Revised: February 3, 2008

Cosplay: Workmanship Judging FAQ

Workmanship will be judged by a 3 person panel of judges before the masquerade.

Costumers who have opted for workmanship judging will meet with the panel for a private judging session before the masquerade, where their work will be looked at up-close and their documentation examined. Costumers have the choice of getting a specific part of their costume (i.e. a prop) judged or having the judges look at their complete outfit in its entirety. After the judging session, the judges will go into recess to determine Judge's Choice and workmanship award winners.

During the masquerade, people who signed up for the workmanship contest will present their costumes onstage as part of a fashion show. The workmanship judges will score the entries on how well their costumes flow, move, and drape onstage.

The competitive award winners will be announced with the winners of the Skit contest.

Good Documentation

Good documentation shows front and back views of your costume. Documentation that could win you an award at a Worldcon-level competition includes side views of your costume, as well as up-close shots of the most important features of the design. We're not Worldcon, but since good documentation can make and break your score, it doesn't hurt to be as thorough as possible.

It is preferred that you have printed forms of documentation. We cannot view documentation on DVDs or laptop computers.

It is also recommended that you supply at least 3 copies of documentation, so that all of three of the judges can refer to your documentation during the private judging session and the Fashion Show. It greatly helps the judges if they have pictures in front of them when you present your costume onstage.

Policy on Original Costumes

This year, we are allowing original costumes in the masquerade. The catch is, your design must contain Japanese influences and you must be able prove this to the judges. This can be done through some form of documentation that shows your inspiration. Original designs that do not incorporate Japanese influences and do not bring documentation will not be judged.

An example of an acceptable entry would be an original Gothic Lolita that incorporates influences from the EGL Bibles into the design, while an example of an unacceptable entry would be throwing on black Goth clothes from Hot Topic and calling it EGL.

Sample Workmanship Judging Questions

The following are questions that I have asked in the past when I have judged craftsmanship at a con. They should be used as guidelines only, as the judging process may not include everything listed below and/or the judges may decide to add to the following questions and observations.

General Questions
- Did you bring documentation? (Recreation and original costumes should have some form of documentation to show how their costume was made.)
- Did you make your costume?
- Did you receive any help? If you received help, how much help did you receive?
- How long did it take you to make your costume?
- What details would you like to call attention to?
- What was the most difficult part of your costume to construct? What was the most time-consuming?
- What would you have done differently?
Original Costumes
- What was your inspiration for the design?
- What effect were you trying to achieve?
- What Japanese elements were you able to integrate into your costume? (You must be able to show the judges what influences you used.)
Recreation Costumes
- How accurate is your costume to the official source?
- If your costume differs from the original design, why did you make changes? Were you doing it to:
  - deliberately change the look of the design
  - interpret the design
  - make the outfit more wearable (You will not be penalized if you can justify what you did.).
- Did you embellish or enhance any elements?
- What elements were difficult to recreate?

Construction Questions

Accessories
- Did you make your character's accessories?
- If your costume is an original design, why did you choose to make the particular accessories you included in the design?
- What techniques went into making them?
Dangerous Construction Techniques
- Did you use any dangerous construction techniques, such as:
  - airbrushing
  - casting fiberglass
  - working with hazardous materials, like dental acrylic, etc.,
- If so, what safety procedures did you use?
Difficult Construction Techniques
- Did you use any difficult construction techniques, such as:
  - hand-beading
  - casting fiberglass
  - cutting metal
  - linking chain maille
  - molding your own prosthetics, etc.,
  (Questions about your techniques will vary depending on what you did. If you used chain maille, for example, the judges might ask whether you cut the links yourself or used pre-ordered rings.)
Did you run into problems with the design of your costume? If so, how cleverly were you able to work around them / come up with a solution?

Found Items

Does your costume consist of any found-item parts?
If so, how well were they altered or cleverly integrated into the design of the costume?

Props

Did you make your props or purchase them? (Purchased props must be excluded from workmanship judging.)
Did you:
- cast them?
- mold them?
- incorporate found objects into the design, etc.?
Do your props contain any special features, such as:
- collapsible parts?
- LED lights?
- sound effects etc.?
How difficult were your props to construct? Did you use any challenging construction techniques, such as fiberglass or leather carving?
How finished do your props look? Can we see any hot glue stains? Have your props been:
- painted?
- properly sealed?
- sanded, etc.?
What transportation issues did you take into consideration when building your props?

