So You Want To Be a Cosplayer?

This panel will bring together several cosplayers with professional, competitive, and amateur backgrounds designing and creating costumes. We intend to provide knowledge, experience, and resources to cosplay novices who may feel daunted as they begin to explore this hobby. Our focus is on craftsmanship and skill development as opposed to performance, and our hope is to empower attendees with the basic building blocks of costume design and construction, as well as encourage appreciation and enthusiasm for this art form. Topics will include identifying proper patterns, choosing correct fabrics, foamsmithing, an overview of common cosplay prop-making materials and practices, sewing machine basics, wig making, and more.