Our first cosplay-book “MALE UP! – The Art of Contouring” is out soon!
We have an announcement to make:
We will release our first cosplay book “MALE UP! – The Art of Countouring” in… uh… some time.
Probably really soon!
We want to introduce you to what kind of book it is, by answering some basic questions you probably have about this project:
What is the book about?
Our book is about make-up for male characters. Or as we so punnily called it: Male up.
It’s 2020, plague season, and we all have a lot of time to play around with make-up in the confines of our home. So we thought it would be perfect to introduce our make-up techniques to the world.
So the book is just about contouring?
No, definitely not. Contouring is a huge part of the book and the core element in it, but we show you how to do all the elements in a convincing male character make-up. We feature different eye make-up styles as well as ways to style or cover your eyebrows and show you how to prepare your face for putting on your make-up. We made this distinction because we will release a shorter book about beards as well. We figured not everyone is interested in cosplaying bearded hatepreachers from Far Cry 5 😉
Who should get this book?
Basically every person interested in cosplaying as male characters. We wrote the book for people of any gender identity. That means we also cover the best method to shave your face and hide a growing five o’clock shadow as well as how to paint on stubble. You want to cosplay as a male character? You’re game. Also, the book is beginner-friendly while also showing advanced techniques. We wrote it to benefit someone who has never worn make-up in their life as well as someone who has been putting on cosplay make-up for ages. There is always something new to learn!
How long is the book?
The book has 100 pages and we kinda don’t know how that happened.
Will you show us different contouring styles?
Yes! We wanted to show you the whole range of what contouring can do for you. That means we made tutorials for characters from three different abstraction levels and different levels of “manliness”. The handy step-by-step tutorials range from Anime Abstraction contouring, which features a rather androgynous beauty ideal, to “how to emulate the features of a specific actor”.
This is our Anime Abstraction contouring in action
Where can I get your book?
We are currently setting up a webshop on this very page, where the book is available for direct download.
Will there also be paper copies in the shop?
Given the current situation (COVID-19 wreaking havoc on international mail systems and us not knowing whether more people than our moms and our 3 friends are interested in the book), we will only provide an eBook. However, there is always the possibility of us making paper copies at a later point, for example as a pre-order, print on demand or to sell them at conventions.
Is the book in English?
Yes, we wrote the book in English so many people around the whole world can profit from it! We might also publish a version in our native language, German, at some point in the future.
When will the book be released?
Soon-ish
Why are you so vague about the release?
We actually have our reasons. Firstly, we had to register a business to be allowed to even sell eBooks ourselves and it took the competent authorities a longer time than expected to give us all those funny numbers you need to set up a shop. Secondly, we f*cking suck at project management. It’s so bad honestly. The book project is mostly driven by Aby and entrusting the person who never finishes a costume in time with such a long-term project is a godawful idea. Can’t be helped tho. So the book is in a constant state of being “almost finished”. No, seriously, it’s the first time we are making a book and neither of us had any knowledge about how long each production step would take. Right now, we only have to add a cover to the book but decided to follow our perfectionist hearts that told us to take new photos for that. And thirdly, we did not want to set a date that we could not keep up with. I think everyone is already upset enough about all those postponed conventions, concerts and even video games (looking at you, Cyberpunk 2077) – you don’t need another project that keeps getting pushed to a later date over and over again.
We are people that are proud to keep their word. So we will rather be vague than frustrate everyone looking forward to our book. Thank you for understanding! <3
Will you be celebrating the release?
Oh absolutely! We are already planning on a give-away for the release. You can win all the cool stuff in the image (except for the tablet, that’s ours and you can’t have it lol) if you participate in it! We are still working on the rules for it, so everyone knows it’s fair game.
Should I get the book right away?
Well, that is what we would advise you to do… The first two weeks, there will be a huge discount on books, so make sure to be quick.
Can I already sneak a peak into the book?
Yes of course! We have already prepared some pages for you.
Now we hope you are at least a little excited about the book – because we are really really excited!
If you have any further questions, just ask them in the comments!
And if you sign up for our newsletter, you will be upon the first people to know about the mystery release date of this book.
Until then,
