#CosplayHelp

[beginnercosplaytips]

Beginner Cosplay Tips from the Community (and me!!)

Cosplay can initially seem overwhelming, but the community provides helpful advice for newcomers! Whether you’re crafting a costume from scratch or buying your first wig, there’s always something new to learn. I contacted experienced cosplayers and gathered beginner-friendly tips to help you get started.

Start Simple and Build Your Skills

Many cosplayers recommend choosing a character with a simple design for your first cosplay. This lets you focus on learning key skills like sewing, wig styling, or prop-making without feeling overwhelmed. Gank explains by breaking down the costume into individual pieces, you’ll have an easier time planning how to create the overall look. You can look for inspiration online on Etsy or Pinterest to simulate your character's appearance using materials you can access. https://ganknow.com/blog/cosplay-for-beginners/?srsltid=AfmBOoodEIlGHkfRXmDW3kC4-3j2-hMCqZf1i9CMxwS767bjsceCT4cR From my experience, my first cosplay was very complicated. I had money to buy it from a reputable cosplay website, but it resulted in a lot of time spent on the cosplay.

2. Budget Friendly Cosplay is Possible

Cosplay doesn’t have to be expensive! Anjeez on YouTube shares that thrift stores, clearance sales, and fabric scraps are great resources for affordable costume building. If you’re looking for wigs, checking secondhand marketplaces like Depop or Facebook Marketplace can help save money while still finding high-quality pieces. https://youtu.be/0tbfaWNhSCg?si=MByt-Ay1KXy5Euop I have bought my wigs on a reputable cosplay website, and they are relatively cheap. The expensive part is the shipping since they usually ship out from Asia. Another option is you can always support small businesses selling wigs. They are usually very good quality.

3. Learn From Others

One of the best parts of cosplay is the community! Follow cosplayers on X, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube who share tutorials. Arda Wigs on YouTube has beginner wig-styling guides https://youtube.com/@ardawigs6041?si=7MX2-FSazplh5Bko, while Punished Props Academy on YouTube has a great tutorial on using foam and other materials for props https://www.youtube.com/@punishedprops. Online forums like r/cosplay on Reddit, your local anime convention, and Discord groups are also great places to ask for advice, troubleshoot issues, and find encouragement from other cosplayers. Many conventions also offer cosplay workshops, so if you can attend one, it’s a great way to learn hands-on techniques from experts.

4. Comfort is Key

A well-made costume means nothing if it’s too uncomfortable to wear. I suggest breaking in new shoes ahead of time and bringing emergency supplies like safety pins, double-sided tape, and a mini sewing kit to conventions. Speaking about the double-sided type, my favorite is the one by MoeFlavor. The name is a little weird (Jiggle Defender Waterproof Heavy Duty Body Cosplay Tape https://moeflavor.com/products/jiggle-defender-waterproof-heavy-duty-fashion-tape?srsltid=AfmBOootLWfj1ZFyvUkMoVhbsKYOIeZTw-p4QXKj2macFGvw1k_X9e0Z), but it helps prevent any cosplay mishaps. Layers and breathable fabrics can also significantly affect long wear times. Hydration and snacks are often overlooked, but staying energized lets you enjoy the convention experience without exhaustion. If your cosplay includes heavy props or tight-fitting pieces, taking short breaks throughout the day can help prevent discomfort and fatigue.

5. Have Fun and Be Confident

At the end of the day, cosplay is about having fun and expressing your love for a character. Many beginners worry about being “accurate” or “perfect,” but the most important thing is to enjoy yourself. Every experienced cosplayer starts somewhere. Mistakes are part of the learning process.

What are your favorite beginner cosplay tips? Share your experiences in the comments or tag me in your posts. I’d love to feature more community advice in the future!

[silencedrowns]

I like to go try and and answer questions on r/CosplayHelp because that’s where the cosplay newbies so new that they don’t even know what they’re actually asking about hang out, and after the last week of going through that hellscape, I come with a warning.

A significant amount of the “I’ve never cosplayed before but I want to cosplay [insert character]” posts for the last week have all been Deadpool.

Everyone get ready, because there’s going to be another wave of Deadpool cosplayers, and there’s no stopping this one. May god have mercy on our convention attending souls.

[blake-nikos]

just a quick question to other  spider-people cosplayers,  how do you stop  the vents on a face shell showing through the mask?        its just a 3dprinted shell from thingiverse. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3609696/files

[guavee]

Hi! I’m planning to cosplay this asshole - and was wondering if anyone knew what would be a good color for his outfit ? It looks like a dark blue. Maybe a midnight or navy blue ? But it’s purple toned.

Any help is appreciated - thank you!

[sosoloulb5-blog]

Help for my Megumin cosplay

sorry if my english is rotten but i'm french. Hello everyone how are you? ^^ for me it's okay except that I'm stuck in my megumin cosplay ... I can not make the neck of Megumin I would like it to look like this (we do not see the seam basically) but I really do not know how to do it .. someone would have an idea?

