Cosplay Tutorials Collection

Wed May 15, 2013, 11:59 PM

Cosplay tutorials are among the most fascinating I've found in DA, full of inspiration and secrets that make you want to try them, even if you've never cosplayed before. I took a good look around and tried to put together the best collection that I could, so please feel free to browse all of these and try them! Let these artist know how awesome and generous they are for their hard work

This article was written for #ArtHistoryProject, please don't forget to visit the project and also join the nail art contest we put together.

Outfits

Props

Shoes

Wigs

Make up

Assorted techniques

There's still a lot more to see!

find more here.

41 Comments

Behind the Scenes at Biniwood : Frankie's Day Out

by *Biniwood, 1 day, 15 hours ago
Journals / Art News / Artisan Crafts

This is my first time using Sta.sh, so let's see what it's all about

Well, today has been super fun so far; I've had a great time introducing everyone to Frankie! But as I was looking through her photographs in the lightbox, I suddenly thought to myself "Why have I photographed something that's supposed to be all about imagination and bringing things to life in such a static environment?"

So I grabbed Frankie, my camera and my son and we had a jolly good fun time photographing under a beautiful weeping willow tree in our garden

Jack (my son) is 3 in October, but his imagination is already incredible. He has an entire army of Bobinies, which always have to be wrapped up in a blankie with him for bed, and he plays with them for hours. So our photoshoot today was very natural to say the least! I've only really editted one of the photos, but there are so many more that are just so much fun! I want to share them all with you, so I thought I'd create this little article, "Behind the Scenes at Biniwood".

"Hmm, what shall we do today?"

Of course, Jack has already road tested all of my sewing, perhaps more so than any CE Marking regulator ever could! His very own Bobini, Tricky, has undergone chewing, being fed baby food, being carried around by the dog, squashed by my 11 month old daughter, dragged around by her tail and had tug-of-war played between her and the car door. I think her tail even spent a 20 mile journey poking out one corner.

And she is still all in one piece

"I need a drink, stat!" ~ Nellie made a wonderful assistant for his majesty's photoshoot XD

The Design of the Bobinies

Here's little bit more about the Bobinies design though ~ They intentionally look up at you. They are intended for children to play with them, but as a child you spend your time looking up at everyone else. It makes you feel very small sometimes. But for an adult to see that child looking up at you - it's super cute and it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So these Bobinies are designed to look up to the children, to be brought to life by them and played with.

These aren't plushies for a dusty bookshelf. They're plushies that are meant to sit next to you while you watch a film, listen to your heartaches and gripes of the day.

They are there to kiss better those little scraped knees that are reminders of adventures passed, but adventures shared.

Bring us to life

These creatures are a lifetime in the making. They are everything to me, and this adventure we're just starting on wouldn't be complete without everyone's support. If you are kind enough to add this article to your faves, you are coming on this adventure with us, and your support means everything

19 Comments

Faux Food

Journal Entry: Wed May 15, 2013, 7:07 AM

If you browse the culinary art circles, you'll often see comments on skilled artisans' deviations reading, "It's a shame you have to eat that."

Outside of culinary arts, food deviations attract the opposite: "It looks delicious. It's a shame you can't eat it."

It's an endlessly amusing juxtaposition. We want to preserve the art, but sometimes the inedible version is just so tempting you feel the desire to consume it anyway.

Many deviants use a variety of mediums to portray fun, quirky, and sometimes deliciously realistic food. Here are a few examples from five different mediums used to create more permanent versions of favourite food items.

