Underrated tips: it's OK to buy a cosplay. Buy a party store wig for your first one and use it to learn the basics (wearing, washing, etc) Your journey will not look the same as anyone else's. I've been cosplaying for over a decade and had limited time/resources to progress. I've accepted my weaknesses, put them aside to focus on honing my strengths. I just bought my first wig, it was something that intimidated me for so long. The point is to have fun, not be super hard on yourself for what you can't do!
absolutely! buying cosplays is 100% valid, especially since it seems like the quality of the costumes and the sheer amount of options you can buy nowadays has upped immensely from 14 years ago (when i started). there are certain costumes i would never sew myself, because of their complexity or because there is a certain pattern on the fabric i can't (or dont want to) recreate. even though i CAN sew quite well lol.
this is the kind of comment i'm always looking for lol. i am so new to cosplaying but i have been interested in it for a long time!! i get easily intimidated by other ppls cosplays who have been doing it forever! its hard to remember that everyone starts somewhere, even at party city hahahaha
@@shroomsoup560 Honestly, I needed to hear this type of comment 🥹 I had to realize and accept that my journey is not "less than" and stop comparing to others. Being resourceful is a great skill I developed, even though it's not something people "can see." My set of skills are not "social media friendly" 😆
Even though my ressources are currently limited (due to uni mostly) and even though I cosplay since two years, I buy cosplays. That way I learn how to research on sites like Amazon even for non-cosplay things.
I’ve been cosplaying for about 13 years myself and I started out teaching myself how to hand sew I would go to thrift stores and get clothes and alter them ( still do when I want to do simple cosplays ) then my aunt taught me how to use a sewing machine and I did my first big project which was Madame Red from Black Butler. I’ll never forget making that cosplay I used 9.6 meters ( 10.5 yards ) of this beautiful red stretch satin (big mistake and never again ) it was so frustrating to work with but the cosplay turned out so nice and I was very proud of it.
For me when I was a beginner I was worried about not making every piece so figured I should add in there's no shame in supporting a cosplay artist to make the cosplay you want. It's not generally cheap but it's an option. For me personally I love being the characters but my physical disability makes sewing painful so this is my alternative.
I am kind of a perfectionist, and when starting a new cosplay, the thought of not making it exactly like I imagine it scares me a lot, because I don't want to be disappointed I end up having a hard time motivating myself and I have my wig still waiting for me to style it qwq
I definitely relate to this, but I find the most inspiring thing is to look at old cosplay pictures. Improvement totally motivates me!! Also remember not to compare yourself to professional cosplayers or the cosplayers on tiktok/Instagram/whatever with all the fancy outfits and wigs and (honestly) nice faces/body types. The internet is fake as hell and the ppl who buy a fancy new cosplay a week are likely not spending their money wisely
@@baristascallmewolfgang Thank you for answering, this comment made me feel better ☺️ I'll keep your advices in mind. It is true that I tend to forget that I am a beginner and the cosplayers I compare myself to probably aren't !
I remember the first time I went into cosplay I was so so excited! Going through the process of finding the items and putting it together - Having so many people say "OMG Spidey you're suit is so cool" or them asking for photos, it was an amazing feeling! Near half a decade later I'm about to get my first proper professional Spider-Man suit and I couldn't be prouder 😄
This helped a lot, tysm :)) Conveniently, my aunt cosplays and does photography so it’s rlly nice cuz she has a lot of experience herself. It’s rlly nice to be able to ask her abt cosplay and photos.
I always recommend when you're starting out to just thrift for pieces that are as close as you can get and then alter what you can, some of my projects are held together with hot glue, but as you get comfy with something you should always try to push yourself and do a project that's slightly harder than the last to build your skill.
Hi! so, I don't always wear my cosplays at conventions. I am a volunteer who works for a charity and wear my cosplays on a almost regular basis. We host events places and appear for buisness openenings ect, in return for dotations. All of us are volunteers and do not get paid at all for anything we do.
I started cosplaying last year and I did a Jinx cosplay for Comicon and someone asked to take a picture of me and my friend, who cosplayed as Vi. I thought that I looked just ok so for someone to ask for the photo it meant everything to me and it built up my confidence to keep going. Dont think Im at a super high level but still, if I ever meet that lady again, I will thank her infinitely
Yes! Super helpful video for trying to start cosplaying! Another shop for Wigs: Depop is useful to find great quality at cheaper prices for wigs when cosplayers are reselling them!
