Adventures of a Mediocre Cosplayer

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE GOOD NEWS OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, CHICAGO SCREWS??

Ya’ll…if you haven’t ever used these, sit down and take a peep. I needed to redo the belt covers for Leliana’s armor due to the fact that it took me, like, 15 minutes to put that stuff on when it should have taken less than 5. Originally, I bucked at making actual functioning buckles because I didn’t have time and I was hella lazy. (OHHOHOHO HOW THINGS CHANGE)

Enter CHICAGO SCREWS.

They’re the magical little bits of hardware often used in making belts and doing other leather work. They come in two parts - a male end and a female end (don’t laugh, it’s the truth).

I found a sizable pack on Amazon for a good price and bought that prompto. The finish isn’t the prettiest, but they were cheap and this is cosplay. ;)

I used my Dremel to drill small holes through the foam of the armor. I made some straps ahead of time with the intention of them becoming new belts and just reused the bridle buckles from the old covers. Added the buckles, stitched as necessary and punched a hole where the screw would go.

The female screw I inserted through the back side of the foam. It takes a little effort and can be tricky to do. Widen your holes if needed. Add the prepared strap over the top, secure with the male end and TA DA functioning belts that look good and will actually stay on your armor.

I used foam for my armor but you could absolutely use chicago screws with Worbla builds and the like. Just check the post length to make sure it’s long or short enough to accommodate your materials.

MY FAVORITE TIP! 

1. Find a pattern at the store that is similar to what you are making. You don’t hvae to buy it! JUST FIND IT 

2. Flip the pattern package over!

3. See under your measurements, what the SUGGESTED AMOUNT OF YARDAGE needed for the pattern! 

4. TA DA! You now know how much to get! 

*protip, they also tell you according to weather the fabric you find is on a 46″ roll, or a 60″ roll!

*protip protip, they also tell you what fabrics are best for that type of pattern! 

This isn’t rude at all!! This is a very intelligent question, actually, and since I sort of taught myself to line, I’m actually excited to share my knowledge on the subject.

I don’t know if you’re aware of the sewing technique known as “facing”, but I also do this a lot, and the idea is roughly the same. Basically you do this:

Lining works very similarly! You essentially sew the real garment out of your chosen fashion fabric, then sew an exactly inside-out version of it out of lining. You attach it everywhere possible “inside out”, leaving one seam open so you can turn the whole thing right-side out.

Your last seam is always going to be either hand-tacked shut, or is going to have a visible seam on the outside of the lining. This isn’t a bad thing! This is how PHYSICS WORK. You can’t possibly keep everything inside itself, unless you use a slipstich/ladderstitch to close the final seam through which you flip everything inside out.

Pick a seam that won’t be visible, ever (usually the seam running down the inside-back, or perhaps around the neckline of something where having external seams can be decorative or even intentional) to be the spot where you flip your garment inside out and sew the final seam shut.

PLEASE NOTE I am entirely self-taught, so any feedback or critique about incorrect techniques from fashion students or better seamstresses is welcome! Thank you <3

Alternatively, “How to Find ‘Where to Start’ on a Cosplay”

After grabbing a new pattern to tear apart for my next cosplay, I got to thinking about how a lot of newer cosplayers could use a little guidance when it comes to planning out how to tackle a fresh sewing project. I had at least a couple twitter friends show interest in something like this, so I decided to take a little time to talk about how I personally go about organizing my plan of attack when I’m ready to sew something new!

This is much less of a strict how-to and more of a general guideline of things to think about/look for when you feel a little lost on how to go about sewing that cosplay you have your eye on.

So, if you’ve ever looked at a character you want to cosplay and thought “Oh boy, where do I even start?” and your first instinct is to ask someone else, then this guide may be beneficial to you! 

ME AND SO MANY PEOPLE TELL ME IF ITS YOU SO I CAN TAG YOU IN THE PICTURES

The Dummies’ Guide To Cosplay Photography

The majority of the cosplayer photos I take are posed. If you’ve never taken cosplay photos at a con before, it’s easy-peasy. Here’s the procedure I follow:

Make sure your camera or phone is turned on, set the way you want it, and ready to shoot before you approach the cosplayer. Fiddle with settings during your time, not theirs.

