Today's Arknights Judy Hopps outfit for Amiya finally fulfilled a long-held wish of mine. I've always loved retro aesthetics infused with mystery-solving vibes, so during pre-production, I decided to go all out with full gear for this shoot. Starting with the costume: a short-sleeved blue cape jacket with suspenders over a white dress shirt and black bowtie, accented by a black waist belt and a gold pocket watch. To keep the color palette cohesive, I specifically chose a blue plaid pleated skirt; once paired with a petticoat, the entire silhouette instantly held its shape. The most challenging piece was definitely the rabbit ears—to maintain a realistic fur texture, I opted for realistic ears with a gradient tint, lightly securing them with hairspray before shooting so they wouldn't tilt. The wig was straight black hair with blunt bangs, but I personally added silver-blue highlights to the under-layers and ends. Paired with blue colored contacts, this brought out the character's signature charm on camera. For the eye makeup, I added a touch of red blending at the outer corners to make the gaze sharper. Considering the detective persona, I avoided overly dramatic eyelashes and aimed for a matte finish, complemented by deep red lipstick to project a calm, alert presence.
The vintage newspaper and black magnifying glass served as my primary interactive props. We started with a few standing poses reading the newspaper, but later realized that sitting on the platform with the paper folded over my lap yielded the best lighting and composition. The background set, built with stained-glass panels and white lattice frames, naturally carried the atmosphere of a vintage church or library. Light filtering through the strips illuminated my hair strands and fabric, delivering gorgeous textures. I experimented with blocking half an eye with the magnifying glass or tapping my temple with the newspaper in thought—gestures that enriched the storytelling within each shot.
Shooting was honestly quite demanding. Beautiful as they are, the bunny ears carry noticeable weight; any slight wobble disrupts the framing, requiring careful head adjustments for every single pose. The large pocket watch hanging from the waist also demanded caution whenever bending or sitting down so it wouldn't awkwardly press against the skirt and ruin the drape. To sharpen the detective feel, I practiced winking subtly while raising the magnifying glass, striving for natural fluidity. Throughout the shoot, the photographer and I continually fine-tuned the lighting: with the stained-glass background being naturally vibrant, excessively bright lights would blow out the blue costume and flatten its texture. Ultimately, we softened the key light and used rim lighting to delineate the silhouette of the hair and rabbit ears. For capturing the leg lines, we tested several seated angles, eventually deciding on a side-profile crossed-leg pose—this created dynamic layers in the skirt pleats while cleanly showcasing the waist details and leg contours. Between takes, I kept a close eye on the wig since studio heat made the bangs cling to my forehead, necessitating frequent touches of powder. Overall, this studio session was wonderful—from prop synergy to light management, everything came together smoothly against the dark backdrop, making the blue tones pop vividly. The detective's mystery has been cracked; time to pack up and head to the next location.