[Gongsun Li Cosplay] Li Hen Yan Skin, the Beauty of Jiangnan Water Town and Chinese Style

This time, I cosplayed the Li Hen Yan skin of Gongsun Li from Honor of Kings. When I first got this outfit, just the number of accessories made me prepare mentally for a whole day of shooting. The location chosen for this shoot was a very quiet Chinese garden, featuring rockeries, flowing water, a simple wooden bridge, and a small boat moored on the water surface, which perfectly matched the unique Jiangnan water town mood of this costume.

For the hair and makeup, the hairstyle was crafted into the classic deep blue double buns, adorned with gold-trimmed hairpieces and red beads. The eye makeup was intentionally kept light to maintain a bit of coolness and agility, because Gongsun Li in the game is inherently a light and agile character, and the color scheme of this skin leans towards a gradient of cyan, blue, and white. Therefore, the focus of the makeup was placed on skin texture and the depiction of the gaze.

The outfit actually has many details worth mentioning. The upper body features a modified stand-up collar and off-the-shoulder design, with very fine golden auspicious cloud patterns on the chest and waist, which require a bit of perspective to reflect the layering. The lower hem is split-piece style with high slits on both sides, paired with matching shorts inside, so that the leg lines can be naturally displayed when walking or sitting down. The sleeves and back are pieced together with cyan-blue and pink light chiffon ribbons; when a gentle breeze blows, the ribbons can float into very beautiful arcs, which is precisely the essence of Chinese-style clothing.

Let's talk about the props. The oiled paper umbrella this time is very heavy-crafted, with a white, blue, and purple gradient smudge on the umbrella surface, and hand-painted blue-green butterflies and golden flower patterns. This umbrella holds a massive weight in the overall look, serving not only for sunshade but also as the soulful element of the frame's composition. The other prop is that emerald-green long-handled magical weapon, with a leaf-shaped top embedded with a bead in the middle, perfectly echoing the cyan tone of the entire costume.

We actually encountered quite a few challenges during the shooting process. Because we had to repeatedly go up and down on the wooden boat and dock, the shoes were a kind of thick-soled wedge style with a golden base, ankle straps, and a red tassel ball hanging from them. Although these shoes look beautiful, standing on the tilted boat planks really tested core strength and balance, and you could easily wobble if not careful. In one photo, I am sitting on the edge of the wooden boat; actually, when my feet were dangling in the air, I was a little nervous, and I had to hold the umbrella and staff to stabilize my center of gravity.

The photographer was very professional, constantly reminding me of my expressions and posture throughout the process. For example, when holding the umbrella handle, don't be too stiff, and the shoulders should drop slightly so that the overall carriage looks relaxed. In addition, because the slits are relatively high, both sitting and standing poses need to pay attention to the direction of the skirt hem, ensuring it reveals the leg lines without looking overly deliberate. During the shoot, I also stepped on the wet wooden boards of the water surface, but fortunately, the fabric of the costume is rather stiff and smooth; it dried quickly after being aired out a bit when catching a bit of water, which didn't affect the subsequent shooting.

There are some rockeries and green leaves in the background, and we also took a few photos in the red maple area later on. The light in the natural environment is a soft diffuse reflection, so we could capture a translucent skin texture even without light-reflecting boards. Especially when the light and shadow hit the white clothes and golden trim decorations, the texture was exceptional. Although the shooting process was tiring, with the shoes chafing my feet and having to wear that heavy hair crown all day, seeing the shots played back in the camera made me feel that all the early preparation was worth it. In terms of post-processing, we just simply adjusted the environmental color difference, restoring the green ripples of the water surface and the texture of the bluestone slabs, without applying too many filters.

This is some of the mental journey and detail sharing of this shoot, hoping to provide some reference for everyone when shooting similar Chinese-style characters.