[Sparkle cosplay] Honkai: Star Rail Guangzhou Anime Convention photos archive

The Convention photos from this Guangzhou Anime Convention have finally been sorted out, and I cosplayed Sparkle from Honkai: Star Rail. Preparation for this styling took quite a long time beforehand. Sparkle as a character has extremely rich visual elements—the red, black, white, and gold color scheme, along with the iconic fox mask and gradient long hair, place high demands on makeup, styling, and costume details.

Because I had to walk around and shoot at the convention site, the stability of the costume was especially important. For example, the knots and pendants at the waist, as well as the red straps on the legs, were all re-reinforced before the event to prevent them from falling off or shifting when making large movements. The red highlights on the wig were also specially styled, using hair wax and hairspray to treat the edges, making the bangs and sideburns look more layered in front of the lens while preventing them from collapsing under high temperatures.

This time it was shot inside the venue of the Guangzhou Anime Convention. The lighting in the venue was quite complex with strong overhead light, but we found a few relatively open areas without too many pedestrians in the background. My photographer was very professional, utilizing the on-site lighting and reflectors to shoot these sets of Convention photos with good light-and-shadow texture. To match Sparkle's lively yet slightly dangerous traits, the action design attempted multi-angle switching between sitting, kneeling, and standing poses. The one sitting on the suitcase was mainly to highlight the leg lines and overall tension; the one kneeling on the ground spreading the sleeves tested the stretchability of the costume and the expansiveness of the posture. The height of the shoes combined with the straps was indeed challenging after standing for a long time, but the effect of the finished photos is satisfying.

In terms of makeup, the eye makeup was deepened. The red eyeshadow on the lower eyelid and the red dot at the corner of the eye were to restore the character's mystery, and the petal pattern at the collarbone was also intentionally painted on.

The material of the costume is mainly satin and chiffon. The wide design of the sleeves looks great during shooting, but they are also easily snagged or stepped on, so I always carefully lifted the sleeve hems when walking. Although the red strapped shoes look good, the straps easily loosen, so I needed to constantly adjust them between shooting breaks to maintain the styling.

The prop used for this shoot was a black trolley case, which was originally meant for carrying clothes. Unexpectedly, placing it in the frame as a shooting prop, matched with the grey concrete floor of the convention venue, created a wonderful sense of modernity colliding with 2D, making it very suitable for a contrasting character like Sparkle.

In the post-processing part of the Convention photos, I preserved the light-and-shadow texture of the scene and mainly unified the skin tone and clothing colors. Because the lighting in the venue tended to be cool, the post-processing slightly pulled towards warm tones to make the red-and-black clothes more vibrant and better fit the character's own color settings. During this process, I also communicated extensively with the photographer about composition details, such as how to use a wide-angle lens to elongate leg lines and how to use reflectors for fill light to highlight the three-dimensionality of facial makeup. Every press of the shutter is a freeze-frame of the on-site atmosphere and character state.

The smooth production of these Convention photos could not have been achieved without the hard work of the photographer and the help of logistical friends. The atmosphere of the Guangzhou Anime Convention is exceptionally good. Although it was tiring, being able to meet many friends on site who love the same work and exchanging shooting experiences felt extremely fulfilling. I look forward to having more ample time next time to create more story-driven images.