Hi everyone, and welcome to my beginners guide to the Wonderful World of Cosplay. This guide will hopefully get you started when preparing for your first cosplay.
What is Cosplay?
When I talk to people about how much I love cosplay, people generally have no idea what I'm talking about. Cosplay, in its simplest form is dressing up as your favourite character, but it can be so much more. Many cosplayers make their own costumes, which can seem daunting at first but is quite fun. When people cosplay they usually have a date or goal in mind, like a convention or Halloween. Cosplay shows up mostly around sci-fi and fantasy movies/TV, anime and video game fans, but it can be for pretty much anything as long as you're a fan. Cosplay is a great way to meet new people and find people of similar interests, its also a great way to learn new skills such as sewing, sculpting and design.
What Makes a Good Cosplay?
All good cosplay starts with some research. You'll need to research, you need to know what your costume is going to be, where is it going to be from, how much it is going to cost and what elements make up your costume. Once you've selected your character a good way to start is to get an exercise book or visual diary to collect images and create sketches of your costume. You should be able to make a list of materials and have a good idea of how you're going to make your costume from your research. Looking up tutorials on YouTube is a great place to start when you have little sewing or crafting experience. Also of you have a friend who is a keen sewer and is willing to help they will be a great asset to you, especially if you don't have a sewing machine or much practice with more complicated crafts. If you know you can use Worbla to make armour and other accessories, but I will cover this later. Below is some research my friend and I did for her Chocola Cosplay, there are some helpful tips embedded within it.
Making your costume is the longest part of the cosplay process. You can't rush through it in one night or you might make careless mistakes. Take your time and always have your research on hand so you can refer to it at any time. Shopping for your materials can also be pretty time consuming, so making a target list of materials is extremely helpful because craft stores are filled with so many interesting things. I remember taking two friends to Lincraft once and it was very hard to get them over to the cutting table they kept looking at all the buttons and ribbons. Where can I Wear my Costume?
Cosplay is generally worn at conventions like Supernova-con and Comic con. There are also plenty of cosplay competitions at these conventions and watching some is a great way to get some inspiration if you're just starting out. Cosplay costumes also make a unique Halloween costume.
Why should I Cosplay?
Cosplay is a really fun hobby and a really good way to meet new people who might be fans of the same games or shows as you, its also a good way to develop some useful skills like sewing. Also, if you are going to a convention as a character, people will stop you to take photographs. Why? Because the characters they love don't exist in the real world and you are bring them to life. Other people will love your costume just as much as you did form putting in all the work. Cosplay is not a solo activity, not matter how much time you spend making your costume by yourself there will be plenty of people who appreciate your efforts, both cosplayers and non-cosplayers alike.
Well, thats all for now, I sure hope this short guide helped you get started in the wonderful world of cosplay.
-Jasmine
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AuthorMy name is Jasmine, and I'm an ametur cosplayer looking to share my love of cosplay and expand my skills. Archives
September 2016
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