Cosplay Showcase: Tanglwyst's Dreadlock Wig.

 I'm so terribly sorry that this post is late! I was out of town for my fairy tale birthday party (which I'll tell you all about next week) and I stayed longer than I originally planned. I would have brought my laptop with me had I known I was going to be out of town on a Monday. But, alas, it didn't work out that way. So I'm super sorry this is late! But next week I will post on Monday as usual.

Anywho! Back to the Cosplay Showcase. Here is Tanglwyst's showcase piece. I think it's super cool! I hope you all enjoy reading it!

Cosplay showcase

Why did you chose this character to cosplay. Why did you chose it for the showcase?

The character I chose here was actually the long, red dreadlock wig. It has a great personality and changes with the Cosplay. Since I do mostly original work, having pieces that can hold their own in multiple forums is vital.

What was your construction process?

The beauty of this wig is the ease with which it was made. It’s yarn. I bought a wig cap at Sally’s beauty supply and wig clips to sew to the inside of the cap. The wig is made of 4 skeins of red-brown-gold yarn. The best thing is that the yarn already looked like dreadlocks.

I sewed the yarn to the wig, making sure I laid down the strands so they were in a natural flow. Inspired by my friend Christopher’s real life calf-length dreads, I made sure the wig wasn’t too bulky by stitching the yarn close on the skull for the upper forward half of the cap. I added forward loose “bangs” to soften the face. The flow is natural and elegant.

The things you love about this cosplay.

It looks so freaking awesome!!! The whole thing only weighs about 5 pounds so it can be worn all day and doesn’t make my neck sore.

The things you hate.

I love this piece. It’s easy to store, easy to pack. The only thing unrealistic about the look from most distances is that it isn’t very heavy, so the weight is less realistic. I’m not sure yet if I want to add beads for weight. It would limit the versatility of the piece.

A general closing statement and where one might find more pictures of this and other cosplays you’ve done.

I love doing original work because my mind tends to balk at doing something someone else has already done. I guess it recognizes that there’s always someone with more skills/money/experience for reproducing something popular. I see the works of Sacha Wells, Samantha Witt, Yaya Han and Jen Glauser and realize I can never be as good at reproducing the anime art. These people make it look easy.

But my mind enjoys beyond all else creating something no one has done before. Even if someone has done a light up Steampunk cane or a wig or a ray gun, they haven’t done THIS. I can’t even reproduce something I’ve done! Every piece needs to be original in some way, or the piece simply will not go together. It can be as simple as moving the buttons or adding lacing or fur, but without that minor adjustment, it just fails. Knowing my mind and creative process is the key to my art.

My Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/tanglwyst has a lot of the projects I am working on or have just finished.

You can also follow me on Twitter to see where I’m appearing or see instant uploads. https://twitter.com/Tangltweets

My personal website is www.tangledwebsonline.com.

My Company, Fantastic Journeys Publishing, can be found here: www.fjpublishing.com

 Daw, thanks for the compliment at the end there! I have so much respect for her skill as a seamstress, I'm honored that she is impressed with my work!

I think this wig looks so realistic and cool! I'm thinking when I redo my Sally cosplay I will make the wig out of yarn, since she is a rag doll after all. So I'll have to get tips from Tangl when I decide to do that!

I hope you all enjoyed this Cosplay Showcase! Next week I'll tell you all about my super fun fairy tale birthday party! So be sure to check it out!

Love,
Edward

Cospalyer Interview: Tanglwyst de Holloway

This week is Cosplayer Interview time with my friend Tanglwyst! Many of you guys may know her from the convention scene. She does lots of panels on costuming and she runs the cosplay repair shop at the local cons. Her work is exquisite! She is most known for her beautiful period pieces that she's done for herself and many other convention goers. I hope you all enjoy her cosplayer interview!

Your name or Cosplay Name:

Tanglwyst de Holloway

Age: 47

How long have you been cosplaying?:

Tough question. I believe since 1988, when I joined the SCA. Though not the most common image “Cosplay” brings to mind, I did dress up and the most skilled costumers do try to exactly reproduce clothes from drawings in various formats. However, unlike anime, extant or historical garments do exist from as far back as 20K years.

What was your first cosplay?

My first Cosplay, as most of your readers would recognize it, was the Baroness from C.O.B.R.A. I made it in 2012.

My first costume from historical evidence was a particolor cotehardie from the Lutrell Psalter, circa 1320. (http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/luttrell/luttrell_broadband.htm)

Do you make your cosplays, buy them pre-made online, or have them commissioned?: 

I make my own clothes but for the Baroness, I have never worked in the PVC material. I looked it up and discovered it to be very persnickety. So, I bought a PVC body suit and fitted it. The cost was $25 for the body suit so I felt like I could afford to screw it up.

