Steps

1. 

   

   A girl cosplaying Mello of Death Note

   Choose a character. This can be someone from a show, comic, movie or even band, and, while a lot of cosplay is, it doesn’t have to be a Japanese character - you could well cosplay someone from an American, Chinese, or any other form of visual media. You could even cosplay a member of the opposite gender - it’s been done, and it’s been praised. It’s all up to you.

2. 

   
   

   Act your part!

   Observe your character. What do they look like? How do they dress? What’s their attitude like? Are they nice, mean, good, evil? These are things you want to find out in order to get into character. Consider doing some research over the internet - many mainstream persona have fan bases and websites dedicated to them, with information already in place for you. If not, review chapters or episodes of the media they appear in and take note of these things. You don’t have to memorize their every action - just basic ways to identify them, i.e. speech patterns, attitude, catch phrases, etc.

3. 

   
   

   A wonderfully done cosplay of Sepiroth from Final Fantasy VII

   Plan your costume. Often enough, the character will have one outfit which they wear either all the time, or during their most common activities. If not, choose your favorite out of the ones they’re usually seen in. Many websites, such as http://www.hellocosplay.com/ offer ready-to-wear outfits available for order, but if you’re not fortunate enough to find the one you’re looking for, a spectacular idea would be to make one yourself!

4. 

   
   

   Not what you’re aiming for.

   Style your hair. Everyone’s hair is different, and your character is no exception! The easiest way to copy their hairstyle would be by buying a wig from a cosplay website, or a wig of their hair color which you would then style yourself. Do make sure the wig looks realistic. There have been cases of cosplayers wearing pieces of fabric in the general shape of their character’s hairstyle upon their heads - beware! This is notwhat you should aim for. If your character has a difficult hairstyle, use hair gel or hair clips to keep it in place.

5. 

   
   

   Even though the original character doesn’t wear these, the accessorries look great!

   Accessorize. Does the character you’re cosplaying have any piercings? Do they wear a belt, chain, necklace? Try to find something that looks similar. For piercings, you can use clip-ons or even stickers. If they have a tattoo, try to find a replica of it available for purchase (one of those tattoos that washes off in a couple of days). If unavailable, cover that part of your body with a piece of clothing, or, if all else fails, get someone to draw something similar on your skin with permanent marker - it washes off quickly, though, so don’t rub it.

6. 

   

   Cosplayers at the 2008 Sakura-Con

   Find a place to show it off. You may have a fantastic costume, but wearing it out in public in an everyday situation is not advised. Instead, find a place where this type of creativity is appreciated - a convention for fans of an anime, manga, or simply cosplaying altogether. Do a bit of research on these type of conventions near you. They’re a great way to have fun, express yourself, and meet others who are into the same things you are.

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