Welcome to my Cosplay Workshop! This world has the sole purpose of sharing my cosplay-related knowledge for those who're interested in this kind of activities and want to learn more. Here I will post tutorials, advice, tips and any answers to any questions you might have. Got any questions I could answer? Click on the button below! Otherwise, enjoy~
Is anybody watching this first of all XD I have two questions:
Cheers,
Dya
As requested by LightFykki, here's one of my works. This was the pride and joy of my Genesis Rhapsodos cosplay from last year. It took a LOT of work. Next to it, since there can be no Genesis without his LOVELESS book, is another one of my creations.
P.S. Would you like to see a tutorial for the sword?
Ok! So you've decided you don't just want to make a cosplay out of your every day, store bought items. You want to make a custom costume. Here's a few things that could help you out.
Important: No matter what stage you are in cosplay, don't pick a costume that's too difficult for you to make! Start out with easier costumes and progress with each one!
Assuming you won't order your costume, and want to make it yourself, here are a few tips:
Fabrics
1. Choosing fabrics
You need to choose fabrics for your costume. How do you do that? Well the first part of it is studying reference pictures. How do the clothes hang? Are they shiny? Are they matte? Do they stretch evenly on the body? These and more are all questions you should ask yourself and take the answers into account for what you need.
2. Picking the right one
- You know roughly what you need, but you don't know what kind of fabrics to get. Don't worry! If you go to a fabric store, tell them what you're looking for. For example: "I need something thin, yellow and stretchy". They will show you what they have and you can pick.
- Make sure you examine the fabric well before buying it. What you don't want is poor quality fabric that will tear easily or fray at the edges.
3. Tips and tricks
- You estimate you need 5 feet of fabric for something. Get 10. Chances are you will make a mistake and need more fabric, and in most cases, some fabrics are a one-time find. Better safe than sorry.
- Wash the fabric before you start cutting. Why? Most fabrics shrink when washed for the first time and if you don't do this, if you decide to wash your costume you might have unpleasant surprises.
- Some fabrics, like satin for example, are very difficult to work with because they fray and slide all over the place. To avoid fraying, once you cut the fabric, sew loops over the edges so they stay in place while you work. If you don't want it to slide, use pins or loose stitching before you get to the permanent sewing.
- Always do a clean finish on your stitches. The first benefit is that they'll look better. The second is quality. Your costume will last longer and be more appreciated.
Sewing means
1. Hand-stitching
More cosplayers than you think start out like this. Hand-stitching. You might think it's hard and painstaking, but if you take enough time it can turn out with great results. You don't know how? Look for tutorials that teach you how to sew.
2. Sewing machines
If you either have or want to buy a sewing machine, things could get easier and more complicated at the same time. If someone in your family can use a sewing machine, ask them to help you out. If not, get used to the sewing machine doing various test pieces before you get to the actual costume. Remember to also take it slow here too. Use good quality thread for a good experience.
Creating process
1. Planning the costume
This stage needs to be paid particular attention to. Sure, changes will come up, but it's good to at least have an idea of what's ahead of you. Break the costume down into as small pieces as you can and think about what materials you need. Since this post is about fabrics and sewing, the first stage of it is breaking the costume down into different items.
For example, if you have a corset dress you could break it down like this:
- top (blouse)
- corset
- skirt
- underlayers
- accessories
Think about what you need for each part and what you could use.
2. Getting to work
Once you have everything you need, you can start working. Look for patterns. You can use good old Google, deviantArt or whatever else you can think of. Can't find a pattern exactly for what you need? Either experiment (risky but might turn out with good results) or ask someone to make a pattern for you. Many costume-makers are willing to help newcomers to this hobby.
3. You have fabrics, you have patterns, now what?
Now comes the fun part of putting the costume together! The most important thing you have to remember is you have to be patient. Rushing and getting angry won't give good results. Take your time and make it right :) It's best to add the details before assembling the final product.
4. Finishing up
Finishing touches! Details are very important and if you're aiming for a canon character and not an OC they're all the more important! Put as many details as you can.
Questions? Ask here!
Next post: Crafting
Hello one and all reading this~ The first real post of this world will consist of the topic written in the title. Here goes!
Suppose you want to start cosplaying, or you have already started and trying to improve your costumes. Here are some tips that could help you along:
Starter cosplay tips:
These tips are for the people who want to cosplay regularly dressed characters with no armor or custom crafted clothes.
A question might be, why? Well, for starters, hair styles. You see a hairstyle and you think you can do that on your own hair with some hair spray or wax. I say from experience that it doesn't always work. There are different hair types, products, and you have to take into account time and weather conditions as well. You might get it perfect, then a humid weather ruins it. Coloring! If you really want to keep that color for yourself afterwards, go for it. But just for a cosplay, it's not worth it. First of all, exotic colors cost a lot to get right. A wig on the other hand can be styled with water-resistant glue or spray, and at the end of the day you can just take it off or re-use it some other day
Contacts can make a huge difference to a costume! Mainly because people will look at your face a lot, and the more details you put in, the greater it is. Cosmetic contacts aren't very expensive and can be easily used by anyone. Just be careful with your hygiene when putting them on ;)
You might think little details don't matter, but they do. If you modify a bit here, a bit there, a bit some other place, you might end up with half a new design that people will find hard to recognize. Be as loyal to the model as possible and you have guaranteed success!
Most of the times when cosplaying anime characters, using make-up for your face is a must. Look at make-up tutorials for your character of choice and try your best! If you're cosplaying a character that doesn't necessarily need eyeshadow or the like, skin products can help you get a cleaner finish
Any cosplay has to have pictures to remember it by! Good pictures can take the most out of the costume, so if you know a photographer, call them over. Most of the times they will accept your request.
With these being said, good luck!
Next post: Fabrics
This post is made for you to ask me about anything you'd like to see here, cosplay related. So fire away and comment!
Dya
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