Cosplay is a new fashion craze that came from Japan and took over the entire globe in a few years of existence. Its essence lies in playing the characters you like from anime, cartoons, comics, movies and even real personalities: singers, actors, politicians and so on. How to make cosplay at home depends on the degree of complexity of the costume, details and image. Some cosplay models make money with their creativity, for others it's just a hobby. There are many themed festivals and communities where you can show your cosplay or discuss someone else's.
How to cosplay
A good cosplay requires several components: hair or wig, makeup, costume, accessories, and acting out. Most cosplayers, including professional cosplayers, do art at home on their own or surrounded by friends. This is a very interesting hobby that requires a lot of time, attention, strength and sincerelove. Characters come in different levels of complexity: from incredible space aliens, which can only be mastered by professionals, to simple schoolchildren. Choosing who to cosplay a girl or a guy will be quite simple.
Hairstyle
How to make a cosplay hairstyle? Most often, not hairstyles from living hair are used, but wigs. An advanced experienced cosplayer can accumulate a lot of them over the years - each for a separate character, or even more than one. There are several reasons why experienced cosplayers choose wigs:
- The wig is more practical. The hairs on it are thicker than real hair, they do not break out, they have a rich color, they shine and look more "cartoonish". This is good, because doing anime cosplay means turning into a cartoon character.
- Natural hair can get out of control. The wig will not ruffle the wind, the hair on it will not fluff or stick together from moisture.
- Not all hairstyles can be done on live hair. For example, many characters have an unnatural hair color or a different length than the cosplayer's hair. Sometimes it is impossible to grow hair exactly the same length as the characters, it is not always possible to style natural hair in a complex hairstyle. Some wigs are sold pre-styled specifically for the characters.
- Caring for your hair. If your hair is cut or dyed for each character, it will quickly become thin, brittle and lifeless.
Makeup
Cosplay makeuprequired for both female and male characters. Of course, the degree of complexity depends on the specific hero or heroine, but there are basic rules: the complexion should be even and bright, the eyes should be bright and expressive, so cosplayers use lenses and false eyelashes. Often, advanced cosplayers resort to the services of professional makeup artists, but this is not at all necessary. There are plenty of tutorials online on how to make easy cosplay makeup for girls and guys who are just getting started in this field.
Costume
The most difficult and important part of cosplay. Suits are its basis, the most expensive, but interesting part of the image. They also come in varying degrees of difficulty. There are several ways to purchase or make a cosplay costume. Some talented cosplayers prefer to make their costumes by hand at home, others sew in a studio. The costume can be bought in the online store or by hand, but you need to do this carefully. There is a risk of purchasing a low-quality thing from a bad, inappropriate fabric, wrong color or size.
Accessories
How to make cosplay really interesting? With parts and accessories. To complete the image, you need suitable shoes, jewelry and other details of the image (for example, a phone, hair clips or hair ties, a bag or backpack, wings, hats, crowns, and so on). It all depends on the characters: you need to carefully look at what accessories and additional surroundings the characters use, and try to get them.
Playback
This item includes the acting data of the cosplayer and the ability to enter the character's character. It's not enough to dress up as a hero, you need to become one. Location, poses, gaze, lighting and the like are very important when it comes to photography. In photography, post-processing is also very important. For example, you can change the color balance or contrast to give your photos the right atmosphere, brightness, and expression. Some cosplayers actively use computer graphics in their photos to draw elements of the hero's world that could not be found in reality, or to create a more spectacular picture.
How to make your first cosplay: tips for beginners
- You should start with simpler and more realistic characters. Who can cosplay a girl or a young man without special skills? A good choice would be characters from cartoons, comics, anime, TV series or films with a simple realistic world, such as the anime "K-ON!" about schoolgirl musicians.
- You need to choose a wig and a suit carefully, it is advisable to buy from familiar sellers. If there is an opportunity to sew a simple suit in an atelier or on your own, you should use it.
- Even if the color of the eyes of the model and the character is the same, it is recommended to use contact lenses. They visually enlarge the eyes, make them brighter, more expressive and more beautiful. Also, false eyelashes in a small amount will not be superfluous. It is desirable that they be plastic and not too thick.
- Many characters can be cosplayed not in their main costumes, but,for example, in a swimsuit, sportswear or pajamas. Sometimes these costumes are less expensive, easier to buy or make, so you can start your first cosplay with them.
- To make cosplay easier and more interesting, you can meet other beginners and not only cosplayers in thematic groups, on websites or at thematic festivals. They can share tips and experiences, suggest suitable conventions and communities, and explore cosplay together, which will be more fun, interesting and productive.
- Don't rush. Having bought the first suit in a hurry, you can stumble upon a low-quality product. As a result, you will have to spend more time and effort. An untidy wig can start to get confused, and lenses chosen in a hurry can cause allergies. Cosplay should be approached thoroughly and not rushed to make it as soon as possible.
- It's more fun with friends! Calling your friends for help and cosplaying with them will not only increase your productivity, but also make this interesting hobby even more fun (even if your friends are not into cosplay)!
Cosplay is becoming more and more popular every year, gradually growing from a simple hobby into a separate direction of modern art. Cosplay is on the verge of acting, photography, modeling and even fashion.
