Starting with Cosplay

Cosplay is fun!

Cosplay is an amazing hobby – fun, creative and exciting! As someone who is just starting with cosplay, you might want to know what to do. Luckily the community loves to share tutorials, work-in-progress pictures and interesting making-of videos. Let me give you a quick, simple guide where to find everything you need!

Pick your favourite character!

First, pick a character you love and you want to bring to life! He, she or even it can be from your favourite video game, anime, manga, movie, tv-show or comic. Cosplay doesn’t know gender, age, body shape or skin color. So don’t worry if you don’t look like your hero!

Find inspiration!

There are many ways to create a costume. You can choose from all kinds of materials and techniques, some more and some less beginner friendly. Luckily the internet is a great place to learn, discover and improve new skills and talents. A costume doesn’t need to cost a fortune either and even Iron Man can be made out of cardboard. Just search for helpful tutorials and get inspired by the cosplay community. These are my favourite sources for inspiration:

• cosplaytutorial.com – There is a tutorial for pretty much everything you want to create. This website has an amazing collection of helpful tutorials for basic techniques, cool props and even full costumes.
• punishedprops.com – Bill Doran and his wife Brittney love supporting cosplayers. This power couple uploads hundreds of informative and inspiring video tutorials on Youtube. This is the right place if you want to get into prop- and armor making.
• Google Image Search – There are thousands of step by step instructions spread all over the internet. Google is the perfect tool to find them all. Just type in the cosplay or prop you want to create and add “tutorial”. You won’t be disappointed!
• YouTube – Video tutorials are the best way to learn something quick and easy. Just follow the work of other artists and gather inspiration for your next costume. You’ll find pretty much everything you need! Just use the search bar.
• Instructables.com – This page collects tutorials about all kinds of things. They are very beginner friendly, include plenty of pictures and simple descriptions. You might even find some inspiration on how to install LEDs into your furniture.

Let me give you helping hand!

I also upload plenty of making-of videos, tutorials and guides to my Youtube Channel. Here you’ll see how I made simple costumes, huge armors as well as tiny and elaborate props. I show in detail how I make everything from beginning to end. So if you need some inspiration on how to get started or plan a costume, just check out my channel!

In my blog I also uploaded several write-ups for costumes like my Zinogre armor from Monster Hunter. You’ll also find a detailed guide about how to work with EVA foam or how to get into sewing. In addition I also complied a list of shops in my shopping guide for cosplay materials and tools.

Last but not least I also wrote several cosplay crafting books for beginners and those who are searching for new tips and tricks. My overview gives you a little guide on which book might suit you the best. But in general you’ll find everything about sewing, armor and prop making, installing lights and even painting. Just check out my store!

Everybody starts small!

Nobody is born with the artistic skills to create perfect costumes. We all start small and fail a lot. The more we fail, the faster we learn. It’s important to remember that! Cosplay is not a competition. It’s about having fun. So don’t compare yourself to others, only compare yourself to who you were yesterday.

You want to start now? Use our patterns and books!