Things no one tells you about getting into cosplay.
There will always be someone that you feel is better than you. Always. Learn to accept that.
What takes you two days now will, with practice, take you two hours later. Keep at it.
There will be people who tell you that you’re too fat, or thin, or black, or white to cosplay a character. For every one of them, there are 10 who love your cosplay. Don’t listen to the hate.
Keep the first cosplay you ever make. Or at least photos. It will remind you of how far you’ve come later.
Always map out how much fabric you need and buy a yard more.
When you see a $0.99 pattern sale, buy as many as you can. You never know when they’ll come in handy. (It’s also fun to see the crazy high price under “you saved” when you buy 30 $20 patterns for 99 cents each).
When you go to a convention in the first costume you ever make yourself, there will be a 100% chance of a more experienced cosplayer in the same cosplay. And you will want to throw yours away. Don’t do it.
Muslin is your friend. It’s $1 a yard and it’ll help you figure out if the pattern your using will fit before you cut into your $10 a yard fabric.
There is nothing wrong with starting simple and starting small. Know your skill level when you start. Stay relatively inside it and you will be less frustrated and more proud of your work.
A little later, pick cosplays that have aspects you know how to do and aspects you don’t know how to do. Look up tutorials and try new things.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but make sure you try to help yourself first. Keep bookmarks of online tutorial and guide resources.
Don’t be afraid to start over from scratch. If you don’t like what the end product looks like don’t let the hours you spent on it force you to keep it. Rip seams. Re-do hems. Go out and buy more fabric. All the work will be worth it for a cosplay you’re proud of.
Have cosplayers you look up to, but do not try to become them. Become you.
Invest in good materials. Starting with cheap products like $5 scissors means you will have to replace them much more frequently as your experience tells you that they aren’t good enough and you need better. Get better from the start.
Don’t be afraid to cosplay alone.
Get a sewing machine with at least 5 different types of stitches on it. You may not know how to use them now but as you learn you will want them available to you.
There will always be someone who gets more attention than you for the same cosplay. Don’t let that make you bitter. Likewise, don’t let it make you power hungry.
Don’t let notes on tumblr of favorites on deviantart dictate the quality of your cosplay.
Set goals and work to achieve them, like “5 new cosplays this year” or “win something in a costume contest.”
Finally, there will come a day when you become great at cosplay. You will make all your own cosplays and even win some contests. You work hard on all your costumes and you put great effort and skill into making them detailed and perfect. And you will look at someone in a poorly made costume and a ratty wig and something deep, deep inside you, in a place you didn’t know existed, will twinge with elitism. You will not know where it comes from and you will not know how or when it got there. But fight it back. Remember where you started. Because one day that cosplayer may become great too. And they’ll have looked up to you like you looked up to others. Be a role model. Be the cosplayer you would have liked to know when you were starting out. Give back.
Things I wish I had read in "beginner" sewing tutorials/people had told me before I started getting into sewing
You have to hem *everything* eventually. Hemming isn't optional. (If you don't hem your cloth, it will start to thread. There are exceptions to this, like felt, but most cloth will.)
The type of cloth you choose for your project matters very much. Your clothing won't "fall right" if it's not the kind of stretchy/heavy/stiff as the one the tutorial assumes you will use.
Some types of cloth are very chill about threading, some are very much not. Linen doesn't really give a fuck as long as you don't, like, throw it into the washing machine unhemmed (see below), whereas brocade yearns for entropy so, so much.
On that note: if you get new cloth: 1. hem its borders (or use a ripple stitch) 2. throw it in the washing machine on the setting that you plan to wash it going forward 3. iron it. You'll regret it, if you don't do it. If you don't hem, it'll thread. If you don't wash beforehand, the finished piece might warp in the first wash. If you don't iron it, it won't be nice and flat and all of your measuring and sewing will be off.
Sewing's first virtue is diligence, followed closely by patience. Measure three times before cutting. Check the symmetry every once in a while. If you can't concentrate anymore, stop. Yes, even if you're almost done.
The order in which you sew your garment's parts matters very much. Stick to the plan, but think ahead.
You'll probably be fine if you sew something on wrong - you can undo it with a seam ripper (get a seam ripper, they're cheap!)
You can use chalk to draw and write on the cloth.
Pick something made out of rectangles for your first project.
I recommend making something out of linen as a beginner project. It's nearly indestructible, barely threads and folds very neatly.
Collars are going to suck.
The sewing machine can't hurt you (probably). There is a guard for a reason and while the needle is very scary at first, if you do it right, your hands will be away from it at least 5 cm at any given time. Also the spoils of learning machine sewing are not to be underestimated. You will be SO fast.