~ ~ ~

Scale 1:3 Neko Cheesecake

by ~asuka-sakumo

Felt Cannoli

by ~koshadesing

Mini Lunch

by ~lazysnoopy

Make Mine a Double

by ~RunePixie

Pecan Pie Cupcake Soap

by ~Annais69

~~~

If you like what you see, head on over and give them a fave. Have a browse through their gallery and if you like that, too, consider leaving some comments of love or even add them to your watch list.

Graphics by *tyleramato
CSS by ~moonfreak

51 Comments

So Cute, it Rots your Teeth #20

Journal Entry: Mon May 20, 2013, 8:17 AM

Every week we will bring you our favorite submissions at #semi-sweeties for that week. Please notice that the favorites are just our opinion but not an absolute ranking.

Please enjoy this week's collection and don't forget to

anything you find interesting!

Stack of pancakes necklace by ~Luxurychoccie

#semi-sweeties is a group dedicated to the art and appreciation of all kinds of clay food. If you love clay food, make it or if you're looking for help please join us!

the team at #semi-sweeties

3 Comments

BTS @ Biniwood - Playtime with Pumpkini

by *Biniwood, 13 hours, 30 minutes ago
Journals / Art News / Artisan Crafts

I'm getting the hang of this

I had the pleasure of introducing everyone to Pumpkini today, but as with Frankie, there were some brilliant photographs that I can't really edit to put in my main gallery, but they really give you a fun look at these plushies in the environment they're meant to be in ^^ So I'll be using these "Behind the Scenes at Biniwood" (Or BTS @ Biniwood to shorten it!) articles to share all the fun with anyone who wants to have a read

"Can I paint too?"

It's a wonderful thing for parents to look back through all those paintings that their children used to paint for them. I think it's only at that point that we realise that we never knew there could be so many different shades of brown! Despite the fact that what the child started with was a beautiful shade of magenta, a brilliant cobalt blue, a sunny cadmium yellow, green that shames the grass and red brighter than James' coat of paint (two cookies to whoever gets that reference!), it will always, inevitably, end up as one shade of brown or another.

Or, if you're like my son, you'll end up with a moostash that DALÍ would be proud of! (Hey, I had to do some painting too!)

He proudly held Pumpkini by his side and helped him paint too, and it was at this time I realised that my Bobinies are indeed washable! I think I will be making a stripey smock and beret for Pumpkini next time

Wherever You Go, I'll Be There Too

A Change of Design

For anyone who knew my Bobinies before may have noticed that the new ones don't have horns. This was a last minute decision made when I had finished my Frankie prototype. They cluttered the new heads and didn't look right, but I think I might bring them back for some Hallowe'en editions

Tricky is an early Hallowe'en prototype, and I think she really works with her little horns

I can't wait to show everyone her artwork though, it's super cute

"Where are we going today?"

I am incredibly fortunate to have my target audience so close. It makes testing the strength of these plushies a great deal easier! Though I must admit, being woken up at 2am because Tricky (the Bobini in the picture above) has fallen out of bed is a little difficult to come to grips with sometimes!

OMG SPOILER ALERT!

Yes, yes I did just use the OMG phrase. It felt...odd. I promise I won't do it again

But I couldn't resist giving this little sneak peak of my favourite of the set. Especially since he, like Tricky, must also be wrapped up in blankie every night, and goes with Jack everywhere

Once all five have been released, the pre-orders will open

I thought it might be a little unfair to open them as I go, just in case someone buys one, and then a couple of days later decides that they want the other one so much more

So at least if I open the pre-orders once they're all uploaded then you'll know which ones you want instead

I wonder who will be tomorrow?

Come LIKE Biniwood's Facebook Page!

[link]

You know you want to!

As always, your support is so greatly appreciated, so if you can help spread the word about Biniwood by faving this journal and liking the Facebook page above, then our world will be lathered in awesome sauce with extra super sprinkles

It would mean that much.

7 Comments

Mid-month Artisan Crafts News and Features #4

Journal Entry: Sat May 18, 2013, 4:00 AM

Got Artisan Crafts related news or a contest to share?

Send me a note or leave a message below.

News

^cakecrumbs became the newest addition to the Artisan Crafts CV team!
Check out #CRArtisanCrafts; the new CR group dedicated to the Artisan Crafts Gallery of deviantART.
Did you hear? The T-Shirts & Gear Shop is closing soon! Get your gear before it closes for good. If you place an order, you will receive a badge .
The Multi-Submit and Scheduled Submit functions have been launched to Beta Testers!
^Talty published her 24th Artisan Crafts feature.
#ArtisanCraft's latest News + gallery highlight can be found here.
^Talty is looking for people to interview for the new CR project called: The Artist Toolbox.
You can find the latest Artisan Crafts newsletter here.
We are still looking for your input concerning the Gallery Makeover Project. We will be closing that very shortly.

