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a blog dedicated to showing improvements in cosplayers of all skill levels and encouraging young cosplayers! please submit pictures of your old cosplays compared to your improvement, along with a few tips! we also accept pictures of incomplete cosplay to give advice on. **only submit pictures of YOUR OWN cosplay! i cannot stress cosplayer consent enough!** this blog is a safe space for all cosplayers of all ages, sizes, colors and identities! tag list

[doggleashh]

haha my first cosplay and my most recent cosplay lol

[alexandradal]

[getsnarly-deactivated20130217]

can’t reblog this fast enough.

[rexiedemibunny]

THANK YOU

[diy-crust-dyke-deactivated20201]

Fucking hate this shit.

[squeakadeeks]

*ahem* IMPROVEMENT 

one year (or less actually, but a year sounds better) of cosplay improvement.

lord have mercy. 

[cosplayimprovement]

My name is Samantha Alvarenga and iv been cosplaying pretty much all  homestuck for a year or so. I currently am the proud owner of 43 Homestuck cosplays but this is is my John Egbert, Jade Harley, and Jake English. I went from one of the worst cosplayers i knew to now i own a professional cosplay buissness and after multiple cons and experiences panel-hosting have made( mostly homestuck) cosplay my paying career. I learned to improve simply by going back to my cosplays regularly and asking “how can i improve” or “if  saw this on the street would i be impressed?”  and if the answer was no i would work on it or even start all over again on it till it matched a standard i would put on professional cosplayers till i got the privledge to become one myself.

always always push yourself if you can! this is good advice. if youre serious about cosplay, you really can go far with it!

[cosplayimprovement]

hello! i’m claire (tumblr user t3r3z1) and… i’ve only been cosplaying for about… 6 months… but i think i’ve come a long way with my terezi pyrope (homestuck) cosplay.

in my opinion (not everybody’s!), wigs are the most important part of a cosplay. my first wig wasn’t very good at all (low quality, doesn’t fit the character too well). when you’re looking for a wig, you should give yourself at least two or three options before you decide on a wig to buy

makeup is good

goodbye

wigs and makeup really help to convey a character, especially ones whose outfit changes throughout the series!

[cosplayimprovement]

Hey Can I post a photo here and get some critique on it?

yes thats perfectly fine! im no authority (given my experience) so id open it up to other cosplayers to give ideas as well (:

[cosplayimprovement]

I have a con coming up in a month or two and I need help with a prop. I'm cosplaying as fem!rin okumura and I'm not quite sure how to make the sword look like it's flaming. It doesn't HAVE to fit into a sheath, but that'd be great. Tips please!

im not sure myself how to pull off something like that, but you may be able to work something out with saran wrap (or some other thin and clear wrap or fabric) on a wire base?

most of the cosplayers that came up on an image search just photoshopped the sword so that didnt help much.

other ideas?

[junk-os]

sometimes your 13-year old self teach you things. good things.

[dvas-mech-deactivated20160528]

re blogging for the artists that follow me

[icanbeaunicornifiwant2]

IM CRYING THIS SPEAKS 2 ME ON A PERSONAL LEVEL

[cosplayimprovement]

this applies to any kind of art- costuming, literature, music- and not just drawing! i hope you all feel this realization upon looking at old cosplay photos (:

[cosplayimprovement]

Hello my name is Kristina (shokkunin.tumblr.com) I’ve been cosplaying for a little over a year and this is my John Egbert and Dirk Strider cosplays over the course of that time

(thank you fefeerie.tumblr.com for the 3rd John picture) 

Tips:

-I found that wig styling makes a huge difference

-be comfortable in your own cosplay because it’ll show

-you might not need a ton of makeup, but even a little concealer makes a difference :D

you can really see yourself getting more into character over the pictures! these are great!

[cosplayimprovement]

hello my name is bri/dolphingirlfriend, and i’ve been cosplaying since 2011! this is a comparison of my first last mintute Jade Harley cosplay from 3 years ago, next to the most recent one i finished this year! my improvement isn’t as big as others, but i feel as if i’ve improved a lot over the years as jade and i’m very proud of myself!! i have been other versions of her, but her regular outfit is the only one i’ve ever changed/improved in! if you’re a first time cosplayer, i definitely recommend starting with homestuck (if you’re in the fandom of course) because it’s inexpensive and the characters are wonderful uwu good luck to all new cosplayers, and remember: always be proud of your cosplay!! it doesn’t matter whether it looks 100% accurate or 100% perfect.. as long as you have fun with cosplay, thats all that matters 8)

always be proud of your improvements, no matter how small they seem! you can only compare you to you.

[cosplayimprovement]

My name is Jupanuma. This is not my first Cosplay I have done, but it is a Cosplay I did multiple times. And each time I remade it, I made it look better then before. Karkat Vantas - Homestuck is also not the only one I have done multiple times trying to get it the way I want it to look. 

1st attempt outfit: the horns were made out of bake-able clay and attached to a headband (every heavy, and fell off the headband a lot. I had to Velcro them to the headband so I could fix them whenever). The wig got styled badly (first time styling a wig). The shirt was a turtle neck, and the symbol was to small and painted on wrong (hand painted, and did not use a stencil). The shoes were also the wrong color (never knew shoes could ruin a Cosplay till later).

