Author Topic: Cosplay (non-SSSS)  (Read 45387 times)

Kat Sohma

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #195 on: August 06, 2015, 05:12:21 PM »
Hey. I was thinking about trying to do a cosplay for Sigrun, but I have no idea wher to start. I have never cosplayed before. I don't even know how to use a sewing machiene. Does anyone know of any good resources to help me get started? Thanks ^_^

Well, first find a wig. There are many wig stores that have quality wigs that would work for Sigrun. (Such as Arda, or my current favourite, MapOfBeauty. I'd heard that EpicCosplay is nice also.)
Next you could ask your family or friends if any of them know how to sew and try to learn from them. If not, then local craft stores probably have sewing classes. Another option? Thrifting! A long sleeved turtleneck, white skinny jeans, a white coat, black boots. Once you have that, you can use fabric paint or such to modify it if you want.
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freddiethefantastic

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #196 on: August 06, 2015, 10:49:12 PM »
Hey. I was thinking about trying to do a cosplay for Sigrun, but I have no idea wher to start. I have never cosplayed before. I don't even know how to use a sewing machiene. Does anyone know of any good resources to help me get started? Thanks ^_^
Wigs are a good place to start, as KS already said! Arda, Lucaille, Wig is Fashion, and Epic Cosplay are my favorites, although honestly, if it's your first cosplay I would def go with Arda! They have the most options for styles and colors in high quality wigs.
Next, if you don't know how to sew but are willing to buy your cosplay, you can commission someone to create it for you! This is probably the most expensive option but will give you the best results!
As KS already said (again) thrifting is great!! This will be a bit harder, but is definitely a budget option! You may want to start with a Casual Sigrun instead, which would be an easier and less expensive cosplay that you could thrift.
If you are interested in learning how to sew, go to your local craft/fabric store! (I usually go to Joann's) They will offer all kinds of beginner sewing classes! It is a great skill to have especially if you want to continue cosplaying.
Good luck omg!!! Cosplay is so great and really, the most important thing is to have fun! I can't wait to see pictures!!

Curry

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #197 on: August 06, 2015, 11:26:20 PM »
Hey. I was thinking about trying to do a cosplay for Sigrun, but I have no idea wher to start. I have never cosplayed before. I don't even know how to use a sewing machiene. Does anyone know of any good resources to help me get started? Thanks ^_^

Helloooo! I am a Sigrun cosplayer although my cosplay is currently a WIP! I can give you wig recommendations, although my wig took lots and lots of hours of styling.

It's an Eowyn in Crimson, but if you want a shorter wig base (I cut about six inches off) I'd say that the Pippin is an easier-to-deal-with option (although you won't get quiiite the amount of floof I have in mine :P )

Also, if you go the route of commissioning a cosplay, Circusdoll is a fantastic company that takes commissions and they have beautiful work.
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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #198 on: August 07, 2015, 09:31:01 AM »
Hey. I was thinking about trying to do a cosplay for Sigrun, but I have no idea wher to start. I have never cosplayed before. I don't even know how to use a sewing machiene. Does anyone know of any good resources to help me get started? Thanks ^_^


first try to figure out how to use the sewing machine or sewing by hands, or you can't go anywhere.
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Ana Nymus

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #199 on: August 08, 2015, 10:47:33 AM »
first try to figure out how to use the sewing machine or sewing by hands, or you can't go anywhere.

Agreed. Sewing lessons at a craft store are always an option, but if you have a relative/friend who sews, it might be easier just to learn from them (also you may be able to borrow their sewing machine. Basic sewing machines are too terribly expensive, but it's the sort of thing that you want to know you'll use before you go out and buy one). And knowing how to sew, both by machine and by hand, is a useful skill outside of cosplay, too. I can't tell you how many garments I've saved or remodeled just because I know a few basic stitches.