Contests

The Resources and Artisan Crafts Galleries are coming together for the Get Crafty Contest. Check it out!
Enter in the Artisan Crafts challenge, the deadline is May 31st. Two winners will get and subs.
#semi-sweeties is holding a Monthly Food Challenge a random member that enters will win a 3mth sub.

Daily Deviations

Don't forget to send your DD Suggestions for Artisan Crafts to ^Talty, ^cakecrumbs or myself. You can find our individual guidelines linked on our profiles.
My March round-up is here, & ^Talty's is here.

Features

2 Comments

Mucha Princess Pendants

Journal Entry: Tue May 14, 2013, 6:15 AM

Tumblr Etsy Art Prints

Shameless plug time.

I've made a few of my Mucha Disney artworks into cameo charm pendants, if you're interested

They're available HERE.

Thanks for looking

6 Comments

Mood: Love
Listening to: Cry's livestream
Reading: A Thief In The Night, by David Chandler
Playing: Ni No Kuni

My DD Guidelines

Mon May 20, 2013, 6:49 AM

If you're perusing this journal, you've likely got questions about suggesting a Daily Deviation. ^Talty, ^maytel and myself are your Artisan Craft CVs, meaning we can only feature Artisan Craft and Traditional Art / Sculpture deviations. If you want to suggest something from another category, here is a list of the CVs you can approach.

If you've decided you want to send one my way, here's a few guidelines to help you know what I'm looking for.

How To Suggest a DD

First, make sure the deviant hasn't received a daily deviation in the last 6 months. Go to [username].deviantart.com/dds to see a deviant's DDs.
Next, send me a note with the subject "'DD Suggestion". In the note, give me a thumbnail [:thumb######:] for the art you wish to suggest and tell my why you think it deserves to be featured as a DD.
Only send one suggestion per note. You may include more than one thumb/suggestion for the same artist in the same note (i.e. sometimes deviants will have multiple photos of the same artwork and you might want to show me more than one angle).
You can suggest another deviant's work, but you can also self-suggest a piece of your own.
Be sure to tell me if you want to be an anonymous suggester, otherwise I'll assume you want to be listed.
Only send your suggestion to one of us.

What Do I Look For?

I prefer to feature under-appreciated artists. What this means is subjective, but I'm unlikely to feature something that has received over 1000 faves unless the work is truly exceptional.
I also prefer to feature under-represented crafts. Let's show off something the community hasn't seen before.
If the piece doesn't have decent photography, I probably won't feature it. It doesn't need to an image of photographic perfection, but it does need to be able to show the work off to advantage. If the photo is blurry, tiny, poorly lit, covered by a distracting watermark, photographed against a cluttered room and so on, I'm unlikely to feature it.
Any resources must be credited. Any craft that has used a pattern or design from another artist/source must state so, or else it is akin to art theft in my book. It should also not contain any other policy violations.
If you have a Cosplay suggestion, please send it to ^pullingcandy. If you have a miniatures/polymer clay suggestion, please send it to ^maytel or ^Talty. They're much better equipped at judging the quality of these mediums than I. Here are their guidelines:

FAQ:

What if I don't like something you feature?

Tell me in a note. I'm more than happy to chat it out with you, to tell you why I felt it deserved a DD and to hear why you think it doesn't. I'll happily take constructive criticism on board. But do not publicly demean the artist. It's not their choice to receive a DD. All you achieve by flaming the artist is ruining someone else's day and making yourself look quite nasty.

It's worth keeping in mind that everyone's tastes differ, and that's okay. That's what makes art so diverse and beautiful. You probably won't like every piece I feature. But before you get angry about it, ask yourself: will it matter to you a year from now?

What if I suspect the art you featured is stolen?

I will do everything I can to make sure the art isn't stolen before featuring it as a DD, but there's a possibility I may miss something. If this happens, again, please note me. You can also file a violation report. If you know the artist who owns the work, send them a note and suggest they file a takedown notice. But please, do not abuse or accuse the artist publicly.

I do appreciate the way the dA community bands together to combat art theft, but there is a right and a wrong way to approach it. Leaving abusive messages or calling out the artist often resorts in pack mentality and bullying from the community at large. Often, the community gets it right and the art was stolen. But sometimes, it gets it wrong. I have seen artists granted DDs wrongly accused of theft and constantly bullied, even after providing concrete proof of ownership. It makes what should be a day of celebration for the artist a day they'd rather forget. Bring it to our attention and let dA deal with it -- if it is indeed theft, it and the artist will be dealt with by the correct processes very quickly.

13 Comments

