[Okikumushi cosplay] Wonderful Encounter in Onmyoji's Forest Illusion

This set of Okikumushi cosplay official photos can finally be published, just in time for Teachers' Day today, so I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Teachers' Day here. Speaking of this character, the requirements for props and makeup are actually very high. This customized set of clothing chose Japanese-style attire with three color schemes of white, purple, and green. The tassels at the waist and the golden patterns at the cuffs were all hand-sewn bit by bit. To restore that non-human alienated feel of the character, the makeup artist Zuilan drew special makeup on my forehead, paired with yellow contact lenses, and my whole aura instantly became different. As for that golden fan-shaped tiara on the head, the triangular and circular patterns on it were painted several times before achieving a satisfactory effect.

On the shooting day, I'm really grateful to photographer Luoluo and the studio Luoying. We presented it using two kinds of light and shadow: day and night. The Tyndall effect of sunlight filtering through the leaves during the day was exceptionally beautiful. I was holding a large butterfly in my hand, with that huge yellow spherical plant prop placed next to me, and the overall atmosphere was as dreamy as a picnic in the forest. But at night, switching to the blue-purple cold light, coupled with those purple-blue lightning special effects added to the frame by post-production editor Zhizhi, the whole scene instantly became dark and profound. This transformation from fairy tale to ghost story is my favorite part of this set of photos.

I must give great praise to the long limb props made by the prop team here; they are actually particularly heavy. It looks like casually resting my hand on those curved arthropods, but actually my core strength was tightly tensed, just to make these long limbs produce a natural curved arc, creating a visual tension like spreading a spider web or tentacles. On that day of shooting, just adjusting the positions of these long limbs took a lot of time, because a slight deviation would make the composition look very messy. And those big butterfly props—to make them look like they were resting on the limbs, they had to be cleverly fixed with fine iron wires, and the traces of breaking character had to be erased in post-production.

To match that gloomy and slightly enchanting texture of the frame, I put a lot of effort into expression control. I couldn't smile too openly, nor could I be completely expressionless; the gaze needed to carry a slight sense of danger, but in the daytime group, it had to carry a bit of innocence. It can be said that it emptied my expression management repository. Throughout the entire shooting process, although it was extremely tiring, seeing the final photos made me feel that all the hard work was worth it.

By the way, since today is Teachers' Day, let me take advantage of this atmosphere to ask for some good luck for myself. Although this character may not have a direct connection with Teachers' Day, the festive and happy atmosphere still needs to be there. By the way, let me tell everyone: starting today, no one is allowed to spread those dinosaur photos of mine anymore! Obviously I was playing such a mysterious insect-like character so seriously in the official photos, but if the past dark history is dug up, this contrast is just too embarrassing. Spare me some face and look more at this set of Exquisite Makeup & Glamorous Costumes official photos; every single one is the painstaking effort of the team.

Doing cosplay over these past few years, I increasingly feel that good works cannot be separated from the tacit cooperation of the entire team. From costume customization and prop prototyping to preliminary makeup trials, lighting and composition during shooting, and post-production special effects rendering, every single link is injecting a soul into this character. This shoot is not only a visual presentation of the image of Okikumushi, but also an immersive experience in a fantasy forest. I hope everyone will like this work combining natural and eerie aesthetics, and I will continue to work hard in the future to bring more characters with details and texture to everyone.