-nightfall- possibility of an art book

~ psst check out my new header~ It's Breitkopf Fraktur and I'm pretty sure it's by Dieter Steffmann.

This has been my basic advertising image for -nightfall- and I may end up making it an end piece since it's just my first scribblings on the new tablet.
I'm hoping to have this book out by October and it will more than likely be Halloween themed. It will have 20 sheets - 40 front&back pages; soft cover will be $20 and hard cover will be $35. Since I'm uncertain of demand, it will be printed by purchase so it will take a bit.

Any of you who are interested, let me know! I will write you down for pre-order when I've gotten the art together for it!

Here's to hoping and seeing you all soon!!
Thanks~
Jack "Hachi" Hallow

Ragdoll Prints: Arts and Crafts and Commissions!

       So I have a facebook page dedicated to my art and sometimes cosplay, photography etc; I originally wanted to use this blog for that but haven't kept up with the art aspect very well soooo....if you're interested in my art or commissioning me or what have you, please have a look around!! Depending on the day, I may take requests as well since I'm trying to build my portfolio!

     Currently, I'm working on Strength from Black Rock Shooter for Ikasucon 2014 and I'm hoping I can get those ogre arms done in time! I'm planning a Biker/Street Fujimoto from Ponyo that Friday with my friend as NuGoth/Biker Granmamare because we're cute! [We also have a friend planning on Biker Kiki if she has time lol]

     Soon I'll have a Choji Akimichi cosplay blog post BUT that'll be a bit because last time I tried to do it, I got so gosh darn frustrated because the photos weren't doing what I wanted them to ha! So sometime, sometime soon!

Come visit the Ragdoll Prints page and enjoy some art and puns!


See ya later Space Cowboys
And Thanks for Readin'!

~ Jack "Hachi" Hallow ~      

Apologies for Absence

     I haven't had anything interesting to tell you all thus no posts. I've been working on commissions and will soon be charging ahead with my own costume. I don't tend to post work in progress photos, but I'll do my best to give you some idea of the work that went into everything I'm doing.


My current workload includes:
Harley Quinn from Batman inspired hoodie and shorts
Panty dress from Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (Yes. Another one! Different Panty cosplayer this time around but still a friend lol)
Gatomon from Digimon - gijinka - (same friend who is cosplaying Panty) 

 A fur suit didn't sound appealing to any of us so we went with a gijinka version based off this image - if anyone knows the artist, please be so kind as to inform me so I may credit them!

     The main difference in this design is the change in hair - we're going with a short, white hairstyle instead of a long blonde one. I think it was due to ease of care throughout the convention we're all attending and of course what my friend wanted lol

Beelzemon hasn't gotten any farther - I've started the helmet but have been too afraid to carry on with the foam for fear of messing it up. I do have more flexible cardboard though so I might as well man up and go on with it lol


I've been trying to do more writing and artsy stuff though I never post my writing anywhere since I feel uncomfortable with people reading it lol



To see my art though, you can check either of those links - I go through spells where I don't post anything, but I do try to get something up before a year passes lol

deviantArt
deviantart will have some cosplay photos as well *clap hands*
y-gallery  



Well that's it really, boring boring boring


hooray for summer though *shake maracas*


Thanks for reading,

Hachi



 

11.16.2012 Project Idea!

      I've got a couple weeks before I can order the violet and dusty pink broadcloth for Patchouli, so I've been going through the fabric I have currently and deciding if there is anything I can do with it. I have enough felt left over from Cynder that I could probably make a jacket if I really wanted to and I also just have lots of scraps from fabric my mom has used in the past and scraps of my own fabric all in this large, purple tub.
     Whilst on my search, I found black crushed panne velvet (from a panda costume mom and I worked on for Halloween a few years back) and I found this upholstery/tapestry-like fabric which is a beautiful gold colour with a floral pattern that my mom had used to make Christmas stockings and a robe for a St. Nick doll a long time ago. The gold fabric has been around for quite some time but is nice and sturdy and the velvet is slightly stretchy so it'd be wonderful for movement.

