Cosplaying on a Budget - Be Cheap, But Don't Look Cheap

[Nocturnal Melodies__ix]

Cosplaying on a Budget

Be Cheap, Don't Look Cheap

Now, we all know the saying, “cosplay isn’t cheap”. But that does NOT mean you have to spend $100+ on a costume, as long as you are willing to exert some efforts.

The quality of a costume can be highly influenced by how much money is spent on it. But an influence that is just as strong is how much TIME is spent on it.

Below are a few posts with tips on ways to save money on various aspects of a cosplay, everything from choosing a character with an easier outfit, to sewing your own, to accessories such as shoes. Hopefully they'll be helpful. ^__^ And if anyone else has any tips to share, feel free to bring them up, and I'll edit them in to the proper place.

Please, if you have any questions, hesitate to ask. Hesitate just long enough to read/skim these first eight posts, as your question may very well be answered already.

Let’s get this started.

Table of Contents

1. Intro
2. Characters
3. Materials
4. Sewing
5. Wigs
6. Commissions
7. Accessories
8. Other

[Nocturnal Melodies__ix]

Characters

What Costs Less, a Schoolgirl or a Saiyan?

This post is dedicated to some helpful tips on selecting a character who's outfit won't break the bank. Remember that even a simplistic character will look good if you put the effort in to make it look good (I'm looking at you, L cosplayers)!

Y.N.O.Y.S.

If youre concerned about cosplaying a character in normal clothes and not getting recognized, go with a group from the same series. Even if all the cosplayers use normal clothes, it's easier to recognize the whole group as being from the series.

Love Hina is a great example for the above. For instance, Keitaro Urashima costume my friend did. The basic cost rundown:
Sweater - Already owned it
Dress shirt - Already owned it
Khakis - Already owned it
Sign - about $2 for the dowel rod.
A $2 costume. Can't beat that! (A note, he only did Keitaro because his outfit for Kyouya didn't arrive on time.)

Righteous_Ruin

Some costumes may be too hard or expensive to make. Don't be afraid to alter them. Like make a Halloween version of this or a Christmas version of that. Or even create your own look. A few years ago at Metrcon, I saw some of the coolest costumes ever...Pocky ninjas. They designed and made their costumes and nothign else was ever like that at the convention. The wonderful thing about costumes like this, is since you design it, you can control the budget that would need to go behind the costumes and you can have fun with somethign VERY original.

Righteous_Ruin

There are a TON of cheaper group approaches that can be taken. Get a large enough group and they can tell who you are, even if the cosplays are simple. Consider things like Gundam Wing, Harvest Moon, harry potter, or even Total Drama Action. All of those characters can have their costumes put together out of Goodwill for around $10. All you need then are a few accesories. The great thing about something like say harvest Moon, is that if you have a friend that wants to spend like a monster and have an intricate costume, there are a few options available for them too, like the Harvest Goddess, while everyone else can save a penny.

[Nocturnal Melodies__ix]

Materials

Silk, 19.99/yard. Satin, 10.99/yard. Broadcloth, 3.99/yard. The Choice is Yours

There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a material for a cosplay, whether it be for the entire thing, a prop, or just a small accessory. Yes, duct tape WILL get it's own mention.

Chocobu

Dear god, if you have a joanns around you and you plan on sewing your cosplay, use the sales. It might take a couple trips to get all your fabric at a sale price but it is especially worth it when having to get a lot of fabric and a lot of different types of fabric for a particular cosplay. These sales alone saved me about 20 dollars on a costume and let me upgrade to a more expensive fabric at the price of a cheaper one.

On the topic of fabric stores, be sure to check out the leftover bin. You can get great deals there, and sometimes it really is just the material you're looking for. However, remember that having a good material will serve you better than just the cheapest thing you can find. Your costume should have some longevity, after all.

Chocobu

Another thing I am guilty of is using costume satin when it isn't called for. If the costume requires some sort of shine to it, try not to use costume satin (I've heard it looks rather cheap). Maybe upgrade to the next higher priced.

