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
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