Cyprus Comic Con is pleased to announce Germia as its second Cosplay Special Guest for CCC2019!
Germia is a Czech cosplayer, gamer, crafter and gaming streamer. She is known for bringing strong female characters to life. She first got into cosplay in 2015 and since then she has managed to become quite established in the cosplay world.
She has won several different local and international cosplay contests, including the EuroCosplay Championship (2016) at MCM London Comic Con and Season 8 of European Cosplay Gathering (2018) at Japan’s Expo Ichigo stage along with her fellow Czech cosplayers Ali and Ketrin in the group category. Germia is now invited to be a cosplay guest, judge and panellist at conventions all around the world.
Follow Germia’s accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see more of her excellent cosplays!
Milos Mlady Photography
Milos Mlady Photography
Milos Mlady Photography
Germia always concentrates on honest and good craftsmanship while also approaching cosplay creatively. She likes to work with a lot of different materials and she is always trying to find new ways on how to work more effectively, be more creative and work with the best/cheap material alternatives or how incorporate everyday stuff in her costumes.
She works as a teacher so naturally she finds that it’s very important for cosplayers to share their knowledge with each other. She loves giving back to the Cosplay community by sharing tutorials, experience and her opinions. Germia owns a YouTube channel where she posts cosplay tutorials as well as other videos.
It is not a coincidence that Germia chooses to cosplay mainly characters from video games as she is a big gamer herself. She has a Twitch account where she streams in Czech but also answers questions in English, German and Russian. Some of the games she plays include Dota 2, League of Legends, Left 4 Dead 2, etc.
Milos Mlady Photography
Germia as a judge at the CCC19 EuroCosplay Qualifier
Germia will be one of our Special Guest judges for the EuroCosplay Qualifier on Saturday and will also be sharing her expertise with us at the following panels:
Saturday (20th of April)
Topic: Cosplay Priming And Painting
Sunday (21st of April)
Topic: How To Be Successful In Cosplay Contests
*Full info of panels to be confirmed once the Cyprus Comic Con 2019 schedule is announced
Cosplay, or Costume Play is the act of dressing up and acting as a character from pop culture including cartoons, anime, manga, comics, video games, movies or TV. Many cosplayers hand-make their own costumes so they accurately resemble the characters while others purchase readily-made ones for the fun.
Cyprus Comic Con receives a large number of cosplayers every year who can benefit from:
Free entrance to the event
Free professional photos at the CCC Cosplay Photobooth
Access to the Cosplay Village where they can hang out and rest alongside fellow cosplayers
Access to a cloakroom where they can safely store their belongings
Access to private changing rooms
Access to a fully equipped repair station
The chance to compete and win huge prizes!
Cosplay Contests
Cyprus Comic Con holds two contests during the weekend of the event. They are craftsmanship oriented and cater to all levels of cosplay experience ranging from beginners to those more proficient. Cosplayers with hand-made or partly hand-made costumes can participate in the following contests, as long as they can meet the contest requirements and criteria.
It is only permitted to participate in both contests if you’re wearing a different costume for each one.
The EuroCosplay Championship is comprised of a series of qualifier cosplay competitions held in conventions all over Europe. The winner of each qualifier receives the honour of representing their country in the EuroCosplay Final which is held annually at the MCM London Comic Con in October.
The winner of the Cypriot Qualifier will not only be awarded with the usual grand prizes, but will also receive a return plane ticket to London,accommodation for 2 nights and a VIP 3-day pass to the October 2019 MCM London Comic Con.
Competition Day: Saturday April 20th Maximum Entries: 25 Registration Deadline: Sunday March 31st – Online Only Check-In: Saturday April 20th 10:00am – 1:00 pm at the Cosplay Desk
Registrations Ended
1st Place:€1000
+ Representation of Cyprus at EuroCosplay in London
+ A paid flight ticket to London & accommodation
+ VIP entrance to MCM Expo for 3 days
+ Photoshoot of your costume before the final
CCC is proud to announce that its third Cosplay Special Guest for CCC19 is the talented Ali Cosplay & Props! Ali is a cosplayer and prop maker from the Czech Republic. He […]
Cyprus Comic Con is pleased to announce Germia as its second Cosplay Special Guest for CCC2019! Germia is a Czech cosplayer, gamer, crafter and gaming streamer. She is known for bringing […]
CCC is thrilled to announce Ketrin Cosplay as its final Cosplay Special Guest for CCC19! Ketrin is a cosplayer from the Czech Republic. She has been cosplaying since 2011 and […]
Once a cosplayer registers using the form, they will receive a confirmation email indicating that we have received their registration.
