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CosBlog #35: Crimson Viper By PhoenixKasai
Attention to detail can make or break any creative endeavor - cosplay included. An unfortunate reality is that hair is oft-neglected when it comes to costuming, usually an afterthought rather than a carefully constructed facet of the final presentation. Not in this case, however. Cosplayer PhoenixKasai took the time and energy to perfectly recreate Crimson's Viper's deadly 'do, making her final ensemble impressively accurate. Check out more photos and the costume details below.
Who: The Character
C. Viper/Crimson Viper from Street Fighter IV.
Why: The Decision
Street Fighter is a great franchise and the addition of C. Viper made IV truly fantastic! I've always enjoyed cosplaying as girls who can literally kick ass, so Viper was a natural choice for me. When I first saw the character design and her epic hair I knew that the costume had to be done, not only as it would provide an immense challenge but because I felt there had to be love for the new female character to the series. When I chose this character I really didn’t think many people would recognize her, but I quickly learned otherwise!
What: The process
When approaching Viper I knew the costume would fail if the hair wasn't perfect so I spent about 3 weeks constructing the hair and only a week on the actual costume. If the hair wasn’t perfect, I would drop the costume entirely.
The hair was a monster, literally. To create it I used 7-8 large packs of jumbo braid hair, straightened them using the hot water method and hot glued them around a long headpiece of fabric and fiber fill. The color of the hair was perfect, I didn't need to dye it at all. Next, I cut the hair into 20+ sections and used a method where I alternate between braiding the hair and gluing it down, this took the most time because I wanted it to look as natural as possible. Total the piece is approximately 4.5 ft. long and weighs a few pounds. I've been asked how I actually keep it on my head. To simplify it I secured the piece to my head with several large, glued-on clips and many, many bobby-pins. To disguise my hair I have to put my own hair into a mohawk, clip down the headpiece over and around my hair and run red spiker glue and some special red hair streaker over my own hair and scalp. When putting on the hair for a convention it takes over an hour to put on, pin in place, and color if I have two helpers with me.
Due tolack of time before the convention, I was unable to do the entire costume by scratch. Instead I modified a suit I already owned since it had the right look to begin with. C. Viper's glasses are modified lenses and sculpy. I used spirit gum to attach it to my face.
The entire cost of the costume is just over $100, but with the time it took to make the hair it feels like a lot more!
Where and When: The Debut
The first convention I wore C. Viper to was Akon 2009 in Dallas, Texas. I actually had two photoshoots there. First was with Eurobeat King. We literally took it in the parking garage because there was a cool red pipe.. I'm not kidding. The second shoot was with WisnerPhoto and we drove around downtown to find a couple cool places, like a piece of sidewalk art that looked like a giant rusted wall!
The Gallery
Links: The Cosplayer
There are a couple of ways to find me! In addition to my cosplay profile on cosplay.com, I also have a Facebook account. I hope to have my website up later this year so just feel free to Google me too.
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.
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