CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The Best Of Katsucon, 2018's First Big Cosplay Show

cosplay.kotaku.com: The North American cosplay calendar kicks off every year with Katsucon, a massive show held every year just outside DC that attracts around 20,000 fans.

That’s not how many cosplayers there are, that’s just the overall attendance figure, but it can feel like they’re one and the same when you look at how much quality cosplay was on show between Feb 16-18.

3 comments:

Monica C Skrzypczak said...

The amount of detail people put into cosplays is truly incredible. The one had three sets of wings that opened up in two stages and no where did it look like she was pressing a button. Maybe it was in her scepter? If so the movement was so well hidden. It’s also crazy considering how pretty much all of these are from shows or games that are not even close to live action so they’re filling a lot of holes as to how different outfits actually work or what fabric they would be made out of. And even the cosplays that are based on live action things add in so much more detail than was there originally. I think the most impressive ones are the ones that have armor because that just adds a layer on top of having really good patterning and sewing skills. I love how people are using their talents to create things that they are really passionate about because it really shows.

Kelly Simons said...

Yeah, ok. Cosplayers and their creations continue to blow me out of the water every time I see con fest pictures. The amazing costumes and props that these cosplayers are able to create every year is staggering. For many, it’s their full time job. Which seems so strange, right? Dressing up like a character from your favorite form of media is somehow a full time job? But when you look at the details of these costumes you realize that the only way to make them before the Con is to spend every single day working on them. And that’s not even taking into account all of the props, wigs, and makeup needed to complete the look either. I’d like to know how many of these weapons and wigs were bought by the cosplayer or were home made. I know for some cons, to be entered into the cosplay contest, a certain percentage of your costume has to be homemade.

Truly Cates said...

I have always found some appreciation for cosplay and the insane things that cosplayers create, even though I have never cosplayed myself. While looking through these photos, I realized something: our Basic Design class teaches all the skills you need to create some killer cosplay. Learning how to use different, accessible, relatively inexpensive materials to make something aesthetically cohesive, polished, and professional-looking. These skills are obviously applicable in many situations, but I think any aspiring cosplay artist would benefit greatly from freshman year DP Basic Design class. It just goes to show how much detail makes a difference in so many different fields, and in life in general. While all of these costumes are pretty incredible, the ones that stand out over the others are the ones with incredible detail. The one of the guy in the LAPD uniform with the mask/prosthetics and inky skin really blew me away. The viens on his arms!!