Beginner’s guide to cosplay

COSPLAY is a popular form of performance art among young people nowadays.

Image by press 👍 and ⭐ from Pixabay

The reason why it is growing so fast and forming clubs in many colleges and universities largely comes from the influence of manga, games, etc. If you are also interested in cosplay, let’s hear some advice from an experienced cosplayer for newcomers!

First of all, the most basic thing for new cosplayers is a love for the characters and the work! In my opinion, people who don’t even know what their favorite character is are not qualified to play cosplay, so those who post a picture on the internet asking “who do I fit in” are definitely bad. Cosplaying is not about being on stage, or about wearing nice clothes, or about being cool and trendy!

Secondly, and this is important: if you decide to cosplay, you need to be prepared to spend money. As we all know, cosplay is a costly hobby, how to think about saving money, some basic expenses are inevitable, costumes, fake hair, props, are a great expense. So, if you don’t have a certain amount of financial income, make sure you coordinate with your family, or at least don’t get strong opposition from your parents! Of course, I don’t mean that rich people can only play cosplay, but I hope that you are prepared for it.

The way to save money.

1, buy used equipment. Most cosplayers will only use their equipment once or twice, and then sell it. The price will be much lower than the first hand, is a more cost-effective choice. But this requires careful screening, choose the right size, a good point of workmanship, and beware of scammers, this is also to certain experience, take your time to understand.

2, do-it-yourself production. — If your hands are still good, this is the most cost effective option. We all know that at least half of the price of cosplay costumes and props is spent on doing the work. Of course, the most important thing about this is the skill. However, do not be discouraged, as long as you practice more, you can always learn.

Basically, there are only these two ways to save money. Special emphasis on a word, do not think of borrowing others’ equipment to save money. You should know that cosplay costumes, wigs, props, etc. are very fragile, no matter how careful you are in the use of the process, there will be a certain amount of wear and tear. By the way: it is not recommended to rent clothes. The rental clothes are all even size, in size, comfort and restoration are questionable.

Finally, how do newcomers get started? The most convenient way to learn is to find an experienced person to take with you, and this time, joining an established cosplay club is the best choice. However, you need to be aware that neither the president nor the seniors are obliged to take newcomers! So, most newcomers should not take it for granted and appreciate everyone who is willing to teach you. What should I do as a newcomer to the club? Learn from those who have experience. How others are buying fabrics, customizing costumes, making props, you watch and follow to learn.

Experience is something that cannot be separated from your own practice. One more thing, cosplay newcomers should not form their own groups. If you don’t know how to manage, if you don’t have enough ability to guide others, if you yourself don’t know much about cosplay and its related, in short, if you are a newcomer, please don’t form your own group! In my opinion this is a very irresponsible behavior and is very bad for all members in the society.

Play cosplay friends are pursued to restore the character. Although cosplay is a costly hobby, but in the process we are able to learn a lot of knowledge, meet a lot of friends, gain a lot of happiness, etc. These are what cosplay brings us.