[Dusk cosplay] Arknights Qingyuyan Chengdu CD30 Convention photos

The Chengdu CD30 convention photos are out. This time I cosplayed Dusk from Arknights, wearing the Qingyuyan outfit. Makeup and hair styling started at six in the morning. Because the wig is very long with a gradient green at the tips, it required layered combing and styling. That pair of translucent cyan-green dragon horns was made of thermoplastic resin, and sanding and polishing took a long time just to let them exude that warm luster under the exhibition lights. The fit of the elf ear props also had to be repeatedly adjusted, otherwise, my ears would ache by the end of the day. In terms of makeup, red contact lenses plus the blending at the corners of the eyes—to get close to Dusk's somewhat detached and indifferent gaze—kept my emotions restrained in front of the lens to avoid overly lively expressions destroying the character's temperament.

The clothing has many layers, with an outer white translucent chiffon wide-sleeved shirt and an inner cyan-green skirt with dark bamboo leaf patterns. The red ribbons and jade ring pendants easily tangle during movement, so I had to constantly tidy them up during breaks in convention photo shooting. Although the weight of the sword in hand is not heavy, when striking poses, the sleeves and the tassels of the scabbard easily get tangled, coupled with the gloves' slip resistance, keeping a firm grip on the hilt indeed takes some effort.

The venue environment at the Chengdu convention was relatively noisy, and the overhead lighting in the background formed light spots in the photos, which unexpectedly added a nice atmospheric vibe. During the shoot, I tried to avoid crowds, finding relatively clean corners and using a wide aperture's blur to hide the crowds and booths in the background. When the lighting was insufficient, I relied on fill lights and finding angles where light penetrated the venue's architecture. This time I tried various compositions, such as using the throwing action of the wide-sleeved shirt to capture dynamic moments, or using a telephoto lens to compress the background and highlight the character's gaze and sword-holding posture.

Doing location shoots or convention photos tests physical strength and patience the most. The convention was crowded with people, and walking through with a long wig made it very easy to snag other people's bags or props, requiring constant vigilance. Finding scenery in the venue is actually a physical job: walking while looking at the lighting, and also taking care of whether the clothes were dragging on the ground and getting dirty. Coupled with the stuffy and hot weather, although the chiffon is breathable, there are many layers, making it truly exhausting by the end of the day.

For friends who want to try ancient-style characters, it is recommended to do a trial fitting in advance and prepare all necessary tapes, pins, and makeup touch-up tools. It's best to bring a scabbard for the prop sword to reduce trouble when passing security checks or moving around. When taking photos, try to communicate the general composition well with the photographer, such as using a wide angle to capture the ethereal feel of the wide-sleeved shirt, or using a telephoto lens to compress the background and highlight the character's gaze.

This Qingyuyan outfit is very photogenic regardless of its fabric texture or color matching. As long as the lighting is slightly favorable, it basically doesn't need much post-processing to look good. While sorting through these photos, I can also recall the state of running around in the venue at that time. Every time I portray a character, it is a tempering of patience, from tidying up the clothing details to grasping the expression, which all require gradual polishing; however, seeing the final photos makes all these tedious preparations feel worthwhile.