New to this site, looking forwards to my Asajj outfit!

[Guest Anonymous]

Hey Ladies,

My name is Arlene, and my hubby is a member of the 501st Legion. Of course, you know where this is going. My hubby is a member and quite involved in it. He loves what he does, and I love his end product results and seeing how excited people get when they see him. I've gone to a few of the events that he has been a part of, and I am intrigued by it all. The comraderie is amazing, and I love the charity work. Well, I find it difficult for us to get to hang out together when he does events, so after some discussion, he convinced me to take on a character. I, in turn, said that I would only become something that is far from who I am, but that I can also pull off. Another stipulation was that, I did not want to look like myself. So here we are, in the process of creating Asajj Ventress. Technically, my hubby is creating the entire thing himself, and I'm pretty happy about that, because I can't sew to save my life! He's been great, and I can't wait to see the end product.

 

Since I didn't know too much about Asajj, he recommended that I sign up to this website and get to know some of you better, read posts, learn more about the outfitting, and get tips on how to be the best Asajj I can be. I will read through the forums and look for info on bald caps, make-up, techniques on how to apply both, and more. I'm excited to be here, and I hope to learn a lot from you all! I will certainly post pics of our progress!

[kathgruben]

Welcome to the Flagship!! Great to see another Asajj in the works

 

Which Asajj costume are you looking to wear?

[ladyb]

Welcome to the Flagship and Asajj. As mentioned there are a couple versions of the character:

 

Attack of the Clones Concept

 

Sash Belt Version

 

Body Armor Version

 

Clone Wars (3D)

 

and also the Nightsister Version that standards are still in process of being developed for.

 

Titles linked to the CRL pages. Do tell which one fits you're fancy and we'll help where we can.

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks Ladies! It is the "Attack of the Clones" concept, that very same picture is the one we are using as a template. Really excited stuff! I have loved browsing through the website and seeing everyone's visions, all the unique styles and ideas! It's brilliant! I still need a few things, but I know that by the time Celebration comes our way, hopefully I will have worn the outfit a couple of times!

[ladyb]

Awesome. That is my favorite too (I've made a couple Asajj. ) Do tell if you'd like help or feedback on any of it I'd be happy to share.

[Guest Lord McCune]

So, this is still very much a work in progress, but here is what we have so far:

 

We are still on the hunt for makeup and a bald cap, our local costume shop was out when we dropped by this weekend. The wrist wraps are from my kickboxing days, so they will be replaced with leather ones as soon as I get time to make them. The gorget isn't attached to the shirt, I am still working on it. The shirt itself turned out pretty decent, but I think for shirt 2.0 I am going to shrink the gray portion and increase the black portion. My wife is fairly busty so when it stretched on her it made the gray look out of proportion.

 

Overall I am quite happy with the way this is coming together

[Guest Nihilus]

Welcome to the site Arlene, I'm new here too.

Great choice I LOVE Asajj.. I am so jealous I can't be her.. LOL! She has an awesome costume. She is up there with Shaak Ti for me.

 

Lord McCune your costume looks awesome great job.

[ladyb]

Looking good so far, the buckle looks quite nice.

 

I'd agree with your assessments. When I first did my I think I remade everything at least twice to get it how I wanted it. Is there anything particular you wanted help/feedback on?

[Guest Anonymous]

Hey, thanks for the feedback so far! We actually went to Megacon today. My hubby talked me into doing a trial run, and I was a bit nervous and hesitant, but I just went for it. My makeup was feeling a bit cakey (Im not used to wearing tons of makeup) and my eyes couldve been so much better, but I need to work on it a bit more. I'm thinking that in the future I will be a dark grey and a black eyeliner pencil to work on my eyes instead of the cream that I used, and cover my neck a little bit more. Because I didn't have the bald cap, I had to wear the hood on my cape which is fine by me. It did get a little hot, but I was good about it. I won't be this character unless we are doing something indoors.

 

I did notice that I just don't know how to "be" Asajj. What I mean is, I want to learn more about her mannerisms, things that she might say to others in passing (for instance fans who want to take pics of you, but want you to stay in character). I won;t be rude or anything, but surely I can stay in character while talking to people. I just dont know what to say to people. My other problem was, how do I hold the lightsaber (just one) appropriately? Trial and error I guess, until it's easier. I'll see if the hubby can post a pic!

[ladyb]

Sure post some pics. I could suggest what has worked well for me with regard to make-up, mannerisms, etc.

 

I'd have to think if there are some good lines form the 3d animated series, but two good lines of hers from the 2d cartoon are:

 

"I am sith"

 

&

 

"The dark side is strong in me"

[Volund Starfire]

When it comes to mannerisms, hold Jedi in contempt. Well, unless there is an Obi-Wan there, at which point, you have to flirt with him a great deal (not sure where that comes from, but it is there).

 

As for the "cakey" makeup feel, have you considered using alcohol-based? It is a little more difficult to wash off, but it feels more natural.

[Guest Anonymous]

Hmm…staying in character. Good question!

 

It's hard for me to think of good lines from the 3d series right now, too. But the ones from the 2d cartoon that Lady B posted are good options.

 

The one thing I can think of the most is – confidence. Maybe this is just me…but when I get into Asajj gear, I can sort of feel my stride and my actions change. I feel taller, straighter, more fluid in motion and confident in every step I take that I am the best, I do what I can, and I strive to do more and prove to everyone that I am something to be awed (or feared).

 

Granted, that's while I'm walking - lol. If I'm taking a picture with someone (especially a kid), my own personality comes through instead…at least when they first approach me.

