Makeup for Costuming (WKS0900196)

No costume is complete without appropriate makeup.  Learn how to look more masculine or more feminine.  Give yourself enormous anime or video game eyes, change your ethnicity, or add special effects.  Make yourself a Night Elf in three steps! 

So your costume looks great, but you always look terrible in photos?  We can help with that, too.  Workshop includes instruction, demonstrations, discussion, and a brief hands-on session.

Thursday, August 13.  10 AM.  2 hours.  $6.  Westin, Congress I.

Wigs for Costuming (WKS0900183)

The best wigs look like real hair -- even if impossibly colored or improbably spiky. 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. Also: you'll make a custom styled clip-in extension to take with you!

Thursday, August 13.  1 PM.  2 hours.  $10.  Westin, Congress I.

Beginning Costuming (WKS0900198)

Yeah, yeah, we knew them too -- those fabulous cosplayers who casually mention how their mothers and grandmothers taught them to sew, embroider, knit, crochet, quilt, etc. at the tender age of four. And you're standing in line next to them, casting envious looks, and you're hoping nobody asks you yet again what your costume is.

You want a better costume, and you don't want to break the bank -- this is how you get it. This panel covers found object costuming -- it's not just junk you throw together! -- and simple cosplay projects, as well as the art of character selection and making what's in your closet look newly fabulous.

Thursday, August 13.  3 PM.  2 hours.  $8.  Westin, Congress I.

Intermediate & Competitive Costuming (WKS0900203)

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.

Thursday, August 13.  5 PM.  2 hours.  $8.  Westin, Congress I.

Costuming for LARP (WKS0900218)

LARP costumes have to look good and be durable, and they often shouldn't resemble our mundane world.  We'll talk about assembling and modifying found objects to look original or unreal, and creating the feel of a certain era or genre -- even for the novice costumer.  Remember -- No Budget, No Skills, No Problem!

Friday, August 14.  10 AM.  1 hour.  $6.  Westin, Congress I.

Found Object Costuming (WKS0900206)

Found object costuming is often derided as "ghetto cosplay" -- but they aren't the same, and found object costuming doesn't have to be bad!  There's an art to costuming from the unexpected, and a good found object costume can rival a sewn-from-scratch project.  Come and learn how to make truly fantastic costumes out of what's in your closet, your local second-hand store, or even your trash!

Friday, August 14.  11 AM.  1 hour.  $4.  Westin, Congress I.

Props for Costuming (WKS0900186)

Nothing defines a character like a signature weapon or a unique piece of jewelry. Imagine Sephiroth without his Masamune, 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! Join us for 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.  Also: you'll make small hall-safe props to take with you!

Friday, August 14.  1 PM.  2 hours.  $10.  Westin, Congress I.

Featherweight Armor (WKS0900209)

Want armor, without investing in metalworking or risking toxic chemicals?  We'll cover alternative armoring for historical and fantasy costumes with a variety of readily-available and more specialized materials.  You can even make a piece to take home yourself!

Friday, August 14.  3 PM.  2 hours.  $10.  Westin, Congress I.

Presentation & Character (WKS0900193)

You've spent hours and hours creating the perfect costume, but somehow it doesn't seem to get the attention it deserves.  Or you have only a quick found-object costume, but you want to make it seem like much more.  Both of these challenges can be met with solid presentation!

Learn how to comport yourself in character, from movement to speech to gestures.  Can you walk like a man or a woman at will? Change your age or your personality?

Learn how even simple details make a big impact.  Develop backstory for your original character or become fluent in interacting with other characters.  Also, we'll discuss skits and live performance for hallway fun, stage contests, and more; learn how fluency affects your performance and how to achieve it (remember, we're behavior analysts and trainers in real life!) and how to write a skit or presentation that will become a crowd favorite.

Friday, August 14.  5 PM.  2 hours.  $6.  Westin, Congress I.

Wings & Things (WKS0900208)

Many fantasy costumes include non-human bits.  We'll discuss small, hallway-friendly wings, larger wings for stage, realistic working wings, and other animal attachments such as horns, tails, and more!  Learn what makes the difference between a cheesy costume and a striking accessory.

Finally, you'll make a pair of hall-safe wings to wear out and enjoy.  Be the first on your block to have stylish wearable wings!

Saturday, August 15.  10 AM.  2 hours.  $20.  Westin, Congress I.