How to build a sword out of wood, then make it look metal and battle-worn. This sword was made for a Nazgul costume for a Lord of the Rings Halloween.
Using cosplay hacks is a great semi-from-scratch way of creating an incredible cosplay without needing to drive oneself crazy in order to do it.
Day to Night-Light Skirt: One of the most amazing things about LEDs is that they give you endless options when it comes to color and lighting effects. Adding lights to an ordinary piece of clothing lends that garment transformative, chameleon-like powers. I believe illu…
Want to start with Cosplay? Learn with Kamui's books, patterns and tutorial videos! We're here for you! Let's have fun together!
The Purple Wizard from Diablo 3 was a passion project! I absolutely love the class and this was already my 4th Wizard cosplay!
The corset trend is one of my favorites right now because of its historic background which dates back to the 1500's. Originally designed to slim the waist and exaggerate the bust and hips. The construction of a traditional corset is a time consuming process done by a skilled tailor called a corsetmaker. This involves accurate measuring and materials like leather, metal, wood, and plastic for the boning inserted into the cloth of the corset. Now most of us aren't skilled corsetiers and nor do we plan to be. I just like the look of a corset as a fashion-forward piece to add to my wardrobe. It's a great addition to a baggy top and even for cosplay costumes (Halloween's coming). Dritz products make it easy to create your own custom corset using their 2-Part Eyelet Tools and Eyelets. You can even try their Eyelet Pliers which I used for the vinyl corset. Get the details below and make your own corset. Supplies: Dritz 2-Part Eyelet Tools Dritz 2-Part Eyelets (I used the gold but they have silver and gunmetal too). 1/2 yard of fabric (I used a TÉLIO Denim and vinyl) Brother Sewing Machine XR3774 tailors chalk hammer embroidery scissors ruler thread DIY Instructions: You will need a strip of fabric that measures your waist + 5-8 extra inches. The width depends on how wide you want your corset to be. Mine was 6.5" when finished + 1.5" seam allowance (8" total width). The pattern above shows sections of 2" on each side and then 3.5" sections in between. The _" is the middle of the corset which will be the center back. This will be whatever measurement you get at the end. We're basically making an accordion with fabric by folding pleats and sewing them. Begin by marking a line down the 1/2 way point of the fabric. Then mark 2" lines out from the sides. Be sure to mark on the wrong side of the fabric using tailors chalk or a fabric marking tool. Now mark 3.5" from that point till you get to the center. Repeat the same for the other side going to the center. Any remaining space you have left should be in the center. This measurement will most likely not be 3.5". It should look like this when done. You should now have 2 center lines. Fold either one so the marked line is the folded edge and right sides are together. Pin or press flat and sew a 1/4" seam. Sewing a 1/4" seam from top to bottom. It should look like this. Now repeat for the other center line (the mark in between mine is the half way point). The 2 center pleats are wear the arrow is. Now for the additional pleats we will be sewing a curve instead of a straight line. Fold again with the marked line as the folded edge but pin the half way point. When you sew, do start with a 1/4" seam allowance and gradually sew out to about 1/2" by the middle point. Then gradually back to finish with a 1/4"...see below for the photo and you'll get what I mean. Repeat this for the rest of the sections until you reach the last lines marked on each side. For the last lines you will just do a 1/4" straight seam like we did the center (where the arrows are). Press everything nice and flat. The center folds should be going the opposite directions of each other. Press the remaining pleats so they align with the coordinating center direction. Now top stitch the folds/pleats down into place. You can use a different colored thread to get a nice detailed top stitch or use the same like I did. These folds will act as our "boning" for the corset rather than inserting metal or plastic into each section. It's a much easier process... It should look like this on the wrong side. Hem the top and bottom edges. I folded a 1/4" over and then another 1/2" over, pressed, and hemmed into place. For the sides fold over 1" and sew into place. I did sew the raw edge into the seam. It should now look like this. Mark evenly where you want your eyelets to be with a dot of tailors chalk. Mine were spread about 1/2" apart. Use Dritz's 2-Part Eyelet Tools and eyelets to create the lace up front. Applying the grommets and eyelets: Full video tutorial here Mark position of grommet by tracing around inside opening of grommet. Cut hole with scissors. Note: For fabrics with stretch, cut hole smaller than inside opening of grommet. Insert grommet (deep half) into hole from right to wrong side of fabric. Place anvil on a hard surface. Position grommet on anvil. Place insert over