FanPowered Press Blog

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Creating Epic Cosplay Makes with Adobe Illustrator—No Drawing Required!
by Khana Plicanic || June 27th, 2024
"The truth is that even the most elaborate creations can be built with simple shapes like basic circles and rectangles. Hard to believe, right? Let’s take a closer look and you’ll see what I mean."

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Cosplay Tutorial Challenge
by Cosplay Tutorial Challenge Founders: Knovice Cosplay and Lutavia Cosplay || June 20th, 2024
"The Cosplay Tutorial Challenge is a global volunteer-ran contest to help promote the creation and conservation of cosplay tutorials! Instead of submitting full cosplays to the contest, it has a unique twist: you submit cosplay-related tutorials."

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Chinese Mandalorian Costume
by Sanit Klamchanuan|| June 13th, 2024
"Let me walk you through the making of my Chinese Mandalorian. Most people don't know that I am part Chinese. So it was important for me to showcase this side of my heritage to make my grandfather proud."

 

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WIP- The Queen of Hearts Bodice
by Lady Cels || June 7th, 2024
"Hey there, I'm Lady Cels, and I'm thrilled to take you along with me through the construction of the Queen of Hearts bodice I'm currently crafting! Get ready to dive into my world of intricate stitching and detail as we explore how this regal piece came to life. Let's check it out!"

 

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The Beginning of The Ultimate Glue Guide
by Annye Driscoll || March 22nd, 2024
"Well, okay, really it started with my second costume, made in 2016, which had a floating crown element: a piece of foam I glued to my forehead. I tried several different kinds of glue and tape, none of them worked and some of them hurt, and ultimately I left the piece off for my judging and photo shoots and tried to forget the failure."

 

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The Ultimate Glue Guide Virtual Book Tour
Feb. 26th, 2024
"Join us and the following participants in celebrating Annye's book, The Ultimate Glue Guide. Follow along to learn more about the making of the book and read candid reviews."

 

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Annye's Favorite Tools
by Annye Driscoll || Feb. 9th 2024
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Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite tools and supplies to celebrate the release of The Ultimate Glue Guide."

 

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Make Next Level Thermoplastic Cosplay Props!
July 26th, 2023
"In the book, readers learn how to detail EVA foam horns using Wonderflex and Worbla to get different textures and accents. By simply wrapping EVA foam with Worbla, and then applying heat, you’re able to create any sized accessory, like horns! This technique is used in a demo on making Ribbed Horns with Wonderflex."

 

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Armor Up! Thermoplastics Book Tour
by Christopher Tock, Chad Van Wye, and Sammy Van Wye || April 10th, 2023
"Are you interested in learning how to use thermoplastics like: worbla, sintra, fosshape, acrylic, or PVC, but have no idea where to even start? No matter your skill level, our book will inspire and teach you new skills that can help make your cosplay vision a reality!"

 

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The Ultimate Glue Guide Virtual Book Tour
By Beverly Downen || Jan. 9th, 2023
"The sky is truly the limit when you start working with EVA foam. My 240-page book Cosplayer’s Ultimate Guide to EVA Foam will help any inspired maker who wants to use EVA foam to craft their own costumes, and offers advanced techniques for seasoned foamsmiths to level up their cosplay skills!

 

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Level Up! Creative Cosplay Book Tour
by Amanda Haas || Nov. 7th, 2022
"This book is a sister companion to Creative Cosplay that was released in September 2020. I poured a lot of knowledge into that first one and I realized that I still had tips and tricks to tell everyone. This book is all about that next step you want start on once you’ve grasped the basics of cosplay. Let’s level up!" 

 

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5 DIY Halloween Costume Ideas
Oct. 11, 2022
"With Spooky season in full swing, we are sharing 5 DIY Halloween costume ideas."

 

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The Cosplay Book of Ballgowns Book Tour
by Regan Cerato & Kelley Kullman || Sept. 19th, 2022
"From fairytale princesses to elegant rococo nobility, a beautiful ballgown is the key to bringing so many characters to life. These gowns come in all shapes and sizes - from a-line to cupcake, from short to long, corseted, hooped, and everything in between!"