If you don't want to sew an entire costume from scratch, you can take a middle road by finding thrift store clothing and modifying it to suit your needs. You might find a white coat that would be perfect if it only had blue trim on it, and you can add that trim yourself.

Okay, I'm rambling about a subject I don't even really know about *has never successfully cosplayed anything* so I'll just leave it there.
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Kat

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #200 on: August 10, 2015, 02:29:31 AM »
Thanks for all your tips. I hadn't even thought about wigs yet, although it really should have. ^_^ I do really want to try to make some of the things myself, especially the decorations on the jacket, which I know I won't just be able to find. I'll be sure to post pictures when I finish it.

LadyRamkin

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #201 on: August 13, 2015, 01:17:10 PM »
Does anyone have any suggestions on white hair dye/spray?
I have light brown hair.

Krisse Kovacs

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #202 on: August 13, 2015, 02:30:38 PM »
Does anyone have any suggestions on white hair dye/spray?
I have light brown hair.
get a wig or dye it to really bright blonde then you can add some grey hairdye for the greyish look, but if you use hairdry like that, it can't be undone
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Curry

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #203 on: August 13, 2015, 02:50:56 PM »
Does anyone have any suggestions on white hair dye/spray?
I have light brown hair.

If you wanted to dye your own hair white, you'd have to go through a LOT of bleaching which damages your hair severely if you don't take enough care of it. Spray can look a little uneven/sticky, but you should be able to find it at Halloween or costume stores (which will be popping up everywhere very very soon :P) for not all that much money :D

Personally I would recommend just buying a white wig, since buying a blonde wig then redying it is a lot of work in order to get something that you could easily find yourself. Also, wigs look great consistently, and you'll only have to re-style it once every couple years if you store the wig well (on a stand or head or something reasonably round and head-shaped ;)) and keep it clean.

Wig store recommendations!
-Arda is a FANTASTIC company with very high-quality, thick wigs that take lots of styling very well. More expensive, but the shipping isn't bad, and you get the quality you pay for, especially in the short wigs.
-Epiccosplay has absolutely lovely silky wigs. They're a bit thinner, but if you want a long wig (70cm or more) I would recommend here over arda if you don't need much crazy styling since these look FANTASTIC in pictures and untangle very easily. About as expensive as Arda, free shipping (I believe)
-Wigisfashion has a sketchy-sounding name, but their wigs are lovely and high-quality and recommended by lots of cosplayers and people who wear the wigs as, well, fashion. I'm planning on ordering two wigs from there for my Jasper cosplay and sewing them together :) Very low-priced wigs, but the shipping is a bit painful, since I believe it's coming from China. These tend to be thinner than Arda (but then again nearly everything is)
-Lucaille is kind of super duper sketchy-looking and their shipping is killer expensive as well but they have a HUGE variety of wigs. These do tend to be on the thin side, though, just a warning.

Speaking from personal experience, buying wigs off of Amazon is VERY dangerous because a lot of sites use pictures of wigs that are taken from other websites, not the actual wig, and you can end up with some trash wigs. My friend Sydney (not on the forum) has had numerous terrible experiences with Amazon wigs (one white wig we named "Dead Bleached Animal the Second" and another black one they described as having "helmet head worse than I had that one time I was wearing a bicycle helmet for six hours in the sun") and they can also turn up very, very plastic and shiny (not the prettiest in photos).
If you do feel the need to search Amazon (lots of cheap wigs there), make sure to check reviews and seller ratings very very closely and if a reviewer says that the wig is awful, don't buy it. Also! If they post pictures of themselves in the cosplay, check those out, because the color is often different than in the advertised picture.

