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Cosplay 101
The lovely @blueangel06661 suggested it would be a good idea to have a thread about cosplay tips and resources and such so here goes! Please feel free to add your own or ask questions. I'm certainly not an expert on cosplay, but after a few years, here's some things I've learnt.
Let's start with the costume. It doesn't matter if you buy it or make it. Seriously. If you can sew, and decide to make it, I suggest using a pattern that is similar to what you want, and just alter it as needed. Mock-ups out of spare fabric are a great idea. And don't be afraid to ask for help. All of my hand-made cosplays had a lot of help from my Mum. She's much more experienced with sewing than me. And be prepared for it to take time and patience. If it gets too frustrating, just walk away. Come back to it when you're ready.
If you buy your cosplay, it will likely be from somewhere in Asia. As their sizes run small, I recommend figuring out which size you need and then buying the size UP from that. If it's too big, it's very easy to make it smaller. But if it's too small that's much more difficult.
Once you've got your costume, CHOOSE A WIG. If you've chosen a character with similar hair to your own, still wear a wig. Trust me I've tried with my own hair (and I have LOTS of hair) but it's just not the same. Anime hair is big and bright and only a wig can really give you that look. Also, it will make your face look smaller :-) I get most of my wigs from eBay. I steer clear of the really cheap ones, but there's certainly no need to spend $100 or so. I usually spend $30-$40 AUD and get something decent.
Finally I want to talk about make-up. I'm not great with make-up as I only wear it when I cosplay. I usually YouTube a couple of tutorials for the look I want, and I always do a practice run or 2. If your character is female - false eye-lashes are a must. I could go into this a lot more, but I don't wanna bore you. If you need help with falsies, hit me up. Many cosplayers wear contacts, and they look amazing. I choose not to because the costume ones, even if of a high quality, can cause damage to your eye. If you feel comfortable wearing them, feel free. But I have seen other cosplayers with eye injuries from contacts, and I've found them rather painful and uncomfortable myself, so please be careful.
Whatever project your doing, you can almost guarantee someone else has done it before. And they've probably made a video or blog about. So google it, watch and learn from what others have done, and most importantly: HAVE FUN!
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Re: Cosplay 101
For prop/armor building: Worbla will probably be your best friend. Here's a basic introduction to Worbla as well as other resources such as where to buy, tips, tricks, and many other stuff about the material.
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Re: Cosplay 101
Yeah I forgot to mention props! I've actually never used worbla but If I were making armor I definitely would start there. I like to use a lot of paper mache. It's time consuming but cheap and the end result will be lightweight. Also spray paint is usually quicker and easier than other paints. Just don't use t on foam :-/
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Re: Cosplay 101
I found this great tutorial on how to make your own gems of any color needed! All you need are those flat marbles used often to fill flower vases and nail polish!
I plan on doing a Teen Titans Raven cosplay here soon so this came up
https://youtu.be/wcXbzQflfLo
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Re: Cosplay 101
Hey! Awesome thread :)
Randoms: My friend goes to Mac or Sephora and asks them to do her makeup as a test run so she can learn what she needs to do....she does a lot of Cross play. Most of the time they will do it for free just got to ask ^^
ALSO: Contacts....yeah...costume contacts usually kind of suck material wise. I work in an Optometry Clinic and we don't even recommend circle lenses. That being said, I do have an optometrist friend who wears circle lenses but you want to make sure you are ordering certified EOS or GEOS brand lenses. I would HIGHLY recommend bringing them to your opto to get checked out for fit. Even if you don't know the material they can at least tell you they aren't squeezing your eye or to loose that they will just pop out a lot. I find GEOS lenses to be the most comfortable and the easiest to find RX and colors. ><
Also, they are conventional lenses with a 6 month replacement... I don't recommend wearing consecutively for 6 months...but every once in awhile sure...or toss em when its close to 6 months or if they start feeling more dry or irritating before....and don't even get me into solutions.
Sorry haahahah I do contact lens classes and fittings at my clinic. If you guys have any questions about contacts shoot me a message :)
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Re: Cosplay 101
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Re: Cosplay 101
For prop/armor building: Worbla will probably be your best friend. Here's a basic introduction to Worbla as well as other resources such as where to buy, tips, tricks, and many other stuff about the material.
Dafont Showbox Adam4adam