Design & production portfolio · San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts
Costume design
Hello, I'm Amver Elacion. I hold strong interests for singing, dancing, and exploring different forms of art. I like designing costumes that compliment a character's personality and that can enhance storytelling in their performance.
"Do everything in love" - 1 Corinthians 16:14
When sketching a costume, I take consideration of what the character would actually wear. I interpret their personalities into the costume to add more character. I use many photos of inspiration from other costumes to see how designers view the character and how I can use that to create my own unique costume.
2026-09-16
Build a wearable garment and document the whole process, start to finish, in one presentation. The garment is direct evidence of every skill in this unit: cutting, machine operation, and construction order. The presentation is where you show the design thinking behind it.
2026
Each slide is an example of student work and their determination to practice a craft outside of school.
Character research
First, I look online to look at people's interpretations of the character. I look for specific accessories or items that all of the costumes share or that the original character uses.
Renderings
I begin with black and white sketches first. I used different styles and details to make each design feel unique to the character.
Fabric and construction
I choose materials that would be easy to work with and would fit the look in my designs. I would use basic sewing and techniques to turn the sketches into costumes.
Fittings and performance
After fittings and dress rehearsals, I look for details that could be changed or adjusted to make the costume work better for the character and performance. I would also look closely to learn what I could still improve and work on.
Sometimes, it's okay to start slowly and make mistakes. It's a great way to learn and work on yourself so you don't make the same mistakes in the future.
The hardest part was deciding what details I wanted for my designs. Sometimes I had an idea of what I wanted, but it was difficult to decide on all of the smaller details. Costume designing requires such precise attention to detail, but I think that's what makes designing so fun to do! I would also say bringing my ideas into life was very difficult. I am a complete beginner when it comes to sewing, so there were many times where I've messed up. It was very frustrating throughout the process, but being optimistic and positive helped me manage through and finish the project.
I've always loved drawing and sketching costumes ever since I was little. During the designing process of my costume project, I rediscovered my love for designing and how I can have so many costume ideas flow through my head. I love looking at costumes and different styles of fashion in history, movies, TV shows, and musicals. They all inspire me to create such cool pieces!
My favorite part was definitely learning things throughout the process. I learned more about how costumes can help show a character's personality and how different details can create such a big difference in a design. I also liked being able to experiment with different ideas and see how they looked when I put them in my sketches.