If you want a character-specific recommendation, me and my pal freddiethefantastic are good at finding high-quality, pretty wigs from a variety of (safe! not-sketchy!) stores and we will gladly help with any questions you need :0

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« Last Edit: August 13, 2015, 02:58:40 PM by Curry »
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Ana Nymus

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #204 on: August 15, 2015, 11:34:54 PM »
Do you ever do something without knowing what will happen, and it just turns out right?  ;D

Yes, well I'm very proud of the technique I used to get flat seams on my Lalli tunic. I would show you all a picture, but surprisingly, white thread on white fabric doesn't photograph well :P

So instead, here's the pattern pieces for the collar, belt, and hood details:



I don't know why anyone would want to see that, but I was geeking out so hard about fabric and seams and stitching, I just had to share it with someone  ;D
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freddiethefantastic

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #205 on: August 16, 2015, 05:50:27 PM »
Does anyone have any suggestions on white hair dye/spray?
I have light brown hair.

If you want a character-specific recommendation, me and my pal freddiethefantastic are good at finding high-quality, pretty wigs from a variety of (safe! not-sketchy!) stores and we will gladly help with any questions you need :0

WOW THIS IS REALLY LATE BUT i'm here bc my name was said and i just really love hair color and wigs ok. I'm pretty sure Curry prob already explained some of this, so sorry if i repeat things that they've said.
so basically LR you're not going to want to bleach+dye your hair to white. I have a lot of experience in this actually B) My hair is naturally brown, and I have had it white/pale blue/pale blonde for a while now. It's hard and expensive to get to such a light color, and upkeep is even harder. Also, no matter how well you take care of your hair, it's going to be super damaged (think fried, dead, dry hair that falls out in clumps)
Bleaching your hair is a nasty mess, and to go white, you'll have to bleach it a lot.
Temporary spray in hair dye is an option! But it won't look good! I'm sorry to be so blunt, but that stuff is sticky and makes your hair hard, and will make it look clumpy and uneven. Trust me, it's not fun. And if you want to do the cosplay multiple times, it'll end up being expensive.
If you're really set on it, I know that Claire's carries spray. Here's a review for that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we8toUElyMA (although she wasn't too happy with it) and I know Party City also carries it. Sally Beauty definitely carries it online and it looks like it's also in stores. The link for that is here: http://www.sallybeauty.com/haircolor-spray/SBS-625343,default,pd.html
Do with that what you will.
My reccomendation is basically everything Curry said! Wigs are your friend!!!!!!!!!! They are soft and look natural, and you can use them over and over and over. They might be more expensive than spray initially, but in the long run, they will be worth it! The only store recs I have that Curry didn't already say is Circus Doll, here: http://circusdoll.storenvy.com/- soft and thick character specific wigs! I've never seen a bad review for this store! And don't be scared if they don't have exactly the character you're looking for! Just like your hair, wigs can be restyled in a flash!
So I think I've rambled enough lmao. I seriously love talking about this stuff though, so if you do have any questions, or want to talk some more about bleaching/dying your hair, I'm totally up for that. Good luck with your cosplay!! I can't wait to see it!!

KMK

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #206 on: August 16, 2015, 08:53:19 PM »
Found this lovely Fabric Guide chart on Facebook. When you are cosplaying and trying to recreate a look this can be invaluable in choosing the right fabric.

Curry

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #207 on: August 16, 2015, 09:31:19 PM »
Found this lovely Fabric Guide chart on Facebook. When you are cosplaying and trying to recreate a look this can be invaluable in choosing the right fabric.


Oh my gosh this is so useful :000 thank you so much!!!
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Ana Nymus

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #208 on: August 16, 2015, 09:35:30 PM »
Found this lovely Fabric Guide chart on Facebook. When you are cosplaying and trying to recreate a look this can be invaluable in choosing the right fabric.


Where has this been all my life!!?!?!?! It's awesome! ;D
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freddiethefantastic

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Re: Cosplay Help
« Reply #209 on: August 16, 2015, 11:02:26 PM »
Ahh, the cosplay thread is growing rapidly and right now it's an odd mix of cosplay photos and recommendations/advice! I thought a separate thread for recommendations and help might be useful, so that the original thread is more of a showcase of your lovely cosplays, and all of the help is in one place!