Cosplaying is when one dresses up as a character of a book, movie, or video game. While cosplaying is a fun activity to do with your peers, creating a costume for cosplay isn’t exactly easy, especially if you want it to look realistic.
While you may already know the basic stitching in creating costumes, you may want to go for a more authentic appearance to make your outfit look more appealing. Listed below are the tips on how you can create lifelike cosplay costumes.
How to make lifelike cosplay costumes
Be as detailed as possible
When creating costumes, every single detail should be considered if you want it to look realistic. For example, if you’re planning to workout with a mermaid tail, you should either create your own or purchase one with the most intricate details and colour combinations. You need to supply the right amount of glimmer for a smooth transition of colours from one scale to another.
You should be able to capture all these details by examining the character’s appearance, especially the clothes and accessories. To copy the details seamlessly, you must do some research and purchase the right fabrics and trinkets for the costume.
Make sure that it fits perfectly
One way to ensure that you’re portraying the character realistically is by ensuring that the costume is tailored perfectly for your body type. You can only portray the character properly if your costume properly fits you. Remember to prioritise your comfort above all.
Moreover, make sure that the costume you’re wearing makes you recognisable as the character you’re cosplaying. You can tweak a few details in the costume, but don’t go too far that people get confused about your character.
Use the right materials
Purchasing the materials for your costume can be costly—but using the right materials will make your costume look lifelike. Using high-quality fabrics is worth the expense if you really want to get into character.
Along with using the right materials, you should also use proper colour schemes for the costume. Try to get the closest possible colour as showcased by the character. If you use bright and neon colours for a character who wears pastels, your costume will appear cheap and tacky.
Create realistic props
While you’re focused on creating the best costume, you shouldn’t forget to develop realistic props as well. You should study your character’s accessories and staple tools to create authentic-looking props.
Creating props can be tricky—it can make or break your whole ensemble. If the character’s accessories are big, make sure that they’re lightweight enough to wear around.
Moreover, you shouldn’t worry if you’re not confident in making your own props. There’s no harm in purchasing ready-to-use items, especially if you don’t have enough time to make one. You can easily buy a replica firearm, longbows, and steel swords. Besides, no one’s going to know if you bought it or made it yourself.
Polish your costume
After you’ve come up with your dream costume, polish everything by removing loose threads and pins.
Upon removing the excess threads and pins, you should also clean and iron your costume to make it look neat. Make sure that you wash it gently or dry clean to prevent your costume from falling apart. Before you wear it, note the required folds and cuts to the fabric.
Apply the right makeup
By applying the right makeup, you’ll be able to achieve the exact appearance of the character you’re trying to portray. This may also require you to practice recreating your character’s face, from the forehead down to their neck. Include small details in your makeup, such as their tattoos, birthmarks, and moles.
Choose your favourite character
Lastly, in creating a great costume, you have to choose a character that you love. It could be from a video game, such as Mario Kart or God of War. If you’re in love with your role, there’s a higher chance that you’ll be able to create the best costume, since you know your character from head to toe.
Conclusion
Creating a lifelike costume for cosplay can be challenging, since it requires precision and accuracy. With this in mind, you must allot ample time to complete the perfect-looking outfit before pulling it off in a convention or contest.
Aside from knowing how to create beautiful costumes, you should also know the basics of how to cosplay. This includes getting into character by learning the nuances of the character’s facial expressions, posture, and even habits. Cosplaying isn’t easy—but always remember that practice makes perfect.
Featured image: Adrien Nguyen/Flickr
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