Press Kit
Highlight Reel
Hi, I’m Lutavia!
I’m a nonbinary cosplay educator and maker with chronic illness from Texas, fueled by a passion for helping cosplayers craft their dream costumes. As a trained technical educator, I teach budding cosplayers both online and off that there’s no greater joy in cosplay than to make something you love. I’ve created hundreds of educational resources such as tutorials, build logs, panels, hands-on workshops, and more, including teaching at cons as a judge and guest. I’ve even worked with brands like Dharma Trading Co., Alumilite, and Cosplay Supplies to teach how to use everything from silicone to fiber reactive dye, online and off.
My specialty is in mixed media designs, ranging from 3D printed props and molded and cast armor, to needlework with a rainbow of dye techniques and weathering. However, my true passion lies in making cosplay crafting accessible at any scale for any design, from managing cost constraints and time to working with chronic illness or a full time job.
If you need a mixed-media focused guest or judge with an expertise in education and accessible cosplay crafting, check out my press kit!
Cosplay Portfolio
I focus on cosplays with a mix of armor and fiber art elements, with a particular focus on storytelling through historical + cinematic inspirations in my materials and techniques, authentic weathering and breakdown, and theatre-inspired logistics so costumes are durable and comfortable. Check out my build logs or more concise portfolio to see how any of these costumes were made.
My Services
Paneling + Workshops
I’ve run education at multiple cons, both virtually and in-person, from hands-on workshops (15-20 people) at places like New York Comic Con to traditional paneling (100+ people), which are also shared online. I’ve paneled solo and in round table style, as well as performed demos on show floors and at my table. My topic specialty is technical, accessible craftsmanship from fabrication to fiber arts for all levels, from first-timers to experienced makers.
Cosplay Guesting, Judging, & Events
I’ve served as a guest at multiple conventions including all responsibilities that come alongside it: running a table, social media promos, promoting events both before and at the con including press interviews and appearances, as well as judging cosplay competitions and even creating exclusive, newly premiered costumes. I’ve even ran maker meetups for cosplayers to meet other folks in the community and mingle — complete with cosplay bingo!
Cosplay Education
To say I love education is probably an understatement: I teach technical materials as my professional career, including academia work prior—and this experience extends to creating cosplay education resources, from videos to text format, which can all be found here! I’ve made everything from long form build guides to panels, workshops, resource posts, compilation posts, and more. I also love trying new products out on Twitch with weekly crafting streams of progress, and even showing people how to use it on socials too! If there’s something you’re interested in teaching or showcasing with an educational flair, I’d love to expose it to a whole new audience.
Previous Roles + Accolades
Guesting/Judging: New York Comic Con 2024 (Workshop Educator), Supercon 2024 Cosplay Central Crown Qualifier, AnimeFest 2024, Anime Frontier 2023, Tekko 2023, Comicpalooza 2022, and many more!
Content Creation: Tutorial + Product Showcase content creator for CosplaySupplies, Mehron, Dharma Trading Co., Alumilite, and more; Host/Judge of the Intel Creator Challenge (Ep 4/5), Co-Founder of the Cosplay Tutorial Challenge
Paneling: All of the above, as well as PAX South, PAX West, A-Kon, and more!
Accolades: Twitchcon 2024 Cosplay Showcase - Needlework, YetiCon Hall Cosplay Contest Award (24’, 23’), CrunchyRoll Expo Cosplay Cup Finalist - Winner of Judge’s Prize (2022 - Viera), LunarCon 2nd Place (2022 - Meteion), Delta H Cosplay Spotlight (2021), Exhibitor at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (Suited Up: Contemporary Armor Making in Texas, 2021)
Content Creation
One of my biggest passions is creating tutorials and resources for the cosplay community both of my own builds — with all the cool techniques and tricks I learn — and in partnership with crafting supply sponsors to showcase how every crafter, at any budget or level, can achieve amazing effects in their costumes.
No material is impossible for me to teach — I’ve worked with a wide variety of suppliers such as Mehron, Dharma Trading, Alumilite, PLAID, CosplaySupplies/Worbla NA, and more — to teach others how to use their supplies through video and text tutorials as well as sponsored full length builds. I’ve also used beautifully crafted photoshoots to showcase certain materials in action, showcasing how materials look in the finished product.
You can click each thumbnail below to view the tutorial on my Instagram!
Panel + Workshop Offerings
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Prime + Polish: Finishing Your 3D Prints
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Break Down without a Breakdown: Planning your Cosplay
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Cosplay Photoshoots: From Prepping to Posing
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Guess I'll Dye: Coloring + Painting Custom Textiles
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Dirty Tricks: Distressing + Weathering
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It Has Pockets!: Cosplay Logistics
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From Patterns to Zippers: Sewing 101
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Molding + Casting 101
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In the Spotlight: Cosplay Gigs + Guesting 101
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Weathering + Breakdown: From Dirt to Blood (Workshop)
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Intro to Resist Dyeing (Workshop)
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Painting Metallic Finishes: From Gold to Rust (Workshop)
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Molding + Casting for Beginners (Workshop)
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Wet Felting 3 Ways (Workshop)
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Exploring LEDs (Workshop)
Recent Professional Work
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Judge + Host of Intel Creator Challenge
I served as a judge and host for Part 1 and Part 2 of the 2023 Intel Creator Challenge, where a pair of cosplayer + PC builders were assigned a random theme to build a matching PC case and cosplay. I co-hosted alongside Robeytech and Gina Darling, filming on set and helping demystify cosplay for the audience, as well as judged the contest (with contestants Panterona Cosplay, Cowbutt Crunchies, Aru.Rinh) and $30k on the line! I also created social media content including posting teasers as well as hosted watch parties for cosplayers post-filming to assist in demo activation.
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Cosplay Fabric FX - Contributor
I contributed to the book Cosplay Fabric FX: Dyeing and Weathering Costumes Like a Pro — I provided photo examples and walkthroughs of two of my projects: San from Princess Mononoke and Bela from Resident Evil 8, including all weathering techniques utilized and documentation for the various paths of costume breakdown.
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Cosplay Tutorial Challenge - Founder/Judge
I’m a founder for the Cosplay Tutorial Challenge, a yearly contest focusing on the creation of cosplay tutorials to promote sharing resources and crafting education throughout all levels of the community. For our 2024 contest, we had 240 entries (over double from 2023) and over $5k in prizing, including sponsorship from Laurastar US, FirstStop Cosplay, Fanpowered Press, Hoku Props, Surebonder, Zelouf Fabrics, and many, many more! I’ve been an organizer since 2023 as well as previously organizer + judge in 2022. You can find more details here.
