Renwick's Portfolio
The cosplay designer finds themselves in a specific niche. The bodysuit designer even more so, having spent nearly a decade honing my craft and interacting within it's community I now stand as one of the most firmly established bodysuit designers in the UK.
2D beginnings
All dye-sublimation printed bodysuits start the same way, flat images on the screen. Practice and many references are used to ensure that they'll look just as good when they're transformed into 3D creations. Accuracy is everything and for a satisfying end result there's a lot of work that needs to be done even before you have a first draft to put forward to the client. Loop-able textures and shadings often need to be made from scratch for each pattern, carefully colour matched to the source material. In the end you have a pretty image, but that's only the first step.
Transforming to 3D
In the early days I would have to print out and sew together a pattern myself to ensure that it's ready to go out for sale, now thanks to 3D fashion/gaming software I'm able to form the patterns onto a 3D model and test them that way instead. Thanks to all the prep work done in the patterning process there aren't any measurements that need to be taken on the fabric itself, every piece of the pattern fits into place perfectly when being sewn. A refreshing break from traditional sewing patterns that need to be traced onto fabric by hand every time.
Sometimes 2D is all you need
Some designs never need to go into that much manufacturing. Items like badges, prints and phone cases are as simple as printing it out and it's done. Diversifying what I'm able to provide has been a joy as I get to go to conventions and markets to sell and meet my clients in person. Designers rarely get to have a personal connection with their consumers but the satisfaction I get from seeing how people enjoy my work is irreplaceable.
Where to next?
Designing products and cosplays has always been a passion of mine, due to my fibromialgia it's been something that I'm able to excel at from home as I have plenty of time to address and overcome any and every challenge that comes my way. I'm branching out into vegan accessories, D&D dice and costumes made using 3d textured fabrics (similar to what the movie studios use on their projects). Even if I was forced to take other employment nothing would stop me from staying creative however and whenever I can be.
