#ConanCon Returns

Last year, we had the really cool (and hot...that theater had zero A/C) experience to see a live taping of Conan O'Brien for Comic-Con. We laughed, we applauded, we got free Funkos!! And this year, Conan is back at Spreckles Theatre from July 20-July 24 for #ConanCon

My original Batman Conan Funko Pop from 2015. It was missing it's SDCC Sticker!

Arsenal Cosplay: Quiver and Shoes

In my last post I talked about my shoes for Arsenal. They're not exact, and therefore need to be modified. And no archer is complete without a quiver.

Arsenal Cosplay: Shopping

As a (kinda) beginner cosplayer, I spend a lot of time thinking of foundations and how to alter them to fit my needs. This time around is no different. I'm not a good enough sewer to make my own fitted jacket and pants, and I definitely cannot make my own shoes, so shopping for the closest thing is what we'll have to do!

Click to Pin!

Arsenal Cosplay: Research

The first step to any cosplay is research. Arsenal/Roy Harper has been on "Arrow" from Season 1-3. Luckily, Roy doesn't seem to change up his uniform from season to season (unlike Oliver) so there wasn't any confusion as to whether a reference photo was from Season 1 or Season 3.

Click to Pin!

I've compiled many reference photos for you here. These were especially helpful for getting the details of the cosplay just right, like how many knives he had, which side each holster was on, etc.



*Please note that I do not own these photos. Unfortunately, I do not have links to the original sources but most are from Pinterest and Google images*

SDCC 16, Here We Come!

My sister and I as Emma Swan and Red at SDCC 15

Back in November during pre-sale, my sister and I were unfortunately only able to get badges for Thursday and Sunday. Come January, we brought reinforcements. We had more people trying to get badges in our group which meant more chances for us to get the days we were missing. However, the odds just weren't in our favor and none of us got badges.

That being said, cosplay should be easy enough. We knew we would repeat our Once Upon a Time cosplays from before. We could just repeat one of the many cosplays we had from previous years, but of course we had to make it difficult on ourselves.

An Update

Hi, everyone!

I realize it's almost been a whole year since I posted on the blog, but now that Con season is in full swing, I have a lot of great ideas for the blog!

Over the next month, not only will I be posting tutorials on my newest cosplay for SDCC 16 (post will be live tomorrow), but I will also be writing about tips and tricks about SDCC. So if it's your first time to San Diego Comic-Con, or any con for that matter, you'll be in for a treat!

I'm excited to share some information with you all on how to have the best con ever! Be sure to check the blog regularly for updates!

QOTD: Will you be attending SDCC this year?

Wizard World NOLA Part 3: Meeting Chris and Hayley

As mentioned in Part 1, the process for getting our tickets verified for our photo op was quite organized. The lines were also organized. However, we ended up having to wait almost an hour to actually take our picture.

After attending our one panel, we went to change into our nicer blouses. I wore my Cap pin and we made my sister an SSR sticker out of some left over felt from our FitzSimmons cosplay. We showed the attendant our card that they gave us earlier and they collected it. Then we found our line and waited.

Wizard World NOLA Part 2: "Ugh! Fitz!" FitzSimmons Cosplay

My sister and I were originally going to repeat a cosplay from SDCC but then we realized that for our picture with Chris and Hayley, we didn't want to be in costume. I had suggested a FitzSimmons cosplay a long time ago, but could never get my sister on board. However, because we already had all the pieces and we were able to wear jeans, she agreed to it.

If you don't know who FitzSimmons is, they are a super genius combo of best friends who were already given a ship name in the pilot episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Jemma Simmons in in biochem and has an adorable English accent, while Scottish Leopold Fitz is engineering and has a slight obsession with monkeys in season 1. If you haven't seen AOS, do yourself a favor and binge watch season 1, it's worth it!

FitzSimmons in Season 1 (Image from shieldwardrobes.tumblr.com)

Wizard World NOLA Part 1: Wizard World vs. San Diego Comic Con

It was a gloomy November day as I made my way to my friend's house. We were working on a small project for my university's charity event. During a lull in our progress, I lazily scrolled through my Tumblr dashboard on my phone when I saw a banner for Wizard World New Orleans. And on that banner was my number one favorite celebrity and favorite meatball, Chris Evans.

Image from Wizard World New Orleans

Make Way for Mary, Queen of Scots (Part 3)

"Reign" is known for their strong female characters and a fierce wardrobe to match. This post will be dedicated to Mary's skirt.

