Topics

1

break Room / Hello my old Friends.

« on: November 11, 2019, 11:07:53 PM »

Hi dear Mangaraiders

It's been quite a long time right? Many members may not know me. I'm surely a urban legend.
I am Corinne, alias Corycaly, co funder and co admin of this forum with Hasitha. I used to draw a lot, wanted to be a manga artist but life had other plans for me. I've been a primary school teacher for more than 11 years now. I was a highschool Student when we started MR Forum. I slowly but surely stopped being active in forum as Real Life took over...but never stopped paying forum invoices lol.

Hasitha and me created MANGARAIDERS as a nice friendly place to share Our manga passion, far from the usual violence,  angst and negativity usually found in other forums. A place for everybody that slowly but surely became more than a community:a family.

Life hit me hard last friday. Life exploded in my face like a bazooka last friday.
My beloved dad passed away suddenly, Taken by a very agressive cancer that came out of nowhere at 66 years old. Taken in less than 3 months. Total powerlessness, total angst, hopes broken to dust.  Cancer destroyed everything.

My mother, my brother and me are broken, devastated. It hurts so much. We have now started the first days of the rest of our lives, without dad. So many things we won't live with him, so many words left unsaid. Bodies, hearts and minds to  heal and rebuild.

It's Time to connect to true Friends and family. I hope the MR family will open  her arms for me like it did for all those years. Thank you, dear Mangaraiders.
Corycaly.

2

Music / Death of the Cranberries lead singer: Dolores O'Riordan

« on: January 15, 2018, 01:20:12 PM »

Dolores O'Riordan, the lead singer of Cranberries died this afternoon.
I don't know if you remember this band but I'm sure you must have heard some of their songs such as Zombie or Just my imagination.

She had a very unique and powerful voice. This album has sold more than 40 000 000  albums.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts

3

Music / Favorite ost to study

« on: January 07, 2018, 05:29:23 PM »

Let's share our favorite soundtracks you like to listen to when you need to stay focused!
OST  ideal when you have to study or work for long hours!

Here are mine!

Kingdom Hearts ost (orchestra worldtour version)
The Witcher 3 OST
Journey's OST
Re:creators ost
Ghost in a shell stand alone complex ost

Do not hesitate to share your suggestions!

4

MR Pub / new year resolution: I decided to start sport again.

« on: January 07, 2018, 01:07:09 PM »

I decided to start sports again this year to lose some weight and muscle my back. I know it won't be easy but I think I may not be the only one in that situation!

Let's face it, it's easier to do it when you have a support group or friends to help you!
Together, we can make it!

Post here your sports goals for this year, come cry or rejoice with us!

Here is my program so far:
monday: "body balance": agility, stretch and soft gym
thuesday: dance (not tutu dance, it's dynamic nowadays music dance)
wednesday: stretching
thursday: abdos, hips and bottom muscles

It makes 4 hours a week. I will add probably bike during week-ends and walks.

What about you? Do you have new years sports resolutions?

5

Movies and TV shows / Which tv serie could you recommand?

« on: December 30, 2017, 04:12:01 PM »

I have watched tv serie trailers on youtube and I wanted your advice to see if those shows are realy good or not.

Shadows Hunters: it seems like a book adaptation, a story about a secret organisation hunting demons.

Lucifer: seems humorous and full of sarcasm. The story is about Lucifer living among human

Have of you heard of those tv series? What do you think about them? Are they  teenagers series or for a more adult audience?

6

Events And Exhibitions / Toulouse Game Show 2017

« on: December 16, 2017, 03:34:22 PM »

Two weeks ago, I went to Toulouse, South West of France to discover one of the biggest French manga/comics/geek convention: the Toulouse Game Show.
This convention took place on the first weekend of December, in the expositions park.
Here is their official website: toulouse-game-show.fr

I went there by train, my hotel was directly in front of the train station, in the center of the city. It was also directly linked to metro/tramway stations that led directly to the convention center. I was surprised by how easy it was to travel and discover the different city areas. It was also secured and very clean, a big change compared to my paris conventions experiences. 

I've  won a VIP ticket at a cosplay tornament, it was the first time I went to that huge festival (60 000 visitors).
The VIP tickets allowed me to enter one hour earlier, there was also a vip area where you could relax and have free drinks and food. It was great to have such a calm place to relax and stock your luggage.

I had the luck to meet James Masters, one of the vampires from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I used to be a fan of the show! He was charming and very gentle. I had the time to exchange some words with him, it's a very good memory.
The vip tickets allowed me to skip waiting lines during the signing sessions.

I also attended two conferences about paranormal and ufo (don't ask me the link between the convention theme and those conferences  )  that were great and very interesting.
Apart from this...I was a bit deceived. A boring atmosphere, no Japanese/manga guests, the bad feeling to be in a supermarket...it was far from the dynamic event I expected.

