20 Things No One Tells You About Cosplay

By Hsing Tseng on July 26, 2013

Lightning cosplay by Baffled Cosplay, a cosplayer I look up to. Follow her on Facebook at /BaffledCosplay!

I follow a lot of cosplayers on various social media and as such, often get to vicariously experience their frustration as well as their successes in constructing costumes. While I might not have the most experience in cosplaying, with five costumes in progress for Colorado’s Nan Desu Kan in September, I’m sure learning more and more about it every day. Here are some things to share with you all that I’ve learned from other cosplayers and from my own experience!

  1. There’s always going to be a “better” cosplayer. Instead of feeling inadequate, accept this and move on – you too will become better at what you do, they just had more time and experience than you so far.
  2. Bookmark or save all the tutorials and guides that you can find; someday you or someone you know will want them. DeviantArt, Tumblr, Youtube and CosplayTutorial have some great resources.
  3. Pick a character you love and relate to. Don’t let others dictate who you should cosplay, no matter how much they think you look like them.
  4. Know your skill level. Start small and work your way up, choosing cosplays that have a few aspects you don’t know how to do yet and try new things. By staying relatively inside your comfort zone, you’re far more likely to succeed with and be proud of your work.
  5. Find as many reference pictures of the front, sides, and back of your character. Print them. Save them. Take them everywhere with you when shopping for cosplay.
  6. Ask others for help. Cosplayers (generally) tend to be a very friendly, helpful bunch.
  7. Invest in good materials. While cheap materials will save your wallet in the short-term, you’ll have to buy products more often and there’s a chance that you may not be pleased with the quality of your costume.
  8. Make-up is really important. Wear it. Watch tutorials on how to change your facial structure, how to change your eyebrow color, how to blend eyeshadow, how to wear false lashes, and so forth.
  9. Iron everything. Unless of course your material doesn’t like ironing, in which case, don’t.
  10. Starfire Cosplay by Kanami Cosplay. You can find her on Facebook at /KanamiCosplay!

    If you see someone at a con and are wondering about their techniques, feel free to ask – most of the time, cosplayers will be extremely pleased that others are interested in their advice and more than happy to help you.

  11. Don’t be afraid to cosplay or attend a convention alone.
  12. Always, always buy more fabric than you think you need. There is no worse feeling than realizing you don’t have enough fabric.
  13. Jump on sales at JoAnn’s and Michael’s – I’ve saved from $50-100 just by capitalizing on coupons and shopping during sales. Hop on those $1 pattern sales! Cosplay is expensive, but can be a lot less expensive with a little thriftiness.
  14. Don’t let social media dictate your self-worth. Notes on Tumblr, Likes on Facebook, Faves on DeviantArt, etc. are all nowhere as important as how you feel about your costume.
  15. Persevere! What takes you days to do now will take you mere hours later.
  16. Good wigs and circle lenses are expensive, but add the perfect final touch to your cosplay.
  17. Don’t listen to the haters. People on the internet and in real life can be cruel. There will be people who think you’re too ugly, too skinny, too fat, too black, too white, too feminine, too masculine and so on to cosplay a character. There will be people who think cosplay is for freaks and will laugh at you. Ignore them. There are ten people for every one hater that love your costume and in the end, it’s all about how you feel about your cosplay.
  18. Compliment others at conventions. Don’t become so shy/arrogant that you’re unwilling to compliment another cosplayer on their work. A simple “I love your _____ cosplay!” works just fine.
  19. Look for themed photoshoots at conventions and attend them. You’ll meet tons of cosplayers and fans of the same series as yours and have a blast taking pictures at the same time.
  20. Have fun. Don’t forget that cosplay = costume + play. Enjoy yourself!

Do you have your own tips to share? Let us know in the comments.

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