Approach the cosplayer if he or she doesn’t seem otherwise busy.

Make eye contact and ask “May I take your picture?” in a friendly way. Bonus points for addressing them by their character name (signifying that you recognize the costume) and for offering a sincere compliment on something you particularly like about the costume.

Allow the cosplayer to take a moment to make any adjustments he or she deems necessary. They’ll probably want to put down the Diet Coke, move their con badge out of sight, and pick up the prop they worked so hard on. More importantly, they’ll probably want to make sure that parts of their costume haven’t come apart, or shifted in a way that will cause embarrassment. And they’ll want to settle into a pose that they like.

When the cosplayer is ready, give them a 3-2-1 countdown, so that they know exactly how long they’re going to need to hold that pose or expression. Click.

Say “Got it,” so that they know the shooting is over and that they can now relax. Or just, you know, blink.

Resume eye contact, smile, and thank the cosplayer for their time.

Supplemental notes:

It’s perfectly fine to ask the cosplayer to move to another location (close by), if it won’t cause an inconvenience. A bare, light-colored wall nearby served as a much better background for Joker and Harley than the dark crowd-filled distracting mess of the convention aisle where I first spotted them. But: consider the possible inconvenience to the cosplayer.

In fact, asking a cosplayer to move a nearby spot away from the main flow of con traffic is often just good courtesy. It avoids creating a bottleneck in the aisle. Your photo only took five seconds, but then a crowd gathered and the resulting traffic jam caused Gil Gerard to be late for his Buck Rogers spotlight panel.

It’s also usually fine to ask (nicely) for a specific pose, so long as you’ve already visualized it and you can give them clear and quick direction. Try to make your intentions crystal-clear (“There’s this big overhead light behind you…I’d like to line it up behind your left hand so that it looks like you’re projecting energy”) so that they can make an informed decision about whether or not they’d like to pose that way. Plus, if they know what you have in mind, they can actively help you get the shot you want.

It’s also OK to take more than one shot. If I’m unsure about the lighting, I’ll try to get one with fill-flash and one without. But I put up a mental five-second shot clock: that’s the maximum amount of the cosplayer’s time I’d like to consume. This underscores the need to have my camera and my creative eye set before I approach. If I screw something up and I don’t get the shot, hey, too bad for me.

As always, consider the convenience and patience of the cosplayer. They like to show off their costume and they’re generally happy to pose. To make a costume and then keep it in a closet is like writing a play and never allowing it to be staged. But never forget that they’re posing for you as an act of kindness. Don’t take up too much of their time, or otherwise treat them like they’re working for you. That’s flat-out terrible. They shouldn’t even have to stand and wait for you to unlock your phone and launch the Camera app and wait for it to boot up and then for you to turn off the Panorama settings and then…etc. Even if I know I’ve blown the shot and I need ten more seconds to fix my camera, I’ll usually just thank the cosplayer and send him or her on their way to enjoy the rest of the con. Again: the cosplayer is being kind. They don’t work for me.

This is a short version of the procedures and guidelines I’ve developed over several years of shooting comic-cons.

But none of these items are nearly as important as the one simple rule that I never, ever knowingly break:

In the article Andy explores the evolution of how conventions are handling cosplayer and photographer relationships and safety guidelines. He makes some incredibly valid points, all well-worded, and raises some interesting questions.

Boston Comic Con had an anti-harassment policy in place that I’m sure played a part in my having a harassment-free weekend. For that, I am grateful. Does their policy hinder photographers like Andy from moment-capturing, paparazzi-like photo-journalism? It does. Part of me believes that to be a shame. However, part of me is glad for it, because I think all cosplayers can agree that very, very few un-posed photos are flattering (especially when we’re eating/drinking!), and no one really appreciates unflattering photos being posted online.