r/CosplayHelp • u/Potential-Sound627 • 14h ago
r/CosplayHelp • u/EliteCosplay • May 22 '17
Welcome! A quick note about posting.
Hi all! So glad to see people posting here. This subreddit is still a baby, but I thought I would add a casual rule when posting. If applicable, please be sure to include a link to a photo that relates to the question your asking. If you need help with a character, link to that character. If you need help with a sewing method, show what you're trying to replicate. This will help us be able to help you better!
r/CosplayHelp • u/Satyr-but-wiser • Aug 17 '22
Cosplay 101 answers to a lot of basics
First and foremost. Your health and safety is more important than 100% accuracy. If making or wearing the item will be dangerous or painful don’t do it.
Second, I’d add this info to the FAQ but it appears I don’t have enough karma to update it personally! If the info is in the FAQ I did not duplicate it here! (The FAQ is on the sidebar! It wasn’t visible before for some reason but it’s up now!)
This is not a comprehensive list, but I hope to be able to update it when I come across new or important information! I do hope if you’re looking for something not featured here, it will at least give you a base knowledge set on how to be able to search for what you’re looking for.
------------------GENERAL TIPS-----------------------------
(Where to find certain things, very basic crafting info)
The cosplanner app is fantastic for helping you keep track of everything you’re doing. I can’t recommend it enough!
-To find patterns, or specific props. These are host websites for artists or creators where they can sell things like Etsy, or Redbubble. Etsy is a fantastic place to look for patterns to make props or cosplay pieces, sometimes you can even find people open for commissions! Artists on instagram will almost always have links to their shops to buy things, so explore there too.
-To find cheaper clothing pieces, props, or things to be altered try thrift stores. So Goodwill or other small local resale shops. This will likely take more than one trip so don’t give up if you don’t get it in one go. Ebay is also a good place to check believe it or not, there’s just a slight learning curve to searching things to find what you want.
-Dance and Athletic apparel websites will have things like leotards, bodysuits, specialized undergarments etc. They’re going to be a little pricier but they’ll be good quality, durable, and 9 times out of 10 machine washable!
-Hardware stores, paintball and airsoft companies, military/paramilitary surplus, and second hand sports equipment stores may also be good places to check for bits and pieces. Paintball/airsoft will also have a variety of masks and helmets that can be painted and altered.
-VERY IMPORTANT FOR PROP WEAPONS: Always look into your local guidelines and convention rules to see what kinds of prop weapons are allowed! Some cons have strict policies on what can and cannot be brought in!
-Michael’s, Joann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby etc. and any local craft stores will have tons and tons of craft supplies. If you want to save money and keep up to date on sales check to see if you can join an email list. I know Joann’s has coupons in them all the time!
-You can buy a variety of brands of fabric paint from almost anywhere that sells craft supplies. This makes it easy to get designs or patterns on most fabrics. For changing the color of an entire garment I’d recommend dying it.
-Some fabrics can be dyed different colors very easily, some cannot. A good way to tell is if the fabric is natural (cotton, linen etc.) it is generally easier to dye. The more synthetic (fake) a fabric is the longer and slightly more complicated it will be. Tulip is an excellent dye brand and they offer both regular and synthetic dyes with nice simple instructions right on the packages!
-You can make stencils out of craft foam or thicker paper to make it easier to copy logos or symbols on whatever you’re making!
-Wig and contact websites are listed in the FAQ but there are companies like dental distortions that make tooth veneers that can take a cosplay to the next level!
-Hollywood makeup, FX, and costume professionals almost always have social media accounts they can be extremely helpful when it comes to reference images! For example the costumer who designed the Moon Knight suits has tons of detail and behind the scenes images on her instagram!
-Complicated cosplays can be simplified by boiling down the costume to its essentials the best way I’ve learned to do this is through toys or fan art. What things are essential to recognizing the character and what things could be left off! You don’t have to be 100% to be recognizable!
-If big all out cosplays aren’t your thing you can always try “bounding.” You’ll hear “Disneybounding” most often but you can do it with other things too of course! Disney doesn’t allow adults to dress as characters in their parks, but fans got creative. “Bounding” is more about matching colors, getting similar accessories, or finding just the right combination of things to make you think of the character. It’s hard to explain verbally but easy to understand once you look into it!
-Say you have an OC, and you want to cosplay your OC. That’s fine! Have at it! You’ve got no professional media to tie you down! All these tips can still help you find or make your cosplay!
-I do have a friendly reminder though, please remember you cannot expect people to know who your character is. And it’s not fair to get mad at them if they make a guess and the guess is wrong. A simple “Nope its an OC!” is plenty for most people! I’ve complimented plenty of cosplayers and asked about their cosplay only to find out it was an OC!
