Talking Threads: Costume Design for Entertainment Art (EN)

About Talking Threads: Costume Design for Entertainment Art

Costume design is storytelling. And to do it successfully, you need to understand the five functions of a costume: to connect to plot and theme, establish the structure of society, put in a specific time and place, indicate personality, and reveal a passage of time. It is an exciting and challenging craft that involves a thoughtful and thorough examination of these various elements in order to give a costume life.

In animation, games, and illustration, in particular, the designer needs to be acutely aware of the unique characteristics and limitations of each medium―from solid research approaches and basic production pipelines to audience experience and ideal tools of the trade. Talking Threads: Costume Design for Entertainment Art, backed by decades of experience of five industry professionals, provides an in-depth exploration of these functions and format considerations to equip artists with the necessary knowledge and mindset to develop strong narrative-informed costume designs. Each chapter is packed with creative exercises, detailed tutorials, inspiring designs, and invaluable insights that will help artists of all levels confidently and efficiently tackle their next costume adventure.

About the artists

Jessie Kate Bui is a Visual Storytelling Coach helping female creatives and underrepresented storytellers access their inner voice, amplify their creative soul, and discover how to tell narratives and stories with meaning and impact.

Gwyn Conaway is a costume concept artist and professor of entertainment design at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA. She’s a Hugo Finalist author, specializing in mid-century fashion, gender and costume, and costume design for entertainment. 

Rebecca Black-Gliko is a Stop Motion Costume and Puppet Fabricator. She worked for LAIKA on Kubo and The Two Strings and Missing Link in both the Rapid Prototype and Costume departments.

Maria Ferreira Kercher is an experienced Costume/Fashion Designer specializing in animation and video games, with over 9 years of experience in costume and fashion concept art, creating costumes for characters and societies.

Blythe Russo is an author-illustrator currently living just outside Cincinnati, Ohio. She loves to draw animals, costumes/fashion, food, movement/dance, expressive poses/facial expressions, plants/gardens and anything silly or funny or heartfelt.

Technical details

• Text in English
• 224 pages
• 23 x 30 cm / 12 x 9 inches
• Softcover

Practical information

• Reinforced packaging
• Shipped within 72 hours