Cosplay 101: Commissioned vs. Made-From-Scratch
Made-From-Scratch
Okay now. Let's say you're the adventurous type of person and is willing to try anything new. So in that case, you're willing to try and learn sewing skills. Totally awesome! ^o^ Welcome to the creative side of cosplay. You're talking to a cosplayer that creates their own cosplays from scratch. It can be very fun, but there are times, it can be frustrating. However, not to worry, we all have to start somewhere, right?
So, in the last post, I talked about the commissioned costumes. Again, nothing wrong with that. Some people don't have time to be creative. Now, in this post, I'll be talking about the cosplay costumes that are made-from-scratch from the cosplayer themselves *ahem* ^_~
Now, here's what you need to know about creating your cosplays from scratch:
Facts:
1. When you learn to create cosplays yourself, believe it or not, it's actually cheaper to do so than it is to hire a commissioner. Mind you, never hate on them, they're only doing their jobs.
2. Learning something new can sometimes give you skills that you never knew existed. This is a great way to obtain skills where you never knew you had.
3. Speaking of skills, any craftsmanship skills are always something to obtain while you're learning. Maybe you're better at prop making than sewing, how about you're better at accessory making than creating your shoes? It doesn't matter! Skills are skills in this hobby and you'll be amazed what you have to do in order to get the job done!
4. Now, if you're the competitive type *ahem* like me ^_~, then you're really going to love this. Remember in the last post I talked about Cosplay Contests? Well..... what I said is true. There are Cosplay Contests that are specially for us craftsman cosplayers to go at it as friendly competition. Be warned, there are a lot of truly talented cosplayers in the Contest. It's truly anyones game.
Tips About Creating Your Cosplays:
1. Research on the internet for some sewing classes that are near you and start creating simple basic clothes first before jumping into a full fleshed cosplay. A great way to start is creating sleeper pants, sleeper shorts, and some shirts. This is just to get the feel of the overall sewing machine and you have some sewing skills under your belt when the time comes. You'll also know how certain fabrics will act when you create your cosplay. If for some reason that you have a friend or a relative that lives close to you that knows how to sew, ask them if they can teach you. It's an awesome way to not only save money on the classes, but it's also an awesome way to bond with something that can bring you closer together^_^
2. You want to start off with a character that's relatively simple. For example, maybe characters from a slice-of-life anime like Lucky Star or Fruits Basket. Even some characters from Naruto would be good places to start. Those are incredibly simple costumes to go on. Never dive into a character that has complicated elements. It'll overwhelm you, you won't be ready for them yet, and it won't be any fun for you.
3. Once you pick out your character that you want to do, research reference pictures of your character (front, sides, and back of your character in said outfit because some characters have different outfits) and have them on hand. When you have your reference pictures, you study the outfit. For example, Chi from Chobits has many different outfits that she wears. Even though you may love Chi, you need to pick out what outfit you like the most and go from there. If for some reason that you can't find the sides and back of the said outfit you want to do, you have 2 options. Either you guesstimate what it might look like or choose a different outfit that you would like to do that you know you can find reference pictures of that has the front, sides, and back pictures of.
4. Once you study your outfit, go on the internet and research what kind of patterns that's something similar or exactly what you need. Simplicity, Kwik Sew, New Look, Burda, etc. are name brand sewing patterns that you can purchase in the fabric stores like JoAnn's and Hancock Fabrics. Mind you, there will be times that you may have to tweek some commercial patterns just to get what you need. If you can't find a commercial pattern to use or tweek to what you need, you may have to create your own patterns. It's not fun, but it's sometimes necessary.
5. If you find the patterns that you need, then study the back of the envelope and determine what kind of fabric the pattern calls for, the notions, and also your own measurements. If you have to create your pattern from scratch, then just create the shape of what you need, just be sure to measure yourself before doing so. Just a friendly warning. Don't be surprised if you find a Kwik Sew Pattern at $11.49 at your local Hancock Fabrics or JoAnn's fabric stores. You're best bet is if there's a sale on the patterns themselves, try and see if you can take advantage of it. Some sewing patterns like Simplicity, New Look, and Burda can be found at your local Walmart for a much cheaper price.
6. Always make a budget and check for sales at your local fabric stores. Let me tell you. This isn't a cheap hobby, so fabric sales, coupons, and 'fabric store' gift cards are always a life saver.
Here's a great example. I recently bought some fur that was $24.99 a yard. Knowing that I needed 2 yards, it was going to cost me $54.60 exactly. Now, thanks to my '50% off any one fabric item at regular price' coupon (this means that my entire fabric purchase was going to be 50% off when used), instead of $54.60, I paid $27.31 exactly for 2 yards of fake fur fabric. I guarantee you, you'll spend $40 for 4 yards of fabric easy. It just depends on the price tag of the fabric itself and what kind of fabric you're getting.
7. Make sure you get all of your necessary items before leaving. Now, if for some reason that you're on a very tight budget and you can only get certain things at that moment, that's okay. Just be sure you get your very important items and go again another day for the rest of your items. Make sure that you get the other items another day before you cosplay deadline.