The wig is very much fighting me. I've been at it all day and it's not really looking as I want it to
Part of that is bc the base wig just isn't what I wanted. I paid more than I usually would've bc I thought it was worth it but it sucks. All the hair that is knotted into the lace is only half as long as the rest of the hair. Which as you can imagine sucks ass
And he is done! Well except for the wig... But yeah a very very fun project. Only made possible by the lovely @k0mmari and their incredible Endless Abyss Travel Guide!
I mainly pulled the base from this version of the Watcher design, but stuff like the pattern of the fabric of the skirt and the inside of the sleves were inspired by this eg the og form and the idea of the incorporeality of the Watchers. Going along with that I added 2.5 cm horsehair braid to the edge of the skirt to get it to be a bit flowy to keep that illusion going.
Hand in hand with that goes that I decided that I wanted to wear a bodysuit underneath the robes to emulate "skin so pale it looks almost grey" (paragraph 35) and me not having to worry about binding or body paint.
The robes are a modified hanfu pattern, the only difference is that I had to rotate the placement of the sleeves in the armhole bc they woudnt fall correctly if I didnt do that. Same with the skirt, it started as pants but they didnt look correctly so I made them into a skirt.
I really really like the beading I did for the center pieces of both the belt and the collar. The different fabric textures and different types of beads give it some really nice dimension.
As for the belt piece itself... According to the research I did into fu talisman it seemed like it wasnt okay to just emulate the look for funsies 1:1 so I couldve either done gibberish or actual chinese characters for mine. After a good friend of mine weighed into that I ended up using actual characters, some that relate to the design/story and some funny ones as well. (Spot the cucumber salad)
Anyway I was also very happy to have found this off-white cotton that I used on the tabard (?)/scapular (??), the collar and the sleeves. I think the print works wonderfully with the overall design and ties everything together.
Ill will probably wear the costume at a con next month but I have no idea how to plan a photoshoot for him in regards to the location. Recommendations are very welcome :)
A little tip for Crisp Corners today! Press your seam allowances in before you turn the corners and it makes beautiful points! (Also means you often don’t have to trim too close to the threads!)
It's literally impossible to take pictures in this bc I can't fucking see! Anyway I was working on the horn attachment which took me three retries and figured I could do a quick costest with everything that is ready
pls excuse the quality of the pics but not being able to see + no natural light + not enough space doesn't lend itself for better stuff
I have a lot of small stuff left to do but overall it's turning out pretty well :D
I tried something completely new for the mask, it's actually freehand machine embroidery! I'm gonna take closeups of it someday but even though it isn't the cleanest work it's pretty pretty good for a first time
It's literally impossible to take pictures in this bc I can't fucking see! Anyway I was working on the horn attachment which took me three retries and figured I could do a quick costest with everything that is ready
pls excuse the quality of the pics but not being able to see + no natural light + not enough space doesn't lend itself for better stuff
I have a lot of small stuff left to do but overall it's turning out pretty well :D
I tried something completely new for the mask, it's actually freehand machine embroidery! I'm gonna take closeups of it someday but even though it isn't the cleanest work it's pretty pretty good for a first time
Okay I'm gonna try and post my wips for my current progress here as well. Am I gonna overcomplicate everything? Yes definitely. But it's based on the Watcher design by @k0mmari so how can I not
Houseki no Kuni/Land of the Lustrous Wig Tutorial: How to Create a Beautiful Gem-like Finish!
(Left photo taken by @/mystes_photo on Instagram)
When I first saw the characters in Houseki no Kuni, I knew right away that I wanted to cosplay Diamond, but to be honest, I did not like any of the commonly used methods to achieve the iridescent effect at the time (cellophane can easily be damaged, glitter doesn’t have the finish I want, resin is difficult to work with, etc.), so I did some research on ways to achieve a more convincing finish.
My main inspiration came from nail artists achieving a smooth iridescent finish similar to what I wanted for my wig (Fun fact, I became a SimplyNailogical fan during this whole process XD). Once I discovered that iridescent nail powder was the key material I needed, from there, I did some trial and error experiments to figure out the best method to apply it onto a wig and came up with this method!
This is not a styling tutorial on how to create a Diamond wig specifically, but rather how to create the unique gem-like finish on any wig! This tutorial can apply to any Houseki no Kuni/Land of the Lustrous character you’d like! :D
(Disclaimer, this method and the Diamond wig pictured above were created in 2021, but the wig featured in this tutorial was styled in 2024)
Skill level: Intermediate
Prerequisite: At least basic wig styling skills, dependent on character
Materials needed:
Wig (style varies based on character, but I recommend using a thick base wig if you can! )
Wig head that’s close to the size of your head to ensure that style conforms properly to your head size
Wig stand
Got2b spray and glue
Flexbond primer (amount needed varies, but for reference, I was able to cover my Diamond wig with about ¾ of a 16 oz bottle)
Mod Podge Gloss waterbase sealer (optional if Flexbond is tacky enough on its own)
Iridescent/holographic nail powder (any can work depending on the finish you want, but I used the Aurora pigment powder from the brand What’s Up Nails. One little 1 gram jar was enough to cover two Diamond wigs with quite a bit left over, a little goes a long way!)
