Here's a list of the most frequented websites I use related to cosplay. This listing is slightly tailored for Canadians/Americans but many of the stores listed do ship internationally. [Square brackets] are used to indicate the store's country. Currency listed is CAD dollars. CONTACT LENSES
CORSETS Farthingales [US/Canada] - Corset supplies including boning, coutil, tools, books and patterns Elizabethan corset generator - To make your corset to your measurements. Plug in your numbers and it will tell you how to make a pattern. WIGS Arda Wigs [US + Canadian Store] - Price Range: $30-$90 - Color variety and unique styles - Lacefronts - Accessories and styling tools Epic Cosplay [US] - Price Range: $30-$70 - Color variety and unique styles - No lacefronts Wig is Fashion [China] Price Range: $20-90 –Colour variety - mostly unatural colours / big selection of lacefronts Cosplay Wig USA / Gothic Lolita Wigs / Rockstar Wigs [US] -Price Range: $30-100 -Colour variety and custom styles -Market tailored: by that I mean they have specific wigs for specific geek communities "Lolita wigs" for example. -Lacefronts Others eBay.com , Aliexpress.com , and Taobao.com [mostly China] - You can often find character specific wigs on these sites - Check feedback before ordering and consider shipping times. Two or more months in advance is a good idea. - Quality greatly varies - watch out for sellers who have multiple watermarks belonging to other stores - Unless you can read Chinese characters, I suggest using a reseller for Taobao. They charge a fee to process orders on your behalf FABRIC
Note: The camera used to photograph the fabric and the calibration of your screen affects what the colour looks like on a monitor. When in doubt order a swatch if it's available. PLASTICS CosplaySupplies [US/Canada] – Worbla, Transpart, wonderflex, Fosshape, friendly plastic YayaHan.com [US] - Worbla -Also be sure to check out local plastics stores in your area, you may be surprised at what you find. I get my styrene from a signs shops. BUYING IN BULK Beads, feathers, fabric, trims, lace, wigs, etc AliExpress.com [China] - Check the feedback of the item before purchasing, which is conveniently found on the item page itself - If you run into a problem with a product be sure file a complaint, you will likely get a partial refund. -Check for coupons, they often have store specific and site-wide coupons. eBay [Worldwide] - Check the store's feedback before purchasing and try to find feedback on your item. Taobao – [China] You may have to order from a reseller who will charge you a handling fee. TUTORIALS CosplayTutorial.com -Has a great collection of tutorials broken down in categories and sub-categories, such as: Accessories, wigs, shoes, armour, dyeing, and sewing. Replica Prop Forum - Mostly props focused - Look up people's builds and post questions Cosplay.com's Forums - Search available tutorials or post a question Instructables - General how-to website that has many costume oriented step-by-steps Google - Put your search skills to use - Search "character name" AND "tutorial" to see what comes up - Use different terms while searching for a tutorial - Bilingual cosplayers, switch languages and see what results pop-up
6 Comments
Friday I arrived in DC on Thursday with no issue although they bumped my initial and connecting flight an hour later. Thursday was easy going. I stitched down eight beads to finish my Beryl costume then went on to help Calamity with her projects while watching Rambo II and III. I had a late start to Friday since my first shoot started at two, so I got dressed in Beryl at around noon. I learned the importance of planning how to put on a costume with some many layers. It went something like this: Corset on - corset off - hoopskirt, tulle, slip, skirt on - then corset on and finally put on wig and accessories. Thanks to Kudrel for lacing me up twice. I started off the day by shooting with Anna Fischer, followed by Jason Chau. I then went to meet up with my No Flutter Sailor Moon group and everyone looked gorgeous. I’m so happy we had such a good turnout. We had scouts from all over Canada and the costumes were all well-coordinated. After we did some group shoots we went to go see the artist that designed the costumes. No Flutter was excited to see the costumes and even gave me support for my original design to match the group. It was very flattering because I tried my best to match the style. I’ll get more into that when I post my construction breakdown for the costume. Here's a few shot of our group. First photo is by Martin Wong and all others are from Octography
After freeing ourselves from our costumes, some of us went to dinner at a nearby seafood place and stuffed our faces. The rest of the night was spent hanging out with friends and finally getting my badge. On that note: WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON WITH THAT LINE-UP? It really defeats the purpose of pre-registering if it ends up such a hassle. There was a 2,3,4,5, even 6hr long wait to get badges on Thursday and Friday. I waited till 11 pm Friday and waited 5 minutes. I was only at G-anime for Saturday but I had a great time. I spent the morning hanging out in Vickybunnyangel's room getting my costume ready. After doing some running around and errands I got changed. I ran in Elemental shooting my friend Amurita in her Mask salesman costume. We also snapped a few quick photos before I was settled in the greenroom. I got to hang out Jayuna Cosplay and Kudrel while we waited our turn on stage. It went smoothly except for a little trip on my way off stage. I wrapped up the day by having dinner with friends. All in all a good day. See you next year. Greenroom photo by Katya Perin Stage photos by Pretty & Deadly Photography |
MeltingMirror's Cosplay BlogLearn more about my experiences in the cosplay world, from conventions to photoshoots and everything in between. Categories
All
|