Other Anybody Cosplay?

[Nimbus]

Heya RP Nation,

I'm making a cosplay or three this month. I have a lot of ideas *cough*like most of the P5 female cast*cough* but not a ton of time since the con I'm going to is in early April. Plus I also am working together an EGL kit for an event there, so I am trying to get cosplays that will work with that. (I thought about P3's Chidori Yoshino, but that alone may require more budget than I have right now.)

So I'd love to hear your thoughts on cosplay, any recommendations for quality wigs, accessories or prop making, how to stay cool in your cosplay, any fun shenanigans related to cosplay, etc.

 

[Eye of Nowhere]

Well, I helped a friend of mine with one of his projects once. He made a Warhammer 40k Space marine and to keep cool we installed small PC fans on a battery pack in the "vents" on the suit to make the air flow through. It was fairly large and bulky so we didn't have an issue with space. I don't cosplay myself, though, so I can't really provide any more input than that. Using thin plastic gauze over the fans ( stiff one preferably) helps not getting stuff caught in them. Also check if you don't have exposed wiring They also do make a bit of noise, so there's also that. But it was a "power armour", so eh... Ambient sounds.

 

[Revna Eris]

I WISH! I'm working on getting a job so I can get money to get cosplay stuff. Mainly for Black Butler and Death Note (And OHSHC). There are multiple reasons the main being that I want to have a YouTube channel where my friends and I all do cosplay and act as the characters. Yeah.... I'm a nerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd. And I'm proud.


Best advice I can give is to go for something simple to start out makeup wise and cost wise to get a feel for it in case you lose interest on ideas and such, or in case you need a fallback because another idea doesn't go well. Then work your way up. That's only to better adjust though with handling multiple projects at a time.

 

[Montiel]

Hey! I've been cosplaying for seven years and I've been making my own for four. Just recently I finished Megumin (Konosuba) and Kanna (Kobayashi)!! I also cosplay from Naruto (Hinata, Konan), Silent Hill (Nurse), Star Wars (Rey), and I have two partial fursuits as well >> Cons are just a really big part of my life ok

Cosplaying is so much fun but it does take time, effort, and practice! If you're low on funds then thrift stores are great for finding bits and pieces for outfits (shoes, belts, accessories, undergarments/layers, spare fabric), and youtube tutorials are always helpful for styling wigs and makeup. As far as buying wigs go, Arda, Wig-supplier, and Lucaille are some of my favorite sites, though they can get a bit pricey! Ebay is always an option when it comes to wigs and cosplay as well, but beware of scammers and low quality/sketchy items. You might even have a local wig store you can check out, I've found some good cheap wigs at mine that have lasted me since I got into cosplay.

Don't have any advice on staying cool unfortunately since I always fail at that part lolol

Good luck on your cosplay endeavors!

 

[RavenWing13]

I cosplay. Mainly Final Fantasy, and video games. I have cosplayed Karma, and Nagisa from ass-class. Sebastian from black butler. Obi, and Zen from Snow white with the red hair. Hagi from blood plus as well. I haven't cosplayed yet this year, but I am working on Reaper from overwatch.

 

[Nimbus]

Well, I helped a friend of mine with one of his projects once. He made a Warhammer 40k Space marine and to keep cool we installed small PC fans on a battery pack in the "vents" on the suit to make the air flow through. It was fairly large and bulky so we didn't have an issue with space. I don't cosplay myself, though, so I can't really provide any more input than that. Using thin plastic gauze over the fans ( stiff one preferably) helps not getting stuff caught in them. Also check if you don't have exposed wiring They also do make a bit of noise, so there's also that. But it was a "power armour", so eh... Ambient sounds.

Power armour is so frikkin sweet! One of the best group cosplays I've seen were a bunch of the Eeveelutions, mecha style, at Youma last year. I'm just a bb cosplayer atm, so no armored suits this season. But maybe I can stand by someone with fans in line to stay cool! ;p

I WISH! I'm working on getting a job so I can get money to get cosplay stuff. Mainly for Black Butler and Death Note (And OHSHC). There are multiple reasons the main being that I want to have a YouTube channel where my friends and I all do cosplay and act as the characters. Yeah.... I'm a nerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd. And I'm proud.

Best advice I can give is to go for something simple to start out makeup wise and cost wise to get a feel for it in case you lose interest on ideas and such, or in case you need a fallback because another idea doesn't go well. Then work your way up. That's only to better adjust though with handling multiple projects at a time.

I usually do school uniform types, since the accessories are more or less interchangeable there. I have a skirt I can use for a couple of cosplays, a few shirts, that sort of thing.
I want to get a cosplay wig + shoes I can use for EGL rather than buy another brand new set and use 3 suitcases just for one weekend. Thrift stores are great for generic items and sometimes props, but the specialized stuff seems tough to find outside of buying "full outfit" cosplays (which aren't always quality, alas). Trying to branch out and be a bit different with a couple cosplays, but yeah, I wanna save a bit of $$ and packing space.

Sounds like it'll be fun! Best of luck in your cosplay endeavors!

