Hello again all, I'm here with another blog post to talk about my year of cosplay during the year of 2018. Plus I'll be looking ahead to future projects in 2019! Continue reading to see my recap on cosplays but also to take a peak at what future projects I'll be doing (that goes beyond cosplay!)
2018 was a simple year. Nothing too exciting happened and some adventures were had. I traveled a bit more than before and cut down my cons quite a bit in favor for Artist Alley shenanigans. I met some wonderful new friends and worked with new photographers, and also going to a con that was on my bucket list!
First, lets start with Katsucon. I debuted 3 NEW COSTUMES and wore a total of 7 all weekend. I was EXHAUSTED. But I had a lot of fun and got some amazing photos. Here it was where I got to wear a dream cosplay: Thranduil. I had hoarded the fabric for years and finally felt confident to make it. I tried a lot of new things with pipping and overlaying, and making a crown out of hot glue! I really loved this cosplay but sadly it needs some repair and fixing before I can rewear it again. I have to make elf daddy proud! I also made Tsurumaru, which was the bigger project because I made literally everything right down to the shoes. Sadly I only wore him for 3 hours before changing, and haven't properly worn him since. Just gives me an excuse to squeeze him in somewhere else! I got to be in a Nintendo meet as well as Royal Link (design by MadMeeper on Tumblr). I felt really outcasted in it however, but maybe that was just my anxiety getting to me. I rocked it however, and have worn it many times since. I absolutely love it! Katsucon was also the crowning moment of living a long time cosplay dream: having an entire Military K group from Project K. I got BEAUTIFUL reshots and met some wonderful people. I am so thankful for Katsucon and so excited for 2019.
First, lets start with Katsucon. I debuted 3 NEW COSTUMES and wore a total of 7 all weekend. I was EXHAUSTED. But I had a lot of fun and got some amazing photos. Here it was where I got to wear a dream cosplay: Thranduil. I had hoarded the fabric for years and finally felt confident to make it. I tried a lot of new things with pipping and overlaying, and making a crown out of hot glue! I really loved this cosplay but sadly it needs some repair and fixing before I can rewear it again. I have to make elf daddy proud! I also made Tsurumaru, which was the bigger project because I made literally everything right down to the shoes. Sadly I only wore him for 3 hours before changing, and haven't properly worn him since. Just gives me an excuse to squeeze him in somewhere else! I got to be in a Nintendo meet as well as Royal Link (design by MadMeeper on Tumblr). I felt really outcasted in it however, but maybe that was just my anxiety getting to me. I rocked it however, and have worn it many times since. I absolutely love it! Katsucon was also the crowning moment of living a long time cosplay dream: having an entire Military K group from Project K. I got BEAUTIFUL reshots and met some wonderful people. I am so thankful for Katsucon and so excited for 2019.
For Animazement, I made another cosplay from scratch, even building my first wig from scratch! Hiromasa from Onmyoji was definitely a huge project and honestly something I'm really proud of. I got to work with new materials and really get out of my comfort zone in terms of open chest cosplays. My good friend also cosplayed with me and it was amazing. I felt really confident in it so I entered the cosplay contest but did not place. And that's fine! It just means I gotta try harder for next year. >:) I also got to do a more casual version of Xander from Fire Emblem Fates. I got to be in a huge Summer version (from the mobile game) and had a blast, just hanging out and being real life memes. It got me really inspired for next years Animazement, which you can read below. Animazement has been a home con for me since 09 when I first started going to cons, and I can see myself going for years to come. It's just a chill con to see friends and it's really affordable.
I attended Queen City Anime Con as well, it happened over the weekend of my birthday so let me tell you, it was lit. I live stupidly local to it so I didn't have to spend a dime outside gas and parking. I got to see some long time friends and friends I barely get to see due to distance. It was an enjoyable laid back weekend. I also got to be in the Artist Alley and got back into watercolor painting. Sales wise it was low (for everyone) but I got to meet some new people and just chilled all weekend. I'm excited for next year, I look forward to how it grows. I'm aiming for a table next year and hope to host some panels as well! If you're local to Charlotte or are willing to travel, def give it a shot!
I attended a few smaller cons as well but only for the day, such as Triad Anime Con in Greensboro and Carolina Fan Expo in Hickory. I got to be a sword boy with a bunch of other people at Triad and it was fun, I also got some amazing photos too (but I was dumb and left my armor at home by accident!). I got some merch of animes I NEVER see, even at bigs cons, and just had a nice time. Fan Expo was rather disappointing. I had a table there and was excited to make some money before my next con but after 4 hours, my vendor neighbors counted and there were only 12 attendees besides staff, volunteers, and vendors. It was upsetting. The only money I made was from other vendors. It was only a 30 min drive from me so not a whole lot was lost, but I was still in the red. I left early despite rules saying if I did I wouldn't be able to come back to vend (oh well). My neighbors were super friendly however!
