There are so many things that can get someone inspired. Firstly you'll want something that ties into your interests. Are you more into Anime? Video Games? MMO's?
I find there is nothing better than a great piece of concept art to really get me fired up. Of course there are more things than just a fabulous drawing that goes into choosing that character for a costume, but the biggest inspiration I find is seeing how an artist rendering can bring a character to life. It makes you really look at what they are wearing and think...how can I make that? One of my favourite websites is creativeuncut.com. This website houses concept art from almost every video game ever designed. Of course I also spend a lot of time on DeviantArt and Pinterest as well, looking at Cosplay's other people have done and fan art of the character I am looking for. Following professional cosplayer's on facebook, instagram etc is also great! You can take a look at what they are doing, and the tutorials they post to give you ideas on what you can do for your latest and greatest project. It's also super important that you can visualize yourself as that character. For example...Just recently I started looking at the concept art for Kingdom Hearts 3. Now I've always been a fan of the series, I've played the games (I haven't finished one yet...but I've played through all of them). I always thought the series was the greatest idea since Disney is amazing and super popular, and Final Fantasy is amazing and super popular (two of my favourite things in life) and now you've combined them into one world. Well, as I was flipping through the images I stumbled upon Sora dressed in his Pirates of the Caribbean outfit. I could literally hear angels signing and fireworks going off. My brain went nuts and this overwhelming excitement hit me! The inspiration was going and the creativity started flowing. This is the reaction you want to get when you see a character. It means you're passionate about the design you have found and it's going to be a successful project. How do you get inspired?
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As many of you will know, there are always too many costumes to make and too little time. The inspiration is always flowing, then you find a project that you become obsessed with and you just HAVE to make it, but what about the other costumes you already had planned? You don't want to continue pushing other projects back because then they will never get made.
SO I've decided to try something a little different, and I could be completely crazy for it, but I will keep you posted on that outcome :D I've got 3 costumes I want to make, one has been waiting for about 4 years, one has been waiting for 2 years and the last one has been my obsession over the last couple of days. So here is the plan.... I'm going to work on all of them, at the SAME TIME. Crazy right? I figure by working on all of them, I can do a piece at a time with whatever materials and patterns I already have, then when I need to pick up more materials or patterns, I'm not sitting around idle waiting to start the next piece. It might make me busier? Or it might just keep me steady? We shall see. Wish me luck! Sewing can be a really big part in making costumes and so I thought it would be a great idea to share some of the tools you'll need to use when designing and sewing your costume!
Cutting mat - These are super helpful! Placing them under your fabric will help to save your desktops and even give you cleaner cuts. Normally you'll use one of these if you have a rotary cutter, but I like to use mine even when I am using scissors or pinking shears. A lot of them will also come with measurements down the side and a grid to help you get more precise markings and measurements on your project! Rotary cutter - These are great for those big long cuts that you don't want a jagged edges on. A starter one is relatively in expensive and can be purchased at most fabric and crafting stores. Scissors - One of your most important tools! Now don't just grab a pair of craft scissors and think they will "cut it", You're going to want to invest in a good pair of fabric scissors. These usually have one blade that is parallel to your cutting surface, allowing you to keep the scissors flat and straight when you are cutting. You also want to make sure that they have a durable sharp edge and won't get damaged easily on the material you are cutting. My tip to everyone, always have one really good pair of scissors for your fabric, and a separate pair of scissors for any other materials you would cut like foam, or wire. Marking pens / pencils or tailors chalk - These are super important for marking your pattern on to your fabric without damaging it. Taylors chalk is great as it comes in white, making visible on most fabrics, but also it wipes off when you are done with it. You can also get double ended marking pens. Usually one end is water soluble and the other end is air soluble. I personally prefer the air soluable pen. It keeps my markings in place for about 24-48 hours and then they vanish. This is helpful if I can’t get to it right away. Gauge ruler - I am sure there is a more technical name for this but essentially it is a small metal ruler with a sliding red marker on it. This is super helpful when you are figuring out your hem allowances and seams. Also if you need to size up or down your pattern. Square - these are usually used for construction or building projects, but I find these super helpful when you need a 90 degree angle on your fabric pieces or self made patterns. French Curve - These are those fun rulers and plastic cut outs you find at a craft store that are all swirly and curly. These are