Ask Ani-Mia: Our New Advice Column!

Hey there cosplayers and cosplay enthusiasts. Welcome to the first Ask Ani-Mia, a running advice column where you can ask questions on any topic that may be cosplay related and get an answer. Hopefully my years of cosplay experience can help shed some light on questions you may have been dying to ask but for some reason or another haven’t. So let’s get started.

Hi Ani-Mia, I want to cosplay Dante from Devil May Cry. What should I start first to make the cosplay a reality? - From RJ D

Hi RJ, First great idea. Regardless of which game version of Dante you ultimately decide to cosplay, you the first thing you want to do is break down the cosplay into smaller, more manageable parts and list them out. For example, say you want to cosplay Dante from the newest game, DMC 5. Your parts to create would be: wig, coat, shirt, pants, boots, and accessories (gloves, elbow wraps, belt buckle) and weapons. Each of these items can further be broken down into a list of what needs to be created or collected for each part. This should give you a checklist and from there, you can start to knock out each one.

Personally, I like to work on a few easy parts in the beginning to get into the groove of making the cosplay, then work on something more complicated, and finishing smaller detail pieces last. There’s really no wrong way to get started. Just make sure to keep updating your list of what you need to work on and stay organized to ensure you don’t miss any details.

Hi Ani-Mia, my question about cosplay is this; has cosplay ever influenced your decision-making on a personal matter? For example, piercings with cosplays? - From Jenny

When it comes to any sort of body modification like piercings or tattoos, I’ve never really been concerned with how it affects my cosplay. While there are some cosplayers and cosplay enthusiasts that appreciate completely accurate cosplays, cosplay is supposed to be fun and allow you to become your favorite character for your own enjoyment.

In addition, body modifications can easily be hidden if a cosplayer wanted to. Piercings can easily be removed and tattoos can be covered. Ben Nye, a trusted name in theatrical makeup, has a highly pigmented tattoo cover palette that works wonderfully and YouTube is a great resource on how to not only apply the cover-up, but also blend it with makeup to look natural and seamless.

So while tattoos and piercings really shouldn’t matter in cosplay, if a cosplayer chooses to have either and not show it in their cosplay, there are numerous options to conceal them. I wouldn’t let something like that be driven by your cosplays since it’s such a personal decision.

Dear Ani-Mia, With all the traveling that you do, are there go to spots to visit or foods to eat in each city? What's your favorite? - From, NSC

That’s hard to say if I have a favorite since I go to a lot of conventions; but I always recommend people search out new places to eat if they are traveling for a convention. Sometimes it’s not easy to get away from the convention center and often even harder to find a place that isn’t completely packed with other hungry attendees. Conventions in larger cities make it convenient to just walk a few blocks to get away from the crowds but with ride sharing, it’s much easier to find a place to sit down for a nice meal that’s not too far from your hotel or the event, no matter where it is located.

I always try to find something that’s local or special for wherever I’m at. For example, when I’m in Kentucky for a convention, I look for a place that has a good Hot Brown sandwich (open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich with a cheese sauce), or if I’m in Canada, I have to get a bowl of poutine (fries covered in gravy and cheese curds).

And finding a nice place to eat doesn’t have to be expensive. With an easy Google search, you can find local food at any price range and without the long waits of places next to the convention center. Trust me, not much worse at a con than being hangry and number 35 in line for the closest fast food place.

If you have a question that you’d like to have answered, feel free to send it to askanimia@gmail.com. Make sure to include your first name and last initial or let us know if you’d like to mark the question as “From Anonymous”