Ah, new year, new cosplay.
As I like to do, I anticipate going to a convention in just under two months. This time, I will be going as Maelle from Expedition 33, specifically her Lumiere outfit. I have her classic black and white striped shirt, black trousers, and suspenders ready to go. The only item I’m missing is a wig to better match the hair.
Unfortunately though, her Maellum rapier is not in the budget, so I pray people will recognize that I’m Maelle and not a mime. If I’m lucky, I should encounter other Expedition fans that just get me.
That’s enough about my plans though. Are you cosplaying this year? And do you also struggle like me to complete a cosplay on time without crunching in work in the final hours? Seriously, I sewed my Maelle pants right before I did a Halloween photoshoot in them. It was a very busy morning.
Here, I present to you some ways you can complete your cosplays and prevent the crunch hours and meltdowns when your sewing machine doesn’t feel like working (this also happened to me on Halloween.)
- Prepare ahead of time
The most obvious immediate answer is to prepare your steps. What are some tasks you can tackle in your free time that don’t feel so daunting? How can you break it up into pieces where you can complete them in one sitting?
Maybe one day you can dedicate to constructing your EVA foam and huffing contact cement fumes (I am kidding do NOT do this and always wear proper protection and ventilators when handling it.)
Another day can just be sewing a pair of pants. It doesn’t have to be large tasks to be meaningful progress.
By breaking up your steps into more tangible, done in one sitting tasks, you can prevent burnout from working on your cosplay. After all, great things take time, and if you want a great cosplay, you want to pace yourself.
- Choose a cosplay based on your skill levels
I’m a fairly crafty person, so I’m comfortable doing some work with EVA foam. If you don’t know, EVA foam, or Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate foam, is a common material cosplayers use to create all kinds of awesome projects. It’s flexible, durable, and sturdy enough to mold it into anything in your wildest imagination.
I made Reg’s helmet from Made in Abyss with EVA foam and lots of help from my dad. It’s a project we did together that was a lot of fun, and his helmet remains displayed in my home even after I used it for a cosplay. After that experience, I felt comfortable enough to tackle a mushroom hat made with EVA foam. After a lot of time spent in my cold basement and messing with the contact cement and foam, I have the shape completed. I’ve yet to sand it down because even that takes ages, but I digress.
It’s very rewarding when you’ve conquered EVA foam, but it’s not everyone’s skillset. If you’re not comfortable, find a cosplay that doesn’t require you to build something from scratch. An easy thing to do is find clothes that match the character as much as possible.
However, the art of cosplay is not without having to learn something. I recommend picking up sewing as you’ll very commonly have to alter the size of something or add something to your cosplay. Whether you prefer a machine or hand-sewing, it’s up to you, but it’s a very useful skill to have anyway!
It’s one of my favorite things about cosplaying. I love figuring out how to create something, especially if I love a project enough.
On the flip side, if you’re a genius with building items from scratch, have at it! It’s part of the fun of cosplay.
- Choose someone you REALLY like
When you cosplay, of course you want to go as someone you absolutely love. Maybe it’s an obscure character from your favorite anime. Maybe it’s Link from Legend of Zelda, or maybe you are a furry and created your own fursuit (I envy you guys; that’s a ton of skill to be able to put those suits together!)
Whatever you choose, you have to love them. If you’re lukewarm about an idea, you might not go through with it. Even if a project you love seems ambitious or out of your skillset, you can always phone a friend that might have the skills and would love to help you. Or you can accept the challenge and learn some new, unexpected skills that you’ll find can apply to other things in your life.
- Consider your budget
As I mentioned at the beginning, it’s not in my budget to create Maellum this time. My cosplay is rather simple this year as I’m more looking to have fun at the convention and money for artist alley. To purchase the shirt, pants, and suspenders amounted to under $100. Besides the wig, I’m not looking to invest a lot of time or money into my cosplay this time.
So you’ll have to do the same. Can you afford to create a giant Mech suit or are you going a bit simpler? Do you want to prioritize an amazing cosplay, or the money you’ll want to spend at the convention itself? These are important factors to consider before you move ahead with your cosplay plans.
It’s much easier to choose and plan a cosplay when you’re not worrying about how much you’re spending on it, because you already know the cosplay is within your budget!
- Have fun!
Enjoy the journey! Even if it can be stressful at times because your contact cement isn’t staying on properly, your EVA foam is slightly misshapen, and your lower back hurts from sitting on the concrete basement floor for four hours.
Part of the fun of creating your cosplay is the process.
That way, when you’ve finally completed it after hours invested into it, you can try it all on and see how truly amazing it looks. YOU made that. You can be proud of seeing your project through.
And now, you get to show it off at your local convention and wow a bunch of people.
Happy cosplaying!
