How to pick an achievable cosplay as a beginner or more experienced cosplayer.
Whether you are a beginner at cosplay or apparel sewing, or if you have more experience, there’s always consideration that comes into choosing your next cosplay. With every cosplay you make you’ll build new skills. By choosing a cosplay within your current skill level, you’ll find more success than trying to challenge yourself with a costume far too difficult for your current skillset.
Reflect
Before you choose a character, it’s important to self reflect on your skill level and the knowledge you have. Some of the questions to ask yourself include:
- Have I used a sewing machine before?
- Have I completed small projects first?
- Can I follow a pattern?
- Can I install a zipper?
- Can I sew with elastic?
- Do I know how to measure and cut properly?
- Can I create fitted garments?
By reflecting on what you currently know, it will make it easier when picking a cosplay and determining what features you are prepared to learn.
Your First Cosplay
Cosplaying can seem intimidating at first. Especially if you try to tackle a costume with multiple articles of clothing and multiple closure types, with a lack of apparel knowledge. When it comes to choosing your first cosplay, there are certain things you want to prioritize:
1. Pick a Character You Like
First of all, if you don’t choose a character you like, you’re going to struggle. Cosplaying and sewing apparel can be difficult, and if you aren’t motivated to see through to your final result, you can easily lose steam. This being said, also don’t try to create your favorite character first. Your costumes won’t be perfect until you develop a lot of experience under your belt. So expect your first few cosplays to be a learning experience.
2. Choose From Simple Media
Since you want your first cosplay to be easy to accomplish, try selecting a character from a media that’s often simplified or realistic. Characters from cartoons such as Steven Universe or Scooby Doo tend to have simple silhouettes, and less details. You can also gain inspiration from character designs set in reality such as Death Note, or some Studio Ghibli movies.
3. Looser Fits
Many beginners may struggle with creating costumes that fit. When creating your first costume, prioritize proper measuring, following a pattern accurately, and choosing a character with clothes that fit looser. You will often find looser clothing while looking at anime set in certain time periods, such as the time periods and designs from Demon Slayer or The Apothecary Diaries. This will help you find success while still learning to understand sewing apparel items.
4. Start Simple
Your first character shouldn’t have embroidery, complex patterns that aren’t of fabric, or incredibly unique clothing. Choose something straightforward so you can focus on developing a few skills at a time without being intimidated too early on. This is where choosing characters from cartoons can be the best choice for a beginner.
5. Finding References
Try to pick a character from somewhat mainstream media. This will make it easier to find reference photos, past cosplays, and sewing patterns. Having quality reference images for your first cosplay will help skip much of the guesswork. This also means to stray from characters that have pixel art models or originate from over stylized media. If those are the only designs of the characters, they may be hard to interpret into a physical costume.
6. Pattern Access
For your first cosplay, being able to find sewing patterns is crucial. Choosing a well know character, common pattern design, or one with a modern day outfit are the best options for guaranteeing you’ll find a pattern. Being able to follow a step-by-step guide developed specifically for the silhouette or article of clothing will help you know your final result will fit better.
Future Cosplays
As your skill level increases and you’re more confident with using patterns, constructing garments, and want more of a challenge, that’s when you can choose from more characters. Even incredibly skilled cosplayers have things they have to think about when choosing their next cosplay.
1. Know Your Skill Level
If a costume looks too intimidating, then don’t make it. Focus on costumes that improve one to two skills at a time, not everything at once. Make one costume that includes a zipper or a hook and eye closure, and try adding boning to the next costume you make. You’ll gain confidence and skills as you continue to sew and challenge yourself.
2. Expanded Media Choices
If you have a better understanding of garment construction, you can try selecting a character from a media that is more detailed than cartoons. If you’re finding patterns essential to completing your cosplays, still focus on media that represent real clothes from a modern or past time period.
3. Different Fits
When choosing a character with a different fit, whether it’s a more fitted waist or attempting to use stretchy material, there’s certain keys to remember when you’re trying a new fit. If you’re using stretchy or knit fabric for a bodysuit or other item, ensure you’re measuring exactly and cutting in the proper direction. No matter how big or small the change in the fit is, a mock up can help you fix issues early on, and without ruining expensive fabric.
4. Fabric choices
With increasing character choices comes a larger array of fabrics that may be necessary. Furs, leather, and stretchy materials can be challenging for even the experienced cosplayer. In order to be successful with new materials, do your research beforehand, work with one new material at a time, and make mock ups first.
5. Finding References
When wanting to stray from mainstream media, finding references may become more difficult. You may be stuck referencing frames of videos or using cheat codes to see the character model. As you learn more, your creativity and problem solving skills will help when creating characters with pixel art designs, stylized designs, and limited reference photos.
6. Patterns
Some characters with specific designs may be harder to find sewing patterns for. Learning to alter patterns can help create new silhouettes if you struggle to find the exact pattern. If you’re not quite ready to dive into the complexity of creating and altering patterns, consider looking for patterns made specifically for cosplay. Some characters or garments are designed specifically for certain cosplays.
Keep these rules in focus when picking your next cosplay, as they’ll help you gain more knowledge without having you struggle to create a cosplay you aren’t ready for. Every time you create a costume or use a skill you’ve learned, it’s one step closer to being able to create your dream costume.
Related Resources
Helpful pages to keep learning.