Shiva;s hair

[Senzu]

Hi, I need some help. I need to make a HUGE wig for cospalying Shiva (FF10) this year. If anyone already has one they wanna sell, I live in the UK, how much will you ask? Or, if you can make one for me, again, how much? Also, instructions will also be appreciated as to how to make one! Please email me! ~ Senzu xxx

[Koumori]

You might take a look at Katie Bair's site; she made what is probably the definitive Shiva wig. She goes over how she made it here: http://www.katiebair.com/summoningshiva_hair.html

[schalke]

hey shiva in ffx is so great...she looks pretty sexy and hot!!!! i like the way she looks there especially her hair that has i think an anchor blade at the tip which she uses when she attacks...
goodluck!!hoping to see you in shiva outfit!!!
:bouncer:

[Peppermintstix]

My friends, family and I have always agreed that FFX shiva has a a black woman's hairdo. :)

[HuongStar]

O_o Dreadlocks aren't necessarily limited to black women.

[*Shiva*]

I think FFX Shiva is supposed to look Indian in an attempt to relate her more closely to her male Hindu namesake, so in that case, her hair would be more ethnic looking. Good luck on your costume - I hope to cosplay her someday!

[Peppermintstix]

Originally posted by HuongStar
O_o Dreadlocks aren't necessarily limited to black women.

Relax pal, no one said that. But Shiva's hair has an exteme amount of body. Even if a white person had dreadlocks they would not defy gravity the way Shiva's does. It's just a fact.

[Nine]

I'd LOVE to construct a wig like that just for the fun on it.. hey I might do that sometime.. XD

[HuongStar]

Originally posted by Peppermintstix
Relax pal, no one said that. But Shiva's hair has an exteme amount of body. Even if a white person had dreadlocks they would not defy gravity the way Shiva's does. It's just a fact. No problem, "pal"! My whole point was I didn't understand why you said that to begin with. Even if you were a black person with dreadlocks, they would not defy gravity the way Shiva's does. It's just a fact. :D

Senzu: your main concern is finding a base wig that has enough "give" in the cap to withstand all the additional sewing for the dreads. Once you sew into the lace cap, a certain amount of stretch is taken away from the wig so if you start out with a wig that fits snugly, you may not be able to wear it once you've completed it.

[Adella]

Well Shiva's hair isn't dreads anyway. It's roped.

[KaraokeKate]

It's a little bit of both. The closeup thumbnail illustration doesn't match the in-game art much at all. But it is a good referrence for her facial art.

Her hair is in wrapped "twists". The hair itself it twisted then bound with criss-crossing bands.

http://www.katiebair.com/shivaside.jpg

And yes, no one in real-life could ever hope to have that much thickness and body to their hair naturally. That's why I had to use batting to fill out each of the braids. As Koumori has already mentioned, I go over the process of how I did my wig here:

http://www.katiebair.com/summoningshiva_hair.html

I don't know if it's really the "definative" Shiva wig, but I am kinda anal-retentive about accuracy, so I took a good couple of weeks just to study and plan this wig out.

Just for the record, there are 11 braids, including the really big one with the anchor. If you want to be that accurate, expect to have a VERY SORE NECK by the end of the day. >,<'

[aimee]

Katie, you know I love your Shiva so!! XD

funny, but I hadn't even seen your construction on the wig (seriously!) but I made mine roughly the same way. However, I must say you were smarter than me! I basically sewed foam strips into tubes and then constructed the hair over that, which worked fine, but it would have been faster if I'd constructed the tubes like you did!

pretty much the same idea though. great minds think alike huh? ^_^ no other way really to get a RELATIVELY light wig with that much size.


I must attest to the pain of wearing my wig as well. my problem was more from the head though, because it was pinned really tightly to a skullcap, which put quite a bit of pressure on my head. and my wig isn't even as big as Katie's!!! I don't think I could have dealt with a heavier one to be honest O_O

erm, pics of mine here:
http://aimeemajor.com/images/costumes/shiva.html

heee,... my iceboob isn't NEARLY as cool as yours!

[KaraokeKate]

LOL!

"Iceboob"

I nearly shot Sobe out my nose when I read that! o,0!

