Hello everyone, Cat here. Many of you may know, that last Friday, 15th of May thousands of students went to the streets to protest. And I was one of them. And it really inspired me and encouraged me to do more. But this article is not about that.
Cat protesting at #FridaysForFuture
I decided to try to make eco-friendly/zero waste costume. And what could be better than my own design of Mother Nature herself? I realized that not to buying any new fabrics and accessories, only recycling the old stuff I already have and use everything our nature can offer.
I started with an old white sheet with a hole my mom wanted to throw away. But no worry little guy! Cat decided to save you from the trash can! (Irony is that Trash queen herself will be wearing it).
Sweet baby sheet before dyeing
I put the hole for my head and sewed the edges to make something sleeve likey. I will also be using some old fabric as belts later. Then I decided to give the sheet a better natural looking face so I was thinking about the best natural way to dye it. And I realized that black tea and coffee can be pretty much assholes when it comes to light fabric! So I put the biggest pot we had on the stove and let the water slightly boil. Added about six packs of different teas – black, herbal, fruit and about 2 spoons of coffee and voilá – my fabric has a nice, natural looking face!
Then I put it on room temperature water in a bucket and let it sit for about an hour or so. Then I let it dry and it keeps drying as I am writing this. So let’s see how this will end up I guess.
I present you….the cosplay soup! 😀
I am going to add some stripes from old white sheets I am getting from a friend and try to dye it with an old method used to paint Easter eggs – using onions, beets and turmeric. For jewellery and accessories, I will use cute flowers I will find and some dried berries, I am sure it will look nice. I will post the results afterwards.
Caaaaat! Don’t leave me hanging!
I have added a few spices for better smell
If you are interested in my Earth-friendly stuff, you can consider following my Instagram – @glitter_cat_cosplay and maybe let me know in the private message (glitter.cat.cos@gmail.com) or in here if you would be interested in joining the facebook group for eco-friendly cosplay methods where we could share our tips and tricks. This would be all, have a nice day, recycle properly! Love Cat
Just started cosplaying and not sure how to take your work on the next level? Worry not! I have the same problem, haha. So let’s gather our wisdom and learn something new!
Instagram The holy grail of cosplayers and influencers. It’s pretty useful to learn a little bit about its algorithm (even it’s still a little bit of a mystery for me) and it’s also useful to switch to the business profile. It will let you see for example if the majority of your followers are male or female, where are they from, when do your posts get the most likes, yeh neat stuff right? Sometimes, being shared od cosplay support pages is also a good thing and it helps you to grow your audience. Search profiles like @starsofcosplay @curvycurvycosplayers @cosplayczsk and just stuff like these. I also advise you to join some cosplay facebook groups like Cosplay marketing, run by Ginny Di, where you can find all kinds of tips to improve your game!
Facebook Yeh, I am a little bit of old school, but having a Facebook page is always a plus, because people still use Facebook as a platform, not gonna lie to you, the reach is terrible but it is something. You can also join groups like Cosplay Europe and similar, where you can share your work and get some help if needed.
Twitter The word count is limited, but it’s the best way to get noticed by brands, our to get retweeted by the studio you are cosplaying from.
Tumblr Pretty neat site to communicate with your fans (if you have some, or don’t like me lol). You could gain a lot of followers there by doing some stuff for fandoms. I am talking fanarts, memes, jokes and simply just stuff like that.
Create a blog I can’t really recommend you the best page there is, but I am using WordPress. This is really good for longer articles, reports, tutorials (that is good for youtube as well) or even movie reviews.
Cosplanner A neat app that helps you get organised with your cosplay stuff. What to buy/make, your budget….
Pixlr Or any photo editor you can find, but this one is my personal favourite. Simply for making collages, editing those red spots you can have on your face or adding cute little hearts to your ship pictures.
Cosplay amino Last but not least….cosplay amino! NEat app, especially for cosplay beginners. But the problém I have is, that I have big follower count on cosplay amino, but a really small one on my other social media. Why? I have no idea. But it is a really good app to talk and socialize!
In this month’s round, I am going to talk with another interesting people from cosplay communities all around the world! I have two amazing cosplayers and one cosplay photographer.
I have decided to add music I like to my articles, let me know what you think in the comments 🙂
A brand new year has come, which means…..CONVENTIONS!!! I have seen a lot of new, small confused cosplayers with questions about their first conventions, asking what to expect? How to prepare? Don’t worry about anything because I am here to share with you some of my survival tips I have caught during my cosplay years. Let’s get started
I am probably like 10 years late to the party, but I finished playing Doki Doki Literature Club today and yeh…..I have to share my thoughts. I tried to make this review spoiler free.
