Review: The Cosplay Handbook by Grace Herbert

 Hello everyone!

As you probably know, I am a sci-fi/fantasy/gamer geek. Lately I have really been getting into the idea of trying cosplay. I am still very much at the inspiration/ideas gathering/planning stage of this.

Why cosplay? Well it combines my geekiness with my sewing in a different way, and is a great way of creatively upcycling clothing. And dressing up is fun, even with nowhere to go.

There are definitely things about it that will be a challenge to me, like make-up (I literally never wear any. I don't currently own any foundation. I might be able to dig out some lipstick from somewhere if I look hard), the fact I normally hate wearing hats, and my photography skills are somewhat lacking. But I think it will be fun to try anyway!

So for my birthday last month, to help get me started, my hubby bought me this book. 

It's a self-published title available on Amazon, written by Grace Herbert of gracewillowcrafts.com, formerly known as zonbiscosplay.com. I read it all pretty quickly, and thought I would review it for you all.

So first off, there is a lot to like about this book. For self-published, the production quality is good, and Herbert writes in a clear, chatty style. Best of all, there are tons of nice photos.

Herbert's forte is clearly building armour and helmets from EVA foam, and the sections on this are easily the best part of the book, with lots of clear, photographed directions for every stage of the process, including making patterns, priming the foam, putting the elements together and painting. I will definitely be using her foil-and-duct-tape method for making patterns to fit my shape.

However, there are some glaring omissions. There is no mention at all of make up or body paint. The painting section is entirely focussed on painting props and armour. This seems odd when it is such a big part of cosplay, indeed there are cosplayers who work entirely in that medium.

There are also no specific projects to work on. While I understand this is difficult, especially as there is a need to avoid copyright violations in this sort of publication, I do feel there could have been some generic things to make, e.g. a cape to sew or a Viking helmet to make, that give more exact quantities of what was needed to help people get a feel for how much stuff they needed to find or buy.

And in many sections, I was left wanting more. Being published in 2019 (pre-Covid), the focus is on cosplay for attending conventions, and this tips for this about travelling and costume weight are useful. But with platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok being so important to this community, I do feel there should be something on videography rather than just stills photography. And that the photography section should be expanded.

Furthermore, the tools section looks at each type of tool individually in detail, but doesn't really look at how tools and material goes together. Like what cutting tools or adhesives go with which materials? It also seems strange that 3D printers have been left out altogether.

And again the shopping section has a list of stores, but not suggestions of what to get from each of stores - some of them I have no idea whether they are for buying tools, materials or ready-made cosplay items. The thrift section could also use a little more, like, what sort of things should you be looking for in a thrift store.

But overall, I liked it, and it has definitely given me some ideas of where to start. I will be checking out the author's YouTube channel for more ideas. And maybe getting started with a few ideas that I can put together out of what I already own. I'm afraid that with all three little kids at home, it might take me longer than anticipated to actually get round to any of it, but still, I think it's going to be fun. Watch this space!

I am open to suggestions about who you think I should try to cosplay! If you have any ideas, comment and let me know!

Thanks for reading!