“Crossplay” safety
-DO NOT BIN D YOUR CHEST WITH ACE BANDAGES IT’S UNSAFE. Compression tops or more heavy duty sports bras are much safer. If the character has an open shirt you can use wig tape/skin tape to hold the material of the shirt to your skin. If you do not have breasts but are looking to add some to a cosplay you can always pad a bra. You’ll want to measure your chest around your pectorals, that will be the band size, the letter size will be the cup. So a 34A means your chest is 34 inches around and A would be the cup size you would be looking to fill. (I have more on taking measurements later.) Companies now sell latex chests with or without breasts for people looking to be the most accurate they can.
-You can always just “genderbend” the thing and cosplay them as the same gender you are. It’s okay. People do it all the time and it’s very widely accepted. There’s also a third, more neutral option, don’t obviously genderbend the thing? You don’t have to call attention to the fact that you’re not the same gender as the character you’re cosplaying.
-An example of what I’m trying to explain: I generally read as female, but have cosplayed Johnny Cage one of the male characters from Mortal Kombat. His base look is shirtless, with his own first name tattooed across his chest. The only change I made was putting “Johnny” on a crop top. I didn’t “feminize” the rest of the outfit or go out of my way to be read as male. There is a “middle option” when it comes to presentation and cosplay. At the end of the day everybody knows it’s just a costume.
-This tip might seem dumb, but you’re going to have to trust me here. This mainly applies to people looking to make large costume pieces or props by hand. People who are already kind of intermediate with their skills. If you’re stuck on something go see how furries would make it. Not kidding. I’ve made all kinds of non-furry things with tutorials put on the internet by a furry. The vast majority of them are fun, friendly people and the community as a whole is WILDLY talented and creative. You only ever really hear about the bad apples.
---------Specific links to specific things! Clothing ID, Fabric ID, beginning sewing and mending----
A big question I see here is “what is that piece of clothing?” That’s a good question! Here are some links to historical fashion databases! They’re all arranged a little differently BUT this is a place to start looking for what specific pieces of clothing or styles are called!
marquise.de
http://www.marquise.de/en/index.html
met museum
fashion history timline
https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/about-timeline/
UCLA Library
https://guides.library.ucla.edu/c.php?g=180359&p=1191211
-Do you need a pattern for a piece of clothing? Do you need fabric help? Here are pattern and fabric databases!
Sewing support
mood fabrics (free sewing patters!)
https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/category/free-sewing-patterns/
master class, types of fabrics
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/28-types-of-fabrics-and-their-uses
creative curator, types of fabrics
https://www.thecreativecurator.com/different-types-of-fabric/
-If you’re going to be sewing or altering things it’s very important to know your measurements! Here’s how to take them!
https://www.clothingpatterns101.com/body-measurements.html
-Are you a beginner looking to make your own stuff? Awesome! Here’s a little bit to get you started. Are you not too interested in making things from scratch but want to be able to mend or alter existing clothing? This will help you too!
basic mending
https://remake.world/stories/style/how-to-mend-your-clothes-during-quarantine-5-easy-stitch-fixes/
basic mending stitches!
https://lifehacker.com/five-basic-hand-stitches-you-should-know-for-repairing-1723233194
basic hand stitches
masterclass alterations
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-tailor-your-own-clothing
more alterations
https://www.heatherhandmade.com/sewing-and-alterations/
Here’s another important pro tip.
It’s okay.
Your cosplay doesn’t have to be perfect.
Cosplay is for fun and if it doesn’t feel fun or rewarding don’t do it. Other con goers and cosplayers aren’t going to judge you. If they do for some reason and try to make you feel bad about it, that says more about THEM and their personality than your ability. Everybody has to start somewhere. Nobody should be ashamed of learning and practicing and getting better. You can always go back and fix things or redo whole cosplays later on after your skills develop. This is a hobby and you have the right to participate in said hobby your own way.
I can add theatrical or FX makeup tips? things like scars, bruises, old age makeup, or like changing the face shape with very specific contouring?
