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.
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.
Tutorials
Walkthrough - Making a latex character mask
Tutorial by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Monday 3rd September 2007
by Jonathan Cullinane
I thought I'd throw together this walkthrough of Kimura from Azumanga Dioh, or "The making of a Slackjaw Schoolteacher". This is mostly photos with very little explanation but you should get a pretty good idea of the process that went into making the mask.
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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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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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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 - 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 - 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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Walkthrough - Steampunk Fascinator Hat
Tutorial by Louise Collis (GunstarVixen) posted Sunday 19th April 2009
I was recently asked how I made my fascinator hat for my Lady Gunstar costume, as they can be incredibly expensive to buy, and often come adorned with feathers etc, which as any steampunker will agree, just doesn’t work!! (most of the time anyway!)
This can be adapted to any size hat (potentially a full size hat, but I have to try that) the only limitations are your imagination (and well, your budget!) My version cost less than £5 – not including the watch parts.
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Walkthrough - Silk painting and Gradient Dying Video
Tutorial by Laura Sindall (Sands) posted Tuesday 22nd December 2009
This was originally a hand written tutorial that was published in NeoMagazine. I decided to make this a video tutorial for those who may not have seen the original article. I'm sorry I don't have any videos of the dying process, but I hope this helps anyone who is looking to do gradient dying or silk painting.
I used this technique to create my obi ribbon for my Ayane costume from Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.
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Reports
Video Games Live 2007
Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Wednesday 14th November 2007
The annual live video game music event now includes cosplay, so of course Cosplay Island was in attendance to see what happened....
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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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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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MinamiCon 14 2008
Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Thursday 20th March 2008
The UK's longest running anime convention returns in full swing for its 14th birthday, the Cosplay Island team decide to investigate whether or not it can pilot mecha yet....
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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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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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Video Games Live 2008
Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Tuesday 9th December 2008
Video Games Live returns for its third London trip, and we were waiting for it......
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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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The Grand International Cosplay Ball
Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Wednesday 10th December 2008
An unsuspecting newly refurbished ballroom in London lay unaware of a slightly different clientèle heading its way on a Sunday evening, as the most.. fashionable cosplay event of the year took place in the Clapham Grand....
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MinamiCon 15 2009
Report by Jonathan Cullinane (nert) posted Tuesday 21st April 2009
15 years old, the big brother of UK anime conventions celebrated in sentai style!...
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Videos
London MCM Expo October 2007
Video posted Monday 7th January 2008
Mark reports from the expo including interviews with MangaChild, Ashe and Sands and coverage of Saturday's masquerade.Watch Video Online | Download Video (155.6 MB)
MinamiCon 14 2008
Video posted Thursday 20th March 2008
Video coverage of the MinamiCon masquerade.Watch Video Online | Download Video (41.5 MB)
London MCM Expo May 2008
Video posted Monday 30th June 2008
Kelly and Rachel bring us complete cosplay coverage of both expo days including interviews and masqueradesWatch Video Online | Download Video (119 MB)
Japan Expo 08
Video posted Monday 14th July 2008
Rachel reports from Paris to give us an inside look at one of Europe's biggest cosplay events.Watch Video Online | Download Video (103 MB)
London MCM Expo October 2008
Video posted Sunday 15th March 2009
Kelly and Mark bring another great report from the ground of London's biggest cosplay event.Watch Video Online | Download Video (70 MB)
Oxford Circus Crossing Openning
Video posted Monday 2nd November 2009
Nia reports on this cosplay themed event on a cold London morningWatch Video Online | Download Video (15.3 MB)
Aya Revolution Masquerade Intro
Video posted Tuesday 3rd November 2009
For Aya Revolution we put together a montage of great UK cosplay from the past few yearsWatch Video Online | Download Video (23.8 MB)
Grand International Cosplay Ball 2009
Video posted Wednesday 3rd February 2010
Nia reports from the ball room floor bringing you interviews and footage of the actsMinamiCon 17 2011
Video posted Wednesday 23rd March 2011
Highlight footage from Minami's masquerade event