Makeup

Are you wearing makeup? (You're not required to wear make-up, but having basic makeup on will enhance the overall effect of your costume.)
If so, did you use any difficult make-up techniques, such as working with foam latex prosthetics?
How neatly is your makeup applied?

Molded Costumes

Are all the parts of your costume finished off?
Did your costume require any dangerous construction techniques?
How does your costume stay together?
How did you create the pattern for your costume?
What materials did you use to create your costume?

Sewn Costumes

General Questions

Are all the edges of your costume finished? (Unless your character intentionally wears tattered clothing, your costume should be hemmed and finished.)
Did you do any difficult hand-work, such as:
- applique
- embroidery
- hand-beading, etc.
Did you incorproate any store bought clothes into the design? If you did, how did you alter them?
Did you use commercial patterns, modify pre-existing patterns or make your own?
How hard was it to work with the fabric that you chose?
How well does your costume fit you? What methods did you use to insure a good fit?
- adding boning
- invisible zippers
- velcro, etc.

Hand Sewn Costumes

Did you use any hand-sewing on your costume?
If so, how neat and consistent is your hand-work? How straight are your stitches?
If you were to wear the costume again, how well would it hold together?

Shoes

Are you wearing a pair of purchased shoes or did you make special shoes for your character?
Did you make footwear for your character by altering a pre-existing pair of shoes or making boot covers?
If you made boot covers, how well do they fit and how natural do they look over the shoes underneath them?

Wigs and Hair

Hair

Are you wearing a wig or are you using your natural hair?
If you're using your hair, did you:
- blend extensions into your hair
- cut it
- dye it, etc.
How difficult was it to style?

Wigs

Did you style your wig to look like your character's hair? (Styled wigs will earn more points than wigs that have been purchased off the shelf and unaltered.)
If so, what techniques did you use? Did you:
- add extensions (or wefts) to make the wig more "full"
- custom color the wig with sharpies or wig dye
- cut bangs, etc.
How difficult was it to style?

The Curveball Question

Finally, always be prepared for the question that throws you for a loop! You never know when the judges will ask something that you don't expect.




