Documenting your cosplay journey one page at a time.

cosplay between conventions

Hello, friends. As winter lingers and the next convention season feels both distant and urgent, there's something comforting about the quiet work of cosplay between conventions. It's that time for sketching ideas, sourcing fabrics, and turning chaotic workshop notes into something polished. This week, we're diving into build books, those personal records that capture not just the how-to, but the heart of your creation.

Picture this: Sarah, a cosplayer from the Midwest, had just wrapped up her first big contest at a regional con last fall. She poured months into her Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West, hand-sculpting armor pieces and weathering them to perfection. The costume placed well, but as judges flipped through her hastily assembled folder of phone pics and scribbled notes, Sarah felt the gap. "They loved the bow," she told me over coffee, "but I wish they could see the late nights tweaking the quiver's internals." That moment stuck with her through the holidays. With no con on the horizon until spring, she decided to make her build book properly, not for the next judging table, but for herself.

She started simple, pulling out her sketchbook from the planning phase. There were the initial side-by-side drawings: Aloy in full game screenshot glory on one side, a bulleted list of materials on the other. Headgear, torso, legs, feet, accessories, she broke it down into those core sections. Sarah grabbed her laptop and opened Canva, that free design tool everyone raves about for quick layouts. She set the page to standard 8.5 by 11 inches, perfect for printing or uploading. First page: a striking photo of her in the full costume, character name bold across the top, her maker name at the bottom. No fluff, just impact.

Next came the meat of it. For each section, one page of progress photos, another with bullet points on techniques. She highlighted her proudest bits, like the full-page spread on the bow's mechanical drawstring, showing raw wood to finished product. Failures? Left out. "No one needs to see the quiver prototype that exploded with arrows," she laughed. She kept it to ten pages total, cover to back, mimicking magazine spreads with clean grids and organic flow. Templates helped for consistency; she duplicated a game-themed one, swapped in her images, edited text to "Plexi accents" or "EVA foam layers." It felt less like homework, more like curating her own mini-magazine.

Printing it out on glossy paper was the magic moment. Flipping through, Sarah saw her build anew: the decisions, the small victories, like dyeing the wig just right under workshop lights. Now, it's pinned above her bench, inspiring the next project, a quieter Mandalorian variant. Between cons, this book became her bridge, turning solitary crafting into a story she could share at meetups or with online friends. It's a reminder that documentation isn't extra, it's the thread connecting one creation to the next.

Build books can transform how we see our own work, especially in these in-between months when motivation dips. Have you made one yet, or does the idea intimidate you? They're simpler than they seem, and so rewarding for reflection.

Hit reply and tell me: What's one technique or part of your current build you'd feature on a full-page spread? Do you prefer digital tools like Canva, or old-school notebooks? Any build book tips from your experience?

As February unfolds, keep an eye on these gatherings to fuel your cosplay fire, from workshops to full conventions kicking off the year.

• MAGFest, late February 2026, Washington DC area, gaming con with cosplay contests and maker panels.
• Midwinter Anime Gathering, March 2026, Chicago IL, anime-focused event with craftsmanship showcases.
• C2E2, early April 2026, Chicago IL, massive comic con with cosplay track and judging.
• Fan Expo Dallas, April 2026, Dallas TX, pop culture fest featuring cosplay meetups and photoshoots.
• Anime Boston, late April 2026, Boston MA, vibrant anime con with build book-friendly contests.
• Calgary Comic Expo, early May 2026, Calgary AB Canada, fan fest with international cosplayers.
• Pensacon, March 2026, Pensacola FL, pop culture con emphasizing costumes and creators.

If this issue sparked something, a build book idea or just nostalgia for your last project, forward it to one cosplay friend who thrives on that between-conventions energy. They might be staring at fabric scraps right now, needing this nudge.

We're building a conversation here, so hit reply anytime: Where are you in your cosplay season? What's bubbling on your workbench, a tricky prop or new wig test? Share a small win or story, and know every response keeps this community humming. Your voice shapes the next issue, truly. Talk soon.

Reply with your stories, photos, and questions for a future issue.