center of grommet. Place washer, dome side up, over insert. Insert setter into grommet; hammer using 2 or 3 forceful taps. Center of grommet will roll over to secure grommet and provide a smooth finish. For the vinyl corset everything was done the same but for the holes I used the Eyelet Pliers instead of cutting them myself. This is a great tool for leather, suede, and vinyl materials. You can even apply the eyelets with these. Finish by lacing up with string or cording through the eyelets. Make sure it's long enough to lace through and tie into a bow at the end. Mine measured a full yard. I love pairing these with an oversized t-shirt or men's shirt. They also look great styled with a loose peasant top. It helps accentuate the waist and adds some edge to my look. Great for cosplay costumes as well (Halloween inspo). *In collaboration with Dritz. I received compensation from Dritz®, and some of the materials featured here or used in this project were provided free of charge by Dritz®. All opinions are my own. SaveSave
Svetlana Quindt, a.k.a. Kamui Cosplay, decided to make a costume inspired by one of her childhood idols for Connichi: Xena. Kamui did a wonderful job pulling the Warrior Princess ensemble together.…
These are the patterns and blueprints that I made and used for my own cosplay costumes. Now you can use them as well! Please note that all patterns are drawn without seam allowance, and they are in my size. They can serve as a base to make your own perfect fitting pattern for your cosplays.
Ignite your creativity and embark on an enchanting adventure with our downloadable Dragon Mask template. Transform a simple cardboard box into a captivating dragon costume with this downloadable pattern, step by step instructions and walk through video. Dive into the world of DIY costumes and bring your inner dragon to life.
I made a quick mock-up of how I made the gems for Madoka's necklace and bow. Here are the products I bought for the gem casting. All from Amazon: EasyCast Epoxy Mold Builder Liquid Latex Rubber ...
Foam & Sharpies: two of the biggest weapons in my cosplay arsenal! Did you know that you can use Sharpie markers for coloring plastic gems? It works beautifully, it doesn’t cut down on their...
So I’ve been asked more than a few times how I made the fins for Undyne, and I actually compiled a tutorial to our facebook cosplay page a while ago. Full instructions under the cut, or you can go to...
Before I started cosplaying, I knew nothing about fabrics and sewing. The first time I walked into a fabric store to find material for a costume, I was completely overwhelmed
EVA foam is a versatile material commonly used in creating costumes and props for cosplay. It’s lightweight, flexible, and can be shaped into complex forms, making it ideal for simulating
Related Tutorial: How to Make Moveable Talons You can attach claws directly to your fingernails for a beast-like effect. The type of claws you make will depend on the overall
Cosplay: The art of portraying a character through the creative use of costumes. Okay. You've seen a ton of awesome cosplays floating around the internet, at conventions, or you just love all those amazing costumes in movies, video games, etc., and you're dying to get in on the cosplaying action yourself. That's why I'm here: to show you all the ins and outs of getting started in cosplay by making your very first costume! NOTE: If you're looking for a pre-made (or mostly premade) costume, Etsy and Cosplay Sky are two of the best places I've found online to buy high quality, screen-accurate costumes. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Step One: Choose a Costume Probably the easiest part of the entire process, the beginning of every cosplay begins with choosing a character, and then choose a costume worn by said character. You probably already have an idea swimming around in your head -- perfect! Choose that one. One helpful tip regarding this decision: it's best not to choose something *too* challenging or intricate for your first endeavor. Try to let the costume match your skill set. So, let's say you want to cosplay Iron Man... unless you're really ambitious, maybe pare the idea down a little and go for cosplaying Tony Stark instead -- that way, you can just make an arm of the Iron Man suit to complete the look! Here's the thing: no matter how easy your costume is to make, as long as you look good, you will be pleased with the finished product and your audience will be impressed. It's better to do something too easy than too hard -- at least for your first costume. Then, as your costume-making skills and abilities grow, you can begin to stretch them farther and farther to make super duper complex costumes. