I believe that it’s mostly a matter of intent; if your goal is to transform into the character, that’s a cosplay, regardless of if you made it yourself or bought it. Cosplay generally involves constant improvement to get yourself more and more into character, paying attention to detail that most people might miss on a first glance. Most of my cosplays are “store bought” (ordered online), with quality and detail as my focus when buying, and I’m always looking for ways to improve upon it. Some of my cosplays are put together with thrifted clothing (like the Guide outfit for my Betelgeuse Cosplay), and at least one of them is entirely homemade (my Peter Pan/Banning cosplay). The term itself is a portmanteau of costume play. So, I feel like so long as the intent is becoming the character, as opposed to just dressing like the character, that makes it a cosplay. And cosplays of all methods and varying qualities are all valid, just be mindful of details if you’re entering a competition.
This was an amazing video! I real enjoy your take on the difference between costume and cosplay. This is a great, easy to follow, informative video! Love you! Man, now I need to work on my projects!
Hi!!!! Loved this video, your rambles are very fun :3 the cosplay looks absolutely fantastic, and I'm excited to see it get even better!!!! Definitely giving you a follow :3 I was Barney Calhoun from the Half Life Franchise for Halloween!!! Specifically hl1 and blue shift because hl2 Barney is HOT but his uniform is a whole project that would probably take a few months. I got to paint big old splatters of blood on my face (human and alien, of course, I mcguyvered the Xenian blood by tapping out a yellow liquid eyeliner with a spare sponge applicator and then going over it with a few different shades of eyeshadow, then used a white eyeliner pencil to mark in that weird glow that it has in the game textures lmao). I think I'm gonna rotate the cargo pants I got for the costume into my normal wardrobe, they're honestly so damn comfy, and I love the shade of blue. Dunno what I'm gonna be able to do with the helmet and bulletproof vest though. Next year I'm definitely going to be Adrian Shepard from half life: opposing force. Wish me luck finding a fucking gas mask and helmet that will fit on my head together. Also I might try my hand at prop making for the first time, my fav bioweapon you get to use in game is the shockroach, I want a little blue alien bug emotional support creature that spits out electricity jdkdh. Not sure what materials would be best for it, but I have a whole year to figure it out!!! (Hope this massive word count makes the Al G. Rhythm love your video so much)
That sounds like you've made one incredible cosplay and have plans for another! Don't be scared of prop making! Doing anything for the first time can be daunting, so I recommend not using your ideal materials the first go round. Figure out a good size, shape, and maybe some good finishes for what you want the end product to look like and take every screw up as a learning opportunity! I'm sure you'll figure it out and end up with an awesome final product. Thank you so much for subscribing and I'm glad you enjoy the content!
I believe that it’s mostly a matter of intent; if your goal is to transform into the character, that’s a cosplay, regardless of if you made it yourself or bought it. Cosplay generally involves constant improvement to get yourself more and more into character, paying attention to detail that most people might miss on a first glance. Most of my cosplays are “store bought” (ordered online), with quality and detail as my focus when buying, and I’m always looking for ways to improve upon it. Some of my cosplays are put together with thrifted clothing (like the Guide outfit for my Betelgeuse Cosplay), and at least one of them is entirely homemade (my Peter Pan/Banning cosplay). The term itself is a portmanteau of costume play. So, I feel like so long as the intent is becoming the character, as opposed to just dressing like the character, that makes it a cosplay. And cosplays of all methods and varying qualities are all valid, just be mindful of details if you’re entering a competition.
Btw, I, too, was Betelgeuse for Halloween. 🙂
This was an amazing video! I real enjoy your take on the difference between costume and cosplay. This is a great, easy to follow, informative video! Love you! Man, now I need to work on my projects!
Thank you! I definitely tried to make it simple but still get the point across.
Happy crafting!
Hi!!!! Loved this video, your rambles are very fun :3 the cosplay looks absolutely fantastic, and I'm excited to see it get even better!!!! Definitely giving you a follow :3
I was Barney Calhoun from the Half Life Franchise for Halloween!!! Specifically hl1 and blue shift because hl2 Barney is HOT but his uniform is a whole project that would probably take a few months. I got to paint big old splatters of blood on my face (human and alien, of course, I mcguyvered the Xenian blood by tapping out a yellow liquid eyeliner with a spare sponge applicator and then going over it with a few different shades of eyeshadow, then used a white eyeliner pencil to mark in that weird glow that it has in the game textures lmao). I think I'm gonna rotate the cargo pants I got for the costume into my normal wardrobe, they're honestly so damn comfy, and I love the shade of blue. Dunno what I'm gonna be able to do with the helmet and bulletproof vest though.
Next year I'm definitely going to be Adrian Shepard from half life: opposing force. Wish me luck finding a fucking gas mask and helmet that will fit on my head together. Also I might try my hand at prop making for the first time, my fav bioweapon you get to use in game is the shockroach, I want a little blue alien bug emotional support creature that spits out electricity jdkdh. Not sure what materials would be best for it, but I have a whole year to figure it out!!!
(Hope this massive word count makes the Al G. Rhythm love your video so much)
That sounds like you've made one incredible cosplay and have plans for another! Don't be scared of prop making! Doing anything for the first time can be daunting, so I recommend not using your ideal materials the first go round. Figure out a good size, shape, and maybe some good finishes for what you want the end product to look like and take every screw up as a learning opportunity! I'm sure you'll figure it out and end up with an awesome final product.
Thank you so much for subscribing and I'm glad you enjoy the content!