Cosplay 101: A Step by Step Miniseries
Cosplay: while many people would love to be involved, most really don't know where to begin. Let’s face it-- looking at a costume, even something as simple as Haruhi, can be a little intimidating for those who have never attempted to construct a costume before. But don't feel overwhelmed because I am here to help! Currently, I am in my ninth year of cosplaying. Within the past few years, I have done such characters as Axel from Kingdom Hearts II, Haruhi from the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Yuri from Shadow Hearts II, and Nia from the popular show Gurren Lagann. Cosplay is definitely one of my favorite hobbies. And now, I'm looking forward to sharing some of my tips and tricks with you.
For the next few weeks, I will be guiding you through the basics of cosplay construction. From gathering materials and shopping for fabrics, to sewing and decorating your costumes, this mini-series will give you a bit of confidence to start working on your perfect costume for the next convention experience. So, let’s begin with choosing a character and gathering references...
When picking a character to cosplay, I always look at a few simple things. First and most importantly: Do I like this character? I've known a lot of people who have cosplayed characters before the game or anime was released only to find out later that they hated who they cosplayed as. It's a huge downfall to a skit or judging situation when you don't know anything about the character you are dressed as. Knowing your character is a key aspect to making the costume seem real to the people around you. It is also a huge help if you are doing a photoshoot at the convention because it will help you chose poses and make your photos look even better. Always make sure you're choosing someone that you love-- in both looks and personality. I know you're not so superficial that you would pick a character just because their dress is pretty ;-)
Next, I look at the character’s design. If they have multiple outfits, which one is the one I love the most? A lot of characters are usually seen in more than one outfit for extended periods in the series or game. If there is one version that stands out above all others and you love it to death, then that's the one for you. If you are a novice seamstress, then I might recommend something a bit simpler like a character’s school uniform before diving into their armored battle gear. Take baby steps, it's important when beginning a project like this. You don’t want to overload yourself on your first time out; it's easy to get frustrated and you want this to be fun!
Now its time to find those handy-dandy reference images. These are a cosplayer’s greatest weapon when coming to designing and developing the construction of a costume. Personally, I sit with the game or anime in front of me and begin screen capping the character from every possible angle. I search for scans from art books on the internet and even more images if possible (Magazines, TV Specials, etc). If you keep at this for a few days, you will soon have more images of your character than you can shake a stick at. This part of the process is important will allow you to see all of the details of the character, as well as help to design a plan of attack for closers and the process of actually wearing the costume.
An example of an artbook scan of Ada Wong from Resident Evil 4.Next, using these reference images, try to break the costume down into separate parts. Doing this not only helps you see all the different steps you'll need to take, but it also serves as a list for supplies you'll need later on down the road. I usually start at the head and work my way down. The basic idea is to take the character’s costume apart as if you were going to dress them yourself. Look for how closers work, how the pants or skirts are tailored and how shirts are meant to be fitted. This way, you will be able to shop smarter and not waste time, money, and trips to the fabric store.
Next week: Shopping smartly and choosing the right materials!
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