Wait... You're a Girl?!

(Source: CosMemes)

It's typical to see girls dressed as girls and guys dressed as guys. What if girls were to dress as guys and vice versa?


Let's get into the topic of Cross-Play!


We'll focus on the process girls have to go through when they want to cosplay as male characters. I might go into how guys cross-play, but I'm not sure how that will work from my perspective. ^^;


1. Chest binding

As girls, it's not exactly easy to go from girl to guy unless you're naturally flat-chested. This is why we bind our chests to be as flat as possible to pull off the guy's body type. Although not recommended due to health reasons (namely breathing problems), using an sports bandage to wrap around the chest or duct tape to lift the breasts to the sides are two ways to go about making the chest flatter. This is the cheaper way. If you're willing to invest some money, there are good-quality chest binders that one can buy online or wherever they are sold, and those are actually better for you. They look like tank tops, essentially, but there is a material that will compress the breasts to give the look of a flat chest.

2. Make-up
Make-up can do wondrous transformations when done correctly. I don't know much since I hardly use anything but the general foundation, light blush, eye liner, and mascara, but there are tutorials everywhere to help you get the right look. Still don't know what to do? Go ask a friend with experience to help, even if he or she is not a cosplayer. The most important part is to make your cheeks more defined. The way to go about it is to use a bronzer to outline the cheek bones of the face to create depth. How defined the cheeks need to be depends on the character you are dressing as.

3. Posture
This depends on the characters themselves. If the character has one of those chill, laid-back personalities, you would probably slouch more. A character of high stature, royalty, or authority of any type would call for straight backs like a proper gentleman. These are just a couple of ideas to keep in mind.

There you have it, "how to make a man out of you" ... literally. Click here to view SaucyNoodleCosplay's crossplay video, and you can learn the basic tips of cross-play through a parody of Mulan's "I'll Make a Man Out of You." Get a good laugh out of it, too. :P


Big news! Anime Matsuri 2013 is THIS WEEKEND! Expect a convention review next time! =D

Crunch Time!

Conventions are always just around the corner. Cosplayers would have projects where they realize they only have a short amount of time left to complete them if they want to wear them at a certain one. Like a lot of people, we tend to wait until the last minute to get everything put together... even if we do start ahead of time.

(Source: PlatinumAngel25 Cosplay and Photography)

These are the typical phases we go through. It's pretty similar to what everyone does, in general. Start months ahead of time. Forget for a while. Work on putting the project together. Forget about it again. A few weeks before a convention rolls around, everyone is in full-on attack mode in trying to get their cosplays and props done on time for said convention. 

Of course, the same can be applied to students in school. :P Thank you for tuning for this week's little tidbit. I apologize for there not being much. ^^;

Until next time...

The Thought Process

Ever thought about what goes on through a cosplayer's mind? Here's a sneak peek at mine in just a few short and easy steps.

Step 1: Get to know and choose your character(s)
In order to start cosplaying, you have to get to know the characters before you can choose one that you like. Some people go by personality traits in a character. Some prefer character design. I am a little bit of both. It 

Step 2: Choose and draft a design
After you have chosen your character, pick an outfit that your character wears. Analyze the details as closely as you can. Then, grab a pencil and paper and start sketching out your plans.

Step 3: Construction
Time to gather your material and start putting your cosplay together. You want to be as accurate as you can to your character. This process can only get better with more and more practice and is the most time-consuming.


Voila! The project is now complete! Now go out there and wear your cosplay, proudly. Become the character you have chosen. =)

Until next time!