The ninja costume: iconic and potentially simple. It’s ideal for that last minute need for a costume at a convention. It can be as easy as picking up a cheap one online or at a local costume store, or as labor intensive as creating your own leather and cloth armor by hand. Because the costume has such a broad range of options, I decided to break them all down into this handy guide. We’re start with the easiest ninja costumes, and work our way through to the more complicated. As …

Cosplaying at a fandom convention can often be an exercise in masochism, at least in regard to your feet. This is especially true for those who attend conventions for an entire weekend, and are doing it absurd and crazy footwear. As much as we wish it wasn’t true, cute shoes don’t usually equal comfortable shoes, and this is even more true in the cosplay world. I know I’ve done a double take when I see a girl dressed head to toe in Gothic Lolita fashion, with a pair of 6″ …

Let’s be honest, a lot of female anime characters have absurdly unrealistic body shapes, typically involving a teeny tiny waist and a pair of breasts that make it seem like she’d topple over. It isn’t much better for the men. Either the male anime stars are rail thin and tall, or they are insanely muscular. It often seems like there aren’t many characters that fall somewhere in between.
So what’s a cosplayer to do if the goal is to look as much like the original character as possible?
For many, the decision …

Back in the summer, I wrote an article about keeping cool during summer conventions while cosplaying. Now that much of the United States and Europe is enduring a nice arctic blast, it seems only fitting to write an article about coping with cosplay in the colder months.
Cosplay is not exclusively an indoor or outdoor activity. While most convention cosplay takes place inside, you may find yourself involved in an outdoor cosplay photoshoot, or having to walk a long way from your transportation to the hotel/convention center door. Regardless of the …