[snowbunnystudios]

#protip - "When weathering and aging a prop or garment using sand paper, as well as washes of browns and greens and dusting the still-wet paint with ground up chalk or pastel is a great way to add a 'well loved' look to your items." - ❤️ 🐰 . . . . #bunni #snowbunnystudios #cosplay #costume #costuming #cosplaying #cosplayer #cosplayersofinstagram #rpf #replicapropforum #craftyourfandom #cosplayprop #cosplaywip #cosplaytutorials #cosplayhelp #propmakingtips #propsmaking #props #diy #howto #crafting #cosplayproblems #weatheringprops #weatheringcosplay #inspirationalquote #thingsbunnisays #bunnihelps #cosplaytips #sewingtips https://www.instagram.com/p/B3NiwaSD_Zw/?igshid=1nz5zfq5eazsp

[hearthaglow]

alright yall

i need help finding a tunic-dress thing for a snufkin costume,, anyone got some pointers for what i should be lookin for? making my own tunic/dress/thing is not an option, i have absolutely no skill and all of the other me’s are laughing at me for it.

[trixalcosplay]

Share to help a fellow #cosplayer Tint it is used to color transparent objects! I used it here on my #rosequartzcosplay with the shield! I sprayed the inside to keep it nice and shiny, otherwise, outside provides a frosted look. You can find TintIt at @michaelsstores or @amazon #cosplayprop #cosplayhelp #cosplaytips #tintit #michaels #michaelsstores #cosplay #cosplaycreation #amazon https://www.instagram.com/p/B1grwyqpZXp/?igshid=1e3pvu7u6p9z

[wannabeher0]

You Too Can Become A Hero!

So I thought of the name for my cosplay tips and tricks, since majority of them are heroes or villains. They will be associated with their faction side.

I. E. You too can become a Hero/Villain!

And it will in the tags as well sovit can be seperated by it instead of mangled around the other posts. So guys what do you think?

Do you have what it takes to be your very own Hero/Villain?

[igotmyselfacitrusfriendnow]

I Need Some Cosplay Advice!

So I’m working on cosplay for an OC of mine, and I need some help deciding on materials for his fake arm. I decided to use a gloved sleeve thing underneath it so I could have space to move it. But I really don’t know what to use for the actual metal pieces. I’m on a low budget, but really want to do this cosplay. Does anyone know of a material I could use to make it? 

[projectcosplay]

Here is a quick way to create resin gems for your cosplay.

1) Buy clear cabochons in the size you want

2) Use metallic nail paint and paint a few layers. Make sure you use metallic paint as I’ve experimented with a few others and they do not provide the varying color effects.

The last picture compares ones painted with metallic paints vs ones painted with regular nail paints. Bottom left has metallic gems. Ones with glitter and ones without. The upper right has gems painted with normal nail paint except for the yellow gem which was painted with metallic paint as well. See the difference?

3) Glue polystyrene, silver scrapbook paper, or aluminum foil for backing so your paint doesn’t chip or tear away. Most use hot glue but I just use a very thin layer of Sobo (fabric/craft glue) and it does the trick. Enjoy!

[mickster-says-things]

⚠️TIME SENSITIVE FOR MAY CONVENTION ⚠️ • • In May I will be attending Megacon and cosplaying the character Blake Belladonna. While I am still searching on my own I wont have enough time to make the jacket for this cosplay nor get the supplies to build up the boots, so if anyone knows of someone willing to make these things or know of any reliable cosplay websites that sell these as individual pieces please DM me. ☆ I dont have PayPal but I have CashApp and am willing to come to a price agreement if someone can commission these pieces. ☆ This convention is May 16-19 and I'm planning this cosplay for the 18th. So if someone can make these pieces and send them or is going to this convention and we can do a tradeoff there it'd be a great help. #cosplay #blakebelladonna #rwby #rwbycosplay #blakebelladonnacosplay #cosplayhelp https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvcemuhg6Rd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1fq2ihyefbn66

[silencedrowns]

I genuinely believe everyone who’s creating cosplay tutorial content for beginners needs to go spend a few days in the trenches on r/cosplayhelp or cosplay amino or the cosplay channel on a large fandom discord where the fandom is full of people just out of high school before they assume what the “average beginner cosplayer” knows

if you’re primarily interacting with other cosplayers, you’re getting the idea of what the “average cosplayer who’s already interested enough in cosplay to go and start interacting with the hobby actively and following other cosplayers and has already taken the first steps and probably worn a few costumes” knows. this is NOT what the average total novice knows.

go to the sort of communities that are only populated by people who barely even know how to order a flavor of the month cosplay on Amazon. get a feel for what kind of advice they’re passing around among themselves. THAT is what you’re targeting if you want to make “content for total cosplay beginners”.

