- Sewing
I know I said before that it doesn’t matter if you make your own cosplay or buy it but having basic sewing skills will go a long way, just in case something happens at a con or your cosplay doesn’t fit right you can always use your basic sewing skills to fix it! to get started I would say get comfortable with a sewing machine, nothing to fancy since we’re doing basic stitches, but once you’re comfortable you can always experiment with different techniques!
2. Basic prop making
Prop making might seem a little daunting at first but once you get the hang of it it’s like second nature, there’s many tutorials on how to make certain props or make textures for your props! (I might make a whole blog post about this) I would say to start off by getting comfortable with Eva foam, you can get this at any craft store, or you can start off with cardboard, start practicing different techniques, and make textures in the foam or cardboard to get a feel! but why should you get into prop making? well sometimes in cosplay you have to DIY some props because sadly you can’t buy everything, but that’s the fun of cosplay, to do your cosplay!
3. Makeup
makeup makes a big difference in cosplay, when done right you can look like a professional, to get started just experiment with makeup, makeup is unique to each person so finding your technique is key, make sure to try different techniques because each character is different!
4. Basic wig styling
im not going to lie to you but it is a little hard to get used to styling wigs, it can be a little scary at first but hopefully, you’ll get the hang of it and be a wig styling pro! what really helped me was styling with hair wax, It is a lot easier than gel or hairspray, you can control the stickiness, and it’s easy to mold the hair into your desired shape, it also helps with stray hairs, and also get comfortable cutting hair, I know it seems scary but it’ll help you trust me.
5. Basic craftiness
with cosplay, you sometimes have to think outside the box, for example, I would use last-minute tricks to help with cosplay, whether that be safety pins or hot glue! being crafty is essential in cosplay, you never know when a certain technique can be used for something else!