They will then have to email their photos to the cosplay team following this guide.
The cosplay team will then assess their costume photos and eligibility and will let them know via email if they’ve made it into the contest. All registered cosplayers will go through this screening process due to the limited amount of competition spots. Anyone who doesn’t make it into the EuroCosplay Qualifier, is welcome to compete on CCC Masquerade on Sunday.
The approved cosplayers will then discuss their stage performance with the cosplay team.
the choice of structural materials such as foam, worbla, wood or cardboard and the way they were treated
the detail put into crafting the decorations and trimmings
the overall techniques used and the originality of ideas applied in the costume
the quality of the wigs, wig-styling, props, customised shoes and makeup
Accuracy – 40%
The judges will be checking how faithful your costume, hair, make-up and props are to the character you’re cosplaying as. Important things to look for are dimensions, material and textures, colours and detailing. The reference photos you provide are incredibly important.
Performance – 20%
The goal is to look as much like your cosplay character as possible, this includes body motions and poses. Your stage performance can be dramatic or comedic or a mix of both. Overall a good performance should entertain the audience and the judges.
The EuroCosplay Final is one of the biggest international cosplay contests with over 25 countries participating. The judging panel of the London Final is always comprised of big names from the international cosplay scene flown in from America or Asia. The main focus of the judges is craftsmanship and all participating cosplayers are scored according to their accuracy 40%, costume construction 40% and performance 20%.
All participants are first inspected by the judges in a private session before the stage show, then they are given a couple of minutes on stage to perform a quick skit which best shows off their costume such as a dance or performance (e.g. sword swinging and posing), a song or even a short theatrical performance.
Visit the EuroCosplay Facebook Page, Twitter or Website.
This competition welcomes all hand-made and partly hand-made costumes! Any skill level is eligible, from beginners to the more proficient. Both locals and foreigners can compete, solo or as groups of 2-3.
Competition Day: Sunday April 21st Maximum Entries: 40, register and check in early before all the spots fill up Registration:
Online until Friday April 19th 12:00 am
At Cosplay Desk on Saturday April 20th until 1:00 pm
At Cosplay Desk on Sunday April 21st until 1:00 pm
Group Participation Allowed: Maximum 3 people Check-In: Sunday April 21st 10:00am – 1:00 pm at the Cosplay Desk
Judging will take place on stage where each contestant at a time will have 2 minutes to be assessed by the judges. Remain in character, strike poses and act like your character as much as possible.
the difficulty of the project and effort put into making the costume
the attention to detail and craftsmanship quality
the prop and accessory quality
the amount of pieces created from basic materials and not purchased. Fully handmade costumes have a distinct advantage.
Accuracy – 40%
The judges will be checking how faithful your costume, hair, make-up and props are to the character you’re cosplaying as. Important things to look for are dimensions, material and textures, colours and detailing. The reference photos you provide are incredibly important.
Performance – 20%
The goal of cosplay is to look as much like your cosplay character as possible, this includes body motions, poses and phrases you say. Those who act in character will score higher than those who do not. We encourage you to remain in character during your on-stage judging!
Cosplay Parade
An on-stage cosplay parade will take place on Sunday during the Masquerade.
All Cosplayers are welcome to get on stage and show off their costume, both contestants and not!
To participate, be at the Cosplay Village in Hall 5 on Sunday at 18:30!
We want to welcome back Design By Stavri (Stavri Symeonidou) to Cyprus Comic Con 2019 Artists’ Alley!
Stavri Symeonidou is a graphic designer and an illustrator based in the city of Limassol, Cyprus. She is a graduate from Frederick University, Cyprus (BA in Graphic and Advertising Design) and the University of the West of England (MA in Media in Graphic Arts). Stavri participated in various exhibitions, conventions and other events. She is currently working on expanding her business endeavors by managing her new Etsy shop which was launched during 2018 among other new exciting projects.
Kostas Nikellis is returning back for Cyprus Comic Con 2019 Artists’ Alley!
Kostas was born in Athens, Greece, where he currently resides and works. He is a professional illustrator and computer games graphics designer, while in the past he had worked as a computer programmer and analyst.
His works have been published both in Greece and abroad, in historical magazines, newspapers, books, electronic games cover boxes, card games and more.
Kostas has been active for several years in the web-games graphics design industry, along with his freelance work in illustration and he is currently working on his upcoming comic book!
Make sure to visit Kostas’ profile on DeviantArtfor more of his illustrations!
