Expert Tips In Cosplay - The Perfect Beginner's Guide
Halloween is long gone, but if you still have the desire to dress up in a bright and unusual costume, we know exactly what you need. Cosplay will be an excellent way out of the situation!
The word “cosplay” is a combination of two words, “costume” and “game”. It originated in distant Japan, but people started masquerading as fictional characters a long time ago. The Japanese modified this American habit and gave it a new name. But just at the moment when the anime genre became popular in the West. The term cosplay has also become famous.
First of all, cosplay is associated with anime and comics. But cosplayers also organize their own communities where they can organize photo shoots together. Moreover, there they can also enjoy their creativity. This article is the result of a joint interview with famous designers and cosplay experts. They have some tips for aspiring cosplayers.
Therefore, if you have a desire to get to know the topic of cosplay in more detail. This article will be the perfect way to get acquainted with this topic.
Choosing Your First Character To Cosplay
Well, let’s start with what you need to do before realizing your planned cosplay. First of all, you need to decide which character you would prefer to copy. Experienced people who have experience in the topic of cosplay advise to start with a simple one. Namely, from a character that is easy to portray and repeat. And who does not have an intricate design of his costume. This is especially true when you don’t know how to sew yourself.
We can also advise you on another option. Namely, immediately choose the character that you like more. But this process of development can be somewhat complicated. And if you encounter this, you will need to get more information about the appearance of the character you are going to cosplay. But we would like to note that if the character you choose is really close to you in spirit, we are sure that you will get a good cosplay.
But don’t forget the most important thing is that your gender and skin colour don’t matter if you decide to cosplay. If you are going to a cosplay convention, you need to prepare well. First of all, you need to start doing this at least a couple of weeks before the scheduled appointment. Namely, where you are going to show off your costume. But consider that you will spend several times more time than you expect.
Choosing a suit that matches the theme of your party or meeting is also appropriate. But this is not a mandatory thing, and Comic-Con is an example of that. There are many various characters at the same time who actually exist in different universes. They all look simply perfect and diverse.
Costumes And Accessories: Buy Or Sew?
Once you’ve chosen a character that suits you, you need to move on to the next step. Namely, write a list of external elements that make up its appearance. Including clothes, makeup, hairstyles and outdoor accessories. You can draw design information for your chosen character from photos. Also suitable are thematic cosplay videos or watching other cosplayers who have already cosplayed this image. After that, you need to make a list of accessories that are necessary for the full realization of your character in life.
Not being able to sew on your own is the most common problem for beginner cosplayers. But don’t worry, we know how to solve this problem. You just need to buy a ready-made version of the sewn fabric. There is nothing wrong with this, and most people do it that way. For some people, cosplay is a bit confusing. Because they think that spending a huge amount of time creating their costume just to wear it on the weekend is crazy for them.
Most often, it will not be difficult for you to find costumes for famous characters. But you will have difficulties if your choice falls on a lesser-known hero. Most likely, you will have to assemble the suit yourself. Sometimes a combination of things from your wardrobe can help. It is also appropriate to order a suit on the Internet or make arrangements at the nearest atelier to have the suit sewn for you there.
But if you still have a desire to sew a suit yourself, then a suitable option for this would be to take a mastery class. It can be from an acquaintance or a hired person. Moreover, in principle, nowadays it is easy to find suitable information for you on the Internet. For example, all kinds of video lessons where everything can be explained in detail to you. But for this option, you will need to purchase tools for sewing fabric. Namely, such as a sewing machine, fabrics and pins.
It’s All About Your Attitude
It is a common belief among experienced cosplayers that new cosplayers often take their costume creation too seriously. And this is precisely what prevents them from creating a costume on their own. More experienced people perceive this process more easily. For example, the usual process of choosing clothes for yourself. It’s all about the attitude towards this process. If you are making a suit for yourself, you need to focus on the finish. Because it guarantees that the outfit you wear will look amazing. Even though you sewed your suit for the first time.
We would like to warn you that you should not take on too complex and global tasks at first. Because it would be unwise to take such a method of sewing a suit. It will be much easier to choose one suitable field for you in which you would like to succeed. And only after that continue to improve.
However, you need to understand the most important thing. Namely, that cosplay is not easy. Crazy enthusiasm – this is what will serve you well in your endeavours. You just have to start, and you won’t notice how you will already be giving advice to newbies. And you will definitely fall in love with this activity.
Don’t Compromise On Landing
Remember, it doesn’t matter whether you create your own costume or buy a ready-made version. For outfits that were bought ready-made, their cut is of great importance. And also if you sew a suit yourself, based on your own preferences.
Finding the right cosplay accessories is a real challenge. Most experienced cosplayers may find it interesting to join fabric with glue. Especially if this option replaces sewing. Of course, this is also one of the options for creating a costume. And it will definitely look creative and attract everyone’s attention.
You will need certain accessories to portray some characters. For example, for things like armour or weapons. They can be made of EVA foam. The Internet is full of articles on various resources that explain how to work with this material. Based on the information that you can find there, you can easily create something incredible.
Makeup And Hair
The development of makeup in cosplay has been undergoing a long transformation recently.
In the past, this was not given as much attention as it is now. But now, it’s a crucial part of cosplay. Of course, this does not fit into the concept of cosmetic or basic makeup, which we are all used to seeing. Because cosplayers mainly use artistic makeup techniques. For example, darkening cells or underlining cartoon strokes and lines.
We advise beginner cosplayers to familiarize themselves with at least the basic foundation of makeup. This will help you make your image really successful. Most often, you need to do makeup with perfect skin or big eyes. Therefore, carefully read the basic techniques and life hacks on how to do it. The most convenient way to help you with this is YouTube.
Wigs are an essential attribute for the preparation of your character. They can be purchased online, including on Amazon or other sites. But wigs also require styling and proper care. YouTube will help you with this.
Cosplay Tips & Tricks
So we advise you to pay attention to a few points that will clarify some nuances:
Do your laundry and iron your clothes
However, when beginners buy a suit on the Internet, most often, it is not ironed or washed afterwards. And this is a very wrong thing. Because this leads to the fact that clothes wrinkle and have an unpleasant appearance. Therefore, after purchase, try to keep your suit in order and take proper care of it.
Make the bra straps invisible
There is one thing that can spoil a woman’s appearance and make her clumsy. And this is the case when the bra straps are very visible. Therefore, choose in advance the underwear with which you will use your costume. There are many bras with invisible straps. Or you can purchase a backless cosplay costume in advance.
Try to wear nude underwear
If your outfit is made of slightly transparent fabric, then flesh-coloured underwear is perfect for you. It is guaranteed to be invisible. For men, this is also of great importance! The material gathered under the suit can spoil the image you have created and make your image less than ideal.
Learn how to pose correctly
To acquire the skill of posing, you need to practice in front of the mirror for some time. You need to do this so that you look impressive in the photo. Most of the characters have their own characteristic poses and facial expressions. Therefore, learning how to pose for cosplay is very important.
Use social media
You can find public pages on the Internet. With their help, you will be able to meet those who also love cosplay. Or there, you can also find the information you need to make your cosplay genuinely unique.
Conclusion
We can write about cosplay and all its exciting facts for a long time, but here you can find the most important information on this topic. So we hope that with the help of our article, you will easily be able to create your own unique and incredible cosplay.