But Mary usually just wears black, pouffy skirts. I really like this one from the episode "The Plague". It's simple but has little black flowers along the hem and scattered up the length of the skirt. 

Mary in "The Plague" (photo from Reign wikia)

Team Coco, an Update

Remember when I got wait listed for Conan O'Brien tickets?

Well, I still have not heard whether or not I got those tickets. Buuuut, I did find out who was going to be Conan's guests on Thursday:

Make Way for Mary, Queen of Scots (Part 2)

A beautiful crown would not be complete without some beautiful hair.

My hair is naturally straight and dark. Lucky for me, Mary has recently been wearing her hair straight instead of wavy (Yay for not needing to pack a curling iron!)

 

Photo from TV Fanatic

Make Way for Mary, Queen of Scots (Part 1)

No Queen's outfit is complete without some jewelry and a crown.

Mary always wears beautiful, statement earrings, a gilded headband, and two signature rings. Occasionally she will wear a necklace as well.

Let's start with the rings. Mary always wears her signet ring and her labyrinth ring:

 Read about these rings and where to purchase here

Misaki Ayuzawa Cosplay (all parts)

Sunday's cosplay is from an anime that I really love: "Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama." The anime is about the student body president hiding the fact that she works as a waitress at a popular maid cafe. I will be dressing as school Misaki and my sister will be dressed as Maid Misa! Originally my sister and I wanted to dress as the Hitachiin Twins from "Ouran High School Host Club" but we found that getting a hold of some identical blue blazers was too hard. 

Google Images is really lacking in the Misaki school uniform pictures, but here are a few I found:

I'm Seeing Team Coco?!

Yesterday I received an interesting email from Comic-Con. Conan O'Brien will be taping his show in San Diego during Comic-Con and is offering an exclusive promo code (shh! It's a secret!) to Comic-Con attendees! And it's free!

Red Riding Hood Cosplay (partial)

Since I am repeating my cosplay for Red Riding Hood from Once Upon a Time, there isn't much to post.

As stated previously, I bought a new peasant top from Kohl's for around $10. It's not exact, but it's much better than the one I wore last year.

However, some other adjustments needed to be made for Red. For instance, because my cloak is so heavy, it tends to just hang on my body. I need to work on a better way to position my hooded cloak.

Also, last year I lost the necklace I made so I made another one.

Here's a reference of Red's necklace. It's gold with a red charm.

I bought a 2-pack button from Hobby Lobby last year, and only needed one. So I used the spare one to make the necklace again. I first removed three of the "petals" from the button.

I then filed around the rough edges with a nail file. Lastly, I took an earring hook and straightened it out to create a loop. I hotglued the loop to the back of the charm so I could attach a jump ring and chain.

Easy right? This didn't take me very long at all. Now my Red costume is complete!

Scarlet Witch Cosplay (all parts)

Up first is the Scarlet Witch cosplay (AoU version). I originally wanted to be some version of Captain America because he's my favorite superhero, but Wanda is pretty cool too. My friend coincidentally is dressing as Quick Silver also, so that works out perfectly.

"Who are you going as?"

The question everyone asks me after they ask "Where is Comic-Con?" is "Who are you going as?"

This year I will be repeating one costume and creating 3 new ones. I like dressing like a character from a show/movie whose panel is happening that day. So based on last year's panel schedule I will be dressing as Queen Mary from Reign on Thursday, Scarlet Witch from Avengers: Age of Ultron of Friday, Red from Once Upon a Time on Saturday, and Misaki Ayuzawa from Kaichouwa Maid-Sama on Sunday.

The Red costume is a repeat from last year's Con. The only change I made was the white shirt. I didn't like the cut on the one last year, so I bought a different one. It's not exact to Red's but what I've learned at SDCC is no one judges your cosplay. People love it; no matter who you are dressed as or your level of crafting/sewing.

I'm most excited to dress as Mary. I missed the panel last year but their costumes is probably 40% of the reason I watch the show. Hopefully I can do her justice!!

Welcome!

Welcome to cosPlay-by-Play! This blog is basically a "diary" to keep up with my progress on cosplay for San Diego Comic Con!

This is my third year attending SDCC, and every year I find great tips and information. I'm constantly learning new things such as the best way to make a cosplay or what food to bring to SDCC and other helpful tips. So this blog is made to keep up with all of that.

Maybe you'll find this blog useful for your own comic convention adventures, or just find it entertaining! Whatever your reasons, I hope you enjoy!