This week cosplayer PixieKitty takes on one of Final Fantasy villain Ultimecia's more intimidating forms. Read on for the scoop on how she fabricated this impressive costume from the ground up.

Who: The Character

Ex-Mode Ultimecia from Dissidia Final Fantasy.

Why: The Decision

Sorceress Ultimecia and Edea from Final Fantasy 8 are two of my favorite video games characters. I have cosplayed both of them in their normal forms. When I saw this new crazy design for Ultimecia, I knew that I had to make it! This special form is her "Ex-Mode", which a special form that combines her with her summon, Griever.

What: The Process

This was is one of my difficult costumes to date. I spent about 2 months making it, and I think the total came to about $250 in the end.

I learned a great deal from it, and I used a lot of new techniques. The mask was molded with Ridgid Wrap (plaster wrap) from a paper Halloween cat mask. I then added upholstery foam pieces to get his face details, then covered it all in black velvet with hot glue.  The arms are made from upholstery foam and wire, then covered in black velvet. I spent a lot of time getting the face and arms to look as realistic as possible.

The wings are a combination of chicken wire, aluminum wire, and upholstery foam covered in black velvet and feathers. The red horns on the arms and wings are made from stuffing and vinyl to make them more flexible and durable at conventions. The dress is made of velvet, and the tights were painted while my friend wore them for several hours!

Where and When: The Debut

I debuted this costume at Katsucon 2010. I did several photo shoots with many talented photographers. I chose this location to debut the costume because of it's large amount of open space. Due to its size, I can only wear this costume to larger conventions with large areas for me to stand away from moving crowds.

The Gallery

Photo by Judith Stephens

Photo by Neon Genocide

Links: The Cosplayer

Official website, Deviant Art, MySpace, Cosplay.com

Miss the past few CosBlogs? Check out the CosBlog Hub for a full archive and information on how to submit a costume of your own.