Input from deviants - RE: Gallery Makeover Project

Thu May 16, 2013, 11:46 AM

Two months ago, we asked you the community to give us input on ways to merge, remove, add and retire sub-categories for easier browsing and submitting.

We were instructed to remove clutter and merge galleries rather than make more mess, so we gave priority to removing redundant galleries instead of creating more. We understand that many of you love new galleries and would be thrilled to have a new gallery for every single craft, but please understand that this is not possible. Please take a look at the current galleries and let us know if you think that any of them can be merged or is unnecessary.

We took all of your suggestions and put our brains together. This is the result that we are proposing, there's still time to leave your suggestions and propose new changes, so please feel free to do it.

Proposed Changes

Anthro
to be moved to main Anthro Gallery
Architectural Models (no changes)

Basketry & Weavings (no changes)

Ceramics, Pottery & Clay
Merge Ornaments and Objects with Other (result: Ornaments and Other).
Costumery
"Costumery>Costumes" to be changed to "Costumery>Outfits" (less redundant and relevant to other sub-cats)
Culinary Art
Change Proposal here: [link]
Dolls, Plushies & Custom Toys
Amigurumi" to be moved under "Needlework" instead of under "Dolls"
Folding & Papercraft (no changes)

Glass
Merge Ornaments and Objects with Other (result: Ornaments and Other).
Jewelry (no changes)

Leatherwork (no changes)

Metal Work
To add subcats
Armor & Chainmail
Swords, Knives & Weapons
Wire Works
Ornaments & Other
Miniatures (no changes)

Needlework
"Amigurumi" to be moved under "Needlework" instead of under "Dolls"
Other (no changes)

Textiles
Create a new "Felting" sub-cat (growing popularity will encompass needle-felting)
Woodworking
To add subcats
Carving
Wood Burning
Furniture
Other

Questions for you!

Please take a look at the current galleries. Do you think that any of them can be merged or is unnecessary?

It was suggested that the name "Leatherwork" doesn't encompass taxidermy, a subcat of this gallery. Please let us know if you can think of a better name for both crafts.

46 Comments

PLUSH SALE!!!!!

Fri May 17, 2013, 7:52 PM

Hey guys!! First off sorry for the Scapbook spam - I just wanted to get all of this done for the small sale I am having

Anyway I am have a small SALE on my Octopi, Riceball and some Plushie Body Blanks!!! (basically I gotta clear out some room for new plushies and dolls that are going to be part of a huge summer project - and I want to send a special thanks to

for her help with the Avenger's Project I am hoping to get done as well!!!

)

So I am having a SALE on the following below - If you are interested then please just drop me a note and I will send ya a paypal invoice for your items!! These are ready made items meaning there will be no wait for them to be made - they will be ready to ship within 1-3 days of your payment!!

Small Octopi Keychains - 2.5"-3" tall

These are $3.00 a piece. Shipping is also $3.00 each unless you buy 4 or more and then it is $6.00 total.

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

Medium Octopi Keychains - 3.5"-4" tall

These are $5.00 a piece. Shipping is also $3.00 each unless you buy 4 or more and then it is $6.00 total.

1.)

2.)

3.)

4.)

5.)

Round Riceball Keychains - 3.5"-4" tall

These are $3.50 a piece. Shipping is also $3.00 each unless you buy 4 or more and then it is $6.00 total.

1.)

(only 2 available)
2.)

(only 3 available)

Triangle Riceball Keychains - 3.5"-4" tall

These are $3.50 a piece. Shipping is also $3.00 each unless you buy 4 or more and then it is $6.00 total.

1.)

(only 3 available)
2.)

(only 3 available)

Sitting Plushie Blanks 8"-10" tall sitting

Prices for these will be listed beside the thumb pic of the plush. These are all machine sewn, already stuffed and ready to decorate into your favorite character. Shipping for these are $8.00 a piece - if you buy 4 or more it is set at $13.00.

1.)

Plush body is Cream Knit, Brown Fleece Shoes, with a tan brown back of head. $10.00
2.)

Plush body is Baby Doll Pink Cotton, Brown Fleece Shoes. $10.00
3.)

Plush body is Cream Knit, Brown Fleece Shoes, with a off white back of head. $10.00
4.)

Plush body is Baby Doll Pink, Black pleather Shoes, with a off white back of head. $9.00

MiniChibi Plushie Blanks 10"-13" tall

Prices for these will be listed beside the thumb pic of the plush. These are all machine sewn, already stuffed except for the head and ready to decorate into your favorite character. Shipping for these are $5.00 a piece.

1.)

Plush body is Cream Cotton and head has no ears $8.00
2.)

Plush body is Cream Cotton and head has ears $10.00

So if you are interested in any of the following please send me a note marked Journal SALE and list which items you are interested in. By buying more than 4 items in 1 go you will save on shipping. I will send you a paypal invoice listing your items and total amount due plus shipping. These items will all be shipping wihin 1-3 days of confirmed payment! (if shipping is to the United Kingdom Shipping will be different - price will be quoted to you once I have items packed and have the post master weigh it - sorry guys but prices to the Uk have gone way up!!