You start your game as basic high school student joining a Literature Club with only four other members. But wait! All of them are cute girls who seems being totally in love with you! BUT! Another BUT! What seems like cute basic dating simulator is in fact pretty scary horror game that involves breaking a fourth wall on whole new level.
You have 4 main characters
The leader of the literature club Monika
Sassy baker Natsuki
Shy booklover Yuri
Cute, friendly, but depressed Sayori
I have to admit, that I was really bored at the beginning,
note that I didn’t know much about this game so I didn’t really pay attention
to details. I got bored really quickly. The first part when the protagonist was
just getting to know all of the girls was the most boring part in the game I
have ever played. Parts with reading poems almost killed me. But not in the
good way.
So I was skipping the dialogues for some time now and then finally something different! That part before THAT part with Sayori. You know which one I mean. But after all of the monotonous dialogues and situation it was finally something different!
I chose to help Natsuki with her baking, because I strongly dislike Yuri. The amount of cuteness (okay not cute okay, sorry…) made me believe that this game can’t be that bad….right? r..IGh..t?!?!
Spoiler Alert
I was wrong. Terribly. Terribly wrong.
Also…did they seriosly name her Sayori just to make that Sayonara pun?
Anyways, after this I was hooked! The story got really
disturbing really fast. The only thing I didn’t like was repeating old
dialogues all over again but without Sayori, that was tiring.
BUT then, the story went to: „What the hell is happening. Wtf is this game even.“ ,really, really fast.
The last part with Monika…..my stupid ass just keep trying
to skip the dialogues for good 40 minutes until I figured it out. I almost felt
sorry for her.
Then the story starts again and my stupid sel fis thinking: „Ooo, finally a happy ending!“
WRONG. AGAIN.
Sayori k n o w s.
In the end, I didn’t know who or what to trust, was confused
as hell and uninstalled all of my The Sims games for good.+
Pros
Great artstyle
Music
Breaking the 4th wall
Believable characters
It’s free
Cons
The beginning was so slow I almost fell asleep
Overall I really like the game, I enjoyed the characters, I cried, I was staring to my ceiling at 2AM with complete disbelief…. you know, the usual.
Credits
My beta readers: Cassidy Charlie and Chika
Pictures are from official steam site, some Pinterest albums and Let’s play archive
I am here to present you my brand new project called „Under
the wigs“ which I am pretty much excited about. I will show you 3 amazing,
ambitious and of course very talented cosplayers from all around the world and
ask them few questions about their work and cosplay life. Hope you will enjoy
this as much as I do.
So let’s get started!
First very talented cosplayer I had the honor to do interview with is Anso Cosplay.
Photo: LarsWS
Let’s see what she can say about herself
My name is
Ansocosplay (or just Anso), and I’m from Denmark. I’ve been doing cosplay for
around 2½ years now, and absolutely love it! When I’m not in cosplay, I’m a
student with some other interests like singing and scouting. My favorite
cosplays I’ve made are David from Camp Camp, a human version of Baymax from Big
Hero 6, and Max Caufield from Life is Strange. I’m on insta as @ansocosplay.
Let’s start with the classic one, what got you into cosplay? Tell us more about the moment you realized „Hey, this is cool, I want to try it!
It was one of my great friends who first introduced me to cosplay. Back then I only really did it because a lot of my friends where doing it, and I didn’t want to be left out. It was not until I saw the biggest cosplay show in Denmark, where I met someone who told me about the amazing cosplay community, cosplay competitions, famous cosplayers etc. that I wanted to take cosplay to the next level. I was so fascinated by the amazing costumes, scenography and performances, and I really wanted to do something like that myself.
Is cosplay a hobby you see yourself doing in, let‘s say, 10 years?
I hope so! I have no clue about what I’m doing in 10 years, but of course I hope I’m still doing something related to cosplay. I’m still very new to cosplay, and I hope I get to develop my craftmanship, so maybe one day I can help others with crafting.
Photo: Joris Hougaard
How are you dealing with cosplay hate? What do you do when someone tells you that they hate your work?
I haven’t experienced cosplay hate from anyone in the cosplay community. Outside of the cosplay community, the only thing that I’ve experienced is people taking photos of me without permission, which is never fun. Personally, I deal with it by either ignoring it, if it isn’t serious, or confrontation, if I found it harassing. Other than that, I just never travel alone in cosplay if it’s night or I’m in an area I don’t feel safe in.
