By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Attending Dragon Con takes skill, time, and creativity! Peach spoke to Brad and Ike, both fervent Dragon Con attendees, about what it takes to do it right!
Brad Gibson
Marketing Director and owner of illustration and design business
How many times have you attended Dragon Con?
This year will be my 8th consecutive DragonCon, I’m addicted.
What is about Dragon Con that is so alluring?
The energy, the creativity, and the connection that you feel with thousands of people who are all interested in geeky things. The cosplays are beyond impressive and the parties every night are always a blast.
From where do you draw your inspiration for your character/costume?
Pop Culture is my biggest inspiration. Though I’ve done a little of every column at some point in time. I love genderbending cosplays as well, taking female characters and making them male or femme male. I also always want to do a horror look because I like being scary.
What are you going as this year?
This year I may be reprising Wonder Parton (a combination Wonder Woman/Dolly Parton) because I’m very behind on my costume builds. I will also be one of the New Mutants (they all wore the same costume and I’m trying to figure out which one I want to be), an X-Men spinoff from the 80s that’s about to make a comeback.
When did you start making your costume(s)?
I only started a few weeks ago, I’m SO BEHIND. Usually it’s all done and dusted by this point. I haven’t even done my makeup tests, yikes!
What events are you attending?
On Friday nights I always do The Zombie Prom and the 8-bit Bash. Saturday nights are reserved for the LGBTQ Spectrum party, and some friends and myself also organize the Dazzler Happy Hour, a happy hour themed around the X-Man Dazzler.
Any last words?
I’d encourage anyone at any level of geekdom or interest to attend Dragon Con. Yes, it’s crowded, but it’s a fun atmosphere that welcomes all walks of life, and it’s a fantastic escape from the stressful climate we live in. It’s fun to become someone/something else for an entire weekend with thousands of other people.
—
Ike Chinukwue
Freelance Branding Specialist & Designer
How many times have you attended Dragon Con?
Four times
What is about Dragon Con that is so alluring?
I love the energy of the event. It’s
good at capturing a non-judgment zone for everyone. Dragon Con is also a very
safe space for people who identify with the LGBTQ+ community.
From where do you draw your inspiration for your character/costume?
I draw my inspirations mostly from
anime, gaming, a little bit of high fantasy, and pop culture.
What are you going as this year?
I’m going as my elf persona and Rock
Lee from Naruto.
When did you start making your costume(s)?
Several months beforehand. It takes a
lot of preparation and some things need to be custom-made.
What events are you attending this year?
The Spectrum party, which is the LGBTQ event they throw every
Dragon Con. I’m also very interested in attending all the cool panels!
Any
last words?
Cosplay is all about having fun. You can mix characters or just do your own thing. People are intimidated by Dragon Con because they think you have to dress up. Dragon Con is the complete opposite of that and is open to everyone!