When I was a beginner at cosplay all of my friends and I wanted to do a group cosplay of demon slayer characters. I didn’t have a lot of money to buy a costume or a katana but I thrifted the clothes, customized them, MADE A KATANA, and to this day it’s one of my fav cosplays
I’ve been cosplaying for less than a year but I love it! There was a convention in Newcastle and I decided to cosplay outside the house for the first time. I got lots of compliments and it made me smile! I also took 2 pictures with people so that’s a start! If you want to start cosplaying just go for it! If someone says your a freak (like my what brother does to me) then I’m sure hundreds if not thousands of people would disagree!
I have loved thrifting in the past, but I swear whenever I went for one specific item that I thought would be everywhere (like a strapless short black dress for example) every single one of that item would suddenly not exist in thrift stores.
IK I'm late but I still wanna leave a comment. I just started getting into cosplay more yesterday if I'm being honest, I always known about it but I was never was a cosplayer, and still technically aint one but I really want to be. Thank you for the tips ! My mom has a sewing machine I can use, so I think I'm going to start learning fast how to sew (or rather immerse myself) in it, and learn through youtube so I can cosplay more quickly and efficiently. I do know it takes time so I'm not gonna rush it. I can't wait to also learn stuff about crafting and expand my creativity. As for now, I really wanna cosplay Entoma from Overlord since she is my favorite character from the whole series, Tanya from The Saga Of Tanya the Evil. Cosplay is so cool and creative, so I cannot wait to learn.
love your videos! I've been cosplaying all my life, dressing as rockstars and 80's pop culutre characters to cons. But now I'm a teenager and I'm doing different stuff, and now I'm sewing ribbons and panting clothes and making big wigs. So even though I'm not nearly a beginner, I still love your advice video because I do feel like a beginner, and that's ok! I love your cosplays and thank you're super awesome!!!
hi anya!! i actually had a quick question for you. so i've done some cosplays before but i haven't fully made one myself (i usually just buy stuff online) and there's one particular cosplay i want to do but i can't find a pattern for it anywhere because it's so unique and also pretty new, and everywhere i find a premade version online its either expensive or from a really fishy website. how would you recommend i go about making/buying the outfit? tysm
Hmm I would either wait it out (since it's such a new outfit, finding a reputable site selling it will be difficult at first, but will be much easier in a few months), or look for patterns that are close that you can alter. For example (if I'm looking at the right design), it looks like she's wearing a corset-esque top and bloomer-style shorts, so look for patterns for those garments and go from there.
Quick reminder! It’s perfectly Valid and ok to buy cheap wigs and to buy cosplays! I personally buy cheapish wigs from Amazon and I’ve been cosplaying for over 2 years! I also ALWAYS buy my cosplays as I have little patience and shakes hands so sewing is out the window!! So don’t forget that cosplay is for fun!! If you want to make/thrift your cosplay then that’s great but it’s also great if you just want to buy one! All that matters is that you have TONS of fun!!!♥️♥️
if you could make a video about taking good quality cosplay selfies and / good photo setup to have at home that would be super useful 🙏🙏 love your videos!!
I recommend using Pinterest to find references and patterns. I found a dress pattern similar to princess peach's dress that I'm going to use for that cosplay :)
I have a lot of cosplayer friends and i wanted to see what goes into cosplaying and ive gained even more respect than i already have for them this crap’s tough
Do you have a recommendation for a ring light? I have a really small one that works great for close up selfies but not much else. Whenever I take cosplay photos of myself I usually end up using my soft light boxes and that's a pain to set up.
I usually use my studio lights when taking cosplay photos; the only ring lights I've used are super cheap ones, so I'm not sure what higher quality ones to suggest. 🤔
i was born in 2009 yes i am young but im trying to see if cosplay is something i could do and love doing, but im kinda scared to tell my parents because im scared that they will think im werid or any think like that(please dont mind the spelling mistakes im from denmark so im not the best at spelling some words)
I started cosplaying only a couple years older than you!! I eased my parents into my cosplaying by using my first one as a Halloween costume, and then buying/making more from there. Hopefully they won’t judge you, it is a really fun hobby and I don’t think it’s weird at all!! If you plan on making your own cosplays, you could always explain how it’s like a crafting project, too! Good luck!! 🍀
Thank you for this video! I was just wondering if you recommend using a digital cosplay planner? I have started to use Cosgear Cosplay Planner, and it seems really nice. It has tutorials, free patterns as well as the planning tool, but I would like to hear your opinion on it 😊😊
I personally have never used one of those apps, but I think they're a totally valid thing to use! Cosgear is a great company that does excellent work, so I think their app would be an awesome thing to use. 😊
i know this video was posted a while ago, but for conventions if i wanted to cosplay a video game character would that still be allowed at an anime con for example 😭 sorry for lengthy comment but yea :)
I have a question!! I’m under the age of 18 and I’m a teen (13) and I wanna dress as Raiden for Genshin. And for those who don’t know she shows lots of skin. And I rlly wanna cosplay her like rlly bad. She’s an amazing character!! And I have an idea how to cover up with leggings and a turtle neck. Is there any tips or anything for that cosplay. Because I rlly wanna and I either way would wear leggings and a turtle neck depending. Any tips or anything.