 

Finding the right way to hold a lightsaber isn't easy, either. I'm still searching for the "best" way to pose, too. One way to figure out what's best for you is simply set up a mirror or a digi cam on a tripod. Try out different poses you've found in books or on the internet. See what looks natural and see what feels natural.

 

Can't wait to see some pics!

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for the input everyone! I may not always come on, since I have to juggle a toddler and a baby, but I will pop in every once in awhile to read updates. Also, my hubby will post up pics here and there as the costume gets created. Can't wait!

[Guest Lord McCune]

Thanks for the input everyone! I may not always come on, since I have to juggle a toddler and a baby, but I will pop in every once in awhile to read updates. Also, my hubby will post up pics here and there as the costume gets created. Can't wait!

Speaking of which, look what arrived today:

 

Forgive the image quality, it was taken with a phone.

 

Any Ventri have a good source for baldcaps?

[Nefthys]

Hello!

 

If you are in Canada at all, I work at a shop that can ship bald caps and all the required make-up to go with them. Check us out at www.donshobbyshop.ca. If you are however outside of Canada you will have to do some searching for local companies that carry the products. The best idea is to search the brands online and see what stores sell them. Decent brands you can go with are Woochie or Don Post. I would recommend Woochie over Don Post personally. I found one website that has a good list of distributors in many countries depending on where you live. This might be a good place to start looking for the closest distributor to where you are. Woochie latex bald cap link: http://shop.cinemasecrets.com/woochie/l ... tural.html

 

Or you can try Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cinema-Secrets-Wo ... _pr_sims_t

(not sure how Amazon compares to an actual cosmetic website)

 

^ I have not ordered from either of these places, so I cannot say for sure how good they are. Just a few links recommended from others.

 

Woochie also makes different coloured bald caps, including White, which is great for Asajj.

 

If you need any advice or have any questions on putting a bald cap on, don't hesitate to ask. I've done a few myself and sell the products everyday so I can give you my personal opinion on what I think works best (others opinions differ and there is no one right way to do a bald cap). There are also quite a few good resources online for doing bald caps as well.

 

You are of course in a great place for advice on Asajj ~.^ As I'm sure there are a few here who have done the bald cap thing.

 

Good luck on your costume!

 

Cheers,

Nef

[kathgruben]

For the baldcap, what source you use will depend on where you live, though you can buy them easily online.

 

As for what kind, I have used both the latex Woochie cap and the plastic Glatzen cap. A Woochie cap does the job, but I find I get better results with a Glatzen cap because it is thinner.

 

Definitely have a read through Sakara's tutorial on applying a baldcap, located in the Makeup and Appliances section of the forum.

 

Good luck!

[Guest Lord McCune]

Sorry we haven't posted in a bit. Submitted to the GML tonight. Crossing fingers.

[kathgruben]

Great to see another Ventress

 

Excellent job on the bald cap and makeup! Looks great!!

 

The only improvement I can suggest would be about the collar: I'd love to see a couple more horizontal lines sewn through it, and I believe it needs to be sewn to the shirt at the bottom as opposed to just resting on top of the shirt.

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for the compliment! Any suggestions on how to attach the leather collar to the shirt without being sewn on? How would I wash the shirt without damaging the neck piece? That's the main reason we haven't attached it yet. I'm not sure if my hubby can add more stripes, since these were leather pieces sewn together. It would require making another from scratch unless he just added lines by sewing some on. Thanks for the advice on what needs work!

[kathgruben]

Ahh, I see. Didn't realize the collar was made of leather. That's a good question then.

 

In so far as I know, most Ventress costumers have used fabric or pleather for their collar, so it's easily washable. Mine is made of pleather and sewn directly to the shirt. I don't have experience with leather in this application, so can only offer my best guess. You would want to use something that connects all the way around the collar, so I don't think snaps would work because you would see gaps in between. The only thing I can think of is to try velcro, but I'd do some tests first on scrap leather + fabric. It'd be tricky to get the placing just right, but I think it could work.

 

As for the addition of more horizontal lines, just adding a couple more seams could work, but again I'd test it on some scrap leather first to make sure it looks right

 

Anyone else have a suggestion? *looks around*

[ladyb]

Leather makes that tricky. I would test some sections of velcro or carefully placed snaps. The key is it needs to not be stressed so it doesn't pull and change the shape of the neck armour. If velcro works I'd recommend having the soft side on the shirt so it doesn't get caught on things in the wash.

 

Did you GML pass on the notes, there were a couple other things lacking from the CRL. If not do tell and I can share.

[Guest Lord McCune]

LadyB,

 

What did your husband use for the emitters on your sabers? I read your Alpine thread and I didn't see it say what the parts were. I recognize the pipe and hose fittings, just not sure about the emitters.

 

Torment has given me some notes on the costume so we should be good there.

 

Thanks!

[ionicdesign]

Glad the notes made it.

 

Brita's father and I custom made the emitters from scratch to match the hilts for the Sideshow 12 inch figure that was out.

 

They were lathed from wood, sanded, painted with alternating matte and satin black paint and sanded again in-between with 400 grade black sandpaper to give it the finished look.

 

I made a diagram of it if you'd like. I could share a pdf of it, just let me know.

[Guest Anonymous]

I just wanted to thank everyone for all for all of their help and advice! I made my debut as Ventress on Saturday, and got to meet and speak with a few of you. I wish that I would've been able to spend an ample amount of time with you all, but I was there with my hubby (who was dressed as Vader), and didn't want to leave him solo. It was a great experience, and I loved seeing all of your costumes, they were all amazing!

 

We were able to attach the neck piece to my shirt with some double sided tape, so that it was easily removable. I could now wash my shirt without any damage to the leather. Thanks again for the advice and support, and I am happy to be in the 501st Legion, and hope to make you all proud to have me as a Ventress!