Halo 5 Cortana Project

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Here's the update I promised!
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I did a make-up test recently and while it turned out okay I feel like I should remove the bits from the inner corners and maybe invest in a palette of cream eyeshadows, they're more pigmented and may blend better.

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These are the small bits of progress I've made on the patterning for the foam layers and details. The progress is slow but I'm open to critique on the designs.
 

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Good progress so far. - (helpful hint - you aren't quite required to post updates between your actually progress updates to let us know there's something completed and on it's way. Take your time and don't fret. We'll be here to support you throughout the process ;) )

Anyway, cream-based makeup definitely blends easier than a common solid palette. Do you plan to work with just eye makeup, or the whole face painting?
The highlights of your inner eyes look good as well. It brightens that area to add a subtle focal point (especially if you're choosing to go this route instead of painting your face(?) )

Ultimately, you'll have to re-evaluate how you do your eyes after face painting later on. (ie. contouring, shading with blue hues, etc...) If/when you decide to test or go for the full face painting, I'd highly recommend investing in a well-known product: Ben Nye Final Seal. It works wonders in helping to keep makeup in place. I'll go more in-depth when I test it again, but there's plenty of tutorials from cosplayers online if you'd like to do your own research too.

As for the foam template, the best advice I can give a fellow member on this build - know how you're going to attach Cortana's chest piece to your body. This took me 4 months to figure out and pattern. There are many alternatives and options, so keep this into consideration...especially with her clear-mantle pieces and how those would attach as well.
 
Good progress so far. - (helpful hint - you aren't quite required to post updates between your actually progress updates to let us know there's something completed and on it's way. Take your time and don't fret. We'll be here to support you throughout the process ;) )

Anyway, cream-based makeup definitely blends easier than a common solid palette. Do you plan to work with just eye makeup, or the whole face painting?
The highlights of your inner eyes look good as well. It brightens that area to add a subtle focal point (especially if you're choosing to go this route instead of painting your face(?) )

Ultimately, you'll have to re-evaluate how you do your eyes after face painting later on. (ie. contouring, shading with blue hues, etc...) If/when you decide to test or go for the full face painting, I'd highly recommend investing in a well-known product: Ben Nye Final Seal. It works wonders in helping to keep makeup in place. I'll go more in-depth when I test it again, but there's plenty of tutorials from cosplayers online if you'd like to do your own research too.

As for the foam template, the best advice I can give a fellow member on this build - know how you're going to attach Cortana's chest piece to your body. This took me 4 months to figure out and pattern. There are many alternatives and options, so keep this into consideration...especially with her clear-mantle pieces and how those would attach as well.

I'm planning to facepaint later on so I'm trying to keep my makeup with that in mind. I usually do the inner highlighting but I tried something else with it and it didn't turn out the way I was hoping, the camera made it look a bit better than it was XD I incorporated some purples and darker hues into the blue to contour a bit. Again though, because it was powder and not cream it didn't blend as well as I'd have liked so I want to use some cream eyeshadow as a base and then use the powder stuff for the rest. I'm deciding to use snazaroo metallic blue and pale blue(?) facepaints to cover skin.

For the template and such I am intending to have it underlaid into the bodysuit tacked down with glue in strategic areas while the hardlight is going to be glued down on the shoulders and the back, chest and bust are going to be designed as a "harness" of sorts with the middle portion being velcroed as it is not trasparent and can therefore help to keep it a fairly stationary piecethat is also modular in that it can be removed to enter and exit the costume with ease. The foam may use a similar construct with strategic velcro but that can be assessed after I have finished construction. I am debating how to attach the leg pieces as they are less of a stationary piece and may need to be removed in order to enter and exit the costume as well as mobility may be hindered if I am not careful. The only thing I can think of is to glue them down in strategic areas that will allow my to slide in and out easily.

For the "boots" I am attaching rubber soles to the feet of the morphsuit and am looking into trying to find something with 1 inch thickness. I'm hoping that doing so will do two things for me: Give me durability in the feet while keeping it a bodysuit and authentic to the source and give me a bit more height.

I'll keep in mind that I don't need to frequently post between updates haha It's more an old habit than anything of just filling people in as to where I'm at until I can take pictures.
 
you should also check in to stage/theater make-up rather than street make-up. It has better adhesion and is designed to stay on even when under hot lights,full costume and running around acting on a stage sweating up a storm.Check out Kryolan, Mehrony, Ben Nye or Graftobian.
 
you should also check in to stage/theater make-up rather than street make-up. It has better adhesion and is designed to stay on even when under hot lights,full costume and running around acting on a stage sweating up a storm.Check out Kryolan, Mehrony, Ben Nye or Graftobian.
The reason I'm going for the Snazaroo colours is because it's fairly tried and true among the homestuck community as far as durability and is the most accurate for colour in comparison to the other brands. I'll be using the Ben Nye sealer to seal the paint and makeup.

