Well I'm not done with my rare series, but I felt like posting this. I've been to a lot of cons and have taken a lot of pictures of good and okay cosplayer. I figured it was high time someone set down some rules about cosplaying. There are two main obectives to cosplaying. The first one is for the cosplayer themself. Have fun with it. If you are not enjoying it there is not a whole lot of point of doing it. The second objective is for everyone else. The best cosplayers will make everyone who sees them think that the character has just stepped off the screen into our world. I don't mean to offend anyone, but these objectives should be kept in mind while cosplaying or reading these rules.

1. Certain hair colors are not for everyone.
   When picking a character to cosplay as, pick a character with hair color that will work with your skin color. Pink, blue, and green hair can look natural. However it does not look natural on everyone. There are also some people who cannot wear blonde, brown, or red hair. If you pick a hair color that does not go with your skin type, it can shatter the illusion. Now you skin type does not have to match. I've seen a dark skinned, Dante from "Devil May Cry" and he looked great. It still seemed like his own hair. His props were a big plus, but we'll get to that in a minute.

2.Certain costumes should not be sold in certain sizes.
   When picking a character to cosplay as, it is best to pick one who is close to your body type. No offense to those who are "big boned", but trying to do character who is much smaller does not do the character justice and completely shatters the illusion. Keep the second obective in mind. There are large characters, if your knowledge of comics, anime, and games are wide enough. Now you do not have the exact same measurements. Some character have measurements that are simply unreasonable such as Jessica Rabbit from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", Adam from "Needless", or Kon from "bleach". However if your figure is similar or you can fake their dimension and not be overly obvious about it, it will still work. Proportion is also key. Even if you can't get their dimension, if you're still proportioned like them you can still look great.

3. A good costume goes a long way.
   You costume is majorly important. The first and second rule is ment to enhance the third. Many will argue store bought over hand-made and vice versa. In my experience it completely depends on the final product. I've seen great bought and hand-made costumes. I've also seen poor version of both as well. The more accurate your costume looks the better. Even you have the exact figure and hair, that will not excuss a piss poor costume.

4. The right prop goes a long way.
   Props are not always needed. However the right prop can massively improve any costume. Even if the first three rules are not perfect, a good prop can more than make for it. The more realist or more accurate a prop looks the better. Your props or lack of props can make or break a great cosplay.

5. For you ladies, make-up can be a big improvement.
  For the ladies, your make-up should always be put into consideration when planning a costume. Many characters are not seen with make-up or it is not noticeable on them. However this does not mean an all natural look should or has to be used. While you don't have to, a little bit can go a long. Unless your character is drawn with it, avoid heavy make-up at all times. It always shatters the illusion. Just a little to your eyes, eye lashes, and or lips can be more than enough. Keep the character in mind when picking your colors. Your make-up should balance with costume for attention. The same goes for your nail. Unless it is a normal feature to a character which in some cases it is, you don't have to wear any. However it does enhance the costume if you do it and do it right. Pick colors that go with the costume or is a color the character would wear. Your nails should also balance for the on lookers' attention with the rest of the costume.

6. It is best to stick to characters of your own gender.
   Keeping mind the first objective, it does not often look right doing a character of the opposite gender. Granted it is still possible for girl to pull off a male character. However it is rare. It is even rarer for a guy to pull off a female character. If you intent to do a character of the opposite gender, make sure no one can tell you're not the gender you are dressing as. For girl dressing as a guy it's usually not that bad and is passed off as a gender bender version. For a guy dressing as a girl it is that bad. Ah the evil of double standards, but it is what it is. If you're hell bent on doing a character of the opposite gender, I would suggest a design change. Design your look for what the character would like as the opposite gender. I've seen people do male Panty and Stocking from "Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt." However they change the design to fit what a male version would look like, so they looked great. I've also seen a female Sora and Roxas. Once again they change the design to fit a female version and it looked great. Just keep in mind that cross-dressing rarely makes a good cosplay.

7. Attitude is key.
   With the exception of six if the other rules are a little lacking, you can more than can make up for it with your attitude. Even if your costume is not perfect, most people will not notice if you are walking, talking, and acting exactly like the character. Someone dressed as Moka from "Rosario Vampire" can make up for any costume flaws with the right walk, posture, and being sweet and innocent. Like wise, someone doing Black Star from "Soul Eater" could make their flaws by walking tall, being loud and boasting, and giving out Black Star's autograph to anyone on anything.

8. Character Variations are not always bad.
   There are often different versions to one character, some that are main stream and others that are strictly fan ideas. Be sure to do one you can pull of. If you are doing fan ideas, be sure to keep the character in mind.

9. An original character can be awesome.
   You don't have to do main stream characters when cosplaying. How good a OC costume is all hindges on how much work you put into the costume or props. I've seen some awesome OC, but those people put a lot of thought into the character and or a lot work into making their costumes and props.

10. Balance is the most important thing.
    You can always make up for failings in one area by perfecting other areas. It's a balancing act. However the most important part is to have fun with it.

Good luck with your future cosplaying

Clubs:


Games:



Be the Ultimate Ninja! Play Billy Vs. SNAKEMAN today!