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Ultinate Spider-Ham @ultimate-spiderham.bsky.social · 12h

Saving Gwen 😃
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#spiderham #peterporker #brycedallashoward #nycc2025

Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 14h

Reviewing this whole, very wordy, thread. I realized that what I did right was that I built for myself because I really wanted to make this character. I wasn't building for what I thought judges would like.
I think that's the key.

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Edward Delandre @dedart.bsky.social · 19h

they are probably up to no good.
A little Halloween painting!
Oil painting on panel 14"x18"

8 270 1.1K

Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 16h

Haunted is there to push me when necessary.

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 16h

This is another reason I don't like doing contests. I've lost enough of them to learn to not take it personally (unless I'm literally the only entry, then it's personal, Jim).

It's fun or it's not.
If it's not fun, don't do it. Gawd.

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 16h

And costumes that look boring on stage can be stunning up close. Everyone gets judged up close. That's why the contest is so damn hard.
Two overall winners weren't even in the sewing category, they were in FX because they incorporated many different techniques. I saw their work. They earned it.

a dog wearing sunglasses and a collar is sitting in a car with a man .

ALT: a dog wearing sunglasses and a collar is sitting in a car with a man .

media.tenor.com

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 16h

Aaaand, I'm seeing criticisms online about the NYCC judges' decisions.

Everyone in the back row especially needs to hear this:
Costumes that look AWESOME on stage can look VERY DIFFERENT up close and personal.
Chill your pills unless you were in the room with ALL the contestants.

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Oni Minotaur @oniminotaur.bsky.social · 17h

MINOTAUR KNOWS WHAT JUDGES WANT TO SEE

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

Lastly, purchase one of those collapsible stools people carry around now. You'll be standing for A LONG TIME on contest day with very few chairs around. Just bring your own.

That's all I can think of right now! /🧵

Cory in her stunning fungal attire and my in my Minotaur stealing a pose from HauntedCosplay because he's better at posing than I am.

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

Only enter contests when you are ready to do so and when you feel it's right for you. Don't use a contest as a way to prove your worth. That pathway ends in madness. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

Ask for feedback. It's so worth it. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

Respect the judges. They have a very hard task to look at all this incredible craft and try to decide tiny differences for placement. Don't armchair judge their work. They don't want to tear anyone down, but decisions have to be made, that's why it's a contest. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

Be nice to your competitors. We're all just dressing up in silly costumes. What's the point in having an ego? There's some really fun people in the fandom that have incredible knowledge. Learn from each other. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

Needlework people are amazing and they frighten me. Anyone with that level of dedication and focus is capable of great and terrible things. I respect them at a safe distance. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

Don't worry about what other people are making. You can't control that or how the judges will see their work. The most important person to compete against is yourself. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

Details matter, but don't make details just to make details. Everything should make sense for the character or for the project. Be intentional in deciding what to make and what not to make. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

My takeaways from the feedback session and the overall experience are these:
My haunt background isn't a negative. It's how I learned to do what I do and it's a good way to start explaining my work.

Don't build for a contest. Build for yourself.

Understand that judging is an art, not a science. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

I think this was a warning to people who take the contest guidelines too literally or maybe get caught up in the details trying to make something that they think will impress the judges, rather than focusing on each project as a whole.
🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

Something interesting they said about judging was that no matter what the guidelines are for costumes and categories, they can only judge what's in front of them. Meaning that no matter how perfectly you may match the guidelines, you are going to be judged against the other contestants' work. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

When Haunted took off my horns and ears, it helped them to see my overall intentions; not to show them what we thought they wanted to see or what would impress them. We just wanted to explain why I did what I did, and how I was happy it worked.
So, out of sheer ignorance, we did everything right. 🧵

a woman sitting in a car with the word blissfully unaware in yellow

ALT: a woman sitting in a car with the word blissfully unaware in yellow

media.tenor.com

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

They said to keep your presentation brief and big picture; point out what you're proud of and what motivates you. The rest is up to the judges to examine and decide.
Me explaining my haunt background was a help for them to understand how I approach my work. I'm so glad for that. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

Several contestants said they had pointed out mistakes in their own costumes or something that broke or disappointed them. The judges said to never do that. The judges don't know what they don't know so they might miss the problem. There's no expectation to help them grade you down. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

One very important point the judges made to everyone was that when you are being pre-judged, DO NOT POINT OUT MISTAKES. They said you have no responsibility for saying you made a mistake or something broke or something was missing. That's on the judges to identify or miss. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

I had been stressing about how cheap my Build Book was prior to the contest, especially after I saw what others had submitted. But, I stumbled into making the right kind of Build Book out of sheer ignorance and my reliance on power point. 🧵

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Rottenartist @rottenartist.bsky.social · 17h

A funny moment for me was when they talked about how contestants sometimes make really expensive, beautiful Build Books, but all the judges need "is a staple", and then they held up my Build Book, which is just a dozen power point slides printed on paper and stapled on the corner. 🧵

A cheap printed set of powerpoint slides stapled on the corner.

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