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Ingersoll as Integra from Hellsing
Cosplay has growing popularity at conventions. Each year the number of people in costume seems to grow. But not everyone has the time and ability to make their own costumes. Several of the cosplayers you will see have probably had their costumes made by someone else. And some cosplayers chose to make their living selling those costumes.
Kat "Tigress" Ingersoll has been making costumes for several years, but for the last year and a half has started making and selling costumes for other people. The 29 year old cosplayer has been interested in anime since the age of five and has attended numerous conventions across the east coast.
Ingersoll started her commission business in January of 2008, but doesn't do it full time. She cautions those interested in doing it as a full time job right away. "Like most freelance-style professions, you aren't going to make a living on it right away. Even if you do make a steady living on it, you're still going to have "lean" times when the commissions just don't come in." Ingersoll has a part-time job that currently pays her bills but hopes that in a few years she can quit that and look into doing commissions full time instead. She encourages anyone interested in costume making to consider doing it even despite the potential limitations, "Even if you don't do it full-time, it's great way to make extra income. If you're able to do it professionally, go for it!"
The busy season for commissions is the beginning of summer, aka "con season". Ingersoll says she makes one to two costumes a month around that time with things picking up as the season goes on. If you think you need special training for a job in costume making, Ingersoll says it isn't completely necessary. She is a self-taught sewer and still looks forward to expanding her commission career.
"I like seeing the costumes on someone else and being able to say "I made that". And being paid to do something I enjoy is a definite plus," Ingersoll says as the reason she decided to make costumes for other people.
Many commission sites are out there for those interested in buying costumes. Some commissions even expand their sales onto Ebay and other internet auction sites. Cosplay.com even has a marketplace where commissioners can go to display their goods or find people looking for a costume.
You can check out Ingersoll's site at: http://www.katsplay.net
CosplayLab.com offers a list of commissioners at their site: http://www.cosplaylab.com/proshop/
Other available commission websites are:
http://www.qqcosplay.com/Commission.htm
http://www.athenacosplay.com/commission/
http://www.capamagic./tohiko
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