Reproduction of the chosen character - how to make the best cosplay costume?
Cosplay is a new fashion craze that came out of Japan and in a few years of existence has taken over the world. Its essence is to reproduce a selected character you like from anime, cartoons, comics, movies, or even real personalities: singers, actors, politicians and so on. How the cosplay is made depends on the complexity of the costume, details and image. There are many themed festivals and communities where you can show your cosplay or talk about how to make the best cosplay costume.
How to replicate a character with a cosplay costume?
Good cosplay requires several elements: wig, makeup, costume, accessories and role-playing. Most cosplayers, engage in art at home alone or with friends. This is a very interesting hobby that requires a lot of time, attention, strength and commitment. The characters have different levels of complexity: from amazing aliens that only professionals can replicate, to simple elves. Spectacular cosplay costume starts with choosing the right materials.
Materials to create a cosplay costume
By cosplay we mean a kind of game related to reincarnation in different roles. Fortunately, you don't have to reinvent the wheel - just follow Wayne's advice and use these three materials:
- EVA foam - this flexible and practical material perfectly takes shape and remains flexible during use and wear.
- Thermoplastic - when heated, the material (e.g., Worbla) easily takes shape and hardens again when cooled, making it possible to create a strong armor.
- PLA - this biodegradable plastic can be used to 3D print any cosplay prop, from lightsabers to horns, helmets and even entire costumes.
Cosplayers use a lot of glue in their work. Props and costumes for cosplay usually consist of different parts and layers that are glued together.
Best cosplay options:
Contact glue is the best adhesive for EVA Foams, artificial leather and other flexible materials. Apply a thin layer of glue to both surfaces, let it dry, then squeeze the parts together and let it sit for a few minutes. After gluing the cosplay design together, work out the details with the multifunction tool that will help shape, smooth the edges, polish the surface.
And with an engraving cutter, you can create realistic details on the surface of thermoplastic material or leather, such as folds or texture. If you are making cosplay props or costumes from EVA Foams, such as foam armor, weapons or a cosplay helmet, you will most likely need to sand the edges or clean up the lines with tools like these.
Use pre-made cosplay templates to represent the character of your choice
Want to learn how to make a cosplay costume from EVA Foams or how to 3D print a robotic arm? You can always use the expertise of professional cosplayers who design and sell props and costume templates. You can find a huge number of ready-made templates, from Japanese anime characters to superheroes and super villains from movies.
Dyeing can transform your cosplay props, giving armor a metallic sheen, wear marks, reflections or shadows. First, apply several layers of liquid rubber to the parts from the EVA Foams. This should be done in a well-ventilated room, wearing a respirator with organic vapor protection. Then start painting. But not with ordinary car paint (it will crack on the flexible foam), but with an airbrush. This option is perfect for any material and offers a large selection of colors. Parts printed on a 3D printer can be painted with ordinary paint immediately after sanding.
How to make a cosplay hairstyle?
Most often, it is not hairstyles made of live hair, but wigs that are used. The wig is more practical. The hair is thicker than real hair, has rich color, shines and looks more cartoonish. That's a good thing, because doing anime cosplay means turning into a cartoon character. Not all hairstyles can be done on live hair. For example, many characters have unnatural hair color or a different length than the cosplayer's hair.
How to do makeup to replicate the cosplay character of your choice?
Cosplay makeup is necessary for both female and male characters. Of course, the degree of complexity depends on the specific hero or heroine, but the basic rules apply: the complexion must be smooth and bright, the eyes expressive, so cosplayers use lenses and false eyelashes.
How to make the best cosplay costume?
The most difficult and important part of cosplay. Costumes are its basis, the most expensive but interesting part of the image. They also come in varying degrees of difficulty. Some talented cosplayers prefer to make their costumes by hand at home, while others sew in a studio.
Here are some tips on how to make a cosplay costume at home:
- The process begins with the creation of a design based on the image of the selected character. The pattern is then transferred to the sheet EVA Foams. Costume details are cut with a good office knife and always at the right angle, otherwise the material will crumble.
- Thermoforming gives the costume piece the desired shape. The hair dryer is held above the surface of the part at a distance of 10 cm from the surface of the material. After heating on one side, turn the material over and heat on the other side.
- For gluing parts, a good adhesive is recommended, which has the advantage of strength and seam accuracy.
- Once the costume is glued together, the EVA foam primer begins, followed by painting. The primer is a liquid latex.
How to make cosplay really interesting? To complete the image, you need the right shoes, jewelry and other details of the image (for example, hair clips or hair elastics, bag or backpack, sashes, caps, crowns, etc.), so that the image will be more complete.). It all depends on the character: you need to look carefully at what accessories the characters use and try to get them. In our offer you will find a lot of inspiration.