Construction Details:

Okay. This is the most massive cosplay project I have tackled to this point. It legitimately took me two years to make, from construction thought process to completion.

From the moment I saw the first Fatal Frame IV trailer, I knew I wanted to cosplay Sakuya. The outfit was gorgeous, her movement was amazing, and the character herself seemed so sad and beautiful. So my friend melvinopolis took some screen shots for me, and I started staring at them intensely. It was then I realized the gold around her flame designs was three-dimensional. That simple realization turned this fairly straightforward costume into a huge commitment. Especially for someone at my beginner skill level. But I was determined.

Mask: I will eventually remake this mask. It was the first thing I made, and I've gotten better at mask-making since then. The base is a plastic mask, cut and shaped to match Sakuya's. I glued paper to the eye holes to turn them into slits. I then added some clay to the eyebrow and cheek ridge to give it additional dimension. The entire mask was gessoed and sanded, then painted brown. I added a layer of crackle clay, sanding particular section. I then painted the entire thing again, and popped out sections of the crackle clay to show the paint layer underneath, and give it a nice weathered look.

Kimono- This thing was the bane of my existence. Like woah. I created the general design of the kimono, then sketched flame designs for the sleeves and kimono body onto posterboard, which I then used as a stencil. The darker sections inside the flames are several different shades of red and blue paints, mixed with a fabric medium. There's easily a half gallon of paint on this kimono. Then came the gold. I used about 60 yards of a thin gold trim, and hand-stitched it on. This part is what took so long. There's about 500 hours of work in the kimono alone. Countless nights sitting on the sofa and stitching. I've watched many movies and tv-series while working on this thing. Haha. I then attached all the pieces together, created a lining, and connected it to the kimono shell.

Obi- The obi Sakuya wears is crazy. It doesn't actually tie in the back, but is in fact a complete circle. Thanks Techmo. ;) I made the obi from scratch, then connected it using hooks/eyes. To make the flower designs, I made stamps out of craft foam and dowels. I used a combination of fabric paint and fabric pens for the coloring and filler designs. It was a lot of fun.

There are definitely things that could be better about this costume. I am not a painter, and sewing is not my strongest cosplay attribute. The kimono itself turned out too short, but with all the trim already attached by the time I figured it out, I couldn't really do much about it. I'm hoping to find a way to lengthen it in the near future. Same goes for the sleeves.

I cannot thank my family and friends enough for sticking with me through the construction of this costume. It was a long, difficult process for someone at my skill level, and they were never anything but encouraging. They're amazing.

Anyway. Sorry for the epic description. http://www.cosplay.com/gallery/173427/ is a link to my progress album of this costume.

Note: I'm sure only like 3 people would notice this, but I feel the need to say it anyway. Yes, in the pictures below, the kimono is on backwards. It should be tied left over right, not right over left. Unfortunately, I was in a rush when preparing for this shoot, because a storm was coming. That combined with not having any mirrors, and I somehow managed to put it on incorrectly. All the boo's. I won't make this mistake the next time I do a shoot in this costume.

Personal Thoughts:

A LIFETIME'S WORTH OF HANDSTITCHING. OHMAGAWD!

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