8. When the Fall season comes around, that means Halloween stuff will be out and about. So, it's always a great situation for us cosplayers because we take advantage with the great prices on wigs and also some accessories. Not to mention face/body paint if our character requires it. This totally saves on shipping costs in terms of buying online. Now, if it's not the Fall season for Halloween stuff to be out, then you have no choice, but to purchase a wig online and pay shipping costs. Keep that in mind for when you have a deadline for your cosplay (cosplay deadlines= conventions you're attending)
9. Set an appropriate schedule to begin your cosplay. For example, if the convention that you're attending is not until October or November and this is the month of April, then that gives you 6-7 months to have your cosplay ready. If you're a high schooler, then take advantage of your weekends and summer vacation. Depending on what you're creating, do any giant props first before attempting the actual sewing of your outfit. Once you have any major props or aspects of your cosplay completed before the convention day, that'll be a huge task off your plate. Then all you need to do is create the actual outfit itself. Once everything is done and completed, you'll be happy and then you'll have more fun at the convention because you won't be in any hurry to get anything done. You'll be having too much fun in your new cosplay that you created at the convention.
10. Speaking of schedules, never do a "con crunch" type of costume. "Con Crunch" is a cosplay term that means you're trying to get everything done 1 or 2 weeks before the convention and you have nothing on the costume completed or you haven't even started on it. If it's some very small minor details here and there that only takes a few minutes, that's one thing. However, trying to pull all-nighters at the very last minute before the convention you're attending is not worth it. You're going to mess up on the detail if you do. It's best to either take another cosplay costume and save the other costume for another convention day or just don't cosplay at all those convention days. It's not worth wasting energy just days before the convention that you want to have fun at.
Tips About Cosplay Contests:
For those who have the competitive drive in them, these are tips that you need to know.
1. The Cosplay Contest are for those of us who creates our cosplays from scratch and pays attention to the interrogate details of a certain aspect of a costume. In other words, we treat the costume as an art form. So with that said, as mentioned above, "Con Crunch" costumes are never your friends, especially when it comes to this. All it's going to do is give you bad points when you go to the Pre-Judging. If for some reason that your costume is a "Con Crunch" costume, it's better to drop out of the Cosplay Contest than to try and enter a crappy-looking costume when you know you could have done a better job on the costume itself.
2. Always arrive to Pre-Judging at least 30 minutes before your appointment time. This is called being considerate. This also gives you an idea what you're going to be competing against, in a friendly way, of course^_~
3. Speaking of Pre-Judging, these are basically like go-see's that models do. So that means, you set up appointment times to be judged before walking on stage on the cat walk. Yes, we cosplayers have a cat walk runway also^_^. If you truly want to enter in the craftsmanship Cosplay Contest, check the convention that your attending, website and see if they have an online form for the Cosplay Contest. If so, pounce on that opportunity because the slots don't last very long and before you know it, there won't be any slots left to sign up on.
4. Make sure you set up the appointment time that's available for you and the Pre-Judges. Usually, the ones that are taken the most are the early mornings. It's best to do early mornings because that way you can enjoy the rest of the convention just before line-up for the contest.
5. A good percent of the time, Cosplay Contests take place on Saturdays, unless the conventions states otherwise. That means your entire Saturdays are spent making sure you arrive on time for your Pre-Judging appointment, arrive on time for the line-up, and paying attention to the instructions being given to the contestants. It might sound stressful, but it's only stressful if you make it and allow it to be so.
6. If you're the type that easily looses track of time, set your alarm on your smart phone to help remind you about the Pre-Judging appointment time and the line-up time. Make sure your alarm is loud enough for you to hear, along with it not being very disruptive as well.
7. On a personal note. If you really want to have beginner's luck, your best bet is to present something that's very ambitious. That means if you're character has big wings that you crafted very well, some giant props crafted very well, or you're some giant robot like a gundam suit that's crafted very well, you MAY win a craftsmanship award.
8. There are some Cosplay Contests that are first come, first serve basis. What this means is that the Cosplay Contest sign up forms are going to be at the convention themselves. In this situation, take the time on Friday and ask one of the con staff where the Cosplay Contest sign up forms are going to be located. That way, you'll know where to go when you see them. Look for the area stated by the con staff where the Cosplay Contest sign up forms are going to be. Once you locate the area, be sure to either put it in your smart phone, write it down on paper, or have a friend/relative that has good memory remind you. When Saturday comes, you're entire day must be focused on getting in line for the Pre-Judging of the Cosplay Contest because the line DOES. GET. LONG. AND. I. MEAN. FAST!!!!!! When you grab a spot, be sure you don't move from it until you're done with Pre-Judging.
9. During Pre-Judging, they're going to ask you some construction questions about your costume. Be ready to answer them because you, the creator, knows what kind of fabric(s) went into the cosplay and how long something took you to do it. YOU ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY MUST BE HONEST!!!! If you hired a wig styling commissioner, that's totally okay. Just tell them and be sure to give the commissioner credit for the work they put into it. There will be some Pre-Judges that will literally turn up a part of your costume just to see how neat your seams are. So, it's best to be sure your seams underneath your costume are neat, just in case. Other times, there are Pre-Judges that won't do that at all. You just never know what kind of Judges you're going to get.
10. When you arrive at the line-up, be sure to stay where the line-up is supposed to be because the staff might be setting up for the Cosplay Contest. So please be patient^_^
Okay, this should help you. Even though it sounds very overwhelming, but it's totally okay. Once you put this into action and not panic, you'll be surprised how it's not that stressful as it sound here. There's a lot to us cosplayers that creates our costumes. If you truly want to still want to create your cosplay costumes and enter in the Cosplay Contests, then I wish you the best of luck because in the Cosplay Contest world, it's truly anyone's game and have good sportsmanship about it^_^
