Welcome to the Week in Tolkien Cosplay! Each week, we’ll be picking a few of our favorite Tolkien-inspired costumes. If you’d like to be considered for an upcoming post, please send in your photo and the following information to cosplay@theonering.net :
- Name (can be a nickname if you’d rather not have your secret identity revealed)
- Who you are cosplaying as
- Photographers name (if known)
- A short bio (such as: who made the costume, how long it took to make, and any other details about it you’d like to share)
Name: Crystal G.
Character: Lord Elrond
Photographer: RW Stenberg
Bio: As a fan of the Lord of the Rings films, creating this look was a way to show my Tolkien appreciation! This was my second Elrond armor build and it took two weeks to craft. I used craft foam, paper (yes, drawing paper!), and Worbla as my main crafting materials. This was also my first time sewing a complete cosplay look. My ears were by MadhouseFX Studios and the sword was borrowed from my photographer RW Stenberg. I hope to continue creating armored work!
Name: David Baxter
Character: Gandalf the Grey
Photographer: Rob Greer Photography
Bio: Gandalf is a true joy to cosplay. The costume took about six months to get it just right. This may be my favorite cosplay because of the reaction it gets from LotR fans.
Name: Caitlin Stella Cosplay
Character: Bilbo Baggins
Photographer: Kaminsky Kandids Photography
Bio: I created this costume to wear to C2E2 2014. I based this off of some fan art that I had found and loved the concept. It was my first big cosplay creation and only my 2nd costume. I learned how to use fabric patterns while making the coat (which is made out of corduroy). It took about 2 months of frustration, but in the end, I’m very happy with how it turned out. It’s by far the most comfortable costume I have. Making the backpack was the most fun (complete with blanket roll!) as well as the walking stick! In case you are wondering how I did the feet, I just wore tan Birkenstocks. I hope to someday tackle Eowyn’s armor costume, but I think that’s some distance down the road!
Name: Avallone Cosplay
Character: Nori
Photographer: Houkakyou Cosplay and Photography
Bio: This costume took about four months to create (and is still being regularly worked on and added to). It is entirely handmade, including all the clothing, leatherwork, the mustache and beard, and a dwarven muscle suit. I was completely new to both leatherwork and ventilating, so this was a huge challenge for me, but one of my favorite parts about cosplay is constantly teaching myself new things. I went into this costume feeling very overwhelmed and really not thinking I could actually do it, so I am incredibly proud of myself for persevering and for how it came out. When not a dwarf, I can generally be found in one of my original Silmarillion elf designs.