Do you prefer working alone or in a group?
I think a
combination of the two is perfect. I love when you get to walk around at cons
or attend photoshoots with a group, but when it comes to crafting and creating,
I prefer to work alone because I tend to work in the middle of the night.
What is your favorite part of cosplay and your least favorite? What are your strengths?
I love when
you get to show the cosplay at cons and photoshoots, especially when your
cosplaying someone’s favorite character and they freak out (it’s just so
cute!). I also love when you’re making the cosplay, and a part of it just turns
out perfect! And of course, I love the entire community!
My least
favorite part is when the thing I’m crafting doesn’t turn out right. Oh, and everything
about wig-styling (it’s so freaking nerve wrecking).
I think my
strengths are my positive attitude and my love for performing, which have
proved themselves useful in a lot of situations!
What are your next 3 cosplans? Have you ever been in cosplay contest?
Photo: Bang photography
My three
next cosplans is Candace Flynn from Phineas and Ferb (For a cosplay contest),
Elsa from Frozen, and Chloe Price from Life is Strange.
I’ve never been in a real-life cosplay contest before, but I’m planning on participating in one at the next con I’m attending. I’ve been in some other weird competitions at cons, like a Lip-sync battle, and the Karaoke contest at J-popcon, which I managed to win! (Yay).
Is there a type of character you cosplay frequently?
I tend to cosplay the good characters, who are very kind towards others, because then I can go around at cons and compliment people and still be in character. I do however want to cosplay a villain at some point just to change things up a bit!
What are you currently working on? How is it going?
I’m currently working on my Edward Elric cosplay, which is one of the biggest projects I’ve done. I’m currently working on the automail, and just need to make the upper arm and shoulder part, and then it’s done! Then it’s onto the wig, which I’m quite terrified about.
Thank you for your time and good luck with your work!
Slightly Bitter
Next cosplayer is Hannah aka Slightly Bitter
Hannah aka Slightly Bitter, is a 20 year old Australian cosplayer who got into cosplay in 2016. Since then she has made all different kinds of cosplays from superhero mutants to ghost princess pirates. Her proudest cosplay moment was getting on stage for a Cosplay Showcase and getting up the stairs in giant foam arms and a tail. When she isn’t hunched over her sewing, not realising her bobbin ran out 2 minutes ago, she’s at uni studying business and events or volunteering at music festivals.
Instagram: @slightly_bitter_
Let’s start with the classic one, what got you into cosplay? Tell us more about the moment you realized „Hey, this is cool, I want to try it!“
I learnt about cosplay when I was 15 and
attended my first con with friends, I went with the intention of just buying
nerdy merch and having fun socialising but left in awe of some of the costumes
I saw there.
I loved looking at other peoples creations and
seeing how it all came together for a few years but it wasnt until I started
learning how to sew that I thought I would give it a go. I did so much research
for my first costume and ended up making two at once! One for myself and one
for a friend. Thats when I knew I was hooked, I loved every second of it from
planning and researching all the way to wearing it, even when things weren’t
going right and I was sewing sleeves on upside down!
Her 1st self-made costume
Is cosplay a hobby you see yourself doing in, let‘s say, 10 years?
Initially cosplay was a creative outlet I had to just create what I wanted and learn new techniques, I never thought about long term goals for it. However, now I have met so many amazing people through it, I can’t see myself stopping any time soon. I may not be doing huge builds or complicated costumes but in 10 years I can still see myself attending cons and crafting costumes.
How are you dealing with cosplay hate? What do you do when someone tells you that they hate your work?
Cosplay hate and negative people are everywhere and unavoidable when you put yourself out there, especially online. Although I haven’t had any major experiences with it I still get the comments here and there. My way to deal with it is to block and move on or simply just ignore it. Obviously there’s a difference between hate and constructive critcism but it’s easy to tell them apart and if someones intentions with their words and actions is to bring you down and make you feel bad then its just not worth spending any time or head space on them. It’s easier said than done I know, but at those times it’s great to go to friends or family or anyone who supports you to just take your mind off things. It’s good to be proud of your work because then it doesn’t matter what other people say, they aren’t the ones who control how you feel about your work.
Do you prefer working alone or in a group?
Personally I prefer working alone. I have been in groups before and loved the experience but I take so long to complete projects and I am too much of a perfectionist! I hope in the future I will have the chance to be in more casual cosplay groups but for now its just me. My dream cosplay group would be a full straw hat pirates group (One Piece) and I would be Brooke!
