WhimsyCon delivers a weekend of Steampunk and costuming

WhimsyCon (held at the Hyatt Regency DTC) is an interesting name for a convention that concentrates on a particular part of the geek set – those who Make, more specifically cosplayers and artists. For the full three-day weekend of Denver’s main steampunk and costuming convention, one can attend panels on writing, art, and sewing, just to name the first few, basically a little something for everyone who creates things as part of their geek.

For the artist, there were panels on things like art analysis, collaboration, handling commissions, and even one panel for the significant others of artists, both those who tolerate and those who bask in the glow of their SO’s works. You could even talk to artists about fears and what to do so that you actually do get your work out there for people to see.

For authors, there was Muse or the Devil, a discussion of writer’s personal process in terms of how they produce when the muse may not really be ready, also known as “how my workflow really works” and discussions about handling fans, both in terms of acting gracious, and one about helping fans approach their idols without going too far into being that one creepy fan. There were several panels talking about making memorable and yet realistic characters that are more than just the sum of their traits.

And for the cosplayers, there were a number of introductory panels and instruction panels on hat making, fabric choices, and even a few hands-on panels. There were even people talking about prop building. One of the panels was about Sergers, which are a nearly magical cousin to the regular sewing machine with two jobs, and two jobs alone: making very excellent seams and hems in outfits. Another was on 3d printing, for use in building your own props or even adding scales and jewelry to your costumes. And someone was holding a course in the Atrium about caring for the leather parts of your costume if you’ve chosen to use the authentic article instead of the more common and cheaper vinyls.

Even more fun were audience participation panels, like the Iron Costumer, which presenting participants with a “mystery” material to incorporate into a costume to be built in 40 minutes, and Blanket Forts (no, I’m not kidding), with one for kids and one for the adults. There was also a whole room way up in the tower set up just to be a “quiet room”, where one could go if they needed to get away from the noise and bustle of the convention floor.

And for those who wonder, yes, they do have a detailed harassment policy (including good examples of dos and don’ts), printed right in the convention program in a place that you have to be deliberately dense to actually ignore.

All in all, I enjoyed my first year attending WhimsyCon, and I look forward to furthering opportunities to attend.

Written by Lynn Crouch

Nerdy transwoman who is married to Chris Murdock, and may be capable of matching his level of geek radiation.