1st attempt makeup: I used Ben Nye makeup, just the way it was (did not know Ben Nye you needed to mix colors to get the right gray). I did not seal my make up either (of course I didn’t touch anyone when I did this). It was the wrong color and over all just looked bad.

Now: I changed my shirt and made sure the symbol was big enough to see (can’t tell in this photo every well). Remade the horns and did not put them onto a headband (I do not really like the headband look for trolls). I fixed how the wig was styled (same wig). Got new shoes and new makeup (Snazaroo is what I use now). Learned to seal my makeup also. 

So never give up on a Cosplay even if it looks bad at first. You can always fix what you do not like and make it even better the next time you work on it. 

you can see your progression so well here! especially in the makeup. you definitely learn by experimentation.

(also, not only does sealed makeup look neater, it also means you dont get grey everywhere!)

[cosplayimprovement]

how do we submit?

hover over the blue dot next to my icon and click!

[cosplayimprovement]

So I lost my wig cap. Is there a good alternative to wearing wig caps? Do you have to wear a wig cap? Thanks !!

with a LOT of bobby pins, if you have short enough hair, you CAN pin it all under a wig but i would recommend just buying a new one! alternatives are so much more of a hassle. a lot of salons or beauty stores will have them- you dont necessarily need to buy them online- and theyre very inexpensive! i got a pack of two caps for $1.50 from a local store.

[cosplayimprovement]

hey there! I'm a very new cosplayer, so when I finish my first whole cosplay, can I post it here and maybe get critiques? or is this strictly a blog for showimg improvement?

yes thats totally fine! im going to have a tag running for cosplayers inviting critique! ill try to give my input (though by no means am i a cosplay authority) and open it up for everybody else and post what they have to say! (provided, of course, that its constructive criticism and not just a bunch of harsh words)

[hinoneko]

we all start somewhere

[mizuaoi]

I really wish the cosplay community would calm the fuck down and realize this. 

[ellensama]

Yes, this, this is cosplay.

[essegigi]

OK so this is absolutely just…yes. The first person who ever took my photo at a con looked AMAZING, idk the character but their wig and costume and everything looked perfect. And THEY took a picture of ME, in my first attempt at T-chan from Petshop of Horrors (no wig, huge vest, no makeup, absolutely no idea how to pose). It definitely was a cool first-con experience (even though all pics of us from that con are painful to look at, haha).

[jemmalep]

Yes this

[actualweabootrash-blog]

I’m going to reblog this every time it comes up on my dash omfg

[cosplayimprovement]

srawr:

This blog is such a fabulous idea, I love it! <3

Here is a taste of my improvement over the years. The first cosplay is Ayla from Chrono Trigger and is from about five years ago. I’ve been cosplaying for about eight years, so this isn’t even at the very beginning! (Unfortunately, this is probably the earliest cosplay I have pictures of.) The second picture is Ursula from The Little Mermaid, my most recent cosplay. I’m incredibly proud of how far I’ve come and I think that all cosplayers have the potential to improve as much as they want to! 

Some tips for those looking to improve:

The internet is a vast source of knowledge, from tutorials to other cosplayers! Don’t be afraid to hunt down and try different methods of doing things and to ask other cosplayers how they made their costume, most will be overjoyed that you asked! 

Don’t be discouraged when something doesn’t work out as planned. Understand that improvement happens with practice and in order to get better you have to keep trying. This goes for an entire costume or one frustrating technique you can’t get right. (Also, don’t be afraid to put something down because you hate looking at it, you’ll thank yourself in the long run. You can always come back to it later.)

And, most importantly, embrace your character! A huge part of cosplay is loving what you’re cosplaying. I’ve found that since I’ve let myself get more absorbed in the characters, my poses and pictures improved and I have more fun!

Cosplayer: srawr

Photographer (second image): CTgraphy

thank you very much! i hope you continue to enjoy all of the cosplayers featured because you all have incredible drive and talent!

and yes embrace your character! dont do something just because somebody said you should. you wont put in the effort and you wont care. it should be a fun hobby, not a chore! youve got nobody to please but yourself!

you rock that ursula!!!

[cosplayimprovement]

masterofanarchy:

Hello, my name is Alice and I’ve be cosplaying for 2 years and a bit! (mandatory: hi alice! cause that sounded like an aa meeting)  blog: masterofanarchy

SO I mainly cosplay Fef from homestuck, shes ma bae. From left to right, top to bottom, we have me transforming, and the first and last pic were taken almost a year apart, give or take a few days. For some tips:  1. Wear eye makeup. The first time I cosplayed Fef I literally had only the grey skin and black lipstick. My eyes looked super puny. Then I wore some the second time around and buoy it did wonders! 2. Wash your wigs from the grey residue„„„ it is sooo worth it. Don’t  let your wig get dirty, and wash it as often as you sea fit!! Its beta in the long run, trust me. 3. Keep moving forward. I didn’t give up, and I remade like, everyfin for this cosplay (apart from the skirt cause me mum made it extremely whale for me). You always have room for improvement, trust me!!! =)

you can definitely SEA the improvement here 3;0 especially those horns!!

makeup does wonders for making you look like a cartoon-styled character, especially around the eyes in characters with disproportionately large ones! other things that make your eyes look big are circle lenses (color contacts with lenses bigger than the natural iris) and false lashes!