Yeah, quite a painful experience for me too. Besides the tremendous weight, I had about 80 pins holding the wig up. It took three people to get it on/off my head. -_-'

[aimee]

HEE! Iceboob! well, what else would you call it, eh?

after the masq, I was so happy after having so much fun in costume that I had started to get used to the pain, you know, just kinda held my head every once in a while to relieve the weight from my SCALP.
so I left it on probably longer than I should have, and forgot how many pins were holding it on and just how LONG it would take me to get those pins out and then get all the PAINT OFF ME.

I was slightly violet for 2 days in strange places. HEHE! I wore a comfy cavegirl costume the next day, and people asked me if I was feeling well because my skin was slightly sickly looking.

your pain must have been horrible! Lindze made a really big wig too and she said it was deathly painful!!

[StacyMichelle]

(oogles Shiva pictures and cosplay)
Seriously, FFX Shiva is my favorite character hands down.

Kudos to Aimee and Katie for making hella awesome Shiva wigs. I love how you (Aimee) used different colored extensions. Your Shiva was so colorful all over!

[Adella]

Aimee you're so funny!!!! ;-; ice boob LOL!!

[aimee]

Translation:
Aeris: "HAHA! Aimee' you're such a freak!"

(heehhe..!)

[Lindze]

Yeah i LOVE Aimee's wig. i love how she used different colors in it, whether its length is acurate or not. after all the blue blue and more blue...it gets sorta bland, even tho in the game it looks exciting.
Katies site is the best for descriptions on how to do it super acurate. shes more hardcore than me with having all 11 braids! i got lazy...i didnt want to deal with that!!
as it was, my wig was SO PAINFUL. it weighed prolly even more than 30lbs. i had combs sewn in the wig, that anchored in my braided hair (to better anchor it) and also a chin strap and it STILL hurt. man im not wearing it again untill i remake it.
i would sell that one to you, but i wouldnt feel right about it, since like i said...its way too heavy. i think the foam i used was too heavy (i used a technique similar to katie and aimee's)
heres some pics of mine tho, i dont know if that helps. i chose leather as my straps, cause i thought it would be a neat contrast.
http://www.lindze.com/pics/shivaX10.jpg
http://www.lindze.com/pics/shivaX7.jpg
http://www.lindze.com/pics/shivaX5.jpg
( i forgot i had hiked my anchor over my chest in these pics...it was getting in my way!! so thats what that cord over the chest is)

as for my ice boob, as we call it...lol....mine was all resin molded to my body. i dont even know if you need help with that but ill gladly describe what i do if you want to try it!

[aimee]

*wants an iceboob like that even if she's not even going to wear it*

LOL its so CLEAR AND PURDAY! I would just put it on my desk.

aggggh... you do realize that clear blue plastic with sparkles makes me spasm. I really need to finally learn how to resin cast properly but there's that whole lack of time thing. :)

wouldn't it be fun to make random armor all clear and gorgeous like that?

[KaraokeKate]

Originally posted by aimee
*wants an iceboob like that even if she's not even going to wear it*

LOL its so CLEAR AND PURDAY! I would just put it on my desk.


Right there next to the Dilbert Calendar...

Yeah, I think going with the whole 11 braids was probably a bit on the "hardcore" side, but I figured if the hair was gonna be pretty much the centerpiece of the costume (since I'm not exactly the best seamstress...), that I might as well try to get it as dead-on as possible. ^_^'

[Lindze]

dude i agree! you hair is by far the most acurate! it really looks nice and full....its just awesome.im so impressed. if i didnt have nightmares about my neckpains every night, i would tottally remake mine like yours. im one step away from remaking it as a meg ryan hairdo, im dreading it so much! LOL ^_~
*sets her ice boob on aimee's desk*
the best part was when people kept asking to touch it! since it was hard as a rock , everyone was like *knock knock!*

ooo....clear armor...man, aimee...thats such a cool idea!!

[aimee]

ha ha,... shiva with a crewcut! HEEE!

I would definitely knock on your iceboob. beware.

yeah, I really want to learn casting in general to do facial prothetics, etc, at least!! but making something any shape I want, clear and preferably blue, an really hard and tough is extremely appealing. lol.