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Step Two: Begin Planning Though you might want to just jump right in and have at it, making a game plan for your costume will make everything much simpler and faster in the long run. This process should include: - Gathering reference photos. Scour the internet for the best high-resolution photos of the costume that you can find. Posters, movie stills, even toy versions of the character provide invaluable reference to help you in your build. I've found the best way to store these photos is to pin them all to a good ol' Pinterest board, designated for that express purpose. - Making a list of everything you'll need to buy. You might be surprised by just how many things you'll need to buy to create your costume (and how much those things can cost), so it's important to have a pretty good idea of what you'll be needing to purchase. This will also make the next part of the process much easier. - Creating a budget + calculating the cost of the costume. Now, your budget doesn't have to be calculated down to the last cent -- somewhere within $10 of the actual price is a good place to start. And since you've already made your list of things you need to buy, just add up the average cost of all those items and you're all set to go! - Drawing sketches of the costume. This one is optional, but I highly recommend it if you're planning on making any major alterations to the original costume. It also helps you get a better idea of all the different aspects of the costume, since you have to draw each one. - Deciding where you want to wear the finished costume. You might already know this, but if not, start thinking. It's so depressing to have created an awesome costume, only to realize you have no where to wear it. I recommend movie premieres, fandom conventions, or just a photoshoot as the best opportunities to do so. > > > > > > > > > > Step Three: Research + Purchase Materials So, now that you've got a pretty good idea of where you're going with your cosplay, start researching online and in brick-and-mortar stores for the things you'll need to buy -- which you've already made a list of! ;) If you're looking for a few pre-made items, such as boots or weapons (the things that look best when store bought and screen-accurate versions can be easily found), the best places to start your search are Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, and your local thrift stores -- you'd be surprised by how perfect some of the second-hand items are for cosplay, plus they can lower your budget considerably. Here are a few online stores that I've found to be perfect for finding great sewing materials, which will most likely take a large part in making your costume: - Fabric, craft foam, notions, etc: ~ Fabric.com ~ Jo-Ann ~ Hancock Fabrics - Sewing Patterns: ~ Simplicity ~ McCall ~ Butterick > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Step Four: Accessorize This is such a fun and integral part of creating costumes that sometimes can be overlooked. Here are the main accessories that you'll be needing to get to complete your costumed look: - Weapons. Does your character carry a weapon, and the place you're planning on wearing the costume at would accept you carrying that weapon? Definitely consider making or buying one to carry and pose with you while you cosplay -- it'll add a special touch to your costume. Amazon, BUDK and Medieval Collectibles are great places to start your search for these if you want to buy them. - Footwear. Never go with sneakers or flipflops just because they're easy -- they'll ruin everything of the costume that you worked so hard on! Thrift stores are a great place to find shoes that you'll only be wearing a few times, and you won't feel bad altering a pair that only cost you $5. A note about characters that go barefoot: You will probably want to create a pair of "invisible shoes" (tutorial by "...And Sewing is Half the Battle!"). - Wigs. Now, I have a more lenient opinion on wigs than other cosplayers, but that's just because wigs can so often make a costume look worse rather than better, unless you want to fork out the $30-$80 for a high quality, synthetic, lace-front wig. With that in mind, it might be better to completely forego buying a wig and just go with your natural hair, styled like the character's as best you can. But, if you do want to buy a wig, Arda Wigs has rave reviews, and eBay can have some pretty good finds. - Prosthetics. I've found that Aradani Costumes is the absolute best place for high-quality, inexpensive prosthetics, which can add a convincing touch to your cosplay and make people look twice. "Wait, did that girl have pointy ears??" ;) > > > > > > > > > > > > > Step Five: Create Your Costume Now that you've got all the necessary materials necessary to make your intended design, it's time to put your sewing and crafting skills to the test! Here's a few extremely helpful links to get you started in your crafting. - 12 Things You Need to Start Sewing (Fab Grandma) - Craft Foam Armor Tutorial (Penwiper Unlimited) - Foam Board Weapons Tutorial (Fire Lily Cosplay) Let me tell you something crucial for this step: Google is your friend. Don't know how to do something? GOOGLE IT. Chances are pretty good that someone else has made the same costume before you and wrote about their process of doing so. Reading about their build can be extremely helpful for your own, and they may have even made some how-tos for the creation of some of the more difficult parts of the costume. Plus, if you have a question about the costume, they might be able to answer it! Many cosplayers are very open to helping others with their costumes. You can also check out the RPF, which is a great place to find answers from experienced hobbyists. