How to Start Your First Cosplay

Now you may be thinking, wow! I love seeing cosplayers and I love this anime, I really want to cosplay from it!! So here are some tips to get started on choosing and creating your first cosplay.

-Pick your favorite anime:
Choose your most favorite anime in the whole wide world! It can be a really old one or a new one, regardless, there will be somebody who says ‘Hey, I know where you’re from!’.

-Pick a character you like, even your favorite:
While some people don’t like to cosplay their favorite character, I personally love it! There’s nothing more exciting to me than to be able to cosplay my all time favorite at a convention and have someone tell me that I look the way they imagine the character to look in real life.

-Start with a simple cosplay:
While a more intricate cosplay is always nice, those are best saved for a second or third cosplay, once you have a little more experience. Try shopping locally and piecing together a cosplay out of parts you can find at a thrift store or things you already have. Try cosplays like Misty or Ash from Pokemon, Finn or Fionna from Adventure Time, or L or Misa Amane from Death Note!

-Sewing:
If you or someone you know sews, try asking them or sewing yourself a simple costume out of a store bought or printed out pattern. You can also try adding simple little details like lace or sequins.

-Wig:
Invest in a wig that matches your character’s hair but if your hair matches the color or length, you can use your own hair for your first cosplay by styling it or using a temporary hair dye if you want to match an odd color (and if your parents say it’s okay). If anything, a wig would work better because you wouldn’t have to mess with your own hair and they are usually fairly cheap on sites like eBay or Amazon and even on Miccostumes!!

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How to Style a Space Dandy Cosplay Wig

How to style a wig for Space Dandy:A pompadour tutorial!


(image credit: https://warosu.org/cgl/thread/7384530)

Hello everyone! I’m back with another article!! This time, it’s for a wig for the title character Dandy from Space Dandy, a dandy guy in space who is an alien hunter and travels the galaxy with his robot assistant QT and cat alien friend, Meow.

Now Pompadour wigs can be tricky so here is a list of things you will need!

  • A short black base wig (but not too short!)
  • Newspaper or mesh wire
  • Tape (strong tape, so masking or painting tape)
  • Glue (a strong one, possibly hot glue)
  • A lot of matching black wefts
  • Black acrylic paint
  • Long lasting hair spray
  • Patience
  • A wig head (or a friend’s head if that’s easier)

1. First off, you are going to place your black base wig onto the wig head or friend’s head. You want to make sure it’s nice and tight on the stand so it won’t fall off while you’re styling it.

2. Leave the wig head alone for now and start working on the main portion of the pompadour. You can do this in a number of ways but the easiest would be using newspaper or wire. Bundle the newspaper or shape the wire into the way you want, which should be like the shape of a loaf of bread.

3. Once you’re satisfied with your shape, start to cover the whole thing in tape so it won’t come apart. If you want, you can cover the pomp in glue so the tape won’t come apart.

4. Next step is to get your black acrylic paint and start painting the pompadour until it is all black so it matches your wig.

5. Now using your glue, take your black wefts and start to cover the top of the pomp. Then start gluing wefts to the circumference of the pompadour and go from ear to ear, leaving the back without the wefts glued.

6. Measure where you want to cut the wefts by wrapping the hair up and around the pompadour, find a good length that you prefer and then start cutting the ends vertically so that there is no blunt cut on the ends of the wefts.

7. Start styling the wefts by hair spraying them and slicking them down against the pompadour base. Hairspray from the bottom to the top until it feels stable.

8. Now go back to your base wig and try it on while holding the weft covered pompadour on top of your head where you want the pompadour to be positioned. If you like the way it looks, start hot glueing it to the top of your wig. Try not to use too much because you could burn the top of your head if too much hot glue seeps through the wig netting.

9. Finally, have a friend or someone in your house style down any inconsistencies on the pompadour and blend in the base wig with the pompadour wefts in the back of the wig to make it look even and whole. Lastly, style the sides of the base wig to look like Dandy’s sideburns!

With this tutorial, I hope you enjoy your new space dandy wig!!

The great social network and apps for cosplayers and how to use them more effective

As a cosplayer, have you ever just wondered “Oh man, I wish I could meet more cosplayers and find out who likes what and who is going to the next convention”? Well I have too! But now there is no need to worry! Here are a few social media apps you can easily find cosplayers on! As a cosplayer, have you ever just wondered “Oh man, I wish I could meet more cosplayers and find out who likes what and who is going to the next convention”?

1.Instagram

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The popular Instagram, known for posting photos for all over the world! While it is not only for cosplayers, after just one search in the section using the hashtag ‘cosplay’ or ‘cosplayers’, you can find millions of cosplayers from all around the world! Leave a comment telling them how cute they look or how they look just like the character, and you’ll be friends in no time!! For more specific cosplays, just search for the name of the series you want to find a cosplay from followed by the world ‘cosplay’. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!You can download Instagram on Apple app store or other android app stores.

2.Cosplyr

Cosplyr is a social media site made exclusively by cosplayers for cosplayers! It has thousands of cosplayers already just looking to make friends. There are filter options that you can use to find someone of the same or opposite gender to be friends with and links to cosplay blogs or photos of other cosplayers so you can get some inspiration too.

3.Anime Amino

Anime Amino is available for iPhone and it is made for anime and cosplay fans from around the world. It’s perfect for anyone looking to make friends with others who like the same animes and cosplay the same characters or from the same series. You can share photos of your cosplay costumes and tell people on the app all about your convention experiences. It is a easy and unique from most apps because it is made specifically for anime fans.

4.Tumblr

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Tumblr is a popular blogging platform that comes with an app ready with all kinds of people and all different kinds of cosplayers. Tumblr is one of the biggest social media networks so there are millions of cosplayers on here. There are blogs full of helpful critique and sewing and prop-making techniques, as well as tons of friendly people who are only an ‘ask’ away. With it’s easy layout, making friends should happen in no time at all! Perfect for all those cosplayers who need some inspiration.

5.CosplayNet

CosplayNet, also known as The Cosplay Network, is a fast growing community for cosplayers. It is similar to instagram but made specifically for cosplayers. It’s perfect if you want to show off your beautiful new cosplay or even if you need help deciding on which cosplay to choose. You can just browse photos from other cosplayers or choose to submit your own. It has image editing, bookmarking for your favorite cosplayers, and private messaging. It even has an ‘offensive content blocker’. This app sounds like just the one you want if you’re trying to make new friends quickly. Avaliable on the iphone.

6.Cosplay Showcase

Just like the name, this app is for if you want to show off your great cosplay to others. It’s perfect for younger cosplayers if they just want to look at cute cosplays and get inspired to try to do one for themselves. Avaliable on the Android.

7.Cosplanner

This app is a life saver for cosplayers!! It helps you sort your cosplay plans into different sections from most important to future cosplans. You can type in the character and write down what you need to get and you can effectively cross off everything on your list until you’re all done. Everyone I know who cosplays has this app and it has done wonders for them! A must have for all cosplayers. Avaliable on the iphone and Android.

8.Facebook

Where would we be without one of the most original social media sites ever made? Facebook is used to keep in touch with old friends but you can also use it to make new ones, especially with all the suggested groups to join based on your area and interest. Facebook can connect you to other cosplayers in your area going to the same conventions you are so you can make friends before you go and you can have someone to talk about cosplay and convention plans with. Not to mention that most cosplayers and cosplay sites would love it if you ‘liked’ their page! You can upload cosplay/convention photos, make status messages, send instant messages and even join cosplay groups for more fun on your convention day.