTO-UPHOLSTERY-EXPANDED-NAUGAHYDE-54-VINYL Yes, I think I also bought Naugahyde as well. I went with the auto grade because I wanted the wait and thickness. I didn't want the thin crappy stuff at the fabric store because I knew because of its melty nature that I wouldn't be able to line it and add weight.

SO I cut craftfoam with extra on the edges, glued on the leatherette (with pvc glue with does not really work on non porous surfaces) THEN I folded the extra edge over the leather NOT ONCE BUT TWICE! ...WITH HOT GLUE. Which is the worse idea ever. Not only because that's twice the work but hot glue warps the craftfoam to a certain degree and I just could not have this. So working about 3-4 inches at a time I put on some hot glue smoothed it out then pressed down the trim. SO why did I do this? Because I wanted a certain thickness to the trim as well as round edges. 

Then to hide the darts made at corners, and curves my next invention of torture was genius but very very stupid idea. 

I mixed gesso, modge podge, elmers glue and some acyclic paint. So what this did was allowed me to putty the trim with a "skin" that would be sand-able but in the end remain flexible. Which worked by the way. The armor is still flexible and most of hasn't cracked. And I sanded all the joints and imperfections down damn near to perfection but it was just so much stupid time....

 

Here's a photo where I circled where the seams are at. Some are visible, some aren't.

Problems:

A major problem I spent too much time on was the pauldron fixing. To use Kamui's term. So say how the pauldrons stayed on my body and moved with me. Originally I tried to a pieced or accordion pauldron design...

..like so.
But when I made the design out the final materials...it just didn't work. No accordion.
However to give you an idea how I end up affixing the pauldrons this exactly how the straps are still set up to today. A criss-cross and under arm straps. Instead of several pieces, there's just one piece per arm.
Minor stupid problem...:
I made the skirt and top without a zipper...which works 'cuz the just slip over my head but in hindsight was just makes it stupidly more difficult to put on than it needed to.
Number One Problem:
The top most piece of armor came out way way too stiff. I think because I painted too much on the underside. The problem with this is when I raise my arms (which I do a lot for posing) the whole thing, which is very much solid comes right up in my neck and windpipe and under my chin. And it just looks stupid.

An example the neck stabs...

So needless to say it needs to be remade. The yoke not the whole thing.

In the end, I account most of my stress to procrastination, fear of it not turning out holding me back and my freakish perfection that was rampant during this entire build.

END/Revisit: I recently re-wore/ did 100% necessary repairs/modifications (including a wig) from Fanime 2012 to wear to Nor-Cal Cosplay Gathering (Summer).(To read a more detailed list of changes for Azula 1.5 visit here . And I've been so fortunate to shoot with some amazing photographers. 

So here some are:

All by the Amazing Surfsama (who asked me for photos THE moment I set foot in the event).

Quick return from the Wonderful Blizzard Terrak!

=>Also check this out! (I linked because I have asked permission/rule usage from him yet).

Spanking Photos by OscarC!

And still waiting back for the longest shoot! Maybe with some fire!

Thanks you'all

Sandable Flexiable Skin for Craftfoam

So while making Azula last year I created something, I had not seen really anywhere else at the time. And it's really simple. And it does like ten things at once. So what does it do? Here's the list:
-Seals craftfoam in 2-3 coats min.
-creates a sandable surface
-levels inconsistent areas and hides seams
-can be used to prime base coat
-remains flexible (for medium to minor range of motion)

What is it made of?
-1 part acyrillic gesso (perferably one that reads flexiable but its not nessary)
-1 part mod podge
-resealable jar (for storage)
Optional:
-Elmer's glue (thinning agent)
-tacky glue (sticking/thickening agent)
-acyclic paint your choice of primer color

And well there it is!
So on Azula I used it all around my edges on my armor. I am obsessive about making seams disappear whether it be in craft foam or fabric. Here's an example, anything gold or brick colored I used the flexiskin.
Can you see the seams?

In this derp photo you are able to see a few because of the strong uneven lighting.

My armor edges remained flexible to a certain point obviously, but still flexible enough to move around freely without damage. Also the neater the seam the better it disappears. 

Pro Tip! 

Remember to add any where from 50 to 10 percent mod podge or any other pva glue to your regular paint for added flexibility and brush stroke less paint.

Wig Styling Cutting Pic Dump

Playing with my very first wig, for practice. Did not intend for it to look like Fire Nation Katara....

Finally cut my Bulbasaur Gijinka wig. Much better now that it's not the mop it came as. Sewed up few wefts, I cut too many the first time fitting the ears. You can still see a little bit a bald spot below the ear. Also sanded down one ear to make it fit better (they're made of plaster). Now gotta do the other...Btw, first wig I've ever cut to style it.
As you can see in the first pic (with Yaya Han my cosplay idol) it just every where and had no form.