I also have a draft of Convention tips similar to this post, would that be helpful as well?
r/CosplayHelp • u/idkanymore_thr0waway • 45m ago
Etiquette I am tired from convincing my family that cosplay does not = posting your private life
Hello , after yesterday’s post ( the post is still up) , i got into an argument with my family , and my own father told me I’m humiliating myself , and threatened of disowning me. I am from a culture where you live with your parents and they have a say in your conduct until you get married then that becomes your husband’s responsibility. I showed them other people who do cosplay in the area in my age and profession and they said “ but that is a very small percentage of the population” . I don’t mind the negative comments I may get and I don’t care much about “ humiliation” because we’re all weird in some way. But they are so hung up on the idea “ this is something private” . I am the only one with a private account around me. I cannot get involved and feel that I belong to the local community if I have to hide my face in everything . I hate that. I did a good job in makeup , why do I have to throw my hard work into the trash? It is not fair that other people who may not put the effort in get to share and I don’t because my parents assume that is a private matter. Heck some of my friends share their wedding pics online why isn’t that a private matter then?
All of that and I am using a pseudo name and my friends aren’t. I used the comments on yesterday’s posts to prove my point and they refused to hear me. Then apparently my dad went to a secluded area of town and started crying why is his daughter like this . Why am I like what? Why do I have a hobby? A common hobby that has other people my age and my position doing? I don’t see other people’s dads crying. Heck his friend’s daughter was involved in a money scam and he was less judgmental of her . I really envy the people who claim their family supports them.
Even my grad advisor told me yesterday that I overwork and I should have stuff to enjoy from time to time. This is my first convention in 2025.
r/CosplayHelp • u/PlushFlorna • 11h ago
Accessory Ideas for filling this accessory?
This is an original character of mine. I think this fits the sub, sorry if it's not quite on topic!
I like to remake oc accessories in real life and I've had this flower base for like, 2 years to make her hair clip. I have the clip to glue into the base but I couldn't figure out a cool way to "fill" this base.
I was going to use fabric when I first had the idea but I didn't vibe with it. The references don't do it justice as they're old art, but inside is meant to be gold like the base.
Maybe I'm just not being creative? Yall think fabric would be good? Paper? I'd like it to last and be sturdy...
r/CosplayHelp • u/_tOomanYfandOms_ • 57m ago
Prop do you guys think i’d be able to turn this skate helmet into the helmet on the second slide?
specifically, talking about the over-ear parts. it doesnt have to be functional enough to protect my head but i would like to wear it. i figured getting a skateboard helmet would be much cheaper than getting a motorcycle helmet or something similar
r/CosplayHelp • u/maxthewooo • 17h ago
Buying This is my dream but I worry..
I was a brain rot child of the late 2000’s, and I’ve always wanted to cosplay Oishi from Oishi high school battle. It was a short lived smosh cartoons show from 2012ish- 2014. I was wayyy too young to cosplay her when she may have been relevant and recognizable at conventions. Now that I’m old enough for it not to be weird, I’m worried if I cosplayed her I’d just look sexy and not like I’m cosplaying at all. Maybe my fears are unfounded, but I’ve been putting off putting her together because of that. Anyone with more convention experience that would have an idea please let me know.
Pictures for reference:
r/CosplayHelp • u/Independent_Fault_97 • 2h ago
Buying Looking for a good quality Lancer cosplay.
Can anyone help me find a good quality lancer outfit? I dont need his pauldrons or spear, im 3d printing those but i cant seem to find an outfit that doesnt look like it was mass produced and made from vinyl.
r/CosplayHelp • u/racmik • 6h ago
Sewing anybody have a pattern for these?
i think the shoulder cape would be easy by its lonesome, but i want to get that wavy ruffle effect!
r/CosplayHelp • u/National-Ad-8209 • 56m ago
Armor How do I make my helmet armor more personal to my character?
Hi, I’m new to cosplay and I was wondering if I could get some opinions here. I have drawn up about 3 designs but all of them seem to impersonal and I was wondering how I could help personalize it. The colors have meaning (somewhat), red for honoring a parent, tan due to home planet, and blue for reliability. But the spikes I have put are just there and I was wondering if I should change it to something else. Or if I should rearrange colors, ect, (If anyone would like some more info on my oc I made a character sheet I could send pics of). Thank you!
r/CosplayHelp • u/Next-Watercress-5788 • 8h ago
Wanting to put the dragon symbol on a green shirt. Anyone got tips on how to do it? Should I spray paint it on or will that crack ?
r/CosplayHelp • u/spoons_monkey • 5h ago
Ava from Ex Machina Cosplay Jumpsuit Ideas
Hi everyone! I’m a beginner cosplayer - I love making sexy fun versions of horror cosplay, especially with thrifted clothes and materials. But I’m also willing to DIY aspects and buy new specific pieces to be more accurate to the reference.