In 2018 for the first time ever, the Cypriot EuroCosplay Qualifier was held as an online contest due to the postponement of Cyprus Comic Con. All the entries we received were impressive and outstanding, especially the winner’s stunning cosplay – Gloria Roussou (Alcaria Cosplay) – who had the chance to represent Cyprus at the EuroCosplay Championship in October 2018.
With the end of the holiday season and the start of the new year, we finally had the chance to talk to Gloria and ask her a few questions about her overall experience with EuroCosplay and other general Cosplay questions.
Make sure to check out Gloria’s website, Facebook and Instagram to see more of her amazing cosplays!
Hello Gloria! First and foremost we want to congratulate you for representing Cyprus at the Eurocosplay finals during the MCM London Comic Con Expo last October. How did you feel when you found out that you won the Cyprus Comic Con Eurocosplay Qualifier 2018? Thank you so much! I was really happy when I first found out I had won but it didn’t truly sink in until later that day, when friends started asking me what the next step was! That’s when I started feeling excited about it and a little bit anxious!
Photography by Artflower
Which was the most difficult part to complete for your Legion Commander (Flight of the Valkyrie) cosplay and how did you overcome that difficulty? The wings were the element that made me choose this specific design, because I wanted a challenge. They ended up being the most difficult, time consuming and educating part of the whole experience! After I glued everything together I had noticed that the foam I used was too heavy, so the top half of the wings would bend outwards, instead of staying upright. I removed most of the foam and reshaped the PVC that was supporting the spines inside the wings and then I glued everything back together and finished it. I had to reinforce the connecting edges and also rebuilt the wings with a lighter material. I had used the super high density foam that turned out to be very heavy for that specific application. I stripped everything from the spine and started again with a low density foam that was half the weight of the first foam. This made the wings more stable and I could move easily without worrying about putting too much pressure on the spine or the breastplate.
During your participation in the Cyprus Comic Con EuroCosplay Qualifier 2018, you have mentioned that it took you 8 whole months to handcraft your Legion Commander (Flight of the Valkyrie) costume. How long does the overall process of completing a cosplay take you? From choosing a character to polishing all the small details.
For certain cosplays, choosing the character might be during playing a game, or talking to a friend. For others, it can a long process of weighing pros and cons, figuring out the logistics and deciding if it’s feasible. After deciding on the character, I spend about 10 hours on research and sketching or digitally designing patterns. Once the patterns are done, the crafting alone takes about 80-100 hours. From drawing your first line on the EVA foam, to covering it up with details, to adding rivets or gems or fabric. Then there’s the priming/sealing of the armour, which comes with a lot of downtime. That usually takes about a week, especially if the pieces are rather complicated and can’t be angled properly during drying times. That doubles the waiting time. Painting, weathering and decorating takes a couple of weeks, depending on how many different shades there are or how large the area that needs to be painted is. Finally, figuring out how to connect the pieces together so the velcro/buckles/straps won’t be visible, and also being able to move normally in the armour, usually takes longer than what I anticipate! With all the downtime, the breaks, and the holidays, that usually translates to 4-5 months. The Legion Commander built was an exception because I stripped the wings and built them again from scratch with new patterns. I also made an extra pair of armour gloves, broke off half the breastplate, rebuilt and reattached it, and weathered everything, twice!
Photography by Artflower
How did you prepare for your performance? I was debating with myself, for a whole month, whether I should add a stage prop or not. I wanted to plant a banner on the ground during the performance but I was trying to figure out how to make a base that would give me the chance to (blindly) plant it in and have it stay up! My sound file was ready, my lines were rehearsed, my movement was planned, but I was still struggling with the base of the stage prop. On the final day, before the contest, I recorded myself repeatedly planting the banner in the makeshift, floral foam filled, base, and the night before the show, I played the sound file a couple of times, just to make sure
that everything was rehearsed and timed well.
Looking back to the EuroCosplay contest, would you change anything about your performance or your costume if you could? Of course! (heh!) I have the tendency to change and fix everything. All the time! If it wasn’t for deadlines, I would, probably, be working on 5 year old projects, still! I would have chosen a different type of fabric for the belt, a different priming and painting technique for the boots and wings, I would have added a lot more detail on the body suit… the list goes on. A friend mentioned that the performance could’ve been a bit longer and more exaggerated, and even though I didn’t second guess my choice on that initially, I’m convinced now that I should have done that! I tend to obsess with little details!
Do you believe taking part in EuroCosplay was a rewarding experience? Of course! The first thing I did, the day after the contest, was to create an entry on my Notes app called “Things MCM taught me”. I have gathered so much knowledge, I had to write it down so I wouldn’t forget. From simple things like business cards to very specific fabric types and sewing techniques. I have met so many excellent cosplayers, learned so many things, and had an amazing time!
