Expand your costume-making skills and go from beginner to confident maker! Picking up where Creative Cosplay left off, this new volume prepares costume enthusiasts to create out-of-this-world effects from head to toe! Cosplayers of all experience levels have much to gain from Amanda’s expertise as a national cosplay competition winner and judge. Learn the basics of making an original costume pattern, using prosthetics and latex, and customizing fabric through dyeing and painting. Transform yourself into the character of your choice with Special Effects (SFX) makeup. SFX makeup uses prosthetics and smaller on-skin materials to create illusions — such as wounds, scars, deformities, or supernatural features — directly on the skin. Get the scoop on sergers, embroidery machines, and using a digital cutter Pick up industry secrets on the basics of LED work, body painting, and SFX makeup Create a DIY costume repair kit for conventions, and market yourself in the cosplay world

An inspirational guide to sewing cosplay Boldly enter the world of cosplay and gain the confidence to design the costume of your dreams! Award-winning cosplayer Amanda Haas helps you translate your ideas from fiction to reality as you research costumes, shop for fabrics, mash-up patterns, and present your cosplay at a competition. A gorgeous photo gallery will have you frantic to join the cosplay community, while the author’s seasoned advice will give you the courage to take the first step. Bonus project: Sew a bum bag to carry your keys and other essentials to a con. Learn the art of making and wearing designer-quality costumes that will transform your persona. Turn fiction into fashion! A step-by-step guide to designing your own cosplay Dive into the fun world of cosplay with the author’s trusted advice Step up your cosplay costumes with inspirational photos, techniques, and more

Bring your cosplay dreams to life with your own two hands! The Best Cosplay Tutorial Guide Ever! Get ready to impress ordinary mortals with your superhuman costume-making skills. You can do it no matter what your experience level with this, the first full step-by-step technique book on cosplay--with no sewing! Internationally known cosplayer Kamui Cosplay (a.k.a. Svetlana Quindt) shows you how to easily create elaborate costumes and successful props out of items available at your local arts and craft or hardware stores: turn foam into a realistic axe, create a breastplate from scratch and use a glue gun to modify just about anything. You will even learn the best and most accessible techniques for working with specialty cosplay materials such as Worbla! Packed with more than 30 step-by-step demonstrations that teach the skills you need to bring all your favorite characters to life no matter the genre, Kamui Cosplay deconstructs the work that goes into making a complete costume, from the first thought to the final photo. Tutorials cover design planning, fabricating body armor, 3D painting techniques and more. Best of all, you can adapt every lesson to use in all future fandom projects spanning video games, books, anime, movies and even your own original characters! Includes: • How to choose a costume and find good reference art • A short shopping list of necessary materials and tools for beginning cosplayers • Basic safety tips • A beautiful photo gallery featuring inspiring images from other cosplayers • Next steps--how to grow your workshop, take professional photos, participate in contests and join the cosplay community

The Cosplay Handbook is full of techniques, and tips for everyone interested in cosplay! Learn how to create your own patterns, costumes, props, photoshoots, and more.

Cosplay lets you step out of your own skin and into someone else's shoes (or boots, or paws...). This beginner's guide helps you walk that walk with confidence in an awesome costume of your own creation. True to the cosplay spirit of collaboration, Cosplay Crash Course shares favorite tricks and techniques from some of the community's most imaginative artists. Step by step, you'll learn how to turn ordinary fabrics, inexpensive toys, easy-to-manipulate thermoplastics, wigs and other humble materials into original costumes you'll wear with pride. Whether you're making fabulous feathers, metallic armor, wicked horns, lifelike claws or form-fitting boots, this book puts it all within your reach. You'll even learn awesome hair and makeup effects to complete the look. Use this inside advice to fast-forward through years of trial and error; learn to select the best fabrics and adhesives and to make practical choices for comfort and wearability. Armed with the know-how in these pages and a spirit of adventure, who will you become? Everything you need to dress your part! • 25+ step-by-step projects for creating authentic-looking props, costumes and accessories • Easy techniques and clever shortcuts from nine international cosplay artists • How to manipulate wigs, extensions and your own hair to create unique and expressive looks • Awesome makeup effects, from tattoos and zombie bites to tricks for making faces appear more feminine or masculine • Bonus tips for striking a pose and snapping dynamic, in-character photos

