Modesty's Costume Closet

Designing a costume based on an original character is not often talked about. When I'm drawing a 2D character I rarely think about how realistic the costume would be or how it would work in reality...because it just works. It's a drawing. But as I am currently working on costumes based on some originally designed characters I thought I'd go through my process.  Referencing the Reference Now for these characters, I already drew a reference, but the lovely thing about that is I already did a bit of background research to create the drawing of the character's costume.  Examples will illustrate this!  First we have Goro the Kitsune. His costume is loosely based off of shinobi garb. Those were the images I was looking at when drawing it! So I have a pretty good idea about how those work.  Goro's current design The downside or upside depending on how you feel about it is that the design of your character is in your control! You can change the outfit fairly drastically eve...

In this post I will share my (current) method for approaching a cosplay project. Every project has different challenges but this workflow tends to get me where I need to go. I have a Google Doc Template that I sometimes use.  Reference Gather Once struck with the inspiration to cosplay a character, the first step is to look at a few references. Just something basic at first. I don't need every detail up front. Just enough to help me get a basic idea of how the costume looks. A full body reference is ideal for this.  Analyze - Research  With a couple of references in tow, I can start analyzing the costume and understanding how it works. To help with this I usually try to make my own references. I make doodle notes often making a front and back view. (I find tracing a reference can also help.) Drawing out the costume helps me focus on it with a different part of my brain. While drawing or tracing, I will notice which parts of the costume are particularly confusing or chall...

Costumes can get expensive to make the more elaborate you get. I mean when you look at professional grade stuff made from the best materials by the most skilled artists...you know it was probably a bit more than $100. But I believe in the power of creativity! We can make facsimiles of expensive costumes without breaking the bank.  Plan Ahead and Research The best thing you can do is give yourself enough time to work out the difficult parts of the costume before construction. Pre-production is worth while! The research you do should help you find the best solutions, materials and tools to make it work. Giving yourself a long time also with other aspects. (Oddly enough, most of the tips are at their core related to planning ahead and researching.) Write Down Costs So I've been through a few diet programs. Most of them have you record what you're eating and how many calories. I hate doing it, but it does make me realize how many calories I'm taking in within a certain margin o...

Where do I start? That's a difficult question to answer because where you start is going to depend on where you want to be by the end of your project. There are so many aspects to making a costume that yes, it is difficult to figure out where to start. And as someone trying to write a tutorial blog, it's especially hard to figure out how to encompass all the different ways you COULD start.  So, let's start with a question: Who or what do you want to be?  Costume A, B, Cs Costume Design, like any type of design, is creative problem solving. I'm not claiming to be a pro at costume design, but I have dabbled. And so can you! Once you decide on the who or what you're going to be, the next question is HOW. How do I achieve the outcome I want?   Motive, attitude, and resources play a part in how you want to design the costume.  By motive I mean a desire and reason you are making the costume. It doesn't have to be all that complicated. It could be "I want to be Su...