perfect for making and adjusting sleeve holes. Also awesome for creating organic outlines for emroidery and design! Pins - Pins are one of the most important things you will need. They hold your pattern on your fabric, hold pieces of fabric together, mark areas you want to adjust. There are also different types of pins for different uses, but I find that you should pick one that works for you. I prefer to use long quilting pins on my projects rather than the shorter sewing pins because these are much easier to see and work with. Bobbins - Bobbins are mandatory for using your sewing machine. These are the small plastic circular things that hold the thread under the plate and needle. Without them your stitch will only be one sided and nothing will hold together. Sewing machine - A good sewing machine or serger is super important!! This is the tool you'll be using to put all your projects together so you want something sturdy that can handle your project. Now I'm not saying going out and spend thousands of dollars on a machine, especially if you are just starting out. But you want to find something that you know can withstand the stress you are going to put it through. If you are starting out and making simple projects, a basic machine with up to 10 stitches is a great option! If you are going to be doing things that are more complicated, pick a more mid to high range machine. I would suggest going for a serger if you are going for that 100% professional finished look and know that you are investing in years of costumes. Iron / Ironing board - multi sizes - A simple iron is all you really need to get your projects nice and clean and smooth. You'll be surprised at how often you will actually need an iron during sewing projects. I also recommend that you get a small "arm" ironing board along with a normal size one. The smaller ironing boards are great for when you are ironing small details, or need to get into tough to reach areas. I hope this overview is helpful to get you started on your next sewing project! This has to be one of my favourite topics! There has not been a cosplay that I've made where I didn't save a ton of money by following a few small rules! So here are my tips to you for keeping your cosplay budget low!
1. Shop in the clearance section I know when you are looking for fabric for your latest project you think "I need a specific pattern / texture for my [insert item here]" or "well the pattern I'm using says I need this kind of fabric", well I say HMMM I wonder what I can find in the clearance section that might work? Honestly this is my favourite part of the fabric store. I've found so many great fabrics that I can use for my costumes for less than $5/metre which is great! And just because my sewing pattern recommends specific fabric, doesn't mean I have to use them. I've used corduroy for a jacket rather than rayon or suiting fabrics, I've used 2 way stretch in stead of 4 way (this only works sometimes...) I've used broad cloth for just about everything, or switched out cotton fabric for knit fabric. Honestly it's all about what is going to work for your costume. 2. Buy a membership to a fabric store (if it's available) I live right beside a Fabricland and every year I march in there and faithfully renew my membership. Why you ask? Because it saves me ridiculous amounts of money for the amount of stuff I buy! The Fabricland membership gives me 20% off of almost everything in the store (unless otherwise marked or noted), so I'm already saving more than the tax on my purchase. And not to mention they have a ton of member's only sales which are insane! So this is definitely worth considering. Currently the membership at Fabricland costs $25 for a year, and when you think about it....costumes are expensive, I know I've gone in and spent at least $200 on fabric per year, sometimes even on just one purchase, so $25 is a steal! 3. Shop the sales As I mentioned in the above point, fabric is ridiculously expensive, so is Worbla and other crafting materials. If you can find a sale, BUY, don't hesitate and go "well I'll catch the next one", because sometimes the item you need or want isn't going to be on the next sale. I follow spandexworld.com and always look for their 20% off sale which happens about twice a year, or at fabricland I'll wait for the Buy one, get one, two or three free sale (members only). That sale saves me ridiculous amounts of money....seriously. Saving a penny here or there always adds up! 4. Dollar stores The amount of awesome things you can find at a dollar store is mind blowing! I buy most of my craft foam, acrylic paint and wig accessories at the dollar store. 5. Coupons I know, I know you're thinking...I don't want to be THAT person, the one that brings in a pile of coupons and holds up the line up just to save 50 cents. Ok, well I'm not saying go crazy, but I am saying, look for coupons that are going to save you a bunch on your purchase. I love shopping at Michaels, and let's face it...I think most crafters do. Michael's is expensive. You know this, I know this...so take advantage of their coupons! My rule is never walk into a Michael's without a coupon on your phone or in your hand. Wait to buy that one item you really need for your costume, and grab a 40% or 50% off one item coupon. It will help you so much in the long run! 6. Shop online For something things, especially the obscure things in your costumes, look online. I've found so many great things at discounted prices through amazon or ebay. And with this tip comes... 