What is your favourite part of cosplay and your least favourite? What are your strenghts?
One of my favourite things about cosplay is standing back and looking at something I have created and seeing my vision in front of me. I am proud of all my cosplays even if they didn’t come out perfect or something didn’t work out. Another thing is the community, no matter where you go the cosplay community is so wonderful and full of talented creative people. Of course I love my local community, shoutout Brisbane Cosplayers!
My least favourite is the same as many, the unwanted competition and elitism. Whether it’s worded as an insult or compliment comparing people who didn’t ask for it is endlessly frustrating. I know hoping for a day where these things don’t happen is overly optimistic as there will always be those people in any community but I do feel things are becoming more supportive and positive which is always a step in the right direction.
My strengths are my planning skills and ability to know when to quit. Most of my time making a cosplay goes into research and testing techniques, this is also why I probably take so long too, but I find having everything laid out in a plan its much east to not stress or find yourself in the dreaded con cruch. Con crunch ties into the ability of knowing when to stop or quit too. I have only found myself concrunching once and it was awful, up at 3AM spray painting and glueing only to be exhausted the next day! Never again! It only took that one time to realize that it isn’t worth it, that costume will be there when you come back and there’s always another con. If my cosplays aren’t ready or if i need to take a break I’m not going to push myself. At the end of the day this hobby is about having fun and being creative not being tired and stressed.
What are your next 3 cosplans? Have you ever been in cosplay contest?
My cosplans have been up in the air for awhile but I finally settled on one solid plan. I am planning to make Boa Hancock from One Piece in her original outfit. This will be for a competition in April, it will be my first real cosplay competiton and I am so nervous and excited.
My other plans I think will Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail in her Flame Empress Armour. This was a project I stopped working on, I needed some time to work on other things and I think I’m ready to come back to it.
And finally, with those two builds in the works
I will be doing something simple and fun. Marceline from Adventure Time has
always been a favourite character of mine and with so many outfits to choose
from it will be fun putting her together.
Is there a type of character you cosplay frequently?
I don’t have any criteria for characters I choose to cosplay it mainly comes down to my favourite characters or designs I really like. Although at this point I have only cosplayed female characters they have all been very different ranging from superhero suits to big poofy dress to giant mech arms. In the future I would love to try cosplaying a male character, I’m thinking Ban from The Seven Deadly Sins because that cherry red two piece is amazing!
What are you currently working on? How is it going?
Currently I am in the planning stages for Boa
Hancock, this means researching the techniques I want to learn and use and
collecting fabric samples. I hope to start on her in January giving me plenty
of time before the competition. I can already see some challenges ahead such as
making my own shoes but I am ready to get stuck into it.
I also have some plans to have photoshoots for
some of my finished cosplays as I usually forget to take photos at conventions!
Good luck with your future projects!
Rebel Against Reader
My last but not least is wonderful Rebel Against Reader
How did you get into cosplay?
Instagram: @rebelagainstreader
Homestuck introduced me to cosplay around 2016 when I was looking at photos
of John and saw someone dressed up as him. Seeing that really confused me
because I never knew you could dress up anytime besides Halloween. Know that
excited me and I told my dad what I found and we went to Party City ( Don’t
ask) and got the things we needs for a con that was going on in two days.
Is cosplay a hobby you see yourself doing in 10 years?
Yes, cosplay has become a huge part of my life and I don’t know what I’d do without it. When I am no longer able to cosplay because of age I hope that I’d be able to make and sell cosplays for those who don’t have a lot of money. Once my brother is older, I will definetly try to get him into cosplay as well.
How are you dealing with cosplay hate? What do you do when someone tells you that they hate your work?
Though, it may be crushing to hear that to someone you look bad, it’s a
pretty common thing in the community and you’ll learn to get used to it.
Whenever I receive hate I usually delete the comment and go on with my day. If
the hate is a death threat, the comment is reported and that person is blocked.
It does hurt a lot to get these comments but I’m learning to just forget about
them and love how I look.
Do you prefer working alone or in a group?
I prefer working in a group whenever I go to cons because I’m still fairly
new at them and don’t like walking around alone. If I’m just staying at home
and cosplaying then i prefer to be alone because I won’t be too worried about
how i look.
What is your favorite part of cosplay and your least favorite? What are your strengths?
My favorite part of cosplay is seeing everyone’s face light up when they’re
favorite character. I also enjoy cosplaying princesses and seeing little kids
pull their parents sleeves trying to come meet a princess.