UPDATE:
Making the template is going much more slowly than I initially anticipated but that's fine. It's mostly due to haveing started working and being busy because of that and also the fact that I'm frankensteining newspaper to make sure that the pattern is perfect. I think I'll be making a duct tape dressform in a month or two just to help the process along as there are a few pieces that would be better done on something that I can compare the sizing in an accurate manner and that will properly fit them without me testing them against myself frequently (as useful as that is it's hard to make adjustments if you can't see where you need to mark them). I'll be buying my Needler this week, as unrelated and yet related as that is, I'm really excited about it. It'll be a cool accompaniment with the finished costume too if I so desire.
 
No new progress to submit sadly but I will be trying to pick up some stuff tomorrow as I finally have a day off. For some reason I got setup with 3 nine hour shifts this week when they should have been eight... Not that I'm complaining. I get my first paycheck tomorrow so I'm picking up my needler and possibly my lenses. the next check will be the bodysuit, I'm thinking, and craft foam... or would you guys reccomend I buy EVA for the understructure instead?? I'm still working on the templates though so that's biggest priority for the project as well as the dressform... if I can somehow work that into my time.

Been reading the novels and have chugged through Cryptum, The Fall of Reach and The Flood. I just started Ghosts of Onyx on the bus ride to work today though I'm inclined to go hunting for First STrike first simply because it's the third book to read before Ghosts of Onyx. Maybe if time allows I'll swing by the library tomorrow and see if it's in the booksale. In the meanwhile I'll just read Contact Harvest as it's a prequel and focuses on Seargent Johnson.

I'm going to go play some Combat Evolved before bed.
 
My advice to you about the foam - hold off on buying until you ABSOLUTELY know how you're going to construct the under-structure. Your best bet would be to continue working on the templates until you're able to come to a decision once you've considered all factors in play.
EVA is thicker, but depending on how you construct it, it can work. There's plenty of tutorials on the 405th at your disposal, so don't forget about those. (There's no need to spend money on something you may not use due to uncertainty, too.)

Keep in mind - there's no right or wrong way to go about your project. Continue to brainstorm and research :)
 
My advice to you about the foam - hold off on buying until you ABSOLUTELY know how you're going to construct the under-structure. Your best bet would be to continue working on the templates until you're able to come to a decision once you've considered all factors in play.
EVA is thicker, but depending on how you construct it, it can work. There's plenty of tutorials on the 405th at your disposal, so don't forget about those. (There's no need to spend money on something you may not use due to uncertainty, too.)

Keep in mind - there's no right or wrong way to go about your project. Continue to brainstorm and research :)

The reason I'm iffy on EVA is because it's thick but it may be useful for some of the areas that are thicker in design. I have a fairly good idea of construction and now I'm just getting it on paper. I mostly have it figured out in my head but I need to render it in 3D now. In other words create it on paper. It's a weird talent I have but I can look at something and break it down into a net with ease.
 
I would say that if your going to use EVA foam matting it would be very thick for what you have in mind. You might want to check in to craft foams that come in several thickness all of which are thinner that the standard EVA foam. You could also check for Yoga mats. they have a decent thickness to give detail but not thick enough to look bulky wearing it. Some of them even have patters etched on to one side or the other.
 
I would say that if your going to use EVA foam matting it would be very thick for what you have in mind. You might want to check in to craft foams that come in several thickness all of which are thinner that the standard EVA foam. You could also check for Yoga mats. they have a decent thickness to give detail but not thick enough to look bulky wearing it. Some of them even have patters etched on to one side or the other.

That's a good idea! I forgot about yoga mats! And they have a certain amount of flexibility that would be perfect for my purposes. With any luck they'll be the perfect thickness too.

Side note: Cortana is on temporary hold while I work on a drawing for a contest. It's halo related and yet not haha... hmm time to hunt down some teenage John -117 images.
 
Yoga mats work great, a friend is using it for a destiny build. something thin and flexible. I bet it would work wonders for what you are needing.
 
Been looking into the yoga mat suggestion. Do you guys know any places that would sell them cheaply?? Ie. online or elsewhere? Wal-mart's about $25 a piece and the other places are close to 30... Am I looking in the right places?
 
Been looking into the yoga mat suggestion. Do you guys know any places that would sell them cheaply?? Ie. online or elsewhere? Wal-mart's about $25 a piece and the other places are close to 30... Am I looking in the right places?

I think I've seen yoga mats for like 20 on amazon but idk about shipping unless you have Amazon Prime.
 
You should be able to find them in like a Wal-mart or a K-mart....Not sure where you are located but any equivalent might carry them.
 
IshidaRyusei, I've seen yoga mats at the Superstore (if you have one near you. it's similar to Wal-Mart, but an all-round grocery store) You can find them on Amazon.ca as well, but shipping would probably bring it up to, or past the $25 mark. Canadian Tire sells them anywhere between $19-99 - 29.99.

You have more options than I do living down south, so definitely take to Google. I know there are plenty of cheap craft stores down there :)
If none of the above work out for you, your best bet would be Wal-Mart.
 
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Winners sometimes has them for pretty cheap. Treadmill Factory has a folding travel one that is only $10.


"I don't know what's weirder, that you're fighting a stuffed animal, or that you seem to be losing" - Suzie
 
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