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Step Six: Have fun! You've sewn, crafted and bought everything for your costume, and now it's finally time to put it all together and show it off!! Enjoy literally stepping into your character's shoes for a day. :D And with that, you've completed your very first cosplay. Bravo, and congratulations!!! If you followed my little guide to make your first costume, post a link to it in the comments below so I can see your wonderful handiwork. :) P.S. Let me tell you: if you don't think your cosplay turned out perfectly, don't worry, because I promise that you will only get better from here on out. Also, never compare your cosplays to others -- only compare them to your previous work. That way, you will only see the improvement in costuming, and you'll only be inspired to keep getting better. ^_^
An often overlooked but highly important step of cosplay construction is the process of painting. Even if you’ve done a fantastic job at sewing your costume or putting your prop
Embarking on the journey of cosplay can transform you into any character you adore, but to get that authentic look, mastering the art of makeup is crucial. As a beginner
It’s a lot of fun to put together a costume and cosplay at anime and comic conventions. You get to share your creativity and love for your favorite characters with
First off, let me just say that this blog HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE! Been so busy with school for the past few months that I had to go on hiatus for a little while. Anywaaaay, in my previous post Horny Girls, we had a little photoshoot showcasing our below P100 DIY costume which won in our Fine Arts - Mindworks costume parade. Haha. And as promised, I will be showing you the DIY Tutorial I used as guide to make my horns + my DIY on how I created mine. And how timely, Maleficent the movie is coming up! SO HERE IT IS: Horns tutorial by MonkeyNumber5 Initially I had planned on making the horns out of a wire armature + paper mache. But I imagined it would be heavy and I didn't have the time and patience to work with wire; the parade was in 2 days, bub. So I looked for a lightweight alternative and ta-da I found this clever tutorial! So I followed the tutorial, adding my own design to the horns. I wanted something that looked tough, like the horns of a Taurus or the Chicago Bulls. But I also wanted it to be feminine at the same time. So I gave my horns 2 body curves and a sharp tip. The bigger segments were easier to do compared to the smaller ones. When the curve got sharper, I had to do trial and error until I was contented. This is the result: Best part is they're hollow and lightweight! And then I painted them with a black latex base. The bulk of the time making this was spent on trial-and-error ing the angle of each segment. Total work hours estimate: 3 hours If you like your horns that way, you can stop there. But I wanted to add texture to my horns so it would appear to blend in with the hair. So I cut some fiberfill (stuff used to stuff pillows) strips and glued them on each segment. Tried a different editing style with this photo. So after I layered the fiberfill, I spray painted it black for the final look. The color and texture is intended to imitate hair. Now you can sew them unto a headband if you have the time. I didn't, so the quickest thing I could find at home were tie wires. I tied them tight into the headband. Much better though if the wires were the same color as the headband. But it didn't bother me since it was going to be covered with hair anyway. And yes, that is a headband that is shaped like eyeglasses; pretty advantageous for this improvised design, so the tie wire has more to grab on. And that's it! The method is pretty simple and the possibilities are limitless with what you can create. Next time betches, Shari
Check out this easy and fun Wolf Tail Tutorial! It's made with yarn and a brush! It looks so real and feels so soft! Pick your fav colors and make one!
12 Costume Tips from Cosplay Pros
The easiest method for making your swords and other props look like metal is by using metallic acrylic paint. However, this doesn’t give you the most realistic effect, since there
Creating cosplay costumes with EVA foam is super fun and affordable! This material is just perfect to make amazing projects on a budget!
A masterlist of the best online costuming material sources. Seamstresses, designers, costumers, and cosplayers: bookmark this list for your next project!
EVA foam is an excellent material to use for making all kinds of cosplay props. However, when heated or sanded, EVA foam releases toxic fumes and dust, so you need
I am compiling a tutorial for making mecha/ gundam costumes. Please note that this is not pepakura and that I do not use pepakura and I have no...
If you've ever done cosplay with boot covers, you know they can be slippery. Here's How to Add a Sole to Boot Covers - an easy safety upgrade!