      The crushed panne velvet ~ I'm glad I was able to get a shot where you could see the texture. It stretches in only one direction so if I were to use it and want that give, I'd have to keep checking the grain while I was sewing since I've never really worked with the grain in mind.

     The upholstery-type fabric ~ as you can see, it's a really nice Christmas fabric and looks great against our fake pine branch lol this is another fabric where I'd have to be more conscious of how I sew since I want the pattern to look nice. It's a bit of a free form fabric, but I wouldn't want it to look completely hectic and uneven.

      Finally, a look at what the two fabrics look like together! I'm still unsure if I have enough of the velvet to really do what I want to do, but I think I can search a little more and work with the patterns I have to get the best results.
     I really want to make a vest! Even if the textures and colours are more wintery, I'd probably wear it even in warmer weather with more spring or summer like pieces to offset the wintery/fall effect. The floral gold would be the front of the vest while the velvet would be the back so I could have a little bit more movement than I would if I managed to make the vest entirely out of the gold fabric. Hopefully I can begin work on this and come back with the results, especially since I can't work on my next cosplay just yet.

     Wish me luck ~

Videos, Tutorials and Cosplay

     Yeah about those videos.... :/

     I have videos recorded regarding FOAF's upcoming plans and a tutorial/watch me do this makeup video for my own personal YouTube. I would have them posted already, but my phone, being the only source of high speed internet, says the files are too big and cannot be posted without wifi. I don't have wifi...thus my dilemma.
     For this blog, I'll probably do step by step in photos with pictures of my products which honestly will probably work out better for those interested than the video of me doing it. It took me about 6 and a half minutes and there wasn't much in the way of actually tutoring any of you. I sped it up to about 3 and a half minutes, gave it a little music track - I was pretty proud of it lol
   Anywayyyy ~ for the step by step photos, I'll be sure to take my time. I couldn't tell you why I rushed through it - I can speed it up so the video is shorter etc etc; I suppose it's just my own habit as I'm usually speeding to get ready as to not keep anyone waiting. The video I recorded may still be posted on my personal YouTube, but a nicer, more "professional"(lolwut) video will probably be done at a later date as well as more of my tutorial ideas being posted here photo by photo.

     As for FOAF (Freaks Of A Feather), as much as we want people to help make it a bigger group, it really has been just me and Taka (I guess that works out for Trinity Moon Commissions - our little duo work set up). We have had a decent amount of friends becoming interested in commissioning us and joining in on current and future plans which is great! Now if only they would give us a definite yes or no so we don't get too excited and too ahead of ourselves!
     Ohayocon 2013 is closing in and within the coming weeks, I will be purchasing fabric to begin work on Patchouli Knowledge from Touhou (along with Taka's fabric as she's a bit short right now; she'll be paying me back later). One of our friends has commissioned Remilia Scarlet and Taka will be taking that up while I talk to one of her co-eds about a Jet Black (Cowboy Bebop) cosplay for Whittcon in March. QUITE A WAYS I KNOW! But best to plan much too soon than much too late, right?

     After Touhou - Embodiment of the Scarlet Devil, we want to work on costumes FOR Whittcon - Taka's probably going to do a Sailor Gijinka group with the "Remilia" as Sailor Zapdos (I believe?) and another friend as Sailor Moltres while she's Articuno. I wasn't quite sure I could swing that many costumes in a year as we hope to attend Colossalcon for the first time and are definitely attending Ikasucon 2013, I decided that I would work on the costumes we intended to wear for Colossalcon from the series:

     (~*^*)~ digimon!! As of late, Taka has been extremely excited to begin work on Sakuyamon from the Digimon Series. I was stumped for a while before deciding on Wizardmon (just this past weekend actually). The character has been portrayed with varying shades of hair colour so I was thinking of purchasing a burnt orange wig to be later used for Fujimoto from Ponyo. If I work on Wizardmon for March AND June, I'll be saving myself personal work AND money as I'll be eliminating one costume - an idea that has been increasingly appealing to Taka aside from the fact she's unsure she'll have the money to work on Sakuyamon around Whittcon time.