@@Ocean_verse I think you have the right idea with the turtleneck and leggings! Otherwise, if you're making the cosplay yourself, you can always alter the dress to he longer/the neckline higher.
@@AnyaPanda I’m buying it for sure cause idk how to design or make stuff yet I wanna learn but I really wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing anything revealing because I’m a kid but thank you for the response!!
Underrated tips: it's OK to buy a cosplay. Buy a party store wig for your first one and use it to learn the basics (wearing, washing, etc)
Your journey will not look the same as anyone else's. I've been cosplaying for over a decade and had limited time/resources to progress. I've accepted my weaknesses, put them aside to focus on honing my strengths. I just bought my first wig, it was something that intimidated me for so long. The point is to have fun, not be super hard on yourself for what you can't do!
absolutely! buying cosplays is 100% valid, especially since it seems like the quality of the costumes and the sheer amount of options you can buy nowadays has upped immensely from 14 years ago (when i started). there are certain costumes i would never sew myself, because of their complexity or because there is a certain pattern on the fabric i can't (or dont want to) recreate. even though i CAN sew quite well lol.
this is the kind of comment i'm always looking for lol. i am so new to cosplaying but i have been interested in it for a long time!! i get easily intimidated by other ppls cosplays who have been doing it forever! its hard to remember that everyone starts somewhere, even at party city hahahaha
@@shroomsoup560 Honestly, I needed to hear this type of comment 🥹 I had to realize and accept that my journey is not "less than" and stop comparing to others. Being resourceful is a great skill I developed, even though it's not something people "can see." My set of skills are not "social media friendly" 😆
Even though my ressources are currently limited (due to uni mostly) and even though I cosplay since two years, I buy cosplays. That way I learn how to research on sites like Amazon even for non-cosplay things.
I’ve been cosplaying for about 13 years myself and I started out teaching myself how to hand sew I would go to thrift stores and get clothes and alter them ( still do when I want to do simple cosplays ) then my aunt taught me how to use a sewing machine and I did my first big project which was Madame Red from Black Butler. I’ll never forget making that cosplay I used 9.6 meters ( 10.5 yards ) of this beautiful red stretch satin (big mistake and never again ) it was so frustrating to work with but the cosplay turned out so nice and I was very proud of it.
For me when I was a beginner I was worried about not making every piece so figured I should add in there's no shame in supporting a cosplay artist to make the cosplay you want. It's not generally cheap but it's an option. For me personally I love being the characters but my physical disability makes sewing painful so this is my alternative.
I am kind of a perfectionist, and when starting a new cosplay, the thought of not making it exactly like I imagine it scares me a lot, because I don't want to be disappointed
I end up having a hard time motivating myself and I have my wig still waiting for me to style it qwq
I definitely relate to this, but I find the most inspiring thing is to look at old cosplay pictures. Improvement totally motivates me!!
Also remember not to compare yourself to professional cosplayers or the cosplayers on tiktok/Instagram/whatever with all the fancy outfits and wigs and (honestly) nice faces/body types. The internet is fake as hell and the ppl who buy a fancy new cosplay a week are likely not spending their money wisely
@@baristascallmewolfgang Thank you for answering, this comment made me feel better ☺️ I'll keep your advices in mind. It is true that I tend to forget that I am a beginner and the cosplayers I compare myself to probably aren't !
@@arlo8805 You are very welcome!! 😊
I remember the first time I went into cosplay I was so so excited! Going through the process of finding the items and putting it together - Having so many people say "OMG Spidey you're suit is so cool" or them asking for photos, it was an amazing feeling! Near half a decade later I'm about to get my first proper professional Spider-Man suit and I couldn't be prouder 😄
This helped a lot, tysm :))
Conveniently, my aunt cosplays and does photography so it’s rlly nice cuz she has a lot of experience herself. It’s rlly nice to be able to ask her abt cosplay and photos.
So glad you found the video helpful! 🥰
That's so cool, I'm so glad to hear you have your aunt to help you out!
I always recommend when you're starting out to just thrift for pieces that are as close as you can get and then alter what you can, some of my projects are held together with hot glue, but as you get comfy with something you should always try to push yourself and do a project that's slightly harder than the last to build your skill.
