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table of contents artists cosplayers
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hkezza Hi I’m Hkezza! It’s very nice to meet you! I’m a freelance illustrator and painter. My in game name is Esfir Liluya @ Balmung - Crystal. I main Summoner and Scholar! Where do you get your inspiration for your art? I usually get my inspiration from old masters and animators, and new artists that flow down my social feed. I've always been drawn to colors and lighting that give it a sense of drama. Lately I've been motivated by mainly FFXIV's stories, concept world, and lore. I've always been a fan of the concept work for Final Fantasy. When did you first get started with artwork? I learned traditionally with watercolor, pastels, and charcoal. I eventually moved to digital media. I'm always trying to push my art style to blend a mix of my traditional with my modern work, so it's ever-changing. What inspired you to start? I think what made me want to start was when I realized that the video games and cartoons that I loved had art books. I was engrossed, and that made me wanted to draw even more. When did you get into XIV? I got into FFXIV when my friend kept talking about how cool it was, and how she and her friends play it. I hadn't played an MMO for a while, so I decided to try the game. I joined probably around Heavensward (when Alexander was a thing), and I couldn't help but fall for the story
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and characters. I've been obsessed about the game ever since. What do you enjoy most in XIV? The story content! MSQ from Heavensward was so moving; I cried at how well written it was. My favorite stories were the raids, the 24 man raids (Crystal Tower especially), meeting new people (my FC), and connecting with other FFXIV artists and fans out there who also have a strong love of the game. COMMISSION PRICING: My commission work fluctuates so look to my social media! All other inquiries, slide me a DM! LINKS:
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yubs Heya! I view myself as a positive introverted individual. I love to create all types of artwork, especially in pastel and vibrant colors. Neon is my most favorite though! I prefer to draw how I feel rather than be strict on details in my artstyle. I am very open to various ideas and learn as I go! Where do you get your inspiration for your art? Nowadays most of my inspiration comes from other artists. Seeing how they draw and the feelings the artists invoke into their work. I like to take that feeling and try to create my own, though not always successful! However that’s the fun of it, right? When did you first get started with artwork? My brother introduced me to drawing as a kid. I drew a lot of Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z fan art. After that I kept doing it until High School ended, then I took a long break and recently got back into it around 2017. My art has improved over the past 2 years. What inspired you to start? The idea of creating things from nothing is what inspires me, whether it is sculpting, origami, or from random objects I like! When did you get into XIV? Around the beginning of 1.0. Been playing ever since.
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What do you enjoy most in XIV? I enjoy raiding with my friends/static and riding my porxie mount the most! COMMISSION PRICING: Streaming Work Emotes, Badges, or Stream Panels - 15$ Per Digital Work Chibis - 20$ Per Bust Shot - 35$ Per Half Body - 45$ Per Full Body - 55$ Per Final Fantasy Tactics Work Portraits - 20$ Per Full Size Character - 20$ Per Pixel Work Non-Animated - 20$ Per Animated (Simple) - 40$ Per Non-Animated Minions - 10$ Animated Minions (Simple) - 15$ Per Background Work Base Price - 40$ Per LINKS:
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khals Hello! I’m an illustrator who’s been drawing since I was very young. For the most part I am self-taught as I really didn’t get a chance to have proper art oriented classes until I was in college. My favorite things to draw are girls and animals, which especially works out since my favorite class and main in FFXIV is Summoner! I’ve been actively playing FFXIV since near the beginning of Heavensward and I’m glad I took the plunge. Originally, my boyfriend coaxed me into trying the game and I admittedly was a bit hesitant. I had never played a Final Fantasy game before and was never really too big into JRPGs either so I was afraid it wouldn’t mesh well with me. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case! I’ve been a constant player ever since! I hadn’t expected to become so attached to the game and its characters as quickly as I did. FFXIV has been a very good source of motivation when it comes to creating and designing. Honestly, my favorite part of the game are the various beast tribes we interact with and I quite often jokingly refer to myself as the ‘#1 Beast Tribe Fan.’ The best part of each expansion for me is unlocking new tribes to become Bloodsworn with and the unification quests where they all come together to deal with a common threat. Aside from that, I’m incredibly attached to the Dark Knight quest line and lore. It gets me so emotional every time I think about it and the characters involved!
