Rachel Frank cosplaying Edelgard von Hresvelg from Fire Emblem: Three Houses outside of a church in downtown Calgary. (Tuesday Sanderman, CMRU.ca)
Halloween is coming up which means everyone is getting their best costumes ready. Cosplay is a fun hobby that can be done any time of the year and you can dress up as whoever you want. This time of year is perfect for getting your cosplay ready and maybe preparing it to wear to a convention later in the year. Cosplay is defined as “costume play”, wherein someone dresses up in a costume of a character from a piece of media.
The outfit and props
The first part of your costume you are going to want to focus on is the outfit. Depending on your character, you might have a few things ready in your closet. Otherwise, it might be best to shop around and find a costume online for a more accurate portrayal of your chosen character. If your chosen character is niche then it might be hard to find your costume and that means you will have to make it yourself. This can be difficult, as not everyone has the skills to sew and design new articles of clothing, but with practice and patience it gets a lot easier.
Props are not essential to a cosplay, but they can add extra detail and might help you get more into character as well. Some props are very simple and you may be able to find them at a costume store or online, but other props might be very intricate which means you might have to create them yourself. If you follow some guides and use crafting materials then you can make your own props quite easily.
Wig styling and makeup
Next thing you will need to focus on is your wig, if needed, and your makeup. Wig styling can be a long and tedious process, but sometimes it can be hard to find a wig that is styled correctly and looks good. Most wigs come with the hair down and unstyled and this can make it very difficult if your character has an up-do or a specific hairstyle, like bangs or curls. Following tutorials online can help you style your wig to the way you like and it gets easier with practice.
Makeup is another part of cosplay that you might be interested in, though it is not needed. If your character is very feminine then you might want to do your makeup in a way that they would. Contouring can help you make your face more masculine and sharp if you are dressing up as a character like that.
Where and when to cosplay
Lastly, you might be wondering when you should cosplay. The answer is easy because you can whenever you want! Attending conventions like Otafest in May and Calgary Expo in April are great places to show off your cosplay and meet some people who have the same interests as you.
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