I know what you’re thinking: I don’t care what anybody thinks, pancakes with Dr. Brite Berrylicious Toothpaste is damn good eatin’! I know what else you’re thinking: it’s the second day of Ottawa Comiccon, you were out to Day 1, saw all the amazing cosplays, and are now thinking your Cookie Monster costume circa 1985 just isn’t cutting it. You know the one with the plastic face-mask with the elastic that broke three steps out the door so you had to hold it up to your face.
Fear not, true believer, I gots tips!
Turns out cosplay doesn’t have to be COSTLYplay and there are plenty of ways to level up your outfit with stuff found around the house, at the dollar store or, a mecca for many, Value Village.
I chatted with some cosplay pros yesterday and here’s what they had to say.
Psykhe Cosplay “You don’t have to strive for 100% accuracy in your cosplay character. People will understand what you are doing. The small details are great if you can do them but you don’t need to sweat them.”
Natalie Stark “There’s no boundaries. There are no rules. In terms of creating, the sky is the limit. If you like a character you don’t have to feel like you don’t have their body type. Like, if you’re very small, you can play an Amazon if you want to.”
Stephanie Dobbs “YouTube is your friend! If you find a cosplayer or somebody online that you really like their work, don’t be afraid to send them a message to ask how they did it. A lot of the time they don’t mind if you’re nice and respectful. You can ask them and they are more than happy to help because they are proud of what they did.”
Heather Gowan “Don’t over think it. You can use simple materials to do hard looking things.”
Jessica Harkonnen “Take your time. I know that lots of people really get things done for a convention but it is better to not stress yourself out and enjoy the process of making it than have something new for every convention.”
Peekaboo Cosplay “My number one tip as a cosplayer is to bring a cart or trolley that has a waist height handle. The reason for this is you often just can’t bend over easily in a costume. You’re going to have to bend over about 800 times to pick up a bag during the day so having a trolley that I can just grab and go, leave it standing, it’s so much easier.”
Ottawa Comiccon 2019 continues today and tomorrow. Tickets on sale at the box office.