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My main character is Moriko Kimura on Balmung. I’m up for pretty much any kind of content and enjoy meeting new people! COMMISSION PRICING: https://khaliarts.carrd.co/#commissions LINKS:
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crepuscular cosplay Jazzy and Dustin, a cosplay team that goes by the name Crepuscular Cosplay online, are no strangers to costuming, and their first debut on the Final Fantasy XIV scene was - shall we say a fiery one. Given that Jazzy donned Black Mage gear while Dustin wore the garb of a Machinist, yes, that was pun intended. And after talking with them, I learned that their passion for their work is just as fierce as their Black Mage and Machinist costumes. Jazzy, who plays Riddel Tiikei on Faerie, knew she didn’t want to create an artifact set as her first FFXIV costume. The Arhat casting gear’s intricate detailing drew her eye, which she said proved to be a “hefty challenge” - but not in a bad way. Both Jazzy and Dustin strive to constantly learn new skills through their cosplays, and the Arhat top fit the bill for Jazzy. She appreciates that FFXIV provides an opportunity to “mix up the gear sets to have different accessories” and allow her to truly personalize her cosplay. She delved into 3D rendering for the medallion details, as well as quilting and transferring applique on leather when it came to the costume construction. Despite these new challenges, the care and attention to detail Jazzy puts into her costumes shines through in the finished product. The costume is made of mostly vegan and faux leather, while the wig is from Arda and hand-
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dyed with Copic markers. There are many methods of dyeing wigs, and the Copic marker method worked so well that Jazzy has used it several times already since finishing her Black Mage cosplay. The staff is constructed from Worbla, which Jazzy says is more Dustin’s area of expertise. Dustin typically handles the props, leatherwork, and armor for the Crepuscular team’s cosplays. His aetherotransformer and gun accessories were constructed from a combination of wood, foam, and Worbla, while the mask was mostly leather. They also ended up using Worbla in a rather unconventional way - heating it to form the mask shape on his face before measuring the leather! “We ran out of plaster,” Dustin admits, but he was proud of their creative quick thinking to create the accessory. From a viewer standpoint, the perfect fit of the leather mask was well worth the “Don’t try this at home!” use of Worbla. Dustin also enjoyed the opportunity to airbrush the color details on his Machinist costume rather than using normal brushes. He acknowledges that while “there is always an exception,” he is excited to use airbrushes more often going forward in his work. Even as Dustin and Jazzy refine their personal creative strengths, their positive attitude towards always trying out new techniques has encouraged them to pursue
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personal projects that allow them to learn more of each other’s skills. As for displaying their work, Jazzy and Dustin wore their costumes at FanFest 2019, which was “immensely fun.” Dustin in particular notes that being around people who had the same love of FFXIV as themselves and could truly appreciate their cosplays was “fantastic.” They also showed their costumes at the World Cosplay Summit USA preliminaries in 2018. When I asked them about their wintry photoshoot in their costumes, Dustin called it “an endurance test.” He always brings an emergency repair kit and gives himself plenty of time to prepare for a shoot, which was likely essential for his Machinist outfit given the complex amount of accessories and details. Looking into the future, Dustin is considering a Hades or Gilgamesh build - both notably more difficult sets than his Machinist armor: “The structural design of Hades I am both loving and dreading. Something that has that large of pieces requires proper allocation of weight as well as the intense design is a frighteningly fun challenge.” Jazzy is torn between White Mage, Astrologian, Alphinaud, Julyan, or the Crystal Exarch for her next project. Learning from previous costumes and projects has already built a strong foundation for their work, and undoubtedly the techniques they learned from their Machinist and Black Mage costumes will be invaluable for whatever FFXIV cosplays they take on next! LINKS:
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