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30th March 2015
Cosplay Reference Photos & Tips

As we enter convention season, now is the perfect time to try out new cosplays, characters or improve your crafting skills. Throughout this week, I'll be posting up tips and suggestions for getting into the hobby and talk to cosplayers who have experiencing cosplaying Remedy's characters, regarding their experiences and what tips they would give.
 
If you're just in the planning stage, I recommend checking out a mobile app called Cosplanner. The program helps you to follow the process of your costume and keeps you on track for your budget. You can type in every piece your cosplay needs and how much you want to spend for each. You can also upload reference photos too so you can store everything in one place and take it with you on the go.

Of course an essential part of getting into character is having the look. To help you prepare, reference photos are a cosplayer's friend (and occasionally worst enemy). Below are a collection of images to help you capture the look.



      
Alan Wake
 - Alan Wake, 2006 Outfit Reference
 - Alan Wake, 2006 Face
 - Alan Wake, Layer Reference
 - Alan Wake, Layer Detail
 - Alan Wake, Jacket Detail

Alan Wake's American Nightmare
 - Alan Wake, Shirt Detail (Live Action)
 - Alan Wake, Shirt Detail 2
 - Alan Wake, Full Shot
 - Alan Wake, Full Shot 2
 - Alan Wake, Gun (Live Action)
 - Mr Scratch, Suit Fit w. Jacket (Live Action)
 - Mr Scratch, Suit Detail (Live Action)
 - Emma Sloan

Quantum Break
 - Jack Joyce, Outfit (V.01, May 2013
 - Jack Joyce, Outfit Front (V.02, June 2013)
 - Jack  Joyce, Outfit Back (V.02, June 2013)
 - Jack Joyce, Outfit (Final)
 - Jack Joyce, Jacket Detail
 - Jack Joyce, Jacket Arm Detail
 - Jack Joyce, Outfit Fit
 - Monarch, Security Front (V.01, May 2013)
 - Monarch, Security Back (V.01, May 2013) 
 - Monarch, Security (Final)
 - Monarch, Security Back
 - Monarch, Juggernaut Full Body #1
 - Monarch, Juggernaut Full Body #2
 - Monarch, Juggernaut Full Body #3
 - Monarch, Juggernaut Full Body #4
If any cosplayers are up for a challenge, you should check out Jack's outfit in Quantum Break, or the Monarch Juggernaut suit. I haven't seen any cosplays from that series yet, so you'll be stepping into new territory, and probably get quite a lot of attention for it. The Juggernaut one especially should be an interesting challenge for even experienced cosplayers, as the trick is to capture the heavy, clumsy side of the suits as well as its technological element.

Another important part of cosplaying is capturing the character's personality. Having things in shot which reflect what they're like is an easy way of doing this; so you're describing through the use of props. But the expression and body language is much more important, and more challenging. After picking what character you want to portray, check out their page on the Alan Wake or Max Payne wikis, replay some of the levels and just take note of how they stand and express themselves.

Even after you've got a good grip on what your character is like and you've got the outfit completed, you need to look at possible locations for your photoshoot. Many cosplayers choose to create their own set at their home, which helps with things like anxiety, which may be a perfect place to start if that is a concern. However the location will be down to you; you don't have to shoot where people will be walking by, in fact your photographs may be better in areas where it's more empty. (If you're nervous about attention, but less nervous about cosplaying, your photoshoot can take place during a convention. A lot of people will be in costume then.)


-- CONSOLE & PC GAMES --

The Control Series

The Crossfire Series

The Quantum Break Series

The Alan Wake Series

The Max Payne Series

Additional

-- MOBILE GAMES --

-- LIVE ACTION SERIES --

Icons by the incredible, Evil-Owl-Loki.

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