Monday 9 September 2013

Journal of Fan Expo 2013

Fan Expo was my first non-anime con that I've been to.  My boyfriend and I only went on Saturday and Sunday as it is expensive.  We also only decided the night before that we would go, so it was pretty last minute.  We booked the flight into Toronto and flew in not even twelve hours after.  Talk about spontaneous!

Day One (Saturday): We arrived Saturday morning, a bit delayed because of the flight.  I didn't cosplay the first day because I was exhausted and I was carrying my luggage with me the entire day.  Instead I thought that I would enjoy the first day and take lots of pictures.  The day started out with us waiting in a line that took about an hour to get through.  We bought both Saturday and Sunday tickets at the same time to reduce waiting time the next day.  We were immediately brought into the massive dealers room.

There were soooooo many people!!  There were times where I was taking little tiny baby steps and I was still getting bumped into and pushed around.  I must say the first day I was not a happy camper.  I got very little sleep the night before and because I took two gravol pills for the flight, the drowsiness hit me right as we got to the con.  I was also carrying quite a bit of weight with me and there was hardly any space to sit down.  Despite my crankiness I did get to check out a decent panel.  We went to check out the Make-up panel for cosplaying.  Here are my notes on it:

Make-up panel
  • Wash and moisturize face
  • Use primers
  • Use a correcting cover up wheel
  • foundation
  • Contour with bronzer, follow natural curves
  • Use a highlight wheel
  • Use powder to seal in foundation (translucent)
  • For male cross-play, contour nose and jaw (make square)
  • To get hairs out of face, use pin curls at nape of neck, temples, center front
  • Can use hair chalk to colour eyebrows
  • For wig styling, do up hair, put wig cap on take measurements then pad wig head or saran wrap wig head
My boyfriend and I decided to leave the con for a bit to check into our hotel.  Once we dropped all of our stuff off, we took a much needed nap.  We woke up later than expected but we still managed to get something to eat and arrive in time for the masquerade that night.  The masquerade was different from the one at Otakuthon, mostly because of the genres that were seen but also because all the entry levels were in order and not jumbled up.  You really got to see the progression of the costumes and the difficulty levels.

Day Two (Sunday): Sunday I cosplayed as Princess Jasmine as it was the easiest one to pull off and to transport in carry on bags.  Our hotel was a good twenty minute walk from the con so I wore the majority of my costume as we walked (with a jacket over top) and carried the rest with me.  There was significantly less people at the convention that day and you could tell by the temperature of the rooms.  I got some awesome stuff in the artists alley, including a Sailor Moon art poster, a nerdy t-shirt and a Tardis necklace for a friend of mine.  I got to attend some more awesome panels.  I went to the Japanese pop culture panel in which we had a Japanese guest give the presentation.  He even had us all take a picture with him to bring back to Japan.  I also went to a fabric dyeing panel and a cosplay tips and tricks panel.

Fabric Dyeing Panel
  • Always test first
  • Always follow instructions
  • Natural fibers dye better than synthetic, (rayon is a natural fiber)
  • Painting - acrylic, not ideal for spandex
  • Marbeling - mix solution, suspend dyes on solution, experiment, set fabric on bath and it will adhere to the fabric
  • Start with a lighter colour, dye in a well ventilated area
  • Keep a dyeing pot for boiling dyes, be careful when boiling!
  • Hang gradient dyeing
  • Salt  bath fabric before gradient dyeing
  • Get undyed, white fabrics
  • Paint in thin coats!
Cosplay Tips and Tricks
  • Synthetic wig sprays
  • Heat can help with damage, use steam, test and be careful
  • Storing things at a con - pouches, purses, pockets
  • Wig pins and pin curls to keep wig from slipping
  • Blister strips while wearing shoes
  • Shoe glue is handy
  • Sealing spray for glued soles
  • Garbage bag and duck tape dress form, expanding insulation foam
  • Modify basic dress, bodice and skirt patterns to get slopers
  • Armour needs lots of pivots
Overall I enjoyed myself though I could have done with less people in the convention center.  Will I go next year?  I will consider going again.

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