[Peppermintstix]

Originally posted by HuongStar
No problem, "pal"! My whole point was I didn't understand why you said that to begin with. Even if you were a black person with dreadlocks, they would not defy gravity the way Shiva's does. It's just a fact. :D


someone else said: And yes, no one in real-life could ever hope to have that much thickness and body to their hair naturally. That's why I had to use batting to fill out each of the braids. As Koumori has already mentioned, I go over the process of how I did my wig here:

You're mistaken. My hair behaves the same way shiva's does and without dreadlocks. My hair is so thick it does defy gravity. If I took a few years to grow my hair out and dye it blue I could style my hair exactly like hers. For the record I'm black and black people with thick nappy hair like mine can style their hair that way too. Natural african hair has a completely different texture that I doubt that any of you are familar with. this is not to say that you all are completely ignorant, you simply are unaware of the facts.

[aimee]

um, is it really nessesary that we have a personal fight about a CARTOON CHARACTER's hair? :P

I think discussing iceboobs is far more constructive (chuckle)

[PikminLink]

shiva is cool!....she is my favorite GF...







think happy thoughts ^^

[Lindze]

because im 40% dutch, my left boob is acually cold all the time, so in FACT its like an ice boob and it gets frosty.
not to say youre all ignorant un PC bastards, but you are.
LOVE MY ICEY DUTCH BOOOB!
:p jk

but yeah, fights over fictional characters somehow turning into race = lame.
but in the same realm of that...stating a fictional characters race based on cartoon hair = also lame.
i think thats what twinkle was trying to say in a pinch.


now, aimee....tell me more about your ice boob.....its for a ....school project. dont forget details and diagrams.

[Michi]

Originally posted by aimee
heee,... my iceboob isn't NEARLY as cool as yours!


...I dunno if you meant it but... as "cool"? XD;; Get it..? Cool? Ice? *falls over* Okay I have nothing better to add to this thread..

[KaraokeKate]

Peppermintstix,
I've worked with ethnic hair doing weaves, twists and braids quite a bit on my own, so yes, I'm quite familiar with the thickness of african hair. However, the fellow who designed Shiva's hair, was not. He designed it out of solid polygons, not billions of tiny hair strands, so the amount of volume and body is unrealstic... but it sure does look cool! ^_^

At first, I also thought that I could duplicate the thickness of the braids using nothing but ratted extensions (both jumbo/bulk and Yaki...) but found that the sheer weight of the hair, due to the incredible length, caused the braids to compress flat (or atleast not 4 inches thick...) against the top of her head.

Please don't assume that since I myself do not have a specific hair type that I don't understand the dynamics of it. I have incredibly thick, perfectly straight hair, which comes with it's own set of problems. (Like increased susceptibility to seborrheatic dermatitis and headaches...) But does that mean I have the right to tell cosmetologists with fine, curly hair that they are *ignorant* of the properties of my hair type?

Besides, these forums should be a place to offer advice to help other cosplayers. I'm just trying to help out by telling about the pitfalls I had with a particular costume, so other people can possibly avoid them with their own designs. I'm not really sure how *helpful* it is to then pop in and say "you all suck, you don't know anything about hair".

I mean, seriously, if you can grow your hair out the to back of your calves, bleach it and dye it blue, attach metal rings to the ends, bind it in leather and it STILL defies gravity, then BY ALL MEANS send me a picture and I'll personally make you your own Shiva costume... maybe we could even get Lindze to toss in her Iceboob. Coz that would really be worth seeing. Then I'll use the first page of my manga to publish a public declaration that Shiva's hair *can* be accurately reproduced in real life without the aid of any type of thickening agent... It will be *hair history*! *Everyone* will want to see it! ^,^

But in the meantime, yes, let's talk about Iceboobs. I'd actually be really interested in learning about resin casting, since I'm working on an "armor heavy" android costume, and knowing how to make a cast of my shoulder or knee would be very helpful. -_-'

[Peppermintstix]

My first post was just to state something funny, my family thought about shiva. Of course whenever someone mentions race people feel the need to equalize everything. If I say black people have dreadlocks someone has to jump in and say that white people can have them too. Come on now is that really necessary? Black people love to braid and twist up their hair. Hell that's the first thing we learn to do with our hair. Is that really so offensive to you guys?

Kara, you've never touched my hair. So you really should'nt try and tell me about my hair. because it's really starting to annoy and offend me. I've styled my own hair and the hair of countless other black girls so I think I would know what I am talking about when I say that a black woman can style her hair like Shiva's. When I was a little girl I used to twist my hair up in long twists down my back and it poofed out the shiva-like proportions. I see little black girls all the time with long poofy braids and twists down their back.

