Saturday, September 24, 2011

College :)

Lets just say the last two days have been very productive.. Well a new chapter starts in my life, Amy goes back to college for the fourth time. I had my first day yesterday and I am really liking everything so far. The lecturers seem really nice, my class is quite small and are all ages from mid 20s upwards which is nice. I really like being in a small class as I get to know everyone and it will be a good help with group projects and the like. Also we get to know our lectures better.

I am currently studying Cultural Event and Business Management which is a one year postgraduate Diploma in IADT Dun Laoighre, which is a lovely seaside town not far from Dublin city centre. I would recommend it a place to visit! :) What I really like about the course is, it is not that you got your ordinary business modules and then you got your cultural modules. The course is very cultural and arts focused. While at Strategic Management the lecturer was really interesting and the lecture was thought from an art industry point of view. It was really amusing when we had to introduce ourselves and I was telling the lecturers about my goals in doing something with cosplay, Cosplay Ireland and explained what cosplay was, while the majority of the people in my course are looking at going into business theatre or arts admin. Jenny my Strategic Management lecturer seemed very interested and even took down the Cosplay Ireland website and will look up cosplay. I know alot of people who even cosplay alot feel really awkward explaining cosplay to others because they feel they never will "get it." Cosplay has bit of its negative quality because cosplay is linked to costumes eeeh may equal fetish and then you got the "nerd" thing. But it is the reason why I am in college to hopefully set up a business in cosplay and promote it so I might as well tell my classmates and lecturers about it no matter how awkward it is for me. Thankfully in Ireland we tend to appreciate things that are really different and there is a demand for cosplay. We really have come a long way from the dark days and we do need escapism.

I actually feel this course is very suited for me and I am going to learn alot from it. The course won't be easy and there is alot of work! All ready I have to read 7 chapters about Stratgenic Management for next week and have an essay to do in Law about contracts. It's gonna be fun! :p I have booked in a shoot tomorrow as Rin Toshaka from Fate Stay Night. It is going to be an outdoor shoot, maybe we will get pictures around Christ Church and Gothic places around Dublin. I have many Rin ideas in the works for other shoots and can't wait to get her wig but it might be awhile. :( I think with the work load with college, I am going to have to maybe cut down on shoots but will try and do the odd ones, I also have to start up a Cosplay Ireland twitter and do promotions.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Shoots, college and galore!

I have a few shoots coming up which I look forward to. I have a cosplay shoot maybe this Sunday it hasn't been confirmed yet. This will be a first time photographer who I met on boards.ie. I would of liked to do the shoot as Ero-Lolita Rei Ayanami in the picturesque Iveagh Gardens but my lenses have expired I think and the weather would be too cold to be in a corset so if the shoot us going ahead this Sunday I think I will be Rin Toshaka. I still haven't gotten around to getting her wig so I am just going to make do with my own hair.

Then I will be doing a Ero-lolita shoot with Maik Sinkovec next Thursday which I really can't wait as since I worked with him with the angel Rei shoot I have always been meaning to go back and shoot with him. I am hoping Mechanic Geisha will join me and we can do some role playing scenario. ^^ I would like to do something like below and go for a "Dolfie" look as I would like to get more into Dolfie modelling.



Then I need to get back in touch with Stephen on this cosplay project we are doing. Also I hope to do a cast shoot with Jay aka Mechanic Geisha and Brendan. We have been meaning to this shoot all summer so hopefully we can do it soon.

I will also be busy with Cosplay Ireland and hope to do promotional events and photoshoots for the website and maybe flyers. Fiona and I will be attending London Expo to support Katyrn and John the Irish representatives of the EuroCosplay and we want to spread the word about Cosplay Ireland and network.

Then tomorrow the big day! I go back to college. :) Tommorow it is just orientation but I get to meet my lectures and classmates. I am very excited as I know I will meet interesting people who are career focused and this course will be very relevant. I will feel I am there for a purpose. The college is really nice. I know I am going to be really busy but I will try keep you updated with shoots and doing events with Cosplay Ireland. :) I can't wait to attend London Expo!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

GeekEasy Cosplay Gathering

The event went really well. Despite not having lots of people there, it was a good turn out. The event was hosted by NoamiBomb, The Chronic Candies and myself from Cosplay Ireland.



Yep that is me as Harli Quinn, Noami in the middle and Lauren from the Chronic Candies as Poison Ivy. As the theme was comics, I realised I hadn't any comic cosplay so I had borrow Noami's Harley costume. I really like it, classy Harley.



A cool soulette photo Anna took.



So we started of the event with me telling people about Cosplay Ireland and explaining what is cosplay. Then Noami showed images of Yaya Han a professional cosplayer and model, then showed images of conventions where you would find cosplay and showed images of her own cosplays. Then Lauren from The Chronic Candies talked abut cosplay burlesque and showed videos of their act from Banter in the Attic.