 

      I think the most difficult part for Wizardmon will be getting the small details like that of the inside of the coat and the zippers etc etc along with getting the hat to stand just so and have the cape cover my face in a certain way. I'm most worried about the designs on the lining, but that's to be thought upon on a later date ~
     I hope to be better with progress photos and fabric shots with Patchouli and maybe even Jet since I'm excited to work on him and will be asking around for help with the boots and arm, but until I get the fabric, I won't really be sure! Until then, I'll just keep telling myself to photograph progress so I can continue writing and hopefully review some wigs, fabric and maybe even contacts soon *^*

So Tired

I was unexpectedly allowed to stay with a friend this weekend and went garage sale browsing with her on saturday lol We found a painter's mask and some pyramid studs and immediately decided she had to buy them so she could paint the mask then deck it out with the studs and some possible tubing if I can get my hands on it - all together the studs and mask were only $5.25 which is a really good deal lol
I found a really pretty credenza and some nice book shelves but left my money at home so I wouldn't purchase anything lol (though I really wanted that credenza * ^ * )
That night, we went to the movies ~ Dark Shadows! I was really pleased with how good it was and really wanted Barnabas's wardrobe haha
We went for the 10:35 showing and didn't get out until 12:36 or so then went to eat at Waffle House lol so many drunks there at one in the morning.

On another note, I've been trying to draw recently and nothing seems to be coming out right ._. I was able to paint a rose for my mom for Mother's Day, but I haven't really been able to do much else aside from unfinished doodles. I feel rather dissatisfied by this to be honest; I wanted to draw but my tablet and my hand don't seem to be cooperating with each other *pulls out hair*

My artistic abilities must be failing me -.- maybe when I'm in a slightly less stressful environment I'll be able to draw again. Or just continue painting flowers lol (which is odd because I don't like to paint/draw flowers)

Watercolours

      Ahh - I've recently purchased new brushes and card stock along with a new set of watercolours. I've been contemplating what I really want to do before getting down to it (and reading up on how to use the watercolours to the best of my abilities since I'm more used to acrylics). I have a general idea, but just haven't gone through with any of them - lack of motivation I guess.

     I have been doing many fashion sketches lately, just to scribble outfit ideas down, and I've been trying to draw people of all sizes in the little outfits I think of. I guess it is mainly due to the fact that I myself am not thin in any sense of the word and don't want to be a hypocrite - if I were to only draw thin models in my work, I feel as though it'd be taking away my whole view that fashion is for everyone (like plus size magazines who showcase their clothes on thin models - not very accurate lol).
This sketch is really just anatomically gross. I think it has to do with the long arms and seemingly short legs (or just that it was a badly drawn sketch ghgh). This is a traditional piece that I just sketched in marker last night; I took the photo with my phone then sketched over some of the lines in photoshop.
     I have been really loving the idea of red blazers recently and honestly want to own one myself lol I've also fallen in love with frilly shirts 'old lady' shirts.

     This is a drawing of a friend's character; her raised arm is off, I believe but not too badly, I hope? She didn't request this or anything, I just felt the need to draw a woman after drawing so many men. I'm personally pleased with how she turned out regardless of some mistakes - I was in a ruffle phase a while ago and just loved drawing lots of folds. I tried to portray the chest piece of her dress as lace - I hope everyone who has seen her has caught on to that fufufufu.

     For a while all I really did was digital work, but my monitor is so off with it's colour (I need a new monitor lol) that I just haven't been using my tablet as much. No one really sees my traditional work because it doesn't have that great of a quality (i.e. the first picture lol).

I've been sleeping so late into the day that I'm surprised I get anything done - o - I don't feel motivated ugh ugh

I need to record a new video for youtube account I share with a group ... I just have no idea how to keep the video relevant to the group lol
Maybe I'll do a tutorial of sorts someday.
I may blog a review of products for this blog - I don't know, a bunch of ifs lol