A tip for materials: It's easier to buy a jacket from the thrift store and alter it to match your character than to sew an entire jacket. It can also save you money, because you won't need to buy the cloth, just some thread and such (personal example, my Gojyo cosplay I purchased the jacket at a thrift store. It's made of suede. I hid a front pocket, rearranged some buttons, and added the black collar liner to it. Total cost? $5 for the jacket, $0.50 for the felt, $0.99 for the thread. To make one would have been much, much more than that.)

Tsuki Sune-ku

Don't forget! Thrift stores are your friend! Just pick up some items, do a little altering if necessary, and you can have a pretty good costume. My sister's Cinderella outfit was mostly altered thrift store finds and the end result was this(if you haven't seen it yet). We made the bandana and apron out of leftover broadcloth too.
Pretty much the same thing with my Malin cosplay, except a good portion of that was Wal*Mart finds. Still cheap clothes.

And just as a side on on the whole satin thing- If you're going to use satin, use the stuff that is meant for prom and formal dresses. It's about $8/yd, so use your coupons. It's so nice and Casa Collection is pretty good quality. I'm guilty of using it in my costumes.

Trompe

And as you said about Thrift stores, it's so true! I found many a good piece of clothing/shoes/accessories that after a tiny alteration, looked awesome at half the cost of one online or such~

Like i said, Duct Tape gets it's own special mention.

My friend has used duct tape on every part of her costume to date. She made Lavi's hammer (a small version) out of a sock, a pencil, and duct tape. The leg holster on Lavi's pants was also made of duct tape.

Duct Tape is great because it comes in a lot of colors, or you can color it with a marker. It's easy to work with, and... yeah. It's just great. Plus, of course, it's cheap. ^-^

Atari-555

Sometimes a great way to keep the cost down on your cosplay is to simply be creative! Take my cosplay in my sig as an example. This is me dressed as Fran from Final Fantasy XII. Does it LOOK cheap?

It seems to surprise EVERYONE that I only spent around $6o dollars on it!

The materials that you choose can make or break you. I made all of my armor out of craft foam-- super cheap and super easy. The body suit was a leotard that I bought at a Wal-mart, cut up and hemmed. The ears were made of coathangers and rabbit fur.

Seriously, Just be creative and you'd be surpised what you can do!

Gennivieve

Since most of the posts here are talking about plainclothes costumes, or things that are reasonably close, I would like to take a moment to say you can do some of those wildly fantastic costumes on a budget.. if you have a lot of time.

Patience and planning is really key. If you're one of those people who likes to wait till the last minute, then this won't help you at all, however if you can plan ahead, you can work things out.

Basically saying, you can collect materials over time. Joanns has had a lot of 50% coupons out lately. I like to go and get material while it's cheap, for future costumes. Thrift stores are great (as people have said) not only for pieces you can alter, but also for material in general. When I need smaller pieces of leather or denim or something, I go to the thrift store and see if they have anything made of what I need. Usually it's much cheaper to hack one of those up than it is to buy the material itself.

If you're looking to make armor or something, don't scoff at cardboard. It might take some trial and error the first few times you try it, but you can make cardboard look good.

Improvise! Sometimes what you need might be to expensive for your budget. Look into alternatives. Get creative! I can't tell you how impressed I am with people who come up with solutions I probably never would have thought of, and make it look good.

Goddess of Manga

When it comes to getting anying at a craft store (I use Michaels) look for coupons. They usualy come out once a week and work only for a period of two or three days but they are worth it. Some are 50% off any item so it you space out buying items you save alot of money.

[Nocturnal Melodies__ix]

Sewing

Commonly Called "Oh God, My Fingers Are Bleeding!"

Even if you've never touched a needle and thread before, it isn't that difficult to pick up sewing. This will be for tips on sewing outfits--general sewing rules for the less experienced, and also answers to specific sewing-related questions. Therefore, if you've got a question, ask it in the thread, I'll hunt it down and post it up here, and hopefully someone will answer it!