 

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Cosplay For You Book Tour
by Sanit Klamachanuan || Aug. 29th, 2022
"My hope for this book is to inspire you to explore the artistic side of costume making and to keep you from getting stuck making the same cosplay everyone else is making. I will show you how you can add a bit of yourself to your project and create something that is special to you."

 

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Top 5 Must-Have Piece for Every Cosplayer
July 29th, 2022
"Cosplay can take hours of research, testing, and construction. Each piece comes together to create a visual and craft masterpiece. So what are the most essential parts that you should focus on? Here are my top five pieces to prioritize."

 

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Make Your Own Cosplay Costume 
by Senior Acquisitions Editor Roxane Cerda || July 8th, 2022 
"Whether it is a twist on a known character or costume or creating something entirely from your imagination, Sanit shares his creative process, go-to materials, and key skills. With his guidance, you can strike out on your own and create something unique to you."

 

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Smocking Secrets Book Tour
by Maggie Hofmann
"The book includes 20 pattern charts for both North American and English smocking and I would like to show you how to stitch one of the most popular patterns in North American smocking- arrow or dragonscale smocking. Arrow smocking has been seen in several costumes from popular pop culture fandoms and is often used in costume applications by cosplayers."

 

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Cosplay Foundation Book Tour
by Casey Renee || June 13th, 2022
"I’ve been making corsets and hoop skirts 2015 and once I started making foundation garments for my cosplays I couldn’t really stop. I have always loved princesses and ball gowns, my love for these things has helped me discover how historical silhouettes can influence and support modern costume design."

 

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Smocking Stencils for Amazing Texture and Special Effects
June 6th, 2022
"Wait 'til you see the amazing ideas for using smocking to add texture and dimension to costumes and cosplay—you won't believe the creative possibilities. Let your creativity go wild!"

 

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Smocking, a Must-Have Tool for Creating Stunning Costumes
May 16th, 2022
"Hofmann demonstrates how to stitch 20 designs that can add incredible details to your next costume build with step-by-step photo instruction. Smocked details are beautiful and can add fullness or stretch to a garment, as in the collar, cuffs, and waistline of this costume."

 

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Start with the Silhouette!
May 9th, 2022
"Every great costume begins with an even better foundation! Foundation garments are the pieces that are rarely seen, such as hoop skirts and petticoats, or those seen like corsets and bodysuits. Think of these pieces as the basic building blocks of your costume."

 

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How to Survive a Cosplay Convention
A Conversation with Amanda Haas || May 6th, 2022
"Con season is here, and with so many options for summer (and all year long), every cosplayer should check a few essentials off their list. We talked to Amanda Haas, known as Jedimanda, for advice."

 

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Gorgeous Costuming for the Feet! by Regan Cerato
by Regan Cerato & Kelley Kullman || Oct. 7th, 2021
"Packed with inspirational photos and how-tos, we cover some of the most popular cosplay footwear types, including custom shoes, tights, thigh highs, and boot covers. This book also includes two variable patterns that can be customized for a variety of shoe sizes and types, no matter what your future cosplay project!"

 

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Footwear made Fabulous!
Sept. 21st, 2021
"This book from the creative duo of Cowbutt Crunchies takes all the stress out of finding the perfect footwear. They explain clearly and simply, with words and photographs, how to make you own boot and shoe covers, custom-dye tights, and make thigh-highs."

 

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Announcing FanPowered Press!
April 20th, 2021
"We are thrilled to announce the creation of FanPowered Press, a new imprint that will publish books on all things Cosplay!"

 

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Cosplay Costume Tips with Amanda Haas
March 26th, 2021
"Amanda Haas, commonly known as Jedimanda, shares two of her most recent cosplay costumes, from Netflix's The Witcher and popular film The Mummy, and explains the difference between making a costume from scratch and a "closet costume" creation!"

 

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Journey Into Creating 
by Amanda Haas || Sept. 11th, 2020 
"In my new book, Creative Cosplay, I will take you through how to make your first cosplay costume, breakdown fabric, and how to sew, as well as take you into what a typical day is like for a cosplayer at a convention. Spoiler alert, there is a lot more to it than just smiling and posing for pretty pictures." 

 

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Listen to an Interview with Jedimanda (a.k.a Amanda Haas)
Oct. 22nd, 2022
"Join us for our second episode of Season 3 Behind the Seams!"