I started Patreon in early 2021 and 3 years later it has grown bigger than I could ever imagine (Well, you know I can imagine more, so there is always extra room for newcomers, hehe). Last year, I made a dozen new cosplays, some of them really complicated if you ask me! And I documented every single one of them with photos, tutorials, videos and much more. And you can see them all on my Patreon!

There is already dozens of tutorials on my site with invaluable information, tips, detailed photos and hundreds of hours of cosplay information (15 years of cosplay knowledge at your fingertips!). Of course, organising all this information in biteable sizes is super challenging and for those of you have been following me month after month I think it is just fair to still make sure you have the best perks! So here are some of the readjustments I will be making this year.

GENERAL CHANGES

So far, I have been trying my very best to work around the clock, that means I would start a project on the 1st each month and try and finish it by the 31st. Including patterns, photos, videos, rewards, etc. Of course, month after month I FAILED, and despite your infinite kindness and understanding it made me feel miserable and like a failure every single time.

Improved Cosplay Process

I have decided to embrace the fact that I may not be able to finish a full new cosplay every single month, because what I do is not easy! And I do like my very complex cosplays. I will still be offering very clear rewards each month, but you will be seeing progress photos, photoshoots and videos delivered at a reasonable time depending on how difficult the cosplay is.

Example. I start a project in Month 1 and show you the work in progress. Offer the patterns and finish the cosplay in Month 2. Deliver all the photos, videos and patterns in Month 3

Effectively this is what is already happening on my feed and I just want to make it formal. In a sense it is good news for you, because that means you get to see different cosplays at different stages each month! As I can carry on sewing the next cosplay while I do all the boring writing and editing in the shadows without having to do a full stop between projects.

Update Frequency

Another thing I want to change is the frequency in which I post, because so far I was posting virtually every day and I think that can be a bit too much for some people and definetely it is for me.

From now on, I want to post in blocks. Easy cosplays may only get one WIP update, but I will still make sure to split difficult ones into several posts. Same amount of content but in more organised chunks.

CHANGES BY TIER

I am going to be moving a few rewards around and taking down a few others which I don’t think are so interesting. I will probably still add those as a bonus every so often but not necessarily every single month.

Free Membership!

Introducing Free Membership! Yes, you can be part of the club for free! A few months ago, Patreon introduced the option to become a member without paying for it. This is just amazing! The option has been on for a couple of months and I do know you are there, so I will make sure to upload some free content every single month. This includes knowing my cosplay plans before anyone else, dropping some links of interest every so often or getting a few freebies every now and then! If you just want to know what’s going on (and maybe just sneakily grab a month’s reward whenever you fancy), this is a great way of catching up with me without spending a single penny.

• Know my new cosplans first
• Links and News of interest to the cosplay community
• Updates to my shop
• Extra perks and freebies every so often

£1 Mome Rath

The Mome Rath Tier will still get the most updates! I believe in sharing, and honestly, you can figure out most of my techniques just by looking at them. It is cheap and cheerful and your support means a lot. Cosplay previews and Sketches have been moved or gone, you may still see some but not every month.

• Work in progress
• Behind the scenes
• 10% off my store

£3 White Rabbit

Get all the juicy stuff early. This year I will be trying my best to deliver all the videos early, what’s more, this year I want to make more videos than ever before! You will also see my finished cosplays early, including selfies, and although it may not be every single month, I’m still planning on sharing small blueprints and downloads on this tier depending on the project.

• Cosplay previews
• Early access to videos
• Selfies
• 15% off my store

£5 Cheshire Cat

My favourite and your favourite Tier. Although everyone else in the cosplay community is doing it, I will not be increasing the price of this Tier for the time being because I want to make cosplay affordable for everyone. Here you can get 1 FULL PATTERN for a cosplay each month. Of course, every so often, rewards my be split if the cosplay is huge (Example Month 1 Kimono + Month 2: Kimono underwear), but in general they will be full projects by themselves that you can still use on their own.

As always, all the cosplays are fully sized so they fit YOU. As explained above, I will be increasing the delivery times but other than that this tier will remain the same. I am also moving the photoshoots to this tier because I think they make more sense here.