I skipped out on some bigger cons this year in favor of some new ones, like Anime Usa! I've always wanted to attend this con for many years, and finally had the opportunity to! I got selected to be a cosplay judge for their masquerade and it was amazing! I have wanted to be a judge for awhile and was so excited when I got chosen. It was a sort of last minute decision and hard to afford but I made it work even at the sacrifice of not being able to do anything on Friday. I did an official version of Dabi but wish I had done the staples, it would have made my cosplay pop out more. I made some new friends and got to be in DC again, Friday was not a really fun day for me so I just went to China Town and stuffed my face with dumplings lol.
I skipped out on some bigger cons this year in favor of some new ones, like Anime Usa! I've always wanted to attend this con for many years, and finally had the opportunity to! I got selected to be a cosplay judge for their masquerade and it was amazing! I have wanted to be a judge for awhile and was so excited when I got chosen. It was a sort of last minute decision and hard to afford but I made it work even at the sacrifice of not being able to do anything on Friday. I did an official version of Dabi but wish I had done the staples, it would have made my cosplay pop out more. I made some new friends and got to be in DC again, Friday was not a really fun day for me so I just went to China Town and stuffed my face with dumplings lol.
That was it for my cons, but I went to DC 4 times this year! Holy cow!!! 2 were for conventions and 2 were for visiting! I got to see Sakura Matsuri again and had a blast, ate good food and got to see more parts of DC than before. And the 2nd was just a weekend getaway. Saw more parts of DC, ate more good food......I love DC!!! Any chance I could take, I would go. DC is my happy place.
Looking forward to 2019
I have a lot of things planned for 2019. I really want to give back to the community and really establish myself as a serious cosplayer. I also got some big cosplay builds to focus on...It's going to be a great year!
These are my 3 goals for 2019 cosplay wise. There will be more for sure as I find new material, but these 3 are confirmed. I have had a need to do a new Vocaloid cosplay so why not one of my favorites? Male See-U! I love See-U's voice a lot and was excited to learn that the artist for her design did a design for a male version....It's been on my list for YEARS and I'm finally gonna do the thing. This is a more simple one so I'm excited for a laid back one. Probably a spring/late summer.
Kashuu is a new design and he's my favorite sword boy, so I was happy to know he has another outfit for me to make. It's got a lot more details and more complicated armor...I love him so much T_T I'm aiming for summer for this one.
XANDER!!! MY LOVE!!! I've done 2 versions of him already, so maybe it's time to tackle his actual outfit? I plan on following Yaya Han's idea with how she made Camilla and look forward to pushing myself with this. I'm going to make this for Animazement and hopefully will have a Nohr family. This will mark the 3rd year of doing a Xander cosplay....gotta keep the tradition going I guess haha.
Con wise, I'm really just sticking to my mains: Katsucon and Animazement. I'm attending Queen City, hopefully as a vendor but if not, just a panelist. I'll keep my head out for any local cons and pop by, just to buy merch and see friends. There are so many cons in NC, I gotta go to them all!!!!!!
But the big thing I'm working on for 2019 is launching a youtube channel dedicated to tutorials, con coverage, and more! I've already got a few videos in the works and I'm excited to be bringing this to you. I'll also be focusing on making my Resources section on my site more in depth and have more variety, so I'll be taking suggestions on what you think I should make! And if you need me to make it specifically for you, just hit me an email and we'll discuss the price. :)
Well that's everything for this blog entry! Look for more soon, I hope to make a new one every month. I'll link my youtube when it's ready for launch so keep an eye out for that as well! Thanks for following me, lets look forward to 2019 together!!
Kashuu is a new design and he's my favorite sword boy, so I was happy to know he has another outfit for me to make. It's got a lot more details and more complicated armor...I love him so much T_T I'm aiming for summer for this one.
XANDER!!! MY LOVE!!! I've done 2 versions of him already, so maybe it's time to tackle his actual outfit? I plan on following Yaya Han's idea with how she made Camilla and look forward to pushing myself with this. I'm going to make this for Animazement and hopefully will have a Nohr family. This will mark the 3rd year of doing a Xander cosplay....gotta keep the tradition going I guess haha.
Con wise, I'm really just sticking to my mains: Katsucon and Animazement. I'm attending Queen City, hopefully as a vendor but if not, just a panelist. I'll keep my head out for any local cons and pop by, just to buy merch and see friends. There are so many cons in NC, I gotta go to them all!!!!!!
But the big thing I'm working on for 2019 is launching a youtube channel dedicated to tutorials, con coverage, and more! I've already got a few videos in the works and I'm excited to be bringing this to you. I'll also be focusing on making my Resources section on my site more in depth and have more variety, so I'll be taking suggestions on what you think I should make! And if you need me to make it specifically for you, just hit me an email and we'll discuss the price. :)
Well that's everything for this blog entry! Look for more soon, I hope to make a new one every month. I'll link my youtube when it's ready for launch so keep an eye out for that as well! Thanks for following me, lets look forward to 2019 together!!
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