Articles

Here on Cosplay Island as we're hoping to bring you the best, most interesting and useful coverage of the UK cosplay scene. If we don't quite manage that we'll probably at least manage a passable approximation.

So here in the articles section we've got written and video reports of all the recent major UK cosplay events. We've also got a selection of tutorials written by some fantastically skilled costume makers.

If you've learned something interesting while working on your latest masterpiece and would like to share it with the community or have some other cosplay related articles you're burning to write contact us and we'll be happy to consider your article for inclusion.

Latest Articles
Tutorials
Reports
Videos

15 Latest Articles

Included below are the 15 latest articles uploaded to the site. Use the tabs above to view the archives of specific article types.

Type	Title	Author	Added
Report	AmeCon 2007	nert	5 years 27 weeks ago
Report	AmeCon 2008	nert	4 years 23 weeks ago
Report	Aya Revolution - August 2009	nert	3 years 30 weeks ago
Video	Aya Revolution Masquerade Intro	PerrinAshcroft	3 years 28 weeks ago
Report	European Cosplay Gathering - March 2011	sjbonnar	2 years 11 weeks ago
Report	Grand Cosplay Ball - November 2009	nert	2 years 45 weeks ago
Video	Grand International Cosplay Ball 2009	PerrinAshcroft	3 years 15 weeks ago
Tutorial	Guide - Buying and Working with Wigs	Angelphie	5 years 28 weeks ago
Tutorial	Guide - Essential Glue Review	Ilpala	1 year 44 weeks ago
Video	Japan Expo 08	PerrinAshcroft	4 years 45 weeks ago
Report	London MCM Expo - May 2009	nert	3 years 38 weeks ago
Report	London MCM Expo - October 2007	nert	5 years 27 weeks ago
Report	London MCM Expo - October 2009	nert	2 years 45 weeks ago
Report	London MCM Expo May 2008	nert	4 years 47 weeks ago
Video	London MCM Expo May 2008	PerrinAshcroft	4 years 46 weeks ago

Tutorials

Guide - Buying and Working with Wigs

Tutorial by Angela Hacket (Angelphie) posted Sunday 4th November 2007

by Angela Hacket

Wigs are often useful for costumes. They save you from cutting, dying or styling your own hair, allow you to create insane styles, and you can put one on and be ready to go instantly – it only ever needs styling once! Furthermore, you can sew, glue, and do all sorts of things to wigs which aren’t possible with real hair.

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Guide - Essential Glue Review

Tutorial by James Funnell (Ilpala) posted Friday 15th July 2011

It’s pretty common to look on cosplay forums and see people asking basic questions about what glue to use for what. If you pop into a DIY store you will find a bewildering array of glues but really there’s only a few that you need in your cosplay toolbox and often they can be used for more than just sticking stuff together.

So here’s a rundown of your essential glues and what you should be using them for!

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Technique - Cosplay Photography: Think before you shoot

Tutorial by Nic Walker (nic0) posted Wednesday 14th November 2007

by Nic Walker

With the ubiquity of cheap digital cameras today, any given anime convention is awash with people photographing the costumes on display. Traipsing through the aftermath of conventions on forums and photo sharing websites one would be perhaps forgiven for being a little disappointed at the thought that goes into some of the photos on display. They can often be hurriedly composed, one-shot affairs taken more as a record of the event - a reminder of a costume - than an honest effort to record the quality of it.

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Technique - Female to Male Crossplay

Tutorial by Annette Wilkinson (Odangochan) posted Thursday 12th June 2008

There are a number of things to consider when attempting an effective female-to-male crossplay. No matter how androgynous both you and the character you intend to cosplay may be, it is always important to make an effort if you wish to pull off a truly convincing crossplay. This tutorial will discuss a number of the things that should be taken into account to effectively masculinise yourself.

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Walkthrough - Boot Covers

Tutorial by Stephen Pryce (Ranma1-2) posted Friday 2nd July 2010

As some people have asked me, here is a detailed walkthrough for how I made the thigh-high boot toppings on my Catwoman costume.