Was in a convention yesterday so it's nice to just relax and watch some new content from my fav cosplayer :D
Aww I'm so glad! 🙈💕
Hi! so, I don't always wear my cosplays at conventions. I am a volunteer who works for a charity and wear my cosplays on a almost regular basis. We host events places and appear for buisness openenings ect, in return for dotations. All of us are volunteers and do not get paid at all for anything we do.
its the way this popped up in my feed while im scrolling through my long list of cosplans i’ll never get to do 😃
I learned how to do sfx and foam crafting 100% through youtube, also how to put my dremel together. I basically live here lmao
Mood 🤣👏🏻
I learned how to sew from UA-cam so same here!!
I started cosplaying last year and I did a Jinx cosplay for Comicon and someone asked to take a picture of me and my friend, who cosplayed as Vi. I thought that I looked just ok so for someone to ask for the photo it meant everything to me and it built up my confidence to keep going. Dont think Im at a super high level but still, if I ever meet that lady again, I will thank her infinitely
Yes! Super helpful video for trying to start cosplaying!
Another shop for Wigs:
Depop is useful to find great quality at cheaper prices for wigs when cosplayers are reselling them!
When I was a beginner at cosplay all of my friends and I wanted to do a group cosplay of demon slayer characters. I didn’t have a lot of money to buy a costume or a katana but I thrifted the clothes, customized them, MADE A KATANA, and to this day it’s one of my fav cosplays
i am styling my first wig today
idk why but i thought this would be about literally getting into a costume haha
this really helped so much!! thank you :) your editing is hilarious by the way!!
Haha thank you! I tried to be as unhinged as I could. 🤣
I’ve been cosplaying for less than a year but I love it! There was a convention in Newcastle and I decided to cosplay outside the house for the first time. I got lots of compliments and it made me smile! I also took 2 pictures with people so that’s a start! If you want to start cosplaying just go for it! If someone says your a freak (like my what brother does to me) then I’m sure hundreds if not thousands of people would disagree!
I have loved thrifting in the past, but I swear whenever I went for one specific item that I thought would be everywhere (like a strapless short black dress for example) every single one of that item would suddenly not exist in thrift stores.
IK I'm late but I still wanna leave a comment.
I just started getting into cosplay more yesterday if I'm being honest, I always known about it but I was never was a cosplayer, and still technically aint one but I really want to be.
Thank you for the tips !
My mom has a sewing machine I can use, so I think I'm going to start learning fast how to sew (or rather immerse myself) in it, and learn through youtube so I can cosplay more quickly and efficiently. I do know it takes time so I'm not gonna rush it.
I can't wait to also learn stuff about crafting and expand my creativity. As for now, I really wanna cosplay Entoma from Overlord since she is my favorite character from the whole series, Tanya from The Saga Of Tanya the Evil. Cosplay is so cool and creative, so I cannot wait to learn.
love your videos! I've been cosplaying all my life, dressing as rockstars and 80's pop culutre characters to cons. But now I'm a teenager and I'm doing different stuff, and now I'm sewing ribbons and panting clothes and making big wigs. So even though I'm not nearly a beginner, I still love your advice video because I do feel like a beginner, and that's ok! I love your cosplays and thank you're super awesome!!!
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoy the videos! 🥹🫶🏻
My best friend is a photographer so she usually takes my photos💗💗 she even gave me a BFF discount 😅😅😅
hi anya!! i actually had a quick question for you. so i've done some cosplays before but i haven't fully made one myself (i usually just buy stuff online) and there's one particular cosplay i want to do but i can't find a pattern for it anywhere because it's so unique and also pretty new, and everywhere i find a premade version online its either expensive or from a really fishy website. how would you recommend i go about making/buying the outfit? tysm
Hmm I would either wait it out (since it's such a new outfit, finding a reputable site selling it will be difficult at first, but will be much easier in a few months), or look for patterns that are close that you can alter. For example (if I'm looking at the right design), it looks like she's wearing a corset-esque top and bloomer-style shorts, so look for patterns for those garments and go from there.
@@AnyaPanda ah okay that makes sense! thank you!
Hiiiiiiii!!!!! You’re so pretty 💕 I love your channel so much! You were the one who inspired me to start making my own cosplays 😊
You're so sweet thank you 🥺💕
Quick reminder! It’s perfectly Valid and ok to buy cheap wigs and to buy cosplays!