Let's not talk about the not large enough booth alleys that were so full of people that they were blocked all day long. Maybe another hall could be used to give more place to the festival.   
Did I forget to mention that all the hall doors were opened, letting the cold and the snow enter? I was freezing all the time.

The vip tickets costed 100 euros (I got mine free): were they worth the money? The car parkings place weren't reserved, the food booth didn't have a vip waiting line as announced, the gifts weren't that great...most of the announced advantages didn't work in reality. 
Most of the vip tickets owners were deceived. I understand their anger!
 
Due to a huge train change (national train problem) I didn't spend long on the sunday there (maybe 2hours top).
I put on my Catherina Sforza cosplay and was lucky to do two small photoshoots. ^o ^
The first hours of the second day were calmer than the day before but the same problems were still there: packed alleys, no dynamism...
I couldn't watch the big badass cosplay event because I had to leave extra earlier. T__T

My verdict:
the +: very easy access, gentle staff, a good way to relax and hunt some xmas gifts, the city is very nice and beautiful
the -: SO COLD, boring atmosphere, needs one more hall, the "supermarket atmosphere", the food prices, no manga event/ guests

It's a good festival if you go with friends for only one day, just to relax and laugh. As a VIP ticket owner, the experience wasn't as extraordinary as expected and announced.
I might come back next year...but with a normal ticket!

7

CosPlay / How to do your cosplay step by step: Esther Blanchett (version 2.0)

« on: July 19, 2017, 05:05:35 PM »

Here is my 2017 cosplay monstruosity  project!


Yes, that picture may look familiar to you.  I decided to remake one of my first cosplays: Esther Blanchett, in her roses dress from the anime /manga Trinity Blood. The illustration comes from an artbook made by Thores Shibamoto: Untold stories V.

I've always been fascinated by this artist: the complexity of the characters, their detailed outfits are the perfect base for awesome cosplays.

I've created several cosplays from Trinity Blood like  Catherina Sforza last year. This time, I decided to remake one of my first "big projects": Esther Blanchett in her roses dress.
 I made the first version in 2011. At that time, I was easily overwelmed by the energy to create something new and fast, without listening to the voices of sewing rationality. The result may have been nice at that time but now, I can't help but cringe when I look at it closely. I made it with the best of my abilities of that time.

I want to use my sewing knowledge to make a better version of this cosplay, one that will leave me with no regrets.

I spend weeks analysing each element of the outfit before looking for materials and fabrics.

I decided to use the same wig: I just washed it and untangled it. I will restyle it in the next weeks. Same for the fur shawl on the shoulders and the neck beads collar: I will use those I made in 2011.

 I used a sewing pattern for the crinoline (Mc Calls 2001) and doubled the numbers of bones for more support. The bones are 11mm metal but some of them refuse to keep their shape: I will have to add vertical bones to erase this problem.


The white skirt is based on the crinoline sewing pattern: it's made of 20 parts. I used the same fabric as Catherina Sforza skirt, it's a short embroidered white velvet I got for cheap (10 or 15 usd the 3 meters.
It's lined with a non embroidered short velvet (ten usd for three meters).


I began working on the roses parts. I used a red sateen coton (10 usd for 3 meters) and glued vlieseline on the back to harden it. On the first version I had used little beads but this time I went with rhinestones chains. I bought those chains on aliexpress ( 4 usd for a 10 yards roll). The rhinestones are 3mm each. I drew roses on the fabric using a erasable pen and sewed the rhinestones chains on the lines. I used an embroidery hoop to keep the fabric straight and nice. It's a long but easy process. Each part took me an afternoon. I folded the fabric borders and sewed them. Those points are hidden by the rhinestones.

So far, I have made 7 of those roses stuff, out of 20. Let's not forget the 40 mini roses which decorate the midle and top of the skirt. Crazy? Yaaaa that's me!




The mission : one embroidery a day! I want to have the two skirts and corset done before the end of august. Let's cross fingers!

8

CosPlay / How to do your own cosplay step by step: Caterina Sforza, Trinity Blood.

« on: March 29, 2017, 02:14:07 PM »

Here is my last completed cosplay: Caterin Sforza from the manga Trinity Blood. Once again I have choosen a characer from this universe because of  their elegance and the amount of details in their outfits.


I have worked several months on this project but stil today, several elements need to be added.

The main advice I'd give for such huge cosplays is to  divide  it into several little projects so you won't be overwelmedby the ton of work needed to be done.

I divided the outfit into several parts:
the cape
the hat
the corset
the vest
the white skirt
the red skirt
the shoes and gloves
the wig

I used red cotton satteen: it's a heavy soft shining awesome fabric: easy to sew, to wash, to store and not expensive. The white fabric is  an embroidered velvet I found in promo (5 usd the  3 meters).