We all gather around to listen to Mark's words of wisdom. That guy there in the yellow t-shirt cosplaying from Left 4 Dead is Mark Hall. He is very much involved with the gaming and comic con scene and ran the big Dublin zombie walk which was a hugh success. He gave me lots of great advice on running Cosplay Ireland and on how to please everyone because it is very true comic fans stick to their comics and anime fans stick to anime, they don't tend to crossover very well but some do, so you need to know where you stand and how to do it.



That is James a journalist from UCD. He came along with an interest in cosplay and is going to write an article on the event for the University College Dublin magazine which is fantastic more press! He wants me to stay in contact with him so he can write about future cosplay events.



Amazing Left 4 Dead cosplay.



Cliona and Stephen. Stephen was great to talk to as he is part of a largely ran costume group who focus on Star Wars and sci-fi costumes. There are called the Emerald Garrison. They take part at costume related events and run the big Star Wars convention in the RDS, Dublin. The interesting part was Stephen said he doesn't consider himself a cosplayer and neither do the group. They see cosplay as more Japanese and if you cosplay as a character from a Western show it is seen as costuming not cosplay. I see this as very interesting and people are welcomed to have their own views. We hope to collaborate with them celebrating the costume culture even though are main target is Japanese cosplay but we like to welcome all of the costume arts. The Emerald Garrison is very impressive and they are professional costumers and prop makers involved.



Mark giving me great advice on how to run Cosplay Ireland. We plan on meeting up and discussing things this Wednesday.





Noami looking swell with a gun and me in the background taking notes.





That is Jason on the far right who is also part of the Emerald Garrison. He makes props and sold a Predator prop for 200E. He also likes to be involved with Cosplay Ireland. The event went really well and I really look forward the the next one. Brendan will love this :p at the next GeekEasy Cosplay Gathering I would like to talk about cast cosplay and show some of the images. It would be interesting to see what people think about it. :p Maybe if Jay Mechanic Geisha is free she could join me. :P

Here is the Emerald Garrison website - http://www.irelandgarrison.com/garrison/home.html

It is very impressive and they just done a promotional Star Wars cosplay event in HMV Dublin. It would be amazing if Cosplay Ireland could one day do anime or video game promotions at these events.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Feeling so overwelmed



It has been awhile since I wrote something deep here, well it is nothing too personal but I would like to express my random thoughts. So today I spend reading blogs online and the one thing that has me thinking about is fandom. I am obsessed with fandom, I am not saying I am an "otaku" or nerd (maybe I am not sure), I mean while reading anime blogs and browsing tumblr I find it so fascinating that people fall in love with fictional characters and say that they can really feel they can be themselves expressing their love for a character on these sites and everyone thinks it's ok. I find it really interesting. It is not just in anime people fall in love with characters, it goes back a good while with books and novels. These characters were created to be peoples' fantasies and were never suppose to exist in the real world.

Being a cosplayer, people fantasising about characters is what really give me the kick in cosplay and what I really enjoy. I think Cosplay and fantasy is a big thing with themed roleplaying cafes in Japan, the customer fantasising he is being served by a cute maid or a nurse in costume. Costume and play, playing the character, playing the character so your audience can really believe you are that character. It really all is amazing.

I really want to read more about peoples' obsessions with characters. I had an idea to do a Cosplay and Fantasy panel at Eirtakon but I would need lots of research and I would want it to be intelligent and academic. Perhaps I will plan it and research it and do one for next year. The war between 3d and 2d I find really interesting or maybe I am looking into it too deeply.



Listening to: Sun Kil Moon, Heron Blue

Messing around with googles

Messing about with the steampunk googles I bought of KaosCostumes at Nomcon.









and loving this Mac make up my mam got me from New York. Thanks Sarah for giving me the Ref no and now I can try and achieve perfect 2D skin. :P





So yeah registering for college tommorrow yaaay. Then got the cosplay gathering at the GeekEasy Dublin City Comics afterwards, promoting the gospel of cosplay. It is all fun. :) I look forward to giving the report.

Listening to: NIN - Closer (Precursor)

Love this

NIN fangirl moment.



And this.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

The Fragile














Rei Ayanami cosplay shoot with who was fantastic to work with. It was my second time working with him and I would highly recemmend him for a shoot. You feel safe, he is funny and he done a great job capturing the character's personailty in the photos. The rest of the photos can be seen on my DeviantArt - http://cairdiuil.deviantart.com/

Interesting Watch

I spend my Friday night watching this documentary which I watched awhile ago and found it very interesting. I also drank a beer. It is a good watch if you are new to the con scene. We are all one big happy family! ^^ I am proud to be working at cons.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Phooootos

Photos of the Cosplay Ireland event. Pics taken by Kieran Broderick. That is me cosplaying as Ero-Lolita Rei Ayanami towards the left. The pther people are people I know from Eirtakon the anime convention I am aprt of.



The rest of the photos.











Fiona my mad cosplay partner in crime.



Me being the host of the night and doing my speech. I was really nervous, I was more nervous seeing the photos afterwards in fear I looked really drunk because people saying I was. :p

That is NoamiBomb one of the cosplay burlesque performers, more of her cosplays can be seen here.





The Chronic Candies and Bubbmgum Harley being the next performers. There were really good!









More photos can be seen here. :)