	Revised: February 3, 2008 Cosplay: Workmanship Judging FAQ Workmanship will be judged by a 3 person panel of judges before the masquerade. Costumers who have opted for workmanship judging will meet with the panel for a private judging session before the masquerade, where their work will be looked at up-close and their documentation examined. Costumers have the choice of getting a specific part of their costume (i.e. a prop) judged or having the judges look at their complete outfit in its entirety. After the judging session, the judges will go into recess to determine Judge's Choice and workmanship award winners. During the masquerade, people who signed up for the workmanship contest will present their costumes onstage as part of a fashion show. The workmanship judges will score the entries on how well their costumes flow, move, and drape onstage. The competitive award winners will be announced with the winners of the Skit contest. Good Documentation Good documentation shows front and back views of your costume. Documentation that could win you an award at a Worldcon-level competition includes side views of your costume, as well as up-close shots of the most important features of the design. We're not Worldcon, but since good documentation can make and break your score, it doesn't hurt to be as thorough as possible. It is preferred that you have printed forms of documentation. We cannot view documentation on DVDs or laptop computers. It is also recommended that you supply at least 3 copies of documentation, so that all of three of the judges can refer to your documentation during the private judging session and the Fashion Show. It greatly helps the judges if they have pictures in front of them when you present your costume onstage. Policy on Original Costumes This year, we are allowing original costumes in the masquerade. The catch is, your design must contain Japanese influences and you must be able prove this to the judges. This can be done through some form of documentation that shows your inspiration. Original designs that do not incorporate Japanese influences and do not bring documentation will not be judged. An example of an acceptable entry would be an original Gothic Lolita that incorporates influences from the EGL Bibles into the design, while an example of an unacceptable entry would be throwing on black Goth clothes from Hot Topic and calling it EGL. Sample Workmanship Judging Questions The following are questions that I have asked in the past when I have judged craftsmanship at a con. They should be used as guidelines only, as the judging process may not include everything listed below and/or the judges may decide to add to the following questions and observations. General Questions Did you bring documentation? (Recreation and original costumes should have some form of documentation to show how their costume was made.) Did you make your costume? Did you receive any help? If you received help, how much help did you receive? How long did it take you to make your costume? What details would you like to call attention to? What was the most difficult part of your costume to construct? What was the most time-consuming? What would you have done differently? Original Costumes What was your inspiration for the design? What effect were you trying to achieve? What Japanese elements were you able to integrate into your costume? (You must be able to show the judges what influences you used.) Recreation Costumes How accurate is your costume to the official source? If your costume differs from the original design, why did you make changes? Were you doing it to: deliberately change the look of the design interpret the design make the outfit more wearable (You will not be penalized if you can justify what you did.). Did you embellish or enhance any elements? What elements were difficult to recreate? Construction Questions Accessories Did you make your character's accessories? If your costume is an original design, why did you choose to make the particular accessories you included in the design? What techniques went into making them? Dangerous Construction Techniques Did you use any dangerous construction techniques, such as: airbrushing casting fiberglass working with hazardous materials, like dental acrylic, etc., If so, what safety procedures did you use? Difficult Construction Techniques Did you use any difficult construction techniques, such as: hand-beading casting fiberglass cutting metal linking chain maille molding your own prosthetics, etc., (Questions about your techniques will vary depending on what you did. If you used chain maille, for example, the judges might ask whether you cut the links yourself or used pre-ordered rings.) Did you run into problems with the design of your costume? If so, how cleverly were you able to work around them / come up with a solution? Found Items Does your costume consist of any found-item parts? If so, how well were they altered or cleverly integrated into the design of the costume? Props Did you make your props or purchase them? (Purchased props must be excluded from workmanship judging.) Did you: cast them? mold them? incorporate found objects into the design, etc.? Do your props contain any special features, such as: collapsible parts? LED lights? sound effects etc.? How difficult were your props to construct? Did you use any challenging construction techniques, such as fiberglass or leather carving? How finished do your props look? Can we see any hot glue stains? Have your props been: painted? properly sealed? sanded, etc.? What transportation issues did you take into consideration when building your props? Makeup Are you wearing makeup? (You're not required to wear make-up, but having basic makeup on will enhance the overall effect of your costume.) If so, did you use any difficult make-up techniques, such as working with foam latex prosthetics? How neatly is your makeup applied? Molded Costumes Are all the parts of your costume finished off? Did your costume require any dangerous construction techniques? How does your costume stay together? How did you create the pattern for your costume? What materials did you use to create your costume? Sewn Costumes General Questions Are all the edges of your costume finished? (Unless your character intentionally wears tattered clothing, your costume should be hemmed and finished.) Did you do any difficult hand-work, such as: applique embroidery hand-beading, etc. Did you incorproate any store bought clothes into the design? If you did, how did you alter them? Did you use commercial patterns, modify pre-existing patterns or make your own? How hard was it to work with the fabric that you chose? How well does your costume fit you? What methods did you use to insure a good fit? adding boning invisible zippers velcro, etc. Hand Sewn Costumes Did you use any hand-sewing on your costume? If so, how neat and consistent is your hand-work? How straight are your stitches? If you were to wear the costume again, how well would it hold together? Shoes Are you wearing a pair of purchased shoes or did you make special shoes for your character? Did you make footwear for your character by altering a pre-existing pair of shoes or making boot covers? If you made boot covers, how well do they fit and how natural do they look over the shoes underneath them? Wigs and Hair Hair Are you wearing a wig or are you using your natural hair? If you're using your hair, did you: blend extensions into your hair cut it dye it, etc. How difficult was it to style? Wigs Did you style your wig to look like your character's hair? (Styled wigs will earn more points than wigs that have been purchased off the shelf and unaltered.) If so, what techniques did you use? Did you: add extensions (or wefts) to make the wig more "full" custom color the wig with sharpies or wig dye cut bangs, etc. How difficult was it to style? The Curveball Question Finally, always be prepared for the question that throws you for a loop! You never know when the judges will ask something that you don't expect.