• Cosplay Sewing Patterns
• HD Photoshoots
• 20% off my store

£10 Dormouse

You guys are incredible. For many months this tier was just here just in case you wanted to help a little bit more with no clear rewards set. I want to change it. I want to add a bit more in depth knowledge to this tier so I will be adding a different extra each month. It can be an in depth booklet showing you how I made a particular piece, a short video explaining a topic, or an extra pattern if I happen to finish more than one that month.

On the other hand, with the new changes to Patreon it is easier than ever to access previous files, so I don’t feel the need of sending separate links anymore. If you previously joined “The Vault” with access to past files, you still have access to all those files up to the end of December 2023 I will also you new links with an updated list of the 2023 files for easy access. From January 2024, access to the vault is no longer available for new members.

• Booklet or Masterclass or Extra Pattern
• 30% off my store

£25 Mad Hatter

New Tier unlocked! Have you been away for the last 3 YEARS? Do not worry, you can catch up here. Every year there is more and more content on my page, which makes it more and more valuable. On this tier you can get access to ALL THE FEED, including all the blueprints and downloads I have ever posted on my Patreon! These cost a lot of money seperately! You also get a 50% discount you can use on my store for any sewing patterns you would like.

• Access to past files: photoshoots + blueprints + booklets
• 50% off my store

LAST KNOTS

Have you joined my Patreon yet? What are you waiting for! You definitely will get the best value for your cosplay journey.

I’m honestly very excited for most of these changes! And yes, throughout the year there may be a few more tweaks, so make sure to check on Patreon and social media for the latest updates. Overall, I aim to simplify my work in order to provide you with the best experience and content. And of course, I will still be releasing lots of free content on all my other platforms like Youtube or Instagram so make sure you follow me there too.

I want this next year to be the best cosplay year yet! And I would love to make it happen with your help.

Thank you so much for your support, always. I am looking forwards to see what this New Year is bringing!

To the next adventure!

The post My 2024 Patreon Rewards Update appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.

For those of you who live under a rock I will briefly explain what Patreon is. Patreon is a membership platform that connects content creators with fans and supporters. Followers or patrons will receive rewards in exchange for a monthly fee (it varies).

Do you really want a Patreon?

It sounds like a good deal but, do you really want a Patreon? Before you answer this question, think about it for a moment. Actually, let me help you, probably the short answer is no… But wait! Let me explain myself! Patreon is a platform that needs a lot of time and effort. It is literally like having a full time job. It could easily become a burden unless you are absolutely sure you can commit to it. I just want to give you a fair warning early in the game. Before you open your Patreon ask yourself these questions:

• Do you have a large base of followers?
• Do they usually interact with you and your content?
• Are you making at least a new cosplay every month?
• Have you got enough monthly content to fill your Patreon?
• Do you have enough time to create, edit and post rewards in Patreon?
• Is there anything unique you can offer to your followers?
• Do you often get messages asking to see more of your content?
• Have you got other means of supporting yourself in case it fails?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, probably you are ready to go! However, if no was the main answer, you may want to take a step back and think about opening your Patreon at a later date. Personally, even after being in the game for many years, I don’t think I was ready when I opened mine! But you will never be ready enough until you give it a go.

The price to pay

Of course, Patreon is not going to share all its awesome features for free. It needs to make money somehow, and it is going to take a good chunk of your money. The biggest chunk goes to the Platform fees and how much they get will depend on the plan you choose (Lite, Pro or Premium). They will also keep some money every time one of your patrons makes a pledge, the Payment Processing fee. Both of those will be charged for each patron every month. The next fee is to transfer the money to your account, this is the Payout fee, that costs money too. Finally, if your patrons happens to use a different currency than your one, which is actually quite likely, you will also be charged a fee.

Did I mention that they also charge VAT and stuff directly to your patrons? Yeah… It’s starting to get pricey.

The table above is just an estimate. You will be able to access the exact figures when you choose your preferences. In particular, the payout fees greatly vary depending on your currency.

Let’s have an example taken from my own Patreon in the UK when I first started, if I have 2 patrons, one pays £3 and another £6 a month, I should get £9 a month but… £9 – 8% – 3.4% – £0.35 – 2.5% -£1 = £6.4. Basically Patreon was taking almost one third of my cake. And here it doesn’t even include the VAT my patrons may have been charged on top of my Tier Price! Doesn’t look like a great deal to me.

