Echo magazine 2022

Page 40

Becoming Someone Else:

Inside the World of Cosplay Find community and become your favorite character through costume play Photos by Bianca Kreusel

By Camryn Cutinello After a quick trip to Party City 10 years ago, Christopher English donned a plastic wig, some red face paint and an out-of-the-bag costume, and put an empty paint can over his right hand to represent Hellboy’s Hand of Doom. He went to a comic book convention and saw people in elaborate costumes representing hundreds of different characters. “I was like, ‘I want to do this all the time, I want to do this every weekend,’” English says. “And that’s when I found out that it’s called cosplay.” Cosplay (short for costume play) is a performance art form where people create elaborate costumes that mimic their favorite characters in movies, TV shows and comics. Since English’s first convention, he has created about 50 to 60 costumes, taking anywhere from a week or a year to create, and costing anywhere from $600 to $1,000. English wears his costumes to conventions, movie premieres and advanced screenings, libraries and charity events. Monica Paprocki from Chicago professionally creates costumes for companies. She also competes, participating in the Crown Championships of Cosplay in Chicago. Paprocki, who works as an accountant, says she always knew she wanted to be an artist. She has a degree in psychology and accounting, but always knew she would return to art. After entering a contest hosted by Marvel

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