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Walkthrough - Budget Prop Making - Zabimaru

Tutorial by Pheebs Wouldn't you like to know my surname? (Odd-One-Out) posted Wednesday 11th June 2008

Hello all! I am sure that some of you do not have access to proper metal or wood tools, and that some of you simply don’t have the money to build props after an exhausting day at Fabric Warehouse. I enjoy constructing things out of cheap or even free materials such as cardboard and newspaper. Never underestimate the power of these materials!

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Walkthrough - Classic Tutu

Tutorial by Stephen Pryce (Ranma1-2) posted Wednesday 7th July 2010

Quite a few people ask me how I made my tutu for Princess Kraehe and what pattern I used so I have made this tutorial to help anyone with the same questions.

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Walkthrough - How to make skin tight gloves

Tutorial by Tab Kimpton (KhaosKreator) posted Friday 8th February 2013

I hate gloves. Every costume maker does, they’re fiddily and a bad fitting glove will show up far more than a bad fitting jacket will.

Here’s how I make lycra gloves, with a helping hand from my friend- freezer paper!

How to make skin tight gloves (Hosted by Khaos Kostumes)

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Walkthrough - Making a fursuit head with a movable jaw

Tutorial by Karen Dawson (Fatkraken) posted Monday 3rd September 2007

by Karen Dawson

When I made this head for once I got a pretty good series of progress pictures, especially through the early stages. So what follows is a "How Fatkraken makes a fursuit, with movable jaw" type...thing. There are some missing stages; I don't go into the eyes, or much of the detailing, since that's specific to the suit being made. However for the basic construction, I've not seen other tutorials that are quite like this, so this is a process you can use, abuse and alter as you see fit.

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Walkthrough - Making a Headdress

Tutorial by Laura Sindall (Sands) posted Tuesday 9th December 2008

This is just a general tutorial on how I make the basic shape of my headdresses, with a few suggestions on how to make various accessories that may protrude from your headdress.

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Reports

AmeCon 2007

Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Wednesday 14th November 2007

Nert takes a look back at the year's biggest anime convention. What were the cosplay trends? What the hell is Chair-chan? Find out here.

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AmeCon 2008

Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Tuesday 9th December 2008

The UK's largest dedicated anime convention was back in town; bigger and badder than ever for its fourth run totalling nearly 1,500 people! We figured we should probably be there, so we were.

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Aya Revolution - August 2009

Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Monday 26th October 2009

Warwick Arts Centre finds itself decorated with a nostalgic mascot, as the AyaCon mermaid makes a glorious return!

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European Cosplay Gathering - March 2011

Report by Sj bonnar (sjbonnar) posted Friday 4th March 2011

Sjonnar interviews Emily Bastian about Bunkasai and the European Cosplay Gathering; a new Europe-wide event with its final at JapanExpo in Paris.

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Grand Cosplay Ball - November 2009

Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Wednesday 7th July 2010

A chilly November night saw the Clapham Grand open its doors to a menagerie of colourful eveningwear for a second Grand Cosplay Ball!

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London MCM Expo - May 2009

Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Wednesday 26th August 2009

Bright sunshine, little breeze or cloud cover, and a distinct lack of working transport links. A recipe for a very quiet MCM Expo? Evidence proves otherwise!

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London MCM Expo - October 2007

Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Wednesday 14th November 2007

Two days, thousands of attendees and hundreds of cosplayers, London MCM Expo is one of the biggest UK cosplay events and we were there to find out why.

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London MCM Expo - October 2009

Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Wednesday 7th July 2010

Never failing our Capital's geek fandoms, the MCM Expo was back in full swing with more space than ever before!

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London MCM Expo May 2008

Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Sunday 29th June 2008

The London ExCeL centre opened its doors once more to a cavalcade of becostumed Expo attendees, as the latest London MCM Expo weekend kicked off. We were all there, were you?

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London MCM Expo Oct 2008

Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Tuesday 9th December 2008

Another October, another MCM Expo. With attendance sky-rocketing and a cosplay world record attempt on the agenda, there was certainly a big red ring around this calendar date!

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