Cosplay for Crafts Week!

Figured I would start this little dive into my craft with a finished product first! Here is me as one of Paxiti’s wonderful characters over on Twitter. I really enjoyed custom making this wig and finding the simple but important wardrobe elements! I can spend anywhere from a week, to two months on any one cosplay, and usually have anywhere between 4-5 being made at any one time… So I keep busy! Keep reading to get a little behind the scenes look at some of the tools I use to make my characters!

Lights! I do all my own photography, and one of the key components to making your final product pop, is lighting your cosplay properly. It’s amazing what a little light can do to completely change a face shape or really set a mood!

Pulling out the makeup kit - usually takes up the entirety of a small table…

Deeper dive into some of the top layers of the kit - Lip shade is important when matching a feminine character look, this is a… small portion of the lip shades I own that I combine and mesh together to get what I need :D

I didn’t start learning makeup until my early 20s… Because I was too busy living life as a frat bro until then :P So learning that eyelashes will completely change your face shape as well, was a huge learning curve I picked up about cosplay among the many many learning curves of having to learn how to apply makeup.

Wig crafting accessories! This, bobby pins, and hair spray and I basically have everything I need to craft any wig :D I cut and style all my own wigs, with some perseverance even cheap wigs can get you what you need, even if it only survives for a day.

Every brush has it’s purpose… And I rarely ever use them how the label on the handle says I should :D it’s guidelines more than rules really :)

My collection of favorite cosplay accessories grows larger… It’s so hard to only put a handful on this shelf in the background of all my “Imgur Mirror” pictures. These are usually items I reserve as things I didn’t craft myself, and put on display to show off other folks’ art!

My favorite new addition to the crafting/modeling room - those who follow me know what cosplay this is from… big hint: Imgur Girl :D

As a cosplay comes together I hang all the pieces together, it is so fun when you start to see a hanger fill up - it means it’s almost time to put it all on! Pieces I have either sewn myself or have altered from original form to fit me are insanely satisfying to hang up for the first time!

The lingerie collection… I love coordinating lingerie with my cosplay characters - matching from the inside out is all part of the craft :D

Current wig I am cutting up today - Classic Star Trek look incoming soon :D

My camera for everything - Canon M50. Was so fun learning how to really get into photography with this, and a remote clicker makes it so I can do everything myself! Before cosplay I knew nothing about photographer, it really became a hobby I enjoy immensely!

I have a special bin for eyewear, it is getting absurd :)

And finally a special shelf for shoes and heels. I will never complain about tracking down new shoes to work perfectly for a character :D Shoes are some of the few things I can’t make or alter myself so they also get their own special shelf :D

Another finished product after applying all my crafting! I will never tire of this wig! I also wanted to show that even my simplest cosplays take a ton of crafting - next year maybe I'll go into what it takes when body paint and armor are involved :D

And a look at the art that inspired it by Paxiti! Hope you enjoyed this little inside look at what I live to do, and keep on crafting Imgur! You all are so talented!