HOW TO START COSPLAYING

Hello there!

For everyone of you who wants to start cosplaying, here are some guide before you officially get started (⌒ω⌒)ﾉ

1. Choose the character you're going to cosplay ^^
    - this might seem simple but it's also very important. Cause base in experience, due to excitement, you might be jumping from one character to another until you can't decide anymore. My personal advice is that you choose the character you know the most. Chances are, the more familiar you are with the character, the better you're gonna portray him/her.

2. Consider your budget
    - well, unless you're filthy rich and you can pretty much do whatever you want with your money. But for others like me who're in a budget, it's a good thing to know how much are you gonna spend. Canvass on how much this or that material you're going to need is gonna cost. Set a a budget range that is higher than what you're expecting to spend so that you won't be pinching for more money when something unexpected happened.

3. Mission or Commission?
    - decide if you're gonna make your costume/props or if you're gonna commission it. If you have a background in sewing, doing your own costume is not far-fetched. If you're artistic and skillful with you're hands, it'll be better if you make your own props. As for the rest of us who's overwhelmed with the presence of a sewing machine and lacks artistic skills:

    a. Choose the shop who's gonna make your costume
        - there are tons of cosplay dedicated shops out there. Choose the one that has a good reputation. If you're a Filipino, there's this FB page called CNPH: Are you a Legit Cosplay Shop/Seller/Buyer? and CNPH- Cosplay Market. You can try and ask for feedbacks and proof of legitimacy of certain shops in the first one. You can also ask the members for shop recommendations. The latter is for more cosplay related stuffs (make sure you read the rules because they can be pretty strict).
            Base on experience, it is better to commission with a shop that is near you. So what I do is I let a local shop handle my costume if it is a basic one.

    b. Ask for the fabric/material that they're going to use
        - you're not only gonna pay the labor but also for the quality of the costume. The fabrics that they're going to use is a crucial part of defining the quality of the work besides the sewing skill of the seamstress. So, make yourself familiar with the fabrics they're going to mention. Same with the props. The durability is as important as the accuracy so know everything there is to know about it.

    c. Ask how long it's gonna take
        - this is a usual issue in commissioning. The shops don't meet their deadlines and upset their customers (again, this is where asking for feed-backs comes in). If you're rushing, ask first if they accept rushed commissions so it won't be an inconvenience for both parties

    *know the other details like modes of payment, refunds, down-payment and the likes. Be respectful in every way even though you're a customer. Don't abuse the "customer is always right" tag line.

4. Lenses and Wigs
    -  In buying these, after making sure that the shop is legit, look for reviews on both. There are tons of wig and contact lens brand and google can be helpful to in making you decide which one is a good buy (for filipinos, CNPH is also a good place to ask)

5. Make-up
    - it's optional. I'm not saying you have to wear makeup but it really helps. Even though the character you're gonna cosplay has a plain face and looks like he/she isn't wearing any makeup, doing the same thing isn't the best option. Watch some basic cosplay makeup videos to know why ^^



7. Practice Poses
    - if you're gonna attend a convention in a cosplay, there's a huge chance that strangers would take pictures with you or pictures of you, so make sure you're ready. Know at least three different poses of your character. If possible, more. This is also one of the reasons why it is better to cosplay characters you're familiar with.

That's all I can cover for now but I'll update this soon (⌒_⌒;)

I hope this helped ヽ(*⌒▽⌒*)ﾉ
If you have questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer them (￣▽￣*)ゞ

with chocolates and potatoes,

Kuroshirou

COSPLAY FOR EVERYONE

Hello there! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

So, yeah, I finally started COSPLAYING! ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been huge fan of anime (though at that time, I never really cared about the difference between cartoon and anime). That’ll be a long argument so let’s not get into that topic.

I never really planned on cosplaying nor did it ever cross my mind to do so, because the first thing that immediately stops me from even considering it is that I don’t suit cosplaying. But sweetheart, sometimes, the things that hold you back is really just in your head.

“Comparing” is the thing that made me overlook the idea of cosplay. Looking at the high-quality, flawless pictures of celebrity cosplayers frustrated me. I mean, just look at that skin… they’re so freakin’ white, they’re almost transparent (XD); that face… how can it be so flawless. Have these humans ever experience suffering from acne? And that perfect body… damn. I wish I’m that thin but I love food more than anything in the world (XD).

I might be degrading myself too much and I know there are people who have it worse than I do, but I just can’t help it. Looking at those professional photos, then back on the mirror, I thought of the worst: My skin is too dark (well, morena); I’m too fat; my face is infested with acne; my nose is too big; (and then there’s the classic one) I’m ugly.

And… being a total jerk and being utterly clueless about cosplay, I’ve criticized cosplayers. I’ve bashed and said the most awful things about them. I may have not said those out-loud, but still, it doesn’t make it any better.

Then I attended my first convention. That... changed everything.

I met these amazing humans in an online chatting site based on an anime. I got close with some of them and decided to meet-up in an upcoming convention. Actually, I wasn’t even planning on going at that time because I was supposed to have summer classes. Things happened and the summer class plan was cancelled. So, I went to have my vacation in the city and since I have nothing better to do, I might as well attend ‘this’ convention.

Ah. My first convention… it was otaku wonderland and I couldn’t decide what to do first or where to look. It was overwhelming. What caught my attention the most were the cosplayers. Seeing them bring to life those awesome fictional characters… it’s just… amazing. Some have these cool armors on (I even took a picture with one of them! Bunny! From Tiger and Bunny!) And all I could think of at that time was “how the heck did they made that”? I saw my anime crushes one by one and my fangirl-mode was on full scale, I almost took them home with me (XD).

Of course not all of them were perfect but heck, that’s not the point. That’s when it hit that I don’t have the right to criticize them. Actually, no one has the right to do that. Cause even if you’re the best in the field, you’re not perfect either.

Their wigs might be tangled; their costumes might not be perfect; they might be too tall or too short for the character they’re portraying but I learned to forget those standards when I saw the look on their faces. They’re happy.

So, I decided, “why not join the fun?” (ノ*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)

And I did. (-‿‿-)

And I’ve never been happier ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡

You’ll encounter people who’re just like me in the past or humans that find joy in making other people feel bad about themselves, but meh-

Shake it off ┐(￣∀￣)┌

There are no rules in cosplay and hell yeah, everyone can cosplay!

(Just make sure you get your basic needs first, because cosplay can get really expensive, ok? You’ll get there. Don’t rush ☆⌒(≧▽​° ))

And if you ever get into the limelight… don’t ever forget why you started cosplaying.

You never did it to be famous. You never did it to get a higher ranking in worldcosplay (XD). It’s a way of celebrating your fandom. You started because you liked it and you’ll continue because you love it. Don’t get to the point wherein your mindset says that you have to be better than *name of a famous cosplayer*. The only one you should best is yourself. Do better than you did yesterday but remember to not lose yourself in the process.

Rock that costume and have fun! (￣^￣)ゞ

with chocolates and potatoes,

Dyosa ng Patatas

Yep. That's my first official cosplay XD
(Yato from Noragami genderbent ver.)

P.S. Some might ask so answer is no, I can't sew yet. Though once I have the time to learn, I'll be the one making my costumes by then (￣ヘ￣) (hopefully).