Hey! I've been cosplaying for seven years and I've been making my own for four. Just recently I finished Megumin (Konosuba) and Kanna (Kobayashi)!! I also cosplay from Naruto (Hinata, Konan), Silent Hill (Nurse), Star Wars (Rey), and I have two partial fursuits as well >> Cons are just a really big part of my life ok

Cosplaying is so much fun but it does take time, effort, and practice! If you're low on funds then thrift stores are great for finding bits and pieces for outfits (shoes, belts, accessories, undergarments/layers, spare fabric), and youtube tutorials are always helpful for styling wigs and makeup. As far as buying wigs go, Arda, Wig-supplier, and Lucaille are some of my favorite sites, though they can get a bit pricey! Ebay is always an option when it comes to wigs and cosplay as well, but beware of scammers and low quality/sketchy items. You might even have a local wig store you can check out, I've found some good cheap wigs at mine that have lasted me since I got into cosplay.

Don't have any advice on staying cool unfortunately since I always fail at that part lolol

Good luck on your cosplay endeavors!

Thanks a bunch! looked at Arda - gorgeous wigs! The braid for Makoto is on backorder though! D: I can check to see if the braid/s I have from Sally's are color accurate and use that with the magnum. I did find one at Kasouwigs, which they say has a braid clip that you can remove from the front. My current wig's braid detaches from the sides but not the top (why? they could have just used one more clip!) and so I'm a little disappointed with it. They actually have a really pretty wig for Mitsuru (Persona 3) on sale so I'll most likely snag that if I buy the Magnum &/or Josephine.

I prefer to Amazon over ebay. I have a Prime account and no Paypal account, so that is most of my bias. Local stores are hit/miss. Most specialty shops have wigs that are way out of my budget. :'D

I cosplay. Mainly Final Fantasy, and video games. I have cosplayed Karma, and Nagisa from ass-class. Sebastian from black butler. Obi, and Zen from Snow white with the red hair. Hagi from blood plus as well. I haven't cosplayed yet this year, but I am working on Reaper from overwatch.

Aaa What good cosplay ideas! I'm considering Queen (I swear it's not a theme, haha) from FF Type Zero this summer if we don't do Fire Emblem. Or maybe I'll just do it anyways, but on a different day. Any FF favorites?

You know, we saw a lot of Tracer, Mercy, D-Va and Soldier 76, but I didn't see too many Reaper cosplays at the cons I went to last year. I thought that was kinda weird, since his design is cool and his props look fun to make. I'm sure you'll have a kickass cosplay when you're done! :3

 

[RavenWing13]

Any FF favorites?

I do an older Hope, and Snow from 13. I have done Iggy from 15. Cloud, Zack and Vincent from 7.

 

[WeissOnReiss]

If you want some amazing tips and tricks for cosplay, definitely check out Kamui Cosplay on Youtube. She has fabulous tutorials on everything from armor to painting and LEDs.

I've been an active cosplayer for over 10 years, and the best advice I can give is practice, practice, practice. It takes time to build up the skills, so don't try and cram too many costumes into a short time period, or you're likely to end up with something that you're not happy with...or, worse still, you might feel inclined to give up.

Also, don't be afraid to use existing items and modify them to fit your needs! It can cut down on both time and costs. Not everything needs to be made from scratch.

 

[Nimbus]

If you want some amazing tips and tricks for cosplay, definitely check out Kamui Cosplay on Youtube. She has fabulous tutorials on everything from armor to painting and LEDs.

I've been an active cosplayer for over 10 years, and the best advice I can give is practice, practice, practice. It takes time to build up the skills, so don't try and cram too many costumes into a short time period, or you're likely to end up with something that you're not happy with...or, worse still, you might feel inclined to give up.

Also, don't be afraid to use existing items and modify them to fit your needs! It can cut down on both time and costs. Not everything needs to be made from scratch.

Fair point. there are some cosplays I really wanna do but does it make sense to buy all the things in a rush now when I'm probably gonna have a few months break after this con?

My main struggle was trying to find a versatile wig I can use for either multiple cosplays or multiple characters plus the EGL kit for this con and I found one on the 5 wits wigs that'll work! Wahoo! :3

 

[WeissOnReiss]

If you have the funds and space available, there's no reason why you can't buy all of your supplies at once. The extra time will just give you more opportunity to work on everything as necessary or as you see fit.

I guess the main point that I was trying to drive was just not to overwhelm yourself, particularly if you are starting out. In my personal experience, I have always felt more confident showcasing one really good cosplay rather than a handful of sub-par ones; attention to detail can really take that one costume to the next level.

But I totally understand the problem of having too many ideas and not enough time. Haha. I have a massive laundry list of costumes I want to make at some point and it just keeps getting longer...much to my closet's dismay.

 

[beehsknees]

Both me and my brother cosplay! :'). My brother makes/buys all of the stuff himself - he cosplays someone from TF2 (I can't remember the guys name) and he built the backpack gun thing himself from wood, it's pretty impressive.

I'm decent at sewing but don't have access to a sewing machine at the moment so I can't make any of my own outfits (and I'm not wrestling with loads of a fabric and a single needle!). My tip is to always give yourself enough time. The con may be in six months but you'll get five months down the line and realise you forgot to make the super detailed, bejazzled cloak and won't have enough time to finish :') Also have fun with the cosplay is my best tip. It's so satisfying wearing a costume you put together yourself and usually looks more realistic and cool than a store bought one.

 

[Icholic]

I've been cosplaying for about 4 years now! It changed my life, and made it better. Most of my friends I've met through cosplay. It was a hard year last year but I'm getting in early this year for the June convention in Sydney. Going as Moira from Overwatch, and Dirk from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.