My least favorite thing about cosplaying is the weird looks you get in
public or the guys and girls catcalling you because your costume is a little
revealing.
What are your next 3 cosplans? Have you ever been in cosplay contest?
My next three cosplans are…
•Ayato Kirishima from Tokyo Ghoul
•Jack Kline from Supernatural
•Samandriel from Supernatural
I’ve never entered a cosplay contest but last year, I was planning on entering a one but I got there too late and wasn’t able to join it. Since I don’t make my cosplays, I can’t really join most of them but sometime in the future I hope that I’ll be able to learn and start making my own.
Is there a type of character you cosplay frequently?
I tend to cosplay characters how are shorter and around my height,I’m 4’11,
because I feel like I’d suit those characters more than the characters I really
like who are 6’0. Sometimes I will end up cosplaying doings taller characters
but I won’t take them to a convention.
Cosplaying someone my height makes me feel better because I don’t have to
worry about ruining a character for someone because a lot of people on the
internet can be rude.
What are you currently working on? How is it going?
I am currently working on Auction Arc Juuzou Suzuya. Since I haven’t learned how to sew yet,I ordered the dress from Aliexpress and will be making small adjustments to it. Currently it going just fine but I need to find a petticoat to make the waist fit me and the skirt fuller. I also need to make the scythe for next years Ohayocon but I’m not sure I’ll be able to finish it in time.
I am sure, that you will be just fine. Thank you for your time.
And that was it, hope you liked those amazing cosplayers! Check out their pages, because they are all pretty awesome!
I am going to make slight changes in next months article, so, stay tuned.
“All I ever wanted was to watch out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart”
I immediately fell in love with this anime the first time I watched it….okay maybe a little bit later after few crying sessions. That’s when I jokingly suggested to cosplay two main protagonists to my friend (@cassidy_charlie) and break hearts to some strangers online.
I am not that good at sewing at this time, and neither is Cassidy, so we both purchased our cosplays online. This part was a little bit of problem for me. You see, they tell you “custom sizing” but in reality? They are not able to do it. Or at least not for me. But in the end, I somehow found a seller who was willing to make this marshmallow thingy for me.
But we made it to the convention, shoot it and overall had a great fun! I am definetly going to reshoot this pinky girl again.
All of the pictures were taken by incredibly talented Mashiiro Photography
Research! Research! And Research! Your poses! Facial expressions! Just really look up your character. Download pictures, gifs, videos, everything useful. Make a folder online or print them and do not forget to bring them with you. Sometimes, the photographers would like to see it as well and in advance, so they can prepare properly. I highly advise you to bring them with you for reference.
Choosing your photographer
Easy, photographers usually post on their social media, when they’re attending certain conventions. They usually post time slots and prices as well. Contact them! You can try commenting, but I advise you to rather send them a private message on their page or an e-mail. They usually prefer it.
ALWAYS research reviews. Is this photographer well known for submitting their work late? Do they have a bad reputation in a community? Well, I would not choose them. You should also look through their portfolio.Maybe they photoshop too much, or maybe their picture’s atmosphere is too dark for your kawaii anime girl? That’s okay, but maybe it’s not the best fit for you.
You have to know, what you want
As I told you before, PREPARE YOUR POSES. Practice your facial expressions and poses in front of the mirror, take a shitton of selfies, anything.
Yeah, the photographer will usually help
you with the basics, but you have to do most of the work, otherwise, it will
get very awkward very soon.
If you want some special edit, don’t
forget to tell them! They don’t bite (usually). Don’t forget to describe it as
much as you can, add pictures. It’s usually no problém, so you don’t have to be
afraid.
Don’t be a d_ck
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS credit the
photographer! The picture doesn’t legally belong to you, it belongs to the one
who took it. They usually spend hours editing your pics and I am not even
talking about their equipment!
Just be nice to them so you both enjoy
this as much as you can!
This project was one of the easy ones, but I will love it until my dying days. Tonks has a special place in my heart, she always had. She is kind of bonkers and clumsy, but everyone loves her anyway.
“Don’t call me Nymphadora, Remus,” said the young witch with a shudder. “It’s Tonks.”
You know that she could choose her looks literally any way she likes. BUT GUESS WHAT?! She stayed in the body she was born with!
The whole Penny cosplay was really challenging for me. I really love Penny as a character, but I am not planning to wear this costume again. Why? Because it does not fit me well. I don’t feel comfortable wearing it. And it would need A LOT OF REPAIRS.
Glitter Cat 