INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The wall itself should guide your composition's form. For instance, fill an irregular, narrow nook with a clustered, floor to ceiling arrangement. Suppose you have a large, rectangular dining room with a long table. A linear arrangement of artworks displayed in equally-sized frames and hung at the same height will complement the room's horizontal lines. Make sure your artwork doesn't crowd your furniture and that your furniture doesn't obscure your artwork. Additionally, set your furniture layout before arranging your artwork. You wouldn't want to hang a floor to ceiling arrangement, then hide or risk damaging a painting by placing a chair in front of it. If you're placing artwork over a bed or a sofa, hang it about 8 inches (20cm) above the headboard or sofa back. Large scale works hung above a large piece of furniture should be between 65 and 85 percent of the furniture's width. Larger works could dwarf your furniture, and smaller works could leave too much blank space. Grids work best for series of images that are all framed exactly the same. While artworks in an array of colors, scales, and mediums can add variety, the frames' dimensions should match precisely. For example, you could mix up drawings or paintings on paper, colorful prints, and black and white photographs. Frame them in equally-sized white frames with white matting, then hang them in a uniform grid. Keep in mind you'll have to hang a grid as precisely as possible. A grid's uniformity will magnify even the slightest misalignment. Dramatic, eclectic salon-style installations are popular in contemporary interior design. However, a salon-style arrangement is more complicated than randomly hanging artworks wall to wall and floor to ceiling. Take the time to find a configuration that balances works' color palettes, proportions, and other visual elements. For instance, mix up scales to create a balanced composition instead of clustering small works on one side of the arrangement and larger works on the other. Pay attention to frames, too. Scatter frames' styles evenly instead of grouping ornate frames in one part of the arrangement and simple frames in the other. You don't have to choose between a strict grid and dramatic salon-style cluster. For the best of both worlds, choose artworks in a range of mediums with various color palettes and scales. Arrange them in a balanced configuration that defines a square or rectangular area. For example, 2 large scale objects could define the upper right and lower left corners of a rectangular arrangement. You could then use groupings of smaller works to define the rectangle's other corners. When you have a general idea of the look you want to achieve, lay the works on the floor. Experiment with different configurations, and move them around to see how various colors, forms, subject matter, and scales relate. Planning out how your works' colors and proportions relate is especially important if you're going for a clustered or salon-style look. When you play with arrangements, avoid crowding artworks. Leave about 112 inches (3.8cm) between smaller objects, and about 2 inches (5.1cm) between large scale works.

SUMMARY: Choose an arrangement that suits the space. Work your furniture into your arrangement. Go with a grid if you have several equally-sized works. Cluster your works salon-style if you want an eclectic arrangement. Strike a balance between clustered and geometric styles. Arrange your art on the floor to find the best composition.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You may love a character, and think you could cosplay her perfectly, but if she's not very well known, you're not likely to get much of a response from other people. The best characters to cosplay as are iconic and distinctive. They don't need to be the most well-known characters, but you will want at least a fraction of convention attendees to know who you're playing as. If being seen as attractive is your priority, think about which characters members of the fan community are most attracted to, and which ones you find most beautiful. Cosplay means costume art to some, but truly dedicated cosplayers act out their character. This requires having a solid knowledge of the character's motivations, history and psychology. Look into the source material and give yourself a crash course in the character. Ask yourself questions and try to answer them yourself. What is her darkest secret? How would she react to a stranger? What hobbies does she have? These may not have a big effect on the character's personality, but it helps you get into the proper mindset. For example, if you're going as Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion, watch the anime and observe the way she thinks, moves, and talks. Note her character arc. To be a great cosplayer, you should be able to capture the essence of your character in a single pose. Without movement or talking, frame your body in such a way that expresses something of the character's personality. Practice some poses in front of the mirror and see if something sticks. If you're having a trouble finding one that really works, try looking up artwork or promo photos for the character you're cosplaying as and copy it. For instance, a battle-ready stance might suit a character from an action-adventure series, like Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts. Poses are best-suited for photo ops. If your costume is impressive enough, you're bound to get a lot of attention. Having a few good poses will help you look better in photos. Unfortunately, for all of the great things conventions can offer, they are also notorious for attracting haters and creeps. Dressing up as an attractive anime girl can be an open invitation for some of these less desirable types. If someone like this approaches you or makes a comment you're not comfortable with, the best thing you can do is ignore it and walk away. Nothing breaks character like genuine stress, and you don't want negative feelings to get in the way of your convention experience. If someone is persistently harassing you, contact security or con-ops immediately. Cosplay if ultimately about expressing yourself, and the best way to do that is through confidence. If you're confident about what you're doing, the cosplay act will come more naturally. Of course, this may be easier said than done for a lot of people. Confidence is not the sort of thing that happens overnight. Nonetheless, you should pat yourself on the back for the fact alone you are putting yourself out there via cosplay. Cosplay takes courage, and simply being interested in doing it means you've got what it takes.

SUMMARY:
Choose a recognizable character. Know your character. Plan some poses. Ignore negative attention. Be confident.