I personally buy cheapish wigs from Amazon and I’ve been cosplaying for over 2 years! I also ALWAYS buy my cosplays as I have little patience and shakes hands so sewing is out the window!! So don’t forget that cosplay is for fun!! If you want to make/thrift your cosplay then that’s great but it’s also great if you just want to buy one! All that matters is that you have TONS of fun!!!♥️♥️
This video is very helpful! Thank you 🤗😍
I'm so glad, thank you! 🥰
if you could make a video about taking good quality cosplay selfies and / good photo setup to have at home that would be super useful 🙏🙏 love your videos!!
For sure, I can do that!
for some reason the title made me think this was a tip video on how to put your cosplay on lol
Nice video.
I recommend using Pinterest to find references and patterns. I found a dress pattern similar to princess peach's dress that I'm going to use for that cosplay :)
I never cosplay but I really want to :( my parents would judge me so I’m scared. It’s hard 😭
I have a lot of cosplayer friends and i wanted to see what goes into cosplaying and ive gained even more respect than i already have for them this crap’s tough
Beautiful good good good
Do you have a recommendation for a ring light? I have a really small one that works great for close up selfies but not much else.
Whenever I take cosplay photos of myself I usually end up using my soft light boxes and that's a pain to set up.
I usually use my studio lights when taking cosplay photos; the only ring lights I've used are super cheap ones, so I'm not sure what higher quality ones to suggest. 🤔
Great video!!! :D
i was born in 2009 yes i am young but im trying to see if cosplay is something i could do and love doing, but im kinda scared to tell my parents because im scared that they will think im werid or any think like that(please dont mind the spelling mistakes im from denmark so im not the best at spelling some words)
I started cosplaying only a couple years older than you!!
I eased my parents into my cosplaying by using my first one as a Halloween costume, and then buying/making more from there.
Hopefully they won’t judge you, it is a really fun hobby and I don’t think it’s weird at all!!
If you plan on making your own cosplays, you could always explain how it’s like a crafting project, too!
Good luck!! 🍀
Thank you for this video! I was just wondering if you recommend using a digital cosplay planner? I have started to use Cosgear Cosplay Planner, and it seems really nice. It has tutorials, free patterns as well as the planning tool, but I would like to hear your opinion on it 😊😊
I personally have never used one of those apps, but I think they're a totally valid thing to use! Cosgear is a great company that does excellent work, so I think their app would be an awesome thing to use. 😊
I started in 2010 it was way more difficult to cosplay back then 😂
My best cosplay is my nezuko cosplay because I have natural strands of brown hair at the bottom of my hair and it looks kinda orange so yeah
I think a really good cosplay for beginners would be Emma from the promised neverland, you don’t need much and it’s really simple
Can you give tips about begginer cosplay wigs?? Pov: paper wigs, plastic wigs, hair wigs ect?
@@Games-c1y I have multiple videos about wigs, please have a look.
I started at 9 and I'm 12 now
HII!!!
What to do if I can't find conventions in my whole entire country ( Algeria ) but I still wanna go to one
You don’t have to cosplay at conventions!
Im 12 and today im going to buy things for cosplay,but my father said "im not a millionaire,to buy you clothes for one day" idk what to do😶
Same as you, everything is so expensive in my country so I cant buy too
do you have a suggestions for a more budget friendly wig so that i dont break the bank practicing
Sure, you could always try Aliexpress.
@@AnyaPanda thank you ill look into that
sorry- i just wanna say- I SAW A SONIA NEVERMIND DANGANRONPA COSPLAY CLIP IN THIS VID
I’m a brand new cosplayer so this really helped if anyone can give me more tips that would really help ❤❤
i know this video was posted a while ago, but for conventions if i wanted to cosplay a video game character would that still be allowed at an anime con for example 😭 sorry for lengthy comment but yea :)
Totally fine, there are no rules on what you can cosplay.
@@AnyaPanda kk , thank u! :)
I have a question!! I’m under the age of 18 and I’m a teen (13) and I wanna dress as Raiden for Genshin. And for those who don’t know she shows lots of skin. And I rlly wanna cosplay her like rlly bad. She’s an amazing character!! And I have an idea how to cover up with leggings and a turtle neck. Is there any tips or anything for that cosplay. Because I rlly wanna and I either way would wear leggings and a turtle neck depending. Any tips or anything.
@@Ocean_verse I think you have the right idea with the turtleneck and leggings! Otherwise, if you're making the cosplay yourself, you can always alter the dress to he longer/the neckline higher.
@@AnyaPanda I’m buying it for sure cause idk how to design or make stuff yet I wanna learn but I really wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing anything revealing because I’m a kid but thank you for the response!!
I can't sew I would have to ask one of my family for help with sewing
@@PrincessVanessaValley Yup, that's how a lot of people learn to sew.
HELLOOO