You've probably noticed that images in my articles are outputting as small vertically rather than full size centered. I'm not sure what broke, but I'm looking into it and will hopefully have them fixed soon (or at least a workaround -- hopefully the former because having to go back and fix forty posts is daunting).... Continue Reading →
Curiosities of Cosplay: Lutavia
Experience is an invaluable teacher; with enough persistence and determination, it can make anyone proficient whatever creative skill they wish. But what of the lessons that cannot be quantified? Years of sewing and crafting are evident in the increasing complexity and detail in Lutavia's work, but the time spent connecting with, and providing invaluable resources for, beginner and veteran crafters alike that strive to create their own dream cosplays has proved to be just as fulfilling.
Inquiries of Art: Grievervsk
Painter, sculptor, makeup artist - Grievervsk's work could fit under many categories, and for him, that mix and meld of techniques that bring his visions to life is totally by design.
Reflections in Fabric: The Creation of the Sophist Robes, Part 2
Pre-production lays the groundwork for a smooth cosplay build, but the need for creative problem-solving is nowhere near finished once construction begins. In part two of "Reflections in Fabric," featured cosplayers discuss how each problem solved and each step completed slowly but surely brought their sophist robes to life—life which, to the Ancients of old, might be described as nothing short of true creation magic.
Reflections in Fabric: The Creation of the Sophist Robes, Part 1
Not long after the release of Endwalker in December 2021, my Twitter feed was filled with the flowing black and white robes of those Ancients encountered in Elpis, known in-game as the sophist robes. Seasoned and new cosplayers alike shared their knowledge and resources, unified in recreating the robes donned by beloved NPCs and Warriors of Light alike. In Part 1 of "Reflections," I spoke with ten cosplayers about their pre-production considerations, fabric choices, and inspirations for creating the sophist robes.
Three Reflections (Twice) at the Beginning and End of All Things
A short story written for the FFXIV fanzine "Answers." With the night restored, and a temporary sense of peace hanging over the First, the Crystal Exarch recalls the heroes of past, present, and future whose lives never touched, but whose spirits interlaced, to save the future-not-yet-written, the future of the constant companion by his side, the Warrior of Light and Darkness. One hundred years, one hundred threads, woven into this single moment, the pieces forming, finally, a finished tapestry.
Curiosities of Cosplay: Snips
The Ishgardian Temple Knights second-in-command Lucia Junius seemed a perfect project for CosSnips, a cosplayer with well over a decade of large builds under her belt, but it wasn't until a close friend declared her intention to cosplay Aymeric de Borel that Snips finally decided to take the plunge. The hardest part for Snips now might just be settling on which XIV character to cosplay next, but the success of her stunning Lucia and Panthean armor is a pretty strong start.
Curiosities of Cosplay: Foodzorz
From the battle wear on Ardbert's axe to the smallest minutia on his armor, every stitch in every layer accounted for and even the wig carefully and painstakingly styled, Foodz ensured no detail of XIV's tragic hero, much like his tale and the tale of his companions' adventures and sacrifices on the First, went forgotten.
Inquiries of Art: Clinkorz
Clinkorz online discovered her love of laser art and etching in the long arc of her work in illustration, sculpting, and props-making. Her portfolio of work is a testament to how giving one's all to each project now builds the stepping stones for every new project later, with each finished piece of art better than the last.
Inquiries of Art: Why Maige
The cute yet deadly White Mage character that is the center of Why Maige's comics is a tongue-in-cheek representation of many XIV players' occasional frustrations, and laughing about those frustrations is always more fun than letting them sour the game. "If you don’t laugh, you’re going to cry" - and Why Maige, no matter what difficulties she faces in-game or in life, would always much rather laugh.
Inquiries of Art 