Planning a cosplay project
By Karen Wang
19 May 2013 There are various steps involved in planning a cosplay project: 1. Decide on which character to cosplay. 2. Collect reference pictures. 3. Buy supplies and anything that you aren’t planning on hand-making. 4. Decide what to do with your cosplay after the con. |
1. Decide on which character to cosplay.
Many people choose to cosplay characters from their favorite anime, characters that look like them (although this is by no means necessary), or well-known anime characters that everyone can recognize. Your cosplay project will depend heavily on which anime character you want to cosplay. These are all essential questions to ask yourself before deciding on an anime character. It's important to choose wisely; there's nothing more frustrating that getting halfway through sewing a costume and realize that, due to various circumstances, you need to start over completely. Important questions to consider when choosing your cosplay are:
Finally, now is the perfect time to begin budgeting your project. Check out CosPlayGround's budget guide to figure out what the necessary expenses will be, and what you can do without (contact lenses, wigs, etc.)
2. Collect reference pictures.
After deciding on a character, you will need to amass a collection of online reference pictures for your character. Start with a simple Google search for your character’s outfit, weapons, or even other cosplays of this character that have been done in the past. If you are cosplaying an anime or video game character, you might be able to find archives of screenshots, or concept-art collections. Many online cosplay forums will probably already have examples of your cosplay that have been done in the past. A good starting place is my guide to online cosplay sites, linked below. Research these out to see how they decided to create the costume and what kinds of materials they used. Save them in a folder so you can easily refer back to them in the future when you start working on the finer details of your cosplay.
Check out these sites for reference pictures:
http://www.mmosite.com
- MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) screenshots
http://www.zerochan.net
- Character art and screenshots from a large variety of anime
CosPlayGround's guide to cosplay sites
- Look for similar cosplays on this list of online cosplay social network sites and blogs
3. Buy supplies and anything that you aren’t planning on hand-making.
The next step is figuring out how much of your cosplay you are planning on hand-making. Refer to each of the Planning a cosplay project subsections to read more about each of the components of a cosplay. Many experienced cosplayers prefer to make their cosplays because they can customize it and make it unique. However, many beginner cosplayers opt to buy pre-made cosplays online. This can be expensive, but making your own cosplay will require the overhead costs of materials and a sewing machine, if you don’t have one yet. It can be helpful to make your own spreadsheet to compare hand-making versus buying online. Refer to CosPlayGround's budget guide to get started.
Wigs and props are often cheaper to buy online, and frequently of better-quality than those sold in stores. eBay is a popular site where many vendors sell cosplay supplies. Many of these vendors are based in Asia, so it’s important to order these well in advance to allow time for order processing and shipping. Shipping times can range from two weeks to two months, depending on the vendor and shipping method you choose. From your planning so far, you should have a good idea of what wigs, props, and perhaps contact lenses you’ll need. And, be sure to check out CosPlayGround's guide to online vendors.
4. Decide what to do with your cosplay after the con.
Finally, you’ll need to consider what will happen to your cosplay once the convention is over. A cosplay consisting of a costume, wig, props, footwear, etc., will need to be stored somewhere when you’re not wearing it. Many cosplayers opt to keep their past cosplays and use them again or build on them for future conventions. If you decide to not keep your cosplay, you may be able to resell it online if it is in good condition to make some cash for your next cosplay project. Or, consider donating it to another cosplayer or high school theater troupe.
After completing these steps, you’re ready to move on to making your cosplay!
Many people choose to cosplay characters from their favorite anime, characters that look like them (although this is by no means necessary), or well-known anime characters that everyone can recognize. Your cosplay project will depend heavily on which anime character you want to cosplay. These are all essential questions to ask yourself before deciding on an anime character. It's important to choose wisely; there's nothing more frustrating that getting halfway through sewing a costume and realize that, due to various circumstances, you need to start over completely. Important questions to consider when choosing your cosplay are:
- How complex is their outfit? Plate armor and fine detailing may look cool, but how much time and money are you willing to invest in recreating these details?
