Just got the first picture from the photoshoot at Ikkicon! I got to wear Jun the Swan for the first time and really enjoyed it. It was different to not be covered in armor. Just the helmet.
But I loved it! There was so much freedom. And I'm happy that a few people actually knew who I was.

Finally had a day where I could get busy on cosplay stuff.

I've been wanting to do something from Skyrim since I turned it on. To get me used to working on bladed props, I decided to start with Mehrune's Razor. The handle is MDF. Blade is Sintra with styrene for detailing. If I get enough of a response, I might be willing to sell a few copies.

I've been inspired by a friend's recent cosplay choice and have begun work on the Twin Victims from Silent Hill:4.  I've even found a way to make the fingers move! ehehehe

I've submitted another design to Threadless. This time, to their Loves Drawing Challenge. The design is still waiting for approval, but here is the link anyway. If you'd like to wear this as a shirt, then vote: http://www.threadless.com/submission/389868/Bird_Demon/from,Moonwildflower
And Ikkicon is coming up! Several members of my group, Shinka Studios will be going. We'll be helping out with the Armor Panel and doing our own Latex panel.
And Skyrim. sigh... So many hours devoted to that game. And I want to to devote a few more IRL. My next personal project will be a daedric sword. After what I've learned from the gun, I feel I'm ready to tackle something like this. And I hope to make a good mold so copies should be available to anyone interested.

Like I said. Two weeks left. I don't know what place I'm in right now, but I know for sure that I'm not in the top three and that is where I'd need to be to earn any of the prizes. Go here:  http://www.otakuhouse.com/cosplay-idol/north-america-finalists-2011/april-martin/  and Vote!

While there, go checked out some of the other amazing cosplays including:

Exshadow- http://www.otakuhouse.com/cosplay-idol/north-america-finalists-2011/kyle-mathis/

Pikminlink-http://www.otakuhouse.com/cosplay-idol/north-america-finalists-2011/pikminlink/
 
Hopie-chan-http://www.otakuhouse.com/cosplay-idol/north-america-finalists-2011/hope-smith/

Of course, when the day ends, this is just an online contest based mostly around popularity. And I haven't been the cosplay world as long as the three featured. I don't expect to win, but this is a fun way to meet new people and let them know about what I've built and worn. 

They just opened this morning and I'm in the top 40. I had to enter three other cosplays into the event for voting. That includes my 7 from the movie 9, Tali from Mass Effect, and the Silence from Dr. Who.
Please come by, take a look and vote! It would be awesome to make it to the top three!
http://www.otakuhouse.com/cosplay-idol/north-america-finalists-2011/april-martin/

And it can found on my group's Da page here: http://shinkastudioscosplay.deviantart.com/
Here is a quick preview of some of my favorites:

The shoot was done in the same train station as our Silent Hill one last year. A big thanks goes out to our roommate and friend D for being our victim! 
I'll post some of the WIP pages soon that show how the sculpting and latex work went. 

And we won Best Group! And had a photoshoot with the same guy who did the Silent Hill shoot with us last year. He is saying that they look amazing so far, maybe even better than the Silent Hills stuff! I'll post some it when I get my hands on it.
We also wore our My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic cosplays for the first time. I was Applejack and it was fun to wear something that was comfortable for once. Had a shoot for this group too.

And, because I forgot to post it last week: another entry to a challenge for ArtOrder. My first illustration fully in oil.

And the group is working hard. I've got one more head to cast and the rest of my body to finish up. Sorry that I'm not releasing what we're doing. I'd like to keep it a secret. But it does involve our latex work. And I'm very excited at how it's turning out.
Along with the cosplay/prop building, I'm begining work part-time at a local pool. It will be nice to get back into the water.
And another painter for the next contest at ArtOrder is being worked on. In oil! One of the judges is the art director for Tor. It would be amazing to do something that she likes. And before I forget, a quick digital thing I did for a little contest involving Haunt.

Since I enjoyed the last Threadless contest so much, I decided to enter another about NASA and the final frontier. This is the original image done on my Ipad with Procreate.

The page for voting is here: http://atrium.threadless.com/nasa/submission/thar-be-monsters-2/
You will need an accout to vote.
And now to Afest. As a group, we have finalized who or what we are each going to be. The focus will be on our latex work again because we got a really good response last year. And I'll be using my new love of sculpting and latex masks. Not sure if I'll be posting WIP because I want it to remain a surprise....

We debuted my Silence masks at A-kon last weekend and even got a good photoshoot. All the pics are on our DA page: shinkastudioscosplay.deviantart.com
I made them from scratch by sculpting oil clay on to a styrofoam head and then making a plaster mold and casting them with rd-407 plaster from Monstermakers. My next project is an Ood.