Cosprofessionals Series: Volpin Props cover sketch

If I haven’t said it in the past…I LOVE cosplay. I’s something I wish I had more time, resources, and skill to do more of. For those of you who are unaware, “cosplay” is the act of dressing up like a character from comic books, video games, movies, TV, literature, or cartoons, and attending conventions dressed as said characters. It’s like a more sophisticated and refined version of Halloween. It has a mass appeal and has recently been gaining popularity with feverish pace. While cosplay appeals to a broad audience and consists of cosplayers of varying skill and dedication…there are those who take it as more than just a hobby. These individuals truly treat it as an art form. I personally refer to these dedicated and skilled individuals as “cosprofessionals.” With a high degree of craftsmanship and incredible accuracy, they craft and wear stunning props and costumes to conventions around the world.
Since I don’t have the time, resources, or skill to cosplay myself…I wish to pay tribute to those extraordinary individuals who do. I have always had a fascination with the world of cosplay, and have slowly befriended and drawn a great deal of inspiration from a number of the top cosplayers in the industry. As a show of my admiration for their work, I plan to do some of my own to throw a spotlight on the world of cosplay, the process, some of the perks, as well as some of the frightening horror stories that come with it. With some luck, I may be able to chronicle some of their stories in short comics. Each comic will feature the cosplayer/their work in an original cover illustration.

Since I have decided to not only focus on cosplayers, but also some prop-makers and costume houses as well since they are synonymous in my book. One of the best prop-makers in the business in my personal opinion is none other than Volpin Props in Atlanta, GA. They initially caught my attention with a featured article on the official World of Warcraft website spotlighting their incredible Doomhammer replica. After that, I was hooked and have been following their phenomenal work on Facebook since then. A couple of their high-profile projects include some Daft Punk helmets and the Portal gun…so I decided to reference both of those projects in their cover image.

This is just a rough mockup of the color cover, but it gives a general (albeit it messy) look at what the final will look like.