- What wigs/props/footwear do they have? Characters with floor-length, ultra-spiky, or multi-colored hair will be harder to buy wigs for. If you pick a character who has a similar hairstyle to yours, you can save $30-100 on wig costs. Can you easily replicate some of their props and accessories with everyday items, or do you need to create special props that are unique to the character?
- Do you have friends who want to do a group cosplay together, and thus need many characters to choose from? In this case, you'll want to choose an anime with a large cast and wide range of main characters to choose from.
- Is the character a popular one? Cosplaying a popular character ensures that convention-goers will recognize you and ask for photos. Conventions also hold cosplay gatherings for the more popular animes, which are a great way to meet other cosplayers. On the other hand, you will potentially see many better (and worse) versions of your own cosplay. However, choosing a lesser-known character might mean that not a lot of people will recognize your cosplay and thus won’t ask you for photographs.
- Do you know the backstory behind this character? By no means do you have to be an expert on a particular anime or character to cosplay. But fans asking for your photograph might request you say a catchphrase or act out a scene, so you'll want to prepared for that.
Finally, now is the perfect time to begin budgeting your project. Check out CosPlayGround's budget guide to figure out what the necessary expenses will be, and what you can do without (contact lenses, wigs, etc.)
2. Collect reference pictures.
After deciding on a character, you will need to amass a collection of online reference pictures for your character. Start with a simple Google search for your character’s outfit, weapons, or even other cosplays of this character that have been done in the past. If you are cosplaying an anime or video game character, you might be able to find archives of screenshots, or concept-art collections. Many online cosplay forums will probably already have examples of your cosplay that have been done in the past. A good starting place is my guide to online cosplay sites, linked below. Research these out to see how they decided to create the costume and what kinds of materials they used. Save them in a folder so you can easily refer back to them in the future when you start working on the finer details of your cosplay.
Check out these sites for reference pictures:
http://www.mmosite.com
- MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) screenshots
http://www.zerochan.net
- Character art and screenshots from a large variety of anime
CosPlayGround's guide to cosplay sites
- Look for similar cosplays on this list of online cosplay social network sites and blogs
3. Buy supplies and anything that you aren’t planning on hand-making.
The next step is figuring out how much of your cosplay you are planning on hand-making. Refer to each of the Planning a cosplay project subsections to read more about each of the components of a cosplay. Many experienced cosplayers prefer to make their cosplays because they can customize it and make it unique. However, many beginner cosplayers opt to buy pre-made cosplays online. This can be expensive, but making your own cosplay will require the overhead costs of materials and a sewing machine, if you don’t have one yet. It can be helpful to make your own spreadsheet to compare hand-making versus buying online. Refer to CosPlayGround's budget guide to get started.
Wigs and props are often cheaper to buy online, and frequently of better-quality than those sold in stores. eBay is a popular site where many vendors sell cosplay supplies. Many of these vendors are based in Asia, so it’s important to order these well in advance to allow time for order processing and shipping. Shipping times can range from two weeks to two months, depending on the vendor and shipping method you choose. From your planning so far, you should have a good idea of what wigs, props, and perhaps contact lenses you’ll need. And, be sure to check out CosPlayGround's guide to online vendors.
4. Decide what to do with your cosplay after the con.
Finally, you’ll need to consider what will happen to your cosplay once the convention is over. A cosplay consisting of a costume, wig, props, footwear, etc., will need to be stored somewhere when you’re not wearing it. Many cosplayers opt to keep their past cosplays and use them again or build on them for future conventions. If you decide to not keep your cosplay, you may be able to resell it online if it is in good condition to make some cash for your next cosplay project. Or, consider donating it to another cosplayer or high school theater troupe.
After completing these steps, you’re ready to move on to making your cosplay!