Chocobu

I learned this from experience, don't use thin cloth without double layering, see through shirts aren't fun (unless you are intentionally going like that)

I can agree with the above 100%. Just because it's in the leftover bin at the fabric store, doesn't mean you should use it. Especially when you're making a white shirt to go over a black shirt.

the Spy is a Spy

One thing I would suggest if you're not that good of a sewer, tacky-glue is always your friend. I used it before but I ended up sewing the fabric regardless. None the less, wanted to suggest it because so many people say "I can't sewwww~!" and use it as an excuse to make a crappy SnJ cosplay with no effort.

Sewing Questions

Question

XxNaomi-LukarixX

I have a question reguarding patterns for sewing

how exactly do you transfer the pattern outline thing to the fabric so you cut it right???

because honestly...I cant figure it out

Answer

Nocturnal Melodies__ix

Well, first you have to figure out your size in the pattern, based on your measurements. Then you can pin the pattern to the fabric, and cut it out along your size.

Make sure that you read the instructions on the pattern paper, because certain pieces (ie, the back of a shirt) are cut over a fold, so that the pattern only has half of it, or other pieces are cut over two pieces of fabric (like sleeves) to make two of them.

[Nocturnal Melodies__ix]

Wigs

Do the Curtains Match the Carpet?

This is not only tips on where to find wigs at lower prices. This post is also dedicated to tips on styling your own hair to look like a character's hair. Sure, such a thing isn't always as good, because your hair changes over time and a wig won't, but using your own hair for a costume can work out just fine. I have proof of this.

(I should probably ask permission to use these pics, but I know that Sua loves getting her cosplays pimped out there.)

To wig or not to wig? It can look good either way!

In the above, the wig used is the Punky from Cosworx. A good wig for spiky-haired characters, comes in a wide range of colors. The picture on the left is simply my friend's natural hair, styled a little bit.

Love in a Thunderstorm

Amphigory has the best priced and most wide range of wigs I've found to be available.

http://www.amphigory.com/wigs.html

Whenever I need a new wig, or even just wefts for adding to wigs or making dreadfalls out of, this is the first place I go. Most of their wigs use kanekalon, which is pretty much as close to real hair as you can get without actually buying real hair. And they have a ginormous color selection.

Y.N.O.Y.S.

On the topic of Amphigory wigs, they have a very good discount section. Wigs that were discontinued or ordered and cancelled are very cheap that way. A couple months ago I was able to get both wigs I needed for NYAF on discount, as one was a discontinued style and the other a discontinued color.

Tsuki Sune-ku

I also save money by not using wigs for some of my cosplays. Like for Mulan, Kyuubei, and Silvermist, there's no point- my hair is already that long and pretty thick. I just put in some temporary black dye and go on my way. Plus, I like hearing the comments people make on how nice my "wig" is XD.

the Spy is a Spy

...as for the wigs- you can always check the Marketplace at cosplay.com they have good sellers there usually. My boyfriend got his Spirit wig for 25$ including shipping, while the wig at cosworx cost 30 without shipping.

[Nocturnal Melodies__ix]

Commissions

I Paid HOW MUCH for This?!

I have no intention of bashing commissions, or commissioners. My only intent is to point out the cost/benefit ratio of commissioning an outfit against creating it yourself.

Righteous_Ruin

A budget usually calls for making the extra effort. Don't be afraid to ask friends for help in things you can't make yourself. I know sometimes it takes a more skilled hand to make a costume properly, but I had a close friend that comissioned a costume and ended up spending $500+ for a costume he culd have made for around $200 if he had just tried to make it himself and had just asked for some help. You never know who will know a more practical way of approaching a problem, so ask around.

[Nocturnal Melodies__ix]

Accessories

'Cause You, Like, Gotta Accessorize! Duh!

Accessories can be a crucial part of a costume. Everything from hiding your wristwatch that the character would never wear, to making sure you have the right shoes. Effective use of props in a photoshoot. Creating con-safe weapons. Sometimes, accessorizing can make or break a costume. Of course, other times it's just fun.