7. Shop Wholesale If you need more than one of something, find it for whole sale prices! A few years back when I was making a cosplay of Lulu from Final Fantasy X I needed a ton of lace appliques for the bottom of the dress and the sleeves. If you've ever gone shopping for lace, you will know it is super expensive. Even going to thrift craft stores, it's still expensive. I did my shopping on AliExpress and mananged to get all the lace I needed plus a lot extra for a fraction of the cost! Just the other day I found one of the appliques I had purchased at a Fabric store. They wanted $20 for it, and I paid $20 for 25 of them online. Wholesale is where it's at for multiples! 8. Expos You wouldn't think you could save money from buying things at a convention or an expo but sometimes you'll be surprised. Companies tend to put on deals for crafting supplies at expo's because they want to draw you in and get customers to recognize them, to come to their stores later. Just this year I bought a sheet of worbla that is almost 4feet by 4feet for a fraction of the cost BECAUSE it was at an expo. Now I don't have any costumes that are going to need worbla in the next couple of months...but that doesn't mean that I won't need it for an accessory or two coming up. I find wigs at discounted prices, craft foam, foam clay, paints etc all at discounted prices at expos, so definitely check out the supply vendors, not just the comic and gaming vendors! 9. Buy in advance, buy some extra I always find there is something I need that I don't need to go and buy because I have previously bought it. I'll buy extra velcro or elastic, extra boning, extra bias tape etc, etc all because I know I'm going to need it. I'll often take a list of my planned cosplay's with me when I'm out shopping just in case I see something that will work for one of those costumes. Better to buy it in advance, buy it on sale and save it for when I need it rather than pay full price when I need it right away. 10. Sewing patterns online and printable So let's face it sewing patterns are super expensive...but they don't need to be! Yes Mcall's and Simplicity and other companies have sales, but they are few and far between and they don't give you a big discount. At least once a year the McCall's company will have a 3.99 sale for discontinued patterns, or for their current patterns but you still have to pay shipping on those, so you'll end up paying at least $12 (if you live in Canada like me). My advice...check sewingpatterns.com. They have all the sewing patterns you could possibly want (other than new releases. These come out about a month after first launch) at insanely cheap prices! McCalls and Simplicity are about 5.99US a pattern VS 12.99US from their home page. Vogue are $9.99, Kwiksew, Butterick 3.99 etc. Not to mention the digital downloads are usually $3.99 to 5.99US and you don't have to pay shipping because they email the pattern to you for printing! I also suggest checking Ebay or Etsy for used patterns, or previously owned and uncut patterns, Way cheaper at times that buying direct from the parent company. I hope these tips will help you to save some money on the costumes you want to make! This is honestly the hardest part of being a cosplayer. Or some may say this is the easiest. Some people stick with a specific character, others choose a fandom while others just choose whoever they like! I've always found this difficult. Not for the sake of I don't know who to pick, but because I have a list that seems to never end of the costumes I would like to create. Everyone has a different way of solidifying their next project, but I wanted to share with you my creative process.
I spend time looking up concept art, other people's cosplays and select a list of characters I like. For me it is very important that I know the character and can relate. I've never been really on top of seeing a trailer or an announcement and choosing a character from a product that has yet to be released. Once I have found a character I'm interested in I go through the following list: - Is this at my skill level? How hard would it be to make? - What materials would I need? - Does this require a wig? - How much sewing/crafting would I need to do? - How long would this take me? - Could I wear this for a long period of time? Will it be comfortable? - Am I happy with this choice? These questions are the driving force behind making my final choice. It's very important to know you'll be comfortable in a costume, you have the skills to make the character or you can easily learn the skills. Another big factor is time. There never seems to be enough time. For myself, I usually aim to do one cosplay per year. I like to start early and aim for the fall when the local Fan Expo usually happens (this coming year is going to be a whole new challenge...but more on that later). Another big factor is will I complete this costume? I've had many a time where I pick a character I love and want to make, buy all the materials and notions for it, then it sits in a bag or a drawer waiting to get started. It gets pushed aside because I find another character that I just "can't live without" or "it's easier" etc etc. So many excuses. I've also planned costumes that have intimidated me so much that I just can't bring myself to start them. I need to hold off and pick simpler costumes to make in between to build up my skill and confidence before I tackle the big one. To summarize, if this is your first time cosplaying, pick a character that you really love, that you would want to embody, but make a costume that is at your skill level. You don't want to overwhelm yourself with something that is beyond your knowledge, skill or patience level. Take your time with it, find tutorials or ask other cosplayers for advice to make it easier, but most of all HAVE FUN!! |
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