Group cosplays can be a lot of fun! As a group you decide on what fandom you want to dress up from and each member dresses as a character.
This gives great opportunities for photo shoots and meet and greets. I have never gotten to do a group cosplay before but always wanted to. I had planned once with friends to go as Princess Zelda and Link, but the convention we wanted to attend was happening during school exams, and the next time my friend asked me to go as a group, they didn't tell me when the convention was until the DAY OF. So needless to say it never happened. I am pleased to say that I am currently working on a group cosplay right now! But details for that will come much, much later ;)
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The thing I love most about Cosplay is the learning experience! With each costume comes a new puzzle to solve and new skills to learn.
The most common skills that you'll find cosplayer's working on are sewing and working with EVA foam or Worbla. Most people will start here and then branch off into something more complex such as casting, making custom molds, metal work, etc. Of course some of the more complex skills also require the work space and certain machines and tools to do them. Personally, I am always trying to expand my sewing knowledge. Since sewing is the area I am most comfortable with, I like to start here, and push myself with each costume to try something new. Whether that is using a new material that I've never used before, trying new stitches, or lately it's been altering existing sewing patterns to better suit what I need. Eventually I want to be able to make sewing patterns from scratch! The skills I really want to learn are working with EVA foam and Worbla. To be able to make armour suits and props. I want to learn how to embroider clothing, both by hand and by machine. I would love to have an embroidery machine that will make all the designs and patches that I need for costumes, but since they are so expensive, that will be farther down the road. Starting with hand embroidery is a good way to get familiar with the craft. I would also like to try my hand at making silicone molds and casting resin for details on my costumes. If you could do anything with your costumes, what kind of skills would you like to have While this is a short list, there were just too many cosplayer's to list. So I wanted to share with you the 6 cosplayer's who started me on this journey and inspire me every day to keep going!
1. Behind Infinity I started following Jin when Deviantart was the platform you had to be on, before I even knew what cosplay was. I fell in love with the Death Note photo shoot they did as a group and thought how cool it would be to be able to do something like that. Today I'm inspired every time I see new progress shots of their costumes and props. 2. Yaya Han I discovered Yaya while watching the series Heroes of Cosplay on space channel. I was mesmerized by the detail and care she put into each of her costumes. At this point in time, I was getting into cosplay myself, and I knew that if Yaya was able to make these incredible costumes and she was self taught, that I could do it too. She was my main inspiration for pushing myself and making each and every cosplay better and better. I've also had the honour of meeting her twice, and just talking to her boosted that inspiration even more. 3. Maul Cosplay Best Geralt EVER, 'Nuff said. Ok seriously, I love how genuine Maul Cosplay is in all of his posts and stories, and how he shows you that making a cosplay is a passion project and you have to put real time and dedication into things, but you can still have loads of fun doing it! My cosplay mantra is the cosplay song he posted on social media. 4. Kamui Cosplay I own almost every single one of her books, and patterns as well as watch all her tutorials. Svetlana and Benny are such amazingly talented people and great teachers! I love their positivity, creativity and dedication to their craft and their fans. Plus, Midna and Zelda (their corgis') are adorable. 5. Leon Chiro Leon Chiro, is the best Sephiroth I have ever seen, and that stands true to this day! I followed him on Deviant Art back in the day, and just realized recently as I'm looking through his instagram posts that yes, I've been a fan since I was fresh out of highschool! I love how upbeat and positive he is even during tough times. 6. Alyson Tabbitha I have never seen a cosplayer who is literally a chameleon. She doesn't just put on a costume, she becomes the character. Every time I see Allison's work I am just blown away. My all time favourite costume I saw her make was Edward Scissor Hands, I actually thought it was Photoshop'd. This girl is insanely talented! Disclaimer: I'm sure this is opening a big can of worms, but please note that anything written here is my opinion and is not meant to be offensive.
Over the years I have met many a cosplayer who claims to be a costume designer, and as someone who works in the film industry, I've met many a costume designer who gets super peeved when they hear about cosplayers claiming they are costume designers. Now I've also met costume designers who don't really understand cosplay and use the term interchangeably with "costume" like for a halloween or costume party...but that's another story. There is a HUGE difference between being a cosplayer who designs their own costumes of their favourite characters, to actually being a costume designer. Costume designers go to school for years learning to create patterns from scratch, learn how to tailor clothing to different people's bodies, learn sewing and draping techniques for all different styles and eras. They create costumes that are historically accurate, they create costumes from their own imaginations. While some cosplayers, also have these skills or have gone to school for costume design, many cosplayers have not, and those are the ones I'm talking about. When I started out on my cosplay journey, I learned sewing techniques and how to read a pattern from a very talented costume designer. She used to make cosplays for herself as well, but seeing as the film industry has extremely tight turn around time and long hours, she didn't have the chance to make a lot of costumes for herself any more. She explained to me how designers like herself were rubbed the wrong way by a lot of cosplayers, as they claim that they designed their costumes when they didn't. Most cosplayers take concept art from video games, anime and comic books and "design" their costume by using existing sewing patterns, tutorials, duct tape patterns, or salvaging clothing to transform from thrift stores. THIS IS NOT COSTUME DESIGN. This is turning someone else's design into a costume for yourself. If you were to create an original character, design all the sewing and armor patterns yourself (not based on existing patterns) and then create from scratch, THAT is costume design. One year at a convention, I had a cosplayer hand me her business card and tell me she was a professional cosplayer/costume designer. I looked at her costume and went...um NO. That costume you are wearing is something that someone else designed, for someone else, on a well known TV show and all you did was replicate it. You're not a costume designer. Be very careful when you are walking around a convention in costume and telling people you are a costume designer, it may be taken the completely wrong way, and especially if you are in a town known for its film industry. Please just be aware that while you may be super talented at sewing, or making armour suits, props and the like, unless it is an original character, you didn't design it. You are replicating someone else's design to show your love for that fandom. Be proud that you are a cosplayer, but don't claim you are a costume designer unless you actually are and it is your living. |
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