Cosplay has become largely prevalent in today’s era of on-screen entertainment; so much so that people have even turned it into a profession. People that take cosplay seriously base their livelihood around it, and you can bet that they are very good at it!

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However, no one starts off in the cosplay universe as a professional. Everyone has their humble beginnings. It usually takes at least 2 years to be able to cosplay decently enough that you can proudly go to a convention with your cosplay.

Statistics also show that 25% of cosplayers have been cosplaying for more than a decade. These are the ones that truly deserve the suffix: pro. They are the ones that stand out at conventions; even if they aren’t playing as big of a character, or maybe even if they are playing the same character as others.

10 years is a very long time, but don’t worry. It won’t take you that long to become a good cosplayer because you have this article to aid you. We will answer the question of how you can stand out as a cosplayer. Furthermore, this article will show you what good cosplayers do to achieve that unique look.

#1. Put the ‘play’ in ‘cosplay’

It’s easy to get sidetracked and focus solely on the costume you want to wear when cosplaying. You may spend too much time and money on making the outfit look perfect. But even if you do manage to perfect it, you still might not stand out like others.

cosplay
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This is because cosplay is more than just wearing a costume. It’s called cosplay because it is a costume “play”. You need to play your character as well, that is, act like your character does.

Even acting alone won’t do the trick. A really good cosplayer knows how to embed their personal traits into the character they’re playing. For example, if someone is playing batman, then they need to be able to match his personality traits. This can be done perfectly if someone naturally has Batman-like personality traits. This segues us into the next thing you need to take care of when cosplaying.

#2. Choose the right character

When choosing characters to cosplay, most people like to go for mainstream ones. This is because they think they’ll get a lot of attention for it, provided how popular the character is. In most cases, this backfires really hard.

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Mainstream characters are chosen too often – mostly by beginners. This makes their uniqueness fade away. A veteran cosplayer will choose a character that isn’t too mainstream but is known to everyone. This adds an element of surprise and helps a lot in making the cosplayer stand out.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that good cosplayers don’t choose leading characters of mainstream movies and games at all. They do those as well but only when the time is right. If they are going to a convention that is too crowded, they know a ton of other people will try to do that character as well. Therefore, they go for those main characters when going to places that aren’t too crowded. Of course, there are always exceptions as well.

#3. Stay in groups with other cosplayers

When cosplaying, you lose your personal identity and become the character you’re playing. Because of that, people want to see you with other characters that are from the same genre. It would be weird if you were playing the Joker and walking around with Dora the Explorer, wouldn’t it?

Most cosplayers work in groups of friends. The group collectively decides which movie to cosplay and then each member of the group chooses their character. This works extremely well, as friends can then easily ask each other for help to make costumes and practice role-playing.

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If you don’t have friends that are into cosplay, that’s fine as well. You can still play your favorite character and find cosplayers playing the same genre. The cosplaying community is well-known to be very welcoming, so you wouldn’t have trouble making new friends.

#4. Learn to sew

This one is a little on the technical side of cosplaying, but we are talking about pro cosplayers so it must be mentioned.

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It’s true that good cosplayers tend to sew their own costumes instead of buying them. This is because they can do the costume justice only if they put their heart and soul into it. Furthermore, the cosplayer may even feel pride in wearing a costume they stitched themselves. Not to forget, they can add in little nicks and features that makes the costume special for them.

Cosplaying is often referred to as an art. Sewing is the main reason for that. A good cosplayer doesn’t need to be a master at sewing; having the basics down is enough, as you can also buy costumes and alter them to your needs yourself.

#5. Have a good time!

In the end, cosplay is all about having fun playing a character. The enjoyment part is important because that is what drives you to cosplay in the first place. Unless you can enjoy the whole process of making the costumes, role-playing, and showing your love for the character, then there’s no point in cosplaying.

Have a good time!
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There are people who have taken cosplay as a profession and make a living out of it. It’s because of how much they enjoy the whole process and that is the key to becoming a good cosplayer.

Conclusion

There is a lot more to cosplay then you think. It takes experience to learn that. A good cosplayer never underestimates the amount of work and dedication required to make the perfect costume and nail the role-play.

So follow our tips and get lots of experience to become a pro cosplayer!