Photography by Michel Minum
Photography by Michel Minum
Photography by Michel Minum
Photography by Artflower
Photography by Artflower
Photography by Artflower
Let’s talk about how you got into cosplaying. On your website you mention that you made your first costume out of fabric and duct tape. Can you tell us a bit more about how you started cosplaying and how you progressed over the years? My first costume was made out of black sheets and metallic tape! Back in 2005 after years of crazy fangirlism over the Lord of the Rings, my friend and I decided to dress up as Nazgûl. It was the carnival and we decided not to buy the standard, mass produced costumes the local shops used to sell. Back then I had no idea what “cosplay” was. We were living in a small town, small community, so our “dressing up” wasn’t that well received. From that point on I only crafted small items, props, jewellery, but never full costumes, because I didn’t want to wear them outside, since people told me I looked stupid. It wasn’t until 2009 when I discovered the term cosplay and found this big community online, that I decided to try again. My second cosplay was Ezio Auditore (ACII), and that’s when I discovered proper materials and techniques with EVA foam. I’ve crafted and sewed some costumes for halloween and carnival season, for myself and friends – like the Mother Confessor dress from Legend of the Seeker, or Harley Quinn from Arkham City – along with various props from video games I enjoyed. When the first Cyprus Comic Con took place, I found myself surrounded by other like-minded people and felt inspired to get more serious. From that point on I started being more active in the community and the craft. I started researching different techniques, ordered materials online, bought books from cosplay veterans, and started a Facebook page to record my progress. I even took sewing lessons!
How much of your spare time do you devote on your cosplay projects? Currently I work part time from home and that helps a lot with my cosplay work too. I have my own schedule and the time I’m not spending commuting to work is extra time spent on cosplay. These past 2 years I’ve been working for about 4-5 hours a day on average. A few years ago, when I was still living in Cyprus, and I had a lot of free time, I only spent 10 hours a week on cosplay projects. The difference today is that I pay more attention to details on my costumes and I tend to scrap a piece off and start over, if it’s not accurate or good, which takes a lot more time. It feels a little more than a hobby or a part time job because lately, when it comes to cosplay, I also work on weekends and holidays.
Watch Gloria’s stage performance as Legion Commander (Flight of the Valkyrie)
You also mention (on the website) that you create costumes for friends and for commissions – is costume crafting something you’d be interested to do full time? Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Absolutely! It’s been a couple of years now that I tried to turn this into a paying job, either by taking commissions, or setting up a shop to sell little props and services. It’s a work in progress.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your cosplay beginner self? Three things: Reinforce, Prime, Weather! Looking back at the costumes I made, I always say those three things about almost every single piece! My connections weren’t secure enough and my armour pieces were somewhat flimsy. The fabrics were too thin or light. I needed to reinforce everything with extra layers or better materials. My colours were very muddy or the surfaces were too porous because I either didn’t use the proper priming agent or haven’t primed at all! And lastly, fixing that colour, or making it look more used. Weathering the costume, adding dirt, shadows, highlights, all those beautiful touches that make the cosplay more realistic.
As a Cypriot Cosplayer who is currently based in Germany, what are the main differences you can spot between the Cypriot and the German cosplay communities? I haven’t noticed big differences between the communities. The one noticeable difference between the communities is that there are dedicated cosplay photographers in Germany. They are either hobbyist photographers who like to take pictures of cosplayers or cosplayers themselves who take an interest in photography and get proper equipment for it. And all those photographers are in the same communities and clubs as cosplayers and always go to conventions and events.
The Digital Iris of Theo
Alex Kokkinos
Alex Kokkinos
The Digital Iris of Theo
Is there a specific character you would love to cosplay but haven’t yet? If so, what are the reasons? I’ve wanted, for years, to cosplay dr. mrs the Monarch (Venture Bros) in her butterfly costume, but I always manage to talk myself out of it for various reasons. I usually end up feeling it’s too revealing for something I would wear and also I can’t sew spandex properly!!
Do you have any big upcoming cosplay projects for the new year that you can tell us about? I have a few projects in progress right now. Some months ago, I started crafting the Aela the Huntress costume, which will be my third Skyrim cosplay. Also, I hope to finish the Wonder Woman cosplay I started about a year ago, but put aside for Legion Commander and all the other projects I started after that. But my big upcoming project is Kassandra from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, because I loved the game (and those epic helmets!!)
Do you have any final words for the Cyprus Comic Con community? There are so many resources available online, from crafting to support to fandom! If life gets overwhelming sometimes, know that there’s a whole community of like-minded people always there to help, or teach, or even to cheer along!
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