Why do you cosplay?:

I love taking something from a concept to real garment that can be thrown in the washer after a long trip.

What is you favorite part about cosplay?:

The creation of something from 2D to 3D. Having a concept become a living garment designed to enhance the very best of the wearer is GREAT!

What is your least favorite part?:

Armscyes, that part where the sleeve attaches to the rest of the torso. I try to make sure that has appropriate range of movement but I frequently end up with something a little less than what I would prefer.

Who is your favorite character to cosplay?:

It’s hard to pinpoint. I’m more genre oriented. I like the innovation of Steampunk because you don’t have the pigeonhole of reproduction constraints. I don’t have to EXACTLY recreate something because Steampunk has a fantasy element that is inherently undefined.

Photo by Andrea Frederick Photography

What is your favorite cosplay to wear?:

Hmm… Probably the black Hungarian pirate stuff.

Photo by Red Zone Fandom

What is your least favorite cosplay to wear?:

Probably the Baroness, and I love that piece. It’s easy to wear and comfortable. The only problem with it is you can’t hide heavy thighs in that thing!

What was the most complicated cosplay you’ve worked on?

My armor from my SCA days. It had to handle a blow from rattan at 25 MPH and still be something I could run in across a broken field in the desert.

What was the least complicated?

A purple and white off-the-shoulder cotehardie with silver maple leaves cascading down the front. I loved that thing. Cotehardies are fantastic because they are simple, elegant and look pretty on nearly everyone.

What group cosplays have you been a part of?:

Steampunk, GI Joe, endless period pieces.

What group cosplays would like to be part of?:

Star Wars!

Female Han Solo

Who are some characters you plan to cosplay in the future?

Mara Jade Skywalker, from Star Wars. Something from Grimm. Something from Once Upon A Time.

What crossplay characters have you done or would like to do?

Oh, hmm… I really haven’t done crossplays. I DO make a lot of men’s clothes though.

Who is a character people say you should cosplay, but you aren’t sure about?:

I’ve been asked to do Jessica Rabbit and I’ve done it before when I didn’t have a bust size to this extreme. Now, physics makes it nearly impossible. Yes, I’m built more like her now, but the Logistics of the costume? Maybe as a swimsuit because either water or space is the closest thing to weightlessness I can do.

Photo by Red Zone Fandom

What is your dream cosplay?:

I want to make a peacock coat. I’m going to do the couching of the entire thing so the feathers are done in multiple colors of craft cord, with the sleeves being the wings and the bodice part being pinfeathers.

What is a cosplay you would love to do, but don’t feel you could pull off?:

Sesshomaru from Inuyasha. I have seen him done a lot, nearly every time by a woman. I’m not pretty enough to be a boy in anime.

In your opinion, what makes a great cosplay?

Wearability. If it can’t be worn all day with no problem, then you need to re-work it.

At which conventions are we likely to see you?

Any of the Boise conventions and this March, I’m in Denver and Wisconsin. My spring schedule will be online at www.fjpublishing.com.

Any advice to other cosplayers?

Keep in mind that you need to live in this outfit for at least 16-24 hours in a row. If you can’t eat, drink, move, sit and use the bathroom, this is a failed Cosplay. Plan ahead for that sort of thing. Most Cosplay can be broken into enough pieces subtly to enable you to do that without wrecking the Cosplay.

What are some other hobbies you have, other than cosplaying?:

I write books and help others get their books published. That pretty much eats up all my time when I’m not at a con.

Favorite anime/tv shows?:

Inuyasha, Bleach, CSI:Anywhere, Criminal Minds, Scrubs, Anything by Joss Whedon.

Favorite movie?:

Jaws. The Alien franchise.

Favorite books/manga?:

The King’s Blades novels by Dave Duncan, the Harry Dresden novels by Jim Butcher, Harry Potter, and, of course, Jaws.

Favorite video games?:

The Baldur’s Gate franchise.

Aaand we have to end with a silly one. I'm sad I missed whatever was going on here.
Photo by Andrea Frederick Photography

Favorite color?: 

Purple!

Favorite food?:

Pumpkin sausage soup with mushrooms.

Favorite desert?:

Cake. We even have a special day for cake.

Favorite curse word?

Gorram

What are some websites where we can see more of you?

http://www.facebook.com/tanglwyst

http://www.fjpublishing.com/our-staff/authors/tonya-adolfson/

http://www.tangledwebsonline.com/

http://animecons.com/guests/bio.shtml/3742/Tonya_Adolfson

She's so awesome! I have so much respect for her skill and experience. I hope one day I can be as talented as her. She is one of my cosplay role models! And I'd also like to point out that she's been costuming for as long as I've been alive. That's awesome. I want to grow up to be Tangle!

So next week will be her cosplay showcase! Be sure to come back and check it out!

Love,
Edward