Workshops at Gen Con Indy 2008

Join us for four costuming workshops designed to help you make the fantastic real.

You're casting envious looks about you and hoping nobody asks yet again what you're dressed as. You want a better costume and you don't want to break the bank or take a college course -- this is how you get it.

We'll cover found object costuming (it's not just junk you throw together!) and simple projects, as well as the art of character selection and making what's in your closet look newly fabulous.

Cost is $6 for the two-hour workshop, which includes instruction, discussion, Q & A, and a fun hands-on project. Session is limited to 18 live bodies. Participants are welcome to bring their own found objects, costumes, and senses of humor.

Time: Friday, 10 AM - noon

Place: Westin, Senate II

ID: WKS00104

Check the official site for the most up-to-date information and to purchase tickets.

The best wigs look like real hair -- even if they're impossibly colored or improbably spikey. But it can be hard to find the perfect wig for your fantasy costume, or to replicate that style which has never existed in real life.

Your wig is too long, the wrong style, not curly enough, or the wrong color? Need to make that cheap nasty wig look better and last longer? We can help.

Cost is $6 for the two-hour workshop, which includes instruction, discussion, Q & A, and a simple project. Session is limited to 18 live bodies. Participants are welcome to bring their own wigs and favorite styling tools/products.

Time: Friday, 1 - 3 PM

Place: Westin, Senate II

ID: WKS00103

Check the official site for the most up-to-date information and to purchase tickets.

Ready for more costuming? Ready to make yourself into something that can't exist in nature? Adapt a 2-D drawing into 3-D reality. Some of the most fun in fantasy costuming is making something that was never meant to exist into something real. And then, show it off!

We'll talk about overcoming the improbable physics of fantasy or manga illustration, the unreal physiques of anime and game design, and how to fool the eye so we don't have to diet or undergo alteration for our costuming fun.

Watch a tall woman in her 30s transform into a short 15-year-old male character, without surgery! See an ordinary human suddenly attain the unrealistic proportions of a stylized manga character -- live and before your eyes!

We'll focus on how details make an average costume into an eye-catching one. Don't be just another hallway elf -- be the one everyone remembers.

And would you like to compete? Here are some tips on presenting your costume in the best light for judging.

Cost is $6 for the two-hour workshop, which includes instruction, discussion, Q & A, and (gentle!) group critiques, brainstorming, and discussion of participants' costumes. Session is limited to 18 participants.

Time: Friday, 3 - 5 PM

Place: Westin, Senate II

ID: WKS00105

Check the official site for the most up-to-date information and to purchase tickets.

Nothing defines a character like a signature weapon or a unique piece of jewelry. Imagine Sephiroth without his katana, Zoe Alleyne Washburne without guns, Gimli without an axe. But props can often be more difficult to find or create than the fabric clothing of costumes.

Don't let your amazing costume be brought down by a aluminum-foil-over-cardboard sword, when for just a few bucks you can make something that completes your look! There are many options out there. We'll talk about how to make good props on the cheap, and how to make better props for a bit of investment.

Topics include non-toxic methods of creating fantasy body armor and hall-safe swords as well as creating props to abide by convention rules.

Cost is $6 for the two-hour workshop, which includes instruction, discussion, Q & A, and a simple project. Session is limited to 18 live bodies. Participants should bring questions, reference images for specific questions, and their own designs if desired. Participants are welcome to bring their own props as well.

Time: Friday, 5 - 7 PM

Place: Westin, Senate II

ID: WKS00106

Check the official site for the most up-to-date information and to purchase tickets.