The cape was the easiest part to sew: a long rectangle with top rounded corners. The collar was copied from a basic vampire cape pattern. It is underlined but I still have to add the white lace on the underlining.
I have drawn the crosses in a heavy embroidered cotton I had bought years ago.  I sewed golden gallon (bought on ebay) with my sewing  machine on the cross borders. I cut the cross and glued it on the cape with Patex fabric glue. It's a awesome easy to use glue: you put it on the bottom of the two elements to  be glued together, let it stay and iron it 10 or  20 minutes later. Impossible to unglue it once i's ironed: it's  solid and doesn't move at all. I didn't even have to sew the edges together!
All the gold elements were bought in aliexpress: they have to be heavily ironed to glue themselves to the fabric. I often had to use patex fabric glue to make them  stay where they were supposed to.


The red skirt was easy to make: I drawn 5 r 6 long rectangle and modified them so the bottom base is larger than the top. I glued the gold applique I bought on aliexpress
I cut apart some appliques to recreate the gold details of the reference image: it's a long but not that difficult process. The keywords are patience and precision.




Next post will be about the vest!

9

CosPlay / What is the cosplay of your dreams?

« on: February 28, 2016, 04:08:28 PM »

Do you have a cosplay you wish  to make: a character you like, an outfit you fell in love with, a high level project you'd like to achieve: tell us more about it!

I have several cosplay dreams I'd like to make one day, when my sewing or props/armors abilities will have improved.

Pride of soul (Chinese mmorpg), artist: Koch 43

  : I discovered the concept art in deviant art and fell in love with the outfit. The weapons conceptual art is awesome too!
Why it's a dream for now: For now, I try to understand which sewing technics I could use. I have the fabrics but everytime I try to begin the project, I become full of doubts. Maybe I need more self confidence: sometimes I become so detail oriented that I forget that cosplay is for fun.

Roselinde Freya from Shining Blade

 :heart:I like this gorgeous warrior! I like warriors girls and the mix of sewing/armors technics.
It's only a dream for now because: I need to improve my armor technics a lot. T__T

Saint Seiya
  Saint Seiya is one of my favorite anime from my childhood. I loved the recent stories from The lost canvas arc.

Aiolia from Saint Seiya Gold

   I didn't like this manga but I love the intricate details of this armor.
It's a dream for now because: the materials I'd like to use are too expensive and I need to improve on my technics.

Dégel from Lost canvas:
   I love both the character and the armor!


Albafica; from Lost canvas arc

  The pisces knight: the first "Lost canvas chronicles" book was dedicated to his past. A very touching and sad story. An absolutely fascinating book!
It's only a dream for now because of the reasons I detailed above...and because I think I'd need to lose some weight first. And I'd need to find a solution to hide my breasts too 

10

CosPlay / Armor and props patterns

« on: February 21, 2016, 12:30:58 PM »

Here I will list all armor and props patterns available online!

FREE PATTERNS

I found THIS an awesome source of  cosplay props/weapons/armors patterns!

Each pattern is available in English and Japanese, you just have to print the pages (pdf and jpeg available)a nd follow the instructions. Those patterns can be used for foam or worbla projects.

You can find whole armors sets, a huge weapon collection, plastrons/arms armors.

I also collected lots of patterns in my pinterest account

PATTERN BOOKS

I recommand Kamui tutorial books
There is a complete armor pattern collection and good tutorial books dedicated to cosplay.
The books can be bought printed or as a pdf, they are very well made and easy to use.

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Here is Kamui's tutorial to create armor pattern. Her youtube channel has lots of good tutorials.

11

CosPlay / I wanna start cosplaying, what must I do?

« on: February 21, 2016, 06:16:19 AM »

First things first:

- Remember cosplay is just a hobby. Do not ruin yourself, do not stress out of measure yourself! 

- Do not be ashamed or afraid to start a cosplay: Yes, you will fail some things.  Even the best cosplayers had to start somewhere.  The important is to improve at your own rythm! 

- Stay humble: Yes, there will always be a better cosplay than the one you desperately worked on for months. Try to analyse what you find better in the other cosplay to improve it in your next projects. 

- Do not be afraid to be creative: no, it's not a disaster if other cosplayers choose a different fabric, a different sewing pattern... Cosplay is for fun!!! 

- Don't chew more than you can handle: first try small cosplay: you will be disappointed and frustrated if you start by a ultra complex project. Take the time to train and improve at your own rythm! 

- Take your time: do not start your first project one week before the convention! Take the time to do your project carefully and precisely. 

 - Web is your friend: there are endless tutorials available on web!

- Test test test: materials are expensive: test with cheap fabrics or cheap materials your patterns.  Don't forget to try your cosplay before the convention to avoid nasty surprises.

- Cosplay what you like: it doesn't matter if it's a ultra famous character or a character nobody knows. Do what you want how you want! 