Clear gloss varnish
Spray bottle
Wide decoupage brush and/or any wide paintbrush
Silicone face mask brush (optional, but I find it great for smoothing out thick coats of Flexbond)
Mini scissors to trim stray hairs and/or excess Flexbond
Latex or vinyl gloves to rub on nail powder
Safety requirements:
Wear gloves to protect your hands. The nail powder is safe to touch barehanded, but the rubbing needed to buff the powder onto the wig may cause skin irritation or chafing if done excessively.
The nail powder is very fine, so I suggest wearing a face mask to avoid breathing it in/blowing it away. There are no toxic fumes or substances used in this tutorial, so a basic face mask should suffice.
Keep the floor covered to protect the Flexbond from getting on it and causing a slipping hazard (also great for easy cleanup!) I initially laid out a bunch of old Amazon bags around the wig stand, but I recently picked up a handy device from Assist Wigs in Japan that was originally designed to catch cut wig hair, but it does a pretty good job catching dripping glue and loose nail powder as well!
Step 1:
Style your wig as you would a normal wig. This is highly dependent on the character you choose, but from experience, I have two tips I would highly recommend:
Make your wig about 10-20% fuller than you want the final wig to be. Like how actual hair flattens when it’s wet, depending on how the wig is styled, the same thing may happen once the Flexbond is added.
Try to keep at least the outer layer of hair on your wig as smooth and free of tangles as possible. When you coat the wig with Flexbond, any knots or irregularities in the wig will be emphasized. To avoid this, thoroughly comb through your wig to get rid of tangles and straighten any kinks or irregularities. Teasing your wig can leave the outside looking messy, so try to stick to the crimping method to add volume to wigs if needed, or at least limit teasing to areas that will be hidden with smoother hair later on.
I was quite fortunate that there’s an official 3D model video with the perfect references for Diamond’s hair that I was able to use as reference for my wig!
Step 2:
If you haven't already, protect the floor underneath your wig with any sort of protective covering to catch the Flexbond that will drip down from your wig.
Step 3:
Use Got2B spray and spiking glue to hold the style in place to prepare for the next steps. Apply enough to make the wig relatively stiff, but avoid getting the hair saturated up to the point where the hair looks wet and stringy.
HnK Wig Tutorial Step 3
You'll know your wig is ready for Flexbond when your wig is quite stiff on the outside, as shown in the video above.
Step 4:
Take your Flexbond and dilute it with water to make a thin sprayable glue. I recommend about a 1 to 3 ratio of Flexbond to water to create a solution that is thin enough to easily spray yet still strong enough to be an effective glue. I would say the viscosity is similar to milk.
Step 5:
HnK Wig Tutorial Step 5
Apply the diluted Flexbond to the wig in a fine mist. If you see any significantly large droplets, use your fingers to carefully smooth them out. Do your best not to press down too hard or oversaturate the wig, as the goal is to create a hard outer shell on your wig rather than to saturate the entire wig in glue.
HnK Wig Tutorial Step 5
Repeat Step 5 a few times until your wig feels solid up to the point where the wig hair stays in place even when shaken around (or even turned upside down!) This step is very important because this creates the solid foundation for your wig that will support all the thick Flexbond layers you will be applying later.
Step 6:
HnK Wig Tutorial Step 6.1
Once your wig is solid, coat the outer surface of the wig (you can cover all visible hair if desired, but I like having the hair inside soft against my skin) with a generous coat of Flexbond. You want this first coat to be thick enough to completely cover the outside of the wig’s surface, but not so much that the Flexbond is dripping.
However, if noticeable drips do occur, you can smooth them out with your brush while they’re still wet or trimmed off with scissors if already dried.
Repeat Step 6 for about 2-3 layers or until your wig has a smooth, almost glossy looking appearance, as pictured below.
Below are a few helpful tips to help you with this step!
Remember how if you did Step 5 correctly, you should be able to turn the wig upside down? You can use this to your advantage to help you coat the bottom half of the wig! Just be sure that the top half is completely dry before you place it on a surface. I would also alternate between coating the top half and the bottom half to keep the coats even.
HnK Wig Tutorial Step 6.2
2. You can use the Flexbond to gradually fill gaps between the fibers for a smoother appearance. Also, the more layers, the less emphasized the hair strands will be on the final product.