But let’s think that you actually get something like 20 Patrons which pay well, which is a good start, and you are making like £150 a month, which is fairly good for Patreon (not like I make that). That’s ok you may think. Or is it? How much are you offering on it? How much did it take you to prepare all the content? And the materials you used? What about the photoshoot? How many hours did you spend just uploading things to Patreon and creating files? If you were working for a company, would you accept that kind of money for the time you spent? I can tell you, in general I post almost daily. And I make new Cosplays every month, and photos, and tutorials, cosplay for me is a full time job, and I do spend a lot of time of my day just doing files for my Patreon and believe me, when I was working I was able to make that money in 2 days virtually just having to seat on a chair for a few hours, which takes me to the next point.

Preassure

Baby, if you can’t handle the pressure, you better get ready. Because this is going to get underwater.

As I mentioned before, when I first started I only had a couple of followers on Patreon. Which was kinda nice! Of course they were my friends so if one day I couldn’t post or if I was gone for a month for personal reasons, nothing happened. The real pressure started when I actually started getting new followers, and oh my, how it changed.

I found myself having to post daily, trying to think of new rewards to attract people. Getting as many pictures, and sketches, and videos and behind the scenes as I could. Setting myself stupid unachievable goals and falling short each time. Taking a holiday meant missing deadlines and followers, having a family emergency meant having to catch up. And being late for something lead to disappointment for everyone. I had quit my job to be free and now I was more stressed than ever.

My patrons in general are always very kind and forgiveful, and understand that I am human. But there was the occasional feedback that left you cold and hollow inside. All that work you were doing wasn’t enough…

Why carry on with Patreon?

I do not have a good answer for this. The most accurate would be, I’m stubborn and I don’t like to give up.

I would love my Patreon to become a hub where like-minded people can hang out and learn together. In where I can share the most tiny details of my Cosplays without getting lost in a sea of social media updates. And somewhere where you can find help to make your own cosplays even if I posted my own take on the same build years before.

Having Patreon is exhausting, I am always busy and always thinking of sharing new content. Even if you are the one patron that was there for 5 days and decided I wasn’t active enough. I mean, instant access to 183 posts is not going to be enough for some people. But that is fine.

I think from now on I am going to take it easy. And for me, taking it easy doesn’t mean slow down with my cosplays. I’m having a blast and that’s not likely to happen. However, I am going to accept me for how I am. I am sometimes late. I tend to put too much into my plate and I work a lot, but sometimes I need a rest too. Sometimes I get distracted from big builds to make little silly dresses, but I always come back on track. And above all, I always keep my promises.

If you can accept me for who I am, I will be waiting with open arms. And if not, try finding a better deal somewhere else. I bet you won’t find it.

Do you like my posts? Remember you can support my blog in many ways, using my affiliate links, buying me a Ko-fi, or visiting my Cosplay Store! Following me on my Social Media and sharing my posts helps too! With your help I can create more cosplays, articles and tutorials to share with you!

The post Starting a Cosplay Patreon? The reasons why I almost quit appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.

We, creators, spend hours creating new content and thinking of new ideas to share with you. A great part of it we make it for ourselves, let’s be honest, I love doing cosplays, but did you ever consider that we don’t really need to share it all with you? I mean, it takes me much less time to make a cosplay if I don’t have to worry about taking pictures of the process, write a tutorial on the blog, share all the photos on social media, … Don’t get me wrong, I love sharing with you! But sometimes a pat in the back is very appreciated guys.

The fact is, if you like seeing all this (free) content, why now showing some appreciation? You don’t really need to spend any money. I am so grateful everytime I see a like, a comment or any kind of interest on what I am doing. It is very easy and it takes you no effort. Here you have some ideas.

Option A. Support your favourite cosplayer without money

We have all been there, and you may not have a penny to spare. You are not alone. Don’t worry so much about it, sometimes a nice comment will mean more than a thousand pounds. You are getting lots of contents and entertainment completely free. If you liked it, how about a little thank you? It costs you nothing. You may have no money to spare but maybe someone else who saw the post thanks to you does. Not like the money is important in this case.

Like and follow

I think a like shows the most basic support. Believe it or not, a like or a follow means a lot. Maybe you like a cosplayer but you didn’t realise they have several pages. If you can, give them a follow on each one. Read their content and open their links. This will give them more reach and they will be known by more people.