-Money Money Money: do not buy everything at once. Divide your cosplay into several small projects (example: the corset, the skirt, the hair...): it will keep you from killing your savings. Buying materials during promotions or discount will help you a lot too!

- Useful Mangaraiders cosplay topics: I will update our cosplay tutorial topic  and our recommanded cosplay shops list with lots of useful links I've found through the years.

- Ebay and Aliexpress will be essential for wigs and stuff like beads: choose carefully the shops by reading buyers reviews. Do not hesitate to check on google the shop reviews!

12

CosPlay / How to make your own cosplay step by step: Clalaclan from Shining Wind

« on: February 21, 2016, 06:15:29 AM »

I wanted to share with you my latest complete cosplay: Clalaclan Philias! This character comes from the anime/video game Shining wind. She's a kind of priest/warrior/princess.
I discovered first this figurine and fell in love with the outfit:


The colors, the flying skirts, the elegance and bravery of the character seduced me immediately!

I ended this project last summer but I worked on it regularly for some months. It was hard to conciliate my job, the after hours endless copybooks corrections and my hobbies, meaning It takes me longer than usual to end my sewing projects.
I wore it last summer during a local manga convention but I quickly understood my armor fixations were BAD BAD BAD.
 I will probably remake the whole armor but I enjoyed this project a lot. It made me discover new sewing technics and showed me the domains I have to improve.
In this topic, I will share elements about corset making, wig choose, horsehair braid and worbla fails .

Here is the ended fabric part, without the armor::


I began with the sewing part.
I first studied the outfit and separated it into several smaller projects: the skirts, the petticoat, the corset, the arms things. I looked for sewing patterns and lastly I bought the fabrics. I went to fabrics shops with the images of the figurine to choose the good fabric color, I ordered fabrics samples to compare them.

Advice: It's better to separate your project into several smaller parts so you won't be overwelmed.  It is also better for your savings since you won't have to buy anything at once.  Don't forget to buy fabrics or expensive elements during promotions! Check for coupons!

I first started the corset.
I used this sewing pattern: Mc Calls 6343. The fabric is a low shining duchesse sateen. This fabric is easy to sew, shine a little but not much. I added blue fabric I had purchased ages ago: it's a kind of light synthetic fabric.
Advice: there are several corset sewing patterns available on sewing shops (Mc calls, simplicity, Butterick). You can also try historical based ones for more accuracy (neheleniapatterns).

I used  a serger to protect all fabric borders: it gives a cleaner look, the fabrics will last longer.

Advice: choose a good quality sewing thread for your sewing machine, it will avoid you lost of problems.
Sewing threads exist in lots of color: pick one similar to the fabric color. Use new sewing needle for your project.

The instructions are easy to follow. I added metal bones to give a better support to the fabric.
Advice: Don't forget to smooth each end of the bones or else it will break through the fabrics! Do not use usual ribbons as bone casing because they will break easily: purchase grosgrain ribbon or tubular boning tape. 

The fabrics choice are very important for a corset : you can use sateen, taffetas or any other kind of fabric for the outside fabric, but you will need  heavy non streching fabrics for the interior fabrics. (example: coutil). A corset has several fabric layers!

I found  a lot of some kind of "eyelets" for ultra cheap: I modified them a little to use them as lacing loops. I added some beads for elegance. Since this part of the outfit is hidden by armor and that the official pictures don't show the back of the corset, I was free to create it.

Here is the final result :

Next post will be about the skirts!

13

CosPlay / Step by step: Sia (Guardian of time outfit) from Hyrule Warriors cosplay

« on: February 26, 2015, 04:14:33 PM »

Here is my new cosplay project of 2015!

It's Sia from Hyrule Warriors. I choose her Guardian of time outfit. I like its elegancen, its feminity and all its details.
This outfit is composed of different parts: a long corset, a skirt which reminds me Saber Lily's pink one, fluffy shorts, legging and a kind of vest.



I choose to use duchesse satteen: it's a soft, heavy and soft shining fabric.

I will begin the corset soon. I will use a basic one and modify the edges to make them longer.

I'm impatient to start it!

14

break Room / Merry Christmas!!!

« on: December 24, 2012, 02:14:07 PM »

Hasitha and me wish you a Merry Christmas!

Wherever you are, by yourself, with family or with friends, we hope you will have a great moment!

15

MangaRaiders Anthology / Mangaraiders Anthology Participants

« on: November 28, 2012, 03:11:36 AM »

Here is the list of participants. UPDATED 28/11/2012

If you want to take part on the MGR Anthology, please read this topic:
http://forums.mangaraiders.com/index.php/topic,7016.0.html

PARTICIPANTS
takahashi
legomaestro
Coryn Sken
Roshon21
AldrichCrescent

Mangaraiders Anthology Team Leaders
AldrichCrescent
Coryn Sken