[ambrosecosplay]

Michiru School Uniform Cosplay Tutorial Part 2: The Blouse and Wig

Welcome back everyone! In part 1, I showed you how I put together the skirt and bow for Michiru’s school uniform. Click below to see how I completed the look with the blouse and wig!

So as you can see from the new cover photo, I decided to go with the short sleeve look at the last minute! Since the con is in September in AZ, short sleeves are definitely preferable. I personally like this look better as well. 

The pattern instructions say to sew only the darts and shoulders of the shirt, then add the collar and facing before sewing up the sides. In my case, the green blouse stripe was added in after one side seam was finished. This method actually worked out pretty well as far as being able to move the blouse around in the machine. A couple of notes, though: the neck hole on this pattern is very very narrow. I actually cut out almost an inch wide strip in addition to the seam allowance, but this might not be necessary for everyone. The pattern also directs you to sew the collar and facing on at the same time. I did them one at a time to ensure everything was fitting properly. Getting in and out of this blouse is...a challenge to say the least, haha. It is capable of going on and off over your head without a zipper or a button down front, but I would definitely recommend wiping off your makeup before taking it off. 

Here is the neck facing pinned on over the collar, which is already sewn in:

You can see I added top stitching to the collar edges as well. 

Once the neck facing is sewn on, turn it in and press the new edges. I also tacked the facing down at strategic points on the shirt, mostly under the collar, to keep it from popping up. 

For the inset front piece with the star, I digitized a star to be embroidered on. You could easily paint this though. 

I embroidered the star before cutting out the pattern piece around it. Sew the top edges of the inset together and flip them right-side out to press.

Finish the edges before pinning this piece onto the blouse to be sewn. I also checked the positioning on this piece while wearing the blouse, and moved it around until I was pleased with where it sat. 

Before adding the green stripe along the bottom, sew up one side of the blouse. Also take into account how much space the green stripe takes up at the bottom; this same amount of red fabric should be cut away as it is being replaced. This is why I have the green stripe pinned so high on the blouse in the image below:

Definitely make sure at this point that the two blue stripes match up on the other side before you commit to sewing it in! However, if you are pleased with the placement, press the seam where the green and red pieces meet, and finish up the other side.

For the sleeves, I used the short puff sleeve and cuff pieces that came with the same pattern. I like to put my gathers in first, and then even them out until they meet the length of the cuff before attaching the two and sewing up the side sleeve seams. 

Add the sleeves to the shirt, and it’s time to finish up with some details!

I hand-sewed the bow to the front of the shirt, and decided to make my own cover buttons so that they would match the shirt fabric. Cover button kits are readily available at most craft stores, and they are super fun and easy to make!

Sew those on, and the blouse is done! :)

The wig I have for Michiru is an Arda Wig’s “Claudia” in Mako Green. Here is what it looks like out of the bag. I had only worn it once before, as is. 

While the ringlets are beautiful, they don’t go as high up as I would like. The wig is also a touch long for Neptune in my opinion. I steamed and brushed the curls out, trimmed off about five inches, and recurled them in about 3 inch wide segments. 

I also heavily curled the bangs, using about 9 rollers on them alone. I’m not sure I would curl them as heavily next time, as I had mixed results with the bangs. 

After steaming the wig again and hitting it with the hair drier, this is what the curls looked like when they had cooled and been released:

To get the curls to go from Shirley Temple to ocean waves, I brushed through them with a wide paddle brush and reshaped them with my fingers (this helps eliminate any frizz that might occur as well).

For the bangs, I back-combed them for some volume and shaped them with the hair dryer and my hands. They came out more asymmetrical than I would have liked, but seeing as it was the night before the con, they would have to do. 

Add a few final Michiru touches: a navy hairband, her transformation wand, some cute frilly socks, her violin (if you have one!) and be the magical girl that you are!!! :D

I know I felt truly magical being Michiru for a day. Thank you so much for reading, I hope this tutorial helps you in your own cosplay pursuits! Neptune Planet Power, Make-up! ;)

[mokonastyle]

This is my #cosplaywip for my #thesilentcosplay mask! Someone just sent me a message because she is also going to cosplay #TheSilent and I am so happy for the message and for the help I just offered with my pictures, so I decided to upload more #wip pictures. I am always soooooooo happy to help. 😊😊😊 #slaythespirecosplay #SlayTheSpire #cosplayer #cosmake #skull #workinprogress #white #propmaker #cosplayhelp #cosplaytutorial #propmake #marcavillena #mokonacosplay

[aprilhunter]

Thank you @modernmyth and @amandaxcr for a fun shoot day! #bts #photography #aprilhunter #photoshootfun #wrestlers #luchadoras💪 #mermaids #behindthescenes #funday #cosplayhelp #cosplay #cosplayer