Chocobu

In general, Home Depot and Lowes is your best friend for prop making (along with the good ole' internet). They can give ideas of what would work for what

Righteous_Ruin

I LOVE Props, they have been a BIG part of my costumes int he past and will continue to be so. That doesn't mean I spend a small fotune making them. in fact I have never spent more than $30 on a prop in it's entirety and t give you an idea of how large my props are, I have made the Halconnen Cannon from Hellsing, and Marluxia's Scythe from Kingdom hearts. I'm not saying to use cheap matirials, god no. You don't want the prop to break mid con. In this case, look up tutorials and be very sure of what you're looking for. Also, there are wonderful matirials for props in home depot that you may not have previously considered. For example, my Marluxia scythe is made of Hardboard, Aluminum feance piping, and PVC and is actually held together by the tension. Isn't that neat? Doing your homework and a little math can really pay off. My scythce cost me $25.00 to mae in it's entirety and stands 7ft tall with a 3 ft blade.

For those of you that have heard of TealPirate/JenxtheJinx/Jenn of Demyx Time fame, she recently offered a great guide on building Demyx's Sitar, from Kingdom Hearts 2 and Days. And please do notice that you can get all of in ingredients she used at a local craft store. The sitar is a large, complex weapon, but it's relatively cheap to make as long as you think out what you're doing.

Trompe

Home Depot is great! My friend and I were making Halloweentown Org, 13 coats, and we couldn't figure out how to make those dangly chain bits! I already own a commission Org. 13 coat, so after looking over that, we found bolts that looked like it, and bought chain there too, for under 5$!

[Nocturnal Melodies__ix]

Other

With a Title Like That, Who Needs Subtitles?

Just some other general tips and hints for lowering the cost of a cosplay.

A Purple Duckie has a similiar topic on her website: http://darkelements.ca/cosplay/budget.htm so you can take a look there, too.

Seresuto-nyuchan has also made a cosplaying on a budget guide, posted to her blog: http://seresutocosplay.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-cosplay-on-budget.html

Gennivieve

But I have to say, I do not think the 'Cosplay is not Cheap' thread was referring to ALL cosplay. I took it as they were referring to those people who complain that they don't get noticed for plainclothes costumes, or do something really crappy last minute and then complain that they don't get the ovation that someone else doing the same costume on a larger budget (monetary, time or both).

You can cosplay cheap. You can cosplay on short notice.. but you have to do a little planning, and you have to admit your limitations. If you can't sew and only have 3 days to put a costume together, don't pick one that you need to sew a lot for. Don't pick something that requires a ton of work, especially if you have no idea how to do what is needed for it.

I will always encourage people to try. However I will also encourage people to apply a little common sense and think realistically.

Valdrein

You can cut costs on cosplay but don't go nuts or you will create something that you feel like s**t wearing.

If you want to cut cost plan ahead. Know what you need for your costume, foot wear, wig, contacts, materials and fabric and make a list. Look for deals. Buy items that are seasonal. Most fabric stores have mailing lists for bargains so sign up. And focus on one costume and concentrate your funds on that. If you cosplay with friends we can also save costs on sharing wigs, props and swapping extra fabrics.

Also, chose a character with your bargain range. Long wigs are more then short wigs. Leather is more then cotton twill, anything pleated is triple the cost in fabric, etc.

[Chocobu]

Dear god, if you have a joanns around you and you plan on sewing your cosplay, use the sales (both in store and mail coupons). It might take a couple trips to get all your fabric at a sale price but it is especially worth it when having to get a lot of fabric and a lot of different types of fabric for a particular cosplay. These sales alone saved me about 20 dollars on a costume and let me upgrade to a more expensive fabric at the price of a cheaper one.

I learned this from experience, don't use thin cloth without double layering, see through shirts aren't fun (unless you are intentionally going like that)

Another thing I am guilty of is using costume satin when it isn't called for. If the costume requires some sort of shine to it, try not to use costume satin (I've heard it looks rather cheap). Maybe upgrade to the next higher priced.

