So, you want to get into more serious cosplaying. Perhaps after having a few costumes commissioned for you, you’re finally ready to dive, head-first, into the wonderful world of making your own outfits.

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Styling wigs is a challenge, but a rewarding one!

Perhaps one of the most challenging, daunting, and complicated aspects of cosplay would be the wig. A lot of characters don’t possess simple hair styles, which often lead some cosplayers to omit a wig from their costume completely. However, even if you have the most accurate and well-made costume, you’ll stand out like a sore thumb if you leave out such a detail. Odds are people will look at your head first before they notice what you’re wearing and you’ll find that you’ll be overlooked more than the other cosplayer who took the time to get all the details head to toe. Read the full story

If you know the right materials, any project is possible!

Let’s face it: costumes are rarely simple. More often than not, a character’s wardrobe usually consists of abnormally shaped garments, crazy armor, and physics-defying hair. Everyone knows that the key to a successful cosplay is accuracy, but how can the average costumer outside of Hollywood ever hope to reproduce pieces you can’t just walk into your local store to buy? The key is the materials! Read the full story

You’re walking through the convention, surrounded by gorgeous costumes, when you spot your hero leaning up against the wall. He’s tall, his costume accurate down to every stitch, and that spikey wig looks so real you swear it’s really him. He flicks some strands from his face, looking bored, and you get ready to jot down your cellphone number and stab it through his gunblade. That’s when his male co-star walks over and plants one on him and your buff hero turns out to be a heroine possessing a trilling soprano voice.

This is nothing unusual. In fact, this scenario is so common, it’s typical.

Sariena and Kimberly as Roxas and Sora, the male heroes from Kingdom Hearts II. Photo by Ms.Saturday at DeviantART

“Crossplay”—cosplaying as someone of the opposite sex—has become so general in the world of cosplay that it’s typically not even defined anymore. At least, that is, if you’re a girl. While it is by no means limited to female-to-male, males who choose to dress as female characters still tend to get a lot of raised eyebrows. While females, on the other hand, usually don’t get a second glance. Why?

There are a lot of reasons why girls crossplay. The number one reason remains, however, universal: they simply dress up as a character they like. Other reasons tend to have a deeper explanation.

Gender roles as defined by society have changed very little since the dawn of civilization. While women have made great strides within the past century all over the world, most societies still put value in traditional roles of males are superior and females are not. Women in popular media are generally objectified, often portrayed as idealistic images that are unrealistic. All women are subject to the psychological pressure of being less than perfect in the eyes of society simply because they do not appear like the expected ideal. This can often lead to all kinds of disorders, ranging from self-harm to social impediments.

Males, however, usually are treated to the most character development—and imperfection is usually widely accepted. While it is not to say males are immune from idealistic standards, today’s female demographic usually find themselves relating to these characters more than female ones because they represent characteristics that have surpassed gender boundaries. Read the full story

Suriviving conventions as a cosplayer takes common sense and a little know-how.

As 2009’s convention season kicks off, everyone is dusting off their costumes, charging camera batteries, and getting ready for another year full of fun and geeky shenanigans. As you don your costume or load your memory card in the camera, you should probably be reminded (or enlightened) that there is a certain set of unspoken rules of geeky etiquette when it comes to the cosplay quotient of your convention experience.

Whether you’re the one in costume or a fan in awe of your hero supposedly facing you in the flesh, you should be aware that within this unique social setting there are special rules of etiquette. Most is what one would hope to be common sense, but those who are new to the experience may not be aware that some things are considered acceptable while others are completely not.

A lot of these rules are laid out in the convention program books, as there are many situations unique to conventions that anyone new to the experience may be unaware of. Then there are others who simply need a firm reminder. All of these rules and other unspoken manners apply to attendees both in and out of costume. Read the full story

So, you’re a fan. You’re into anime, video games, comics, and just about anything that has a loyal following. Perhaps you’ve heard of conventions, maybe you’ve been to one. You’ve seen hundreds of your fellow fans running around in costumes resembling your favorite characters. Now you’re hooked. You’re ready for the next step of fandom: Cosplay. But where do you begin? How do you do it? Read the full story