10 tricks to dominate cosplay

Face it, when it comes to cosplay, you’re copying something that’s already been done. The trick is making it your own. In a panel session at the SC Comicon, three professional cosplayers, Chris Burns, Miracole Burns and Toni Darling, provided tips on how you can create an original character.

Whatever your reason for joining the cosplay circuit, it is a place to embody your favorite character and make new friends. “Going to conventions was a way to be with my people. Now I see my people at the airport,” says Darling. Follow these tricks from the pros to unleash you inner geek.

Set a budget: Depending on your style and character, a costume can cost anywhere from $100 to a few thousand, that’s why you need a budget. “Don’t let price scare you,” says Chris. Sketching out your idea and researching the products you’ll need can help determine your costs and keep you on track. Darling’s first costume, the female Thor, cost around $30. The outfit she created for the first day of SC Comicon, Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road, the price was in the range of $50. Found objects and thrift stores are your friends for keeping costs down.

Find the best material for you: For costumes and props, Darling swears by worbla, thermoplastic sheet material. She knows another cosplayer who makes armor out of the plastic from kitty litter pans. Some cosplayers create armor from metal. Cost is also a factor–metal costs more than worbla, worbla costs more than a kitty litter pan. At the end of the day, pick a material that fits your budget and your comfortable working with.

Factor in transportation: If you’re traveling to an event, consider how you will need to transport your costume. How big is it? Is it collapsible? How heavy is it? Will you need help moving it?

Assembling your ensemble: Allow yourself enough time to fully prep and physically get into the costume. The last thing you want is to show up late to a convention where you’re featured because you miscalculated how long it would take to get ready. “Snaps are your best friend,” says Darling, who tries to make sure her costumes can be put on quickly and without assistance from anyone else. For Miracole’s Wonder Woman costume, the brass plates need to be polished about 30 minutes prior to wearing.

Be creative: Don’t knock a costume idea because you can’t afford to make from the best materials on the market. Judges are drawn to creativity.

Gender bends: If you want to do something different, consider a gender swap. Darling is considered the original female Thor. This was the costume that launched her career in the cosplay circuit.

Always test body paint: ALWAYS test body paint on a small section of skin before wearing it at an event. Just because it’s a high quality and recommended brand of body paint, doesn’t mean it’s going to react well with your body chemistry.

Collaborate with other experts: If you see a technique that another cosplayer uses on a costume, ask them how they do it. In this industry, it’s unlikely that they’ll tell you no. Darling has two prop makers that help her and Miracole enlists the aid of a dress maker occasionally when she has a tight deadline. “Realize what you’re really good at and what others are really good at, and work together,” says Miracole.

Be mindful of your deadline:  If you’re creating a new costume for a convention, don’t wait till the week of to start working on it. Depending on your time, work habits and materials needed, you may need several weeks or months to craft and complete your costume for the event. Miracole admits that sometimes she needs a “boot in my back end” to meet a deadline.

“Failure is an option,” says Miracole. If you’re first costume attempt doesn’t work, don’t give up. Try another character or material.

Click here to read what else happened at the SC Comicon.