The authoritative guide to cosplay written by a legend in the community, and packed with step-by-step advice and fascinating investigations into every aspect of the art. Cosplay—a portmanteau combining "costume" and "play"—has become one of the hottest trends in fandom . . . and Yaya Han is its shining superstar. In this guide to cosplaying, Han narrates her 20-year journey from newbie fan to entrepreneur with a household name in geekdom, revealing her self-taught methods for embodying a character and her experiences in the community. Each chapter is information-packed as she covers everything from the history of cosplay, to using nontraditional materials for costumes, to transforming your hobby into a career—all enhanced with expert advice. Illustrated throughout and easy to use, this practical manual also delights with fascinating stories from the past decades' global cosplay boom. It's the perfect gift for anyone interested in learning (or improving their skills in) the art of cosplay.

Have you been trying to think of a way to conquer your local comic convention through cosplay? Do you gaze with envious eyes upon the fan-made suits of armored awesomeness strolling around every year on Halloween? Do you have a spot on your wall, bookshelf, or desk that desperately needs to be filled with a screen-accurate replica of your favorite science-fiction or fantasy weapon? If so, look no further. We've got just the book for you! In this book, master prop maker Shawn Thorsson uses his unique blend of humor and insight to turn years of painful experience into detailed explanations. He'll show you many of the tools, methods, and processes that you can use to create professional-looking science fiction and fantasy props and armor. The ultimate collision of creative imagination and practical maker skills, making props and costume armor involves sculpting, molding, casting, 3D printing, CNC fabrication, painting, and countless other techniques and technologies. In this book, you'll learn: Basic fabrication methods using inexpensive, commonly-available tools and materials Simple, low-cost methods to make foam armor out of easy-to-find foam mats How to use the popular Pepakura software to build 3D models with paper Multiple molding and casting techniques How to build a "vacuforming" machine to make armor from plastic sheet stock Painting and weathering techniques that will bring your props to life Just enough safety advice to keep you from losing body parts along the way Whether you're just a beginner or a seasoned builder with countless projects behind you, this book is sure to be an invaluable addition to your workshop library.

Cosplaying has become increasingly popular in recent years. From dressing up as a Manga hero to a Pokmon to a full-on mythical beast, hordes of people get together to showcase their self-made costumes. COSPLAY BASICS teaches you everything you need to know to make amazing cosplay costumes. Written by experts in the heart of Tokyo (where cosplayers have taken it to a whole new level!) it's an easy-to-follow guide that includes pretty much everything you need to know to enjoy cosplay at its best.

Complement your cosplay builds with the perfect shoes—custom-designed and sewn by you! Regan Cerato and Kelley Kullman of the renowned duo Cowbutt Crunchies show you how to make every type of leg covering a cosplayer could ask for, from removable boot covers, to sleek tights, to thigh highs that won't roll down! Armed with clever patterns for fancy footwear that can’t be found in stores, you’ll create award-winning accessories that truly push the envelope. Whether you’re a new or experienced sewist, this handbook will help you turn your cosplay dreams into reality. Sew attention-getting boot covers, shoes, and leggings with the award-winning cosplayers behind Cowbutt Crunchies Build your skills with this step-by-step guide to creating cosplay footwear at home Forget fruitless shopping trips—make the exact footwear you need for any costume

Unlock the unlimited possibilities of EVA foam! Turn your wildest costume dreams into reality! Whether you are a master-level cosplayer or brand-new to making costumes and props, this is the ultimate reference guide to using different kinds of EVA foam and other up-to-date materials and to make epic costumes, props, accessories, and other projects out of this world! If you want to create your own high quality props, EVA foam is the way to go — it is a rubber-like thermoplastic that is both easy to work with, durable, and lightweight. You can build an entire costume with EVA foam — shields, armor, helmet, weapons — without getting weighed down. Knowledge at your fingertips! This comprehensive guidebook - take it with you to shop for materials, write notes and bookmark your favorite chapters, and use it right at your workstation Expand your cosplay skills with the latest industry techniques and materials, step-by-step tutorials, and 4 projects to get you started Create patterns for perfectly fitting costumes and accessories every time and use the patterns included to guide the way