In general, Home Depot and Lowes is your best friend for prop making (along with the good ole' internet). They can give ideas of what would work for what

[Love in a Thunderstorm]

I don't care, I'm still free...

Amphigory has the best priced and most wide range of wigs I've found to be available.

http://www.amphigory.com/wigs.html

Whenever I need a new wig, or even just wefts for adding to wigs or making dreadfalls out of, this is the first place I go. Most of their wigs use kanekalon, which is pretty much as close to real hair as you can get without actually buying real hair. And they have a ginormous color selection.

I wear the "Innocent" wig in black the most, and after two years it still looks great. I currently have "Ashely 850" on order for my River cosplay for the upcoming Anime Detour.

... This makes me want to buy more wigs, even though I don't need them...

You can't take the sky from me...

[Y.N.O.Y.S.]

On the topic of Amphigory wigs, they have a very good discount section. Wigs that were discontinued or ordered and cancelled are very cheap that way. A couple months ago I was able to get both wigs I needed for NYAF on discount, as one was a discontinued style and the other a discontinued color.

If youre concerned about cosplaying a character in normal clothes and not getting recognized, go with a group from the same series. Even if all the cosplayers use normal clothes, it's easier to recognize the whole group as being from the series.

[A Purple Duckie]

3nodding Good post

I have an article on my site about the same thing, though I have some different points. If anyone wants to check it out:
http://darkelements.ca/cosplay/budget.htm

(i'd post the stuff here but i'm in a rush)

[Warumono Sama]

<: Very nice thread!

[Righteous_Ruin]

Wow, cosplay budgets a re a very big deal.

On comissioning vs. making it yourself.
A budget usually calls for making the extra effort. Don't be afraid to ask friends for help in things you can't make yourself. I know sometimes it takes a more skilled hand to make a costume properly, but I had a close friend that comissioned a costume and ended up spending $500+ for a costume he culd have made for around $200 if he had just tried to make it himself and had just asked for some help. You never know who will know a more practical way of approaching a problem, so ask around.

On the topic of practicality, Props. I LOVE Props, they have been a BIG part of my costumes int he past and will continue to be so. That doesn't mean I spend a small fotune making them. in fact I have never spent more than $30 on a prop in it's entirety and t give you an idea of how large my props are, I have made the Halconnen Cannon from Hellsing, and Marluxia's Scythe from Kingdom hearts. I'm not saying to use cheap matirials, god no. You don't want the prop to break mid con. In this case, look up tutorials and be very sure of what you're looking for. Also, there are wonderful matirials for props in home depot that you may not have previously considered. For example, my Marluxia scythe is made of Hardboard, Aluminum feance piping, and PVC and is actually held together by the tension. Isn't that neat? Doing your homework and a little math can really pay off. My scythce cost me $25.00 to mae in it's entirety and stands 7ft tall with a 3 ft blade.


On costumes. Some costumes may be too hard or expensive to make. Don't be afraid to alter them. Like make a Halloween version of this or a Christmas version of that. Or even create your own look. A few years ago at Metrcon, I saw some of the coolest costumes ever...Pocky ninjas. They designed and made their costumes and nothign else was ever like that at the convention. The wonderful thing about costumes like this, is since you design it, you can control the budget that would need to go behind the costumes and you can have fun with somethign VERY original.

On groups. There are a TON of cheaper group approaches that can be taken. Get a large enough group and they can tell who you are, even if the cosplays are simple. Consider things like Gundam Wing, Harvest Moon, harry potter, or even Total Drama Action. All of those characters can have their costumes put together out of Goodwill for around $10. All you need then are a few accesories. The great thing about something like say harvest Moon, is that if you have a friend that wants to spend like a monster and have an intricate costume, there are a few options available for them too, like the Harvest Goddess, while everyone else can save a penny.

[cathmaster]

I bought a Sora cosplay outfit for 90 dollars, but i still have to get the wig and the hairspray and gel. All together how much do u think that will cost?