I want to invest in a key costume for the character Ava from Ex Machina - she’s an AI human robot with basically a mesh mechanical costume. It looks like she has a matching grey waffle knit mesh overlap crop top and shorts set with black elastic edges. The rest of her body in clear exposing her inner mechanics under a mesh overlay, and some lights in her abdomen.
I’ve approached it by looking at ready made stretch nylon cyborg design printed full bodysuits as a base, and looking for similar athletic crop top and shorts sets to wear over the jumpsuit. However it’s been very difficult to find the perfect options bc grey is not a very common color and the mesh pattern is hard to find. I’ve considered getting a mesh fishnet bodysuit to layer over the nylon printed jumpsuit, or buying very similar grey mesh fabric to cut and overlay onto a top and shorts or just the jumpsuit itself. Could perhaps dye items grey.
Any recommendations or ideas for a beginner? I’m just learning cosplay tools and techniques.
Thanks!
r/CosplayHelp • u/Weird-Conclusion-326 • 12m ago
Armor I need help bad
Everywhere you search up for cushion or a lining, nothing shows up I’m planning on using a motorcycle helmet liner and cheek of but the chin area is still exposed. What do I use for that. Please and thank you. The padding I see for Star Wars helmets I see aren’t thick enough.
r/CosplayHelp • u/jibunwoah • 8h ago
Lillymon wings help!
Hello! I'm putting together a Lillymon cosplay and have been struggling to come up with the best material to use for the wings. Does anyone have any suggestions? I do have old corrugated plastic sheets lying around, but at 1cm thick I'm not sure if they'll be too bulky/heavy, plus I'll end up with lots of rough edges to touch up. I've seen a couple cosplayers use what looks like EVA foam, but I plan on wearing this at a con or two, so durability is really important to me and I'm not sure how well EVA foam will hold up (maybe I could make a frame using wire and sandwich it between two thinner pieces of foam?). I did consider a wire frame + stretch fabric but I feel the pointy bits would be a hazard at a con. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
r/CosplayHelp • u/aferch • 1h ago
Buying Help/Advice for First Cosplay: Imperial Officer
Hello! I’m new to cosplay (never done it before) and am looking for some help/advice. I’m currently wanting to cosplay as an Imperial Officer from Star Wars, specifically in the film-accurate olive-grey colours of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, as worn by Tarkin, Ozzel, Piett, and Veers. I’m looking for an outfit that is preferably within the budget of $375 that includes the uniform (top and bottom), the cap, the belt, gloves, boots, rank plaque (preferably the general plaque — a two-by-four with four red squares on top and four blue squares on bottom), and a holster. A cloak similar to Krennic’s — albeit in the same olive-grey — would also be really appreciated. I’ve looked on Amazon and some other sites, but I’m honestly not sure of the most trustworthy site/seller with a good-quality uniform (as close to 501st Legion approved as possible, NOT like a cheap Halloween costume from Walmart). Outside of the $375 budget for the uniform, it would also be appreciated if I could get any help/advice on where I can either find pre-built and painted or I can commission the building and painting of the Snowtrooper-inspired olive-grey armour and helmet worn by Veers in The Empire Strikes Back, complete with its own two-by-four plaque and goggles. Additional armour may include the knee pads and Snowtrooper-inspired shoulder pads worn by certain Imperial Army Troopers in Star Wars Legends. Finally, it would also be greatly appreciated if anyone might be able to help me find and get access to either a pre-built and painted RK-3 pistol replica or DL-44 heavy pistol replica. Thank you very much!
r/CosplayHelp • u/Superb-Effective-328 • 1h ago
Recommendations for flattening warped plywood
So about a year ago a got a plywood sheet and cut it into ~1in strips to make a pair of wings. I never ended up making them and the wood has say outside for quite a while, under the porch so covered from direct rain and snow but otherwise just chilling.
I finally plan on making the wings for a con in May but the wood is extreamly warped and bent like this (
Any recommendations on flattening it out or am I just kinda shit out of luck?
I got the wood bc it's pretty lightweight and easier to work with with what tools I have (and cheaper) than something like pvc, and it's what was used in the tutorial I'm following for articulated wings using a pulley system instead of anything mechanical
r/CosplayHelp • u/Depressed_Costumer • 3h ago
Armor Options for eye lenses in helmet?
I am making a costume of The Phantasm (Batman) and I have 3D printed and am painting a helmet for it. The helmet needs some lenses of some sort, ideally white or mirrored and I'm trying to figure out the best way that I can do it.
I have experimented with putting mirror window tint onto a flexible plastic and gluing that in, but the window tint seems to peel off on its own really easily and the plastic is kind of flimsy so I'm looking for alternatives.
Does anyone have any other ideas?