Go ahead and click the like button. Many times I am browsing my feed and I think “oh, that cosplay is awesome” or “ah, that’s such a good tutorial”. And you know what, I click it! Otherwise how will they know you even saw it? The more likes a photo gets the more people will get to see it. The more clicks, the bigger the percentage and the bigger the audience.

Share the love

Like what you see? Share it! Share their content, mention them in your stories or talk about them to you friends. It is the easiest way to help them reach other people that may be interested in their work. You don’t need to share every single image they post but you can share the best ones or the ones you think that can help others, for example, I write lots of tutorials because I think they may help other cosplayers.

Furthermore, what about asking your local convention to bring them as a guest? They may consider it, you will probably get to meet them and they will be known by more people in your area. Again, more people, more reach, more people liking, you know how it goes.

Talk with your cosplayer

If you really want to show apreciation talk to them. It always surprises me when someone in a convention recognises me and says “Hey, I follow your page” or “I loved your tutorial” or “you look amazing on this cosplay” Really guys, you are awesome. Every time it happens I feel like I could cry. It means a lot to me!

This also translates to comments on their posts. Compliment their work, tell them that you used their tutorial so they feel useful, say thanks for an interesting article. Most cosplayers will be happy to discuss any matter with you! I often get comments or messages from other cosplayers asking me how to do this or that or maybe sharing a photo of a cosplay they made using my tutorials. I just love having a chat with people that share my hobby!

Believe me, I am a shy person, talking to someone I don’t really know, even online, makes me anxious and I know for many people it is something very difficult to do. At the same time, you would be surpised! I have met some awesome people asking them how they made this or that cosplay!

Option B. Support your favourite cosplayer with money

You don’t need to break your piggy bank in order to support an artist. Cosplayers spend lots of hours creating new content. They also spend a lot of money on resources and materials, some of those costs are more obvious than others. Not many cosplayers will get rich selling prints, but they may get enough to add that extra detail to a cosplay that otherwise they may not be able to afford. Consider chipping in if you can. Most of the time you will get something in exchange too!

Use their promos and affiliate links

Many cosplayers are ambassadors of shops and brands. If you decide to use their promo codes or just click to their affiliate links you will be helping them! Maybe they get a commission or perharps a sponsorship. It won’t cost you more, on the contrary, it may cost you less, and you will be helping your favourite cosplayer by just clicking a link and getting something you want. Even if it takes you a month to make up your mind it will still help!

I recently started an affiliate program with Uniqso, which has been my favourite contact lenses shop since I started wearing contact lenses for cosplay over 5 years ago. If you click my links to their page or use my code ALICECOS for a 10% off when you buy something, I make a little percentage of the sale. It is not much, but you will actually be helping me! If you are buying that wig or contacts anyway why not get them cheaper and help a fellow cosplayer while you do it?

Buy their merchandising and products

Many cosplayers will go to conventions with prints and other thins. Buying them you will show your support and will get a lovely piece of art for your wall! Don’t get me wrong, unless you are a very famous cosplayer, most of the time the cosplayer will be out of pocket selling prints. Specially if they decide to print a batch for a convention and only sell a few.

Also, many cosplayers usually get some income selling patterns and tutorials. Some of them make props, little cosplay items, wig styling,… Take a look at their pages and you will find out more. Maybe they will consider making a costume for you! I have lots of prints, books, patterns and tutorials from fellow cosplayers, including pdf files and guides. It takes a lot of time to create patterns, costumes and tutorials, and they can save you that time. For example, in my Etsy Shop you can get Cosplay Planners and cosplay patterns that will help you with your cosplays.

Crowdfunding

Yes, you can support your favourite cosplayer directly with money if you want to. For some cosplayers it is a job. They will be providing you with a service each month in the form of content, tutorials, photos and much more.

One of the most known platforms to support cosplayers is Patreon . When you become a patron, you have access to exclusive content available only to supporters. Some cosplayers will share exclusive tutorials or patterns, others will send you prints and make giveaways. You will also get lots of photos that won’t be available anywhere else. They will let you know what kind of reward to expect. The platform works as a subscription and you will be charged each month or each time they upload content depending on their settings. There is usually different tiers as well, and you can decide how much money you want to contribute with, from 1$ a month to as much as you want to spend.