Growing my hair to wicked-witch length and dying it blue is not feasible in the day and age. People have jobs so don't say silly things. Instead I invite you to get a good grab of one of my afro puffs. I'll be at a-cen. i'll pick them out for you.

And for the record, i've never called you ignorant. I said you didn't have all the facts.

[Lindze]

lol michi


well kate, i loved how your ice chest looked already! i think for the face part 'specially it was PERFECT. if i wear it again, thats tottally what im doing.
im acually not even done with mine. i think my attention span got lost on shiva near completion..its so not finished. im a pathetic spaz, i swear. and now i have to remake the wig and it just prolly will never happen. gahhh i should just sell the damn thing.
but basically something like that requires you to have/make a cast of your chest, and then a postive cast of that, so you have basically a YOU to work off of. i saw that you had a maniquin, if thats close to your measurements, that would prollly work too...but it may get ruined in the process, not sure. i coated my cast down with vasiline and peices of tin foil, smoothed out. (trick of the sculpting trade. keeps casts in ok condition for plaster on top of it)
but i sculpted the shape i wanted out of plasticine. 2 seperate parts. one for the top half (which i finished) and another for the bottom part (which i didnt) and then i made a plaster mother mold over that, and had a mold of the general shape i wanted.
unfortuantly the casting of the resin didnt go perfectly and i would prolly brush it in in layers into the mold next time if i did it again. the pouring was a MESS. GAHHH fuck resin!
i also made a mold of the ice cube like diamond chunk shapes for the necklace, since thats what she acually has, and obviously its impossible to find something like that.
if anyone wanted those 3 beads like she has, to make into a necklace, ill gladly cast some up real quick for not too much money, either. im not sure how much i would charge, but like i said, if you just need the beads, it wouldnt be alot at all.
annnnyway, i could go into more detail but its 4am...IM SLEEPY!

[Lindze]

yes dont say SILLY things!
that would be...SILLY!


people take stuff reallllllly serious on this board. now i remember why i dont normally post on here. (i just did to help out on the shiva thread)
i like my board where we talk about fucking donkeys or something and no one cares.
DONKEYS!
now ill prolly have a donkey come on here and tell me im offending them.

but anyway...on with the shiva talk!

[Limeyaku]

LOL @ everything

iceboobs?
"cool thread" XD
donkeys?

this thread rocks. XD

just wanted to give my 2 cents n say OMDFG ALL of yous whove cosplayed shive are beautiful and have done beautiful jobs. Lindze i was TOTALLY blown away when i saw yours. you're AMAZING with an airbrush! (ff8 too *________________* WOW!!!! )

omg. you guys all rock. ^___^

and really....i agree. ppl DONT take stuff so seriously!!!! this is COSTUME chat. costuuuuuuuuuuuume chaaaat. not 'im purposely saying this to offend you cuz im mean like that'-chat. no, not its not.

be open minded, consider what others have to say. have fun.

*adores the brave and beautiful shiva cosplayers*

[KaraokeKate]

Check it out, an employed person with very long blue hair:

http://www.katiebair.com/lokki.jpg

It's your hair, you should be able to do whatever you want with it. If your boss gives you a hard time based on what your hair looks like, then you deserve a better job. Seriously. If 70 year old ladies can get away with dying their hair blue, then your boss shouldn't be telling you that you can't do it. (It's age discrimination, for starters...)

Anyhow, that's all I have to say on that. We're not on this earth long enough to waste our time arguing. ~_^

And yes Lindze, I do in fact have a mannequin with nearly identical measurements ( I recently got a full body one to work on my android costume with $$$!!! I am so poor now....) Accepting that she's there to be my stunt double, would it be feasible to brush the resin onto some sort of fitted material (like cheesecloth) while it is on the mannequin itself? (provided I've put some sort of non-pourous layer underneath to prevent it from adhereing to the mannequin...)

I've never worked with resin before, so I'm not sure how "liquidy" it is, and whether or not this will take 64,578 brushed on layers to acheive any kind of noticable thickness. o_0'

[aimee]

hrm! my question is the same as katie's I guess, I'm a little curious about the application, and brushing.

lindze, when you say "brushing into the mold" could you be more detailed for my fragile little mind? :)

(eeeeeeeeee)