Step 7:
If you have stray hairs or glue strands that you find distracting, you can trim them off using a sharp pair of scissors. In the example above, you can see how I trimmed the frayed-looking ends of the hair to create nice clean points
Make sure to do this step prior to applying any nail powder to avoid wasting powder that be covering an area that will be cut off.
Step 8 (Possible extra step):
The first time I made my Diamond wig, I was able to rub the nail powder directly onto the Flexbond, which was just tacky enough for the powder to adhere itself to the wig. However, this time around, the Flexbond was not tacky enough and the powder would not adhere properly. I am unsure why this occurred, whether it was the weather/humidity (I created the first wig around Summer 2021 vs. this wig in late winter/early spring 2024) or Rosco tweaking the Flexbond formula sometime in the past few years. Thankfully, I was able to remedy this issue by applying a thin coat of Mod Podge Gloss, which I found stayed temporarily tacky for about 20 minutes after drying.
If you also encounter the same issue, apply a layer of Mod Podge Gloss over your wig. Check it frequently to able to apply the powder as soon as possible once it is dry before the Mod Podge loses its tackiness. Don't be too impatient though, as the Mod Podge will smear if you try to apply the powder before it is dried.
(I’m not sure if using only Mod Podge to create this outer shell would work as opposed to using the Flexbond due to its lower viscosity and lack of flexibility in thicker coats, but I do think it’d be an interesting experiment to try! If it’s successful, it’d be a much more accessible and budget-friendly option!)
*If the Flexbond you applied is tacky enough to apply powder onto directly, you can skip this step and jump ahead to Step 9.
Step 9:
HnK Wig Tutorial Step 9
Once your wig is dry, put on your gloves and dip your finger into the nail powder to coat it with a thin layer of powder. Take this powder and buff it onto the surface of your wig, similar to how you would buff nail powder onto your nails. Buff thoroughly until the surface is smooth and looks reflective. It should look almost like metallic/iridescent paint was applied rather than a powdery glitter. Continue this process on the entire wig.
Step 10
If you feel like you need more coverage with the nail powder after applying the first layer, coat the wig with another coat of Flexbond/Mod Podge (depending on what you use to adhere the nail powder), let it dry, then apply another layer of nail powder. You can repeat this process until you satisfied with the coverage. Depending on the powder used, I find that at least 3-4 coats are needed to obtain full coverage and a smooth finish!
Step 11:
Once you are satisfied with the finish, coat the wig in one last layer of Flexbond to protect the finish and add a bit of depth to the glassy finish as opposed to varnish alone.
Step 12:
HnK Wig Tutorial Step 12
Add a final coat of gloss varnish to give your wig a beautiful glassy finish! You may notice the Flexbond turning white again underneath the varnish. Do not panic, Flexbond is known to do that when it gets wet! Once everything is dry again, it will return to being clear. :)
Now you have your finished Houseki no Kuni wig with a lovely iridescent finish that is not only beautiful, but also indestructible (seriously, I’ve thrown this thing at a wall and it stayed in perfect condition XD) and super easy to put on (very flexible and goes on like Lego hair XD)!
For my second Diamond wig, I wanted to be experimental and try remaking the wig with a shape more accurate to the show (less visible hair strands and more like solid shapes) and adding subtle stripes of color underneath the Flexbond. I will be honest, I actually ended up liking the first one a tad more ^^; It’s okay though, I still learned a lot, and I feel the mistakes I went through the second time around really helped me perfect the technique for this tutorial :)
Another key thing that I messed up on for the second wig is that due to lack of time, I was unable to apply as many layers of the nail powder as I would've liked. As mentioned in Step 10 above, adding at least 3-4 coats will result in a smooth lovely iridescent finish, as seen here on my first Diamond wig!
As mentioned before, this tutorial can apply to any Houseki no Kuni character! Here’s a little work-in-progress of my Phos wig! :) I actually used body glitter by Nyx Cosmetics instead of nail powder because it gave a similar smooth finish to the nail powder and gave the wig more of a blue-green-gold shift rather than a full iridescent rainbow spectrum.
Phos Wig WIP to embed into wig tutorial on Tumblr
Bonus tip: for characters who have multiple distinct layers/sections in their hair, like Phos in this example (undercut and top half), I suggest applying the Flexbond and nail powder in sections as opposed to all at once.
Final words
Thank you so much for taking a look at my tutorial! I can’t wait to see all the lovely wigs that can be made using it~ ^_^
I'm not very active on Tumblr these days, so if you have any questions or need any clarifications for this tutorial, feel free to reach out to me on my Instagram account @/ashtheketchup!
(This tutorial is my entry for @/cosplaytutorialchallenge on IG's Online Cosplay Tutorial Challenge 2024)