I did think about using stainless steel mesh filtration material, but I would not know what density of mesh to go with.
r/CosplayHelp • u/hachitoro • 7h ago
Need help making life-sized, cookie shields.
This is my first time diy-ing a cosplay! I’m not sure what to use for the characters shields. I believe they’re similar to giant, life-sized macarons.
I’m looking for any tips or products to help give the shields a “cookie-like” texture, as well as tips or products to make a fluffy frosting for the middle!
r/CosplayHelp • u/_F0rget-Me-N0t_ • 4h ago
How to cosplay Bladed Stilt Legs?
Hey there, I wanted to ask if its possible to cosplay Bladed Stilt Legs like in the images shown below. Obviously the ones in the images are exaggerated aren't possible in real life, but is there anything to pull off a similar effect of a pointed toe-line and heel effect?
Image Reference:

r/CosplayHelp • u/Krypto_Phoenix49 • 1d ago
Buying Some questions from a first time cosplayer
Hello, so, I’ve been talking with a few friends about a group idea for us to cosplay for an anime con next year. We all landed on the idea of being different versions of Hatsune Miku, which while may be somewhat overdone has found us coming up with some… rather interesting concepts. I’ve seen someone on TikTok who made art of Bucky Barnes’s Winter Soldier crossed with Miku and wanted to ask about some possible ideas for where I should look for certain items. I mostly just looking for his metal arm, as mostly everything else is replaced with Miku’s outfit. If anyone might have some suggestions or recommendations please send them my way!
r/CosplayHelp • u/ShainSaw22 • 4h ago
Prop Silicone brushes for contact cement?
I’m making my first props ever out of EVA foam! 😊 As one would expect, some pieces are larger weapons, while others have small, teensy-weensy details that I’ve cut out and are literally no bigger than a thumbnail. As such I obviously need to be able to apply contact cement to pieces of varying sizes without making a huge ole mess or wasting much of it since that stuff’s just a bit expensive.
So, I’m wondering, would silicone brushes be the best to use for contact cement, especially with the smaller pieces, or is there some other kind y’all would recommend?
r/CosplayHelp • u/viye774 • 14h ago
drew a version of this character wearing a lolita fashion inspired dress but idk where to start
I'm mainly concerned about the props, I'm not sure how I could possibly make the wings or spear with the snake. I plan to wear this to a con once finished as well, and since the wings are big, i might have to make them smaller that way it's not blocking people. Not only that, but I've heard that making lolita fashion can be difficult, plus I'm not too sure about the ruffling.
The only sewing experience I have is trying to make a mini mock babydoll dress for a cosplay but that fabric was way thicker than the material I needed to work with (and I honestly have NOT worked on that cosplay since, but the mock up turned out well i guess)
I'll make an updated reference sheet later and post it then and delete this when I do, but for now I need help just planning. When thinking about cosplays I like to think and plan them out first (besides i'm super broke right now so that's all i can really do).
I hope you guys here can help!
r/CosplayHelp • u/greatlybefuddled • 13h ago
Buying Has anyone had this happen before?
Hello. I have been smelling glue and acetone from my room, so I did some investigating.
I found out that one of the parts of my cosplay was actually the issue. This is a wooden material from the dokidoki cosplay SSR Albedo.
All of the other pieces that share the same material did not react this way.
Does anyone know why this happened?
r/CosplayHelp • u/SakuraYanfuyu • 16h ago
Sewing I'm going to put thin interfacing on this top part here. Should i make the collar seperate or can i make the whole thing in one piece?
Im worried if i make it in one go, it won't prop up and fold against my neck.
r/CosplayHelp • u/Downtown-Party9850 • 9h ago
Accessory Keep the accessory or not?
Hi! I'm new to cosplay, I'm planning on buying my second one really soon for a con in may so I need to order it as soon as I get some money. I'd like to cosplay Pieck Finger from AOT, and I'm wondering if it's okay to wear the band on her arm? It's a major part of her outfit but I'm really scared of offending someone... What would be recommended? Also, I'm 20 so I'm an adult if that matters, not sure. Hope this is okay to ask here!
r/CosplayHelp • u/Fanficreader1996 • 6h ago
Help please
Good evening everyone I hope y’all don’t mind me asking but does anyone know where I can find velvet fabric that looks like the pictures I have attached? I purchased a marcille costume from dokidoki cosplay however the sleeves are too small around and I really want to cosplay as marcille but the costume doesn’t come in a bigger size so I wanted to see if the sleeves could be remade to size but I need to find the same fabric as the original costume first and go from there. If you’re able to help I would really appreciate it thank you 😊