Another popular platform is Ko-fi. The difference with Patreon is that the payments are not necessarily by subscription. You can also set goals and rewards on this platform and the supporters can contribute with a fixed amount of money, usually about $3. I recently opened my Ko-fi page and I am working on new rewards for those of you who would want even more cosplay!

To sum up

Always remember that cosplayers, like many other artists, spend their time trying to get you the best content they can. It can be photos of an elaborate costume, an article, a great tutorial or patterns to help you with your cosplays. It takes hours and hours! And mostly we do it all out of love. I started sharing my photos and tutorials because I found the photos and tutorials from other cosplayers very useful. I couldn’t have done it without them. That is why I wanted to give something back to the community. Remember that just a like or a thumbs up will be enough to support your favourite cosplayer and make them happy. Next time you see an artist, cosplayer or not, with some artwork you like, consider the many ways you can help him.

And that’s it, I hope you liked it. I guess here is where I remind you that you can support me on Ko-fi if you want. Also, if you are looking for patterns and cosplay related downloadables make sure to check my collection! And don’t forget to drop those likes on my Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. Thank you always for your support!

The post How to support your favourite cosplayer appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.

A troll is a person that will start a quarrel or try to upset people on the Internet just for fun. He will try to post mean comments with the intent of provoking or start a discussion, usually just for his own amusement. They use their anonimity in order to get away with it.

You will find individuals that will criticize or make fun of your size, gender, ability, body shape, accuracy, colour of your eyes, shape or whatever silly reason they may find to criticize something about you or your work. One in a million users will try to give you a positive feedback, but most of the time you will get unwanted and hurtful criticism just because.

You have worked so hard. You may not be perfect but you definetely tried your best. That is why you do not deserve getting your work and self-esteem spoiled by a troll. But unfortunately, when you are on the internet, it does happen. I don’t want you to be upset and that is why I am going to show you how to deal with trolls.

What to do

As I said, the internet is free and we have freedom of thought. You can’t ban someone for thinking something about you. They may even be able to talk about you with their friends because they are bored and they have nothing better to do. But the moment they go to your profile to criticise you or you work is when you don’t need to take it anymore and you can defend yourself. Here you have some options.

Ignore them

Don’t feed the troll. This is the easiest move, just blank them, ignore them. It is your page, your blog, or your profile. You don’t need to listen to them. You never asked for an opinion. They are being rude and they are in the wrong place. You don’t have to deal with them. They will probably get bored and won’t comment again.

Agree with them

Maybe they are right. You may not like what they have to say or how they say it but you can use it as a critique and take it. They really won’t expect it and won’t know how to reply. Probably they won’t try again.

Laugh at it

I myself can’t help it, trolls make me laugh. Use a funny comment against them and just laugh at their stupidity. They won’t know what to answer and you and your followers will laugh so much!

Ban them

Are they really getting on your nerves? Do they persist? They are always writing mean comments? Most social media will have a ban button, even your Facebook Page! Ban them and you won’t need to see their avatar ever again. Problem solved.

Report them

Unfortunately, some people will go too far. If someone turns homophobic, racists or keeps insulting you don’t be afraid to report them. Those are major things. Let someone else deal with it. Do not engage with them and keep all the evidence you can. Hopefully they will be banned forever and will leave you alone.

What not to do

I know it is difficult not to fight back, but most of the time it is not worth it. The best way to get rid of a bully is to bore them. Do not argue, insult or strike back. That is exactly what they want. Do not give it to them.

Erase their comments

I know you will be tempted to erase their comments, but probably they will keep trying over and over again. If you erase their comments it looks like you can’t take criticism. I sometimes find that if you handle it well they will erase or change the comments themselves!

Start an argument

You may be tempted to argue back. As much as you can be right they are not going to change their mind. They will find something else against you and you will only get upset trying to convince them otherwise. The are bored and want you to engage. Don’t waste your time. It is not worth it.

Get to the insults

Don’t play their game, do not fall as low as them. Trolls want a reaction and you are giving it to them insulting back. Be the better person and be nice. They want the insults and a reason to call you names back. I can promise you they will be more hurt if you blank them or if you are nice to them.

Lynch them publicly

Again, this is not the far far west. They may have done something wrong, but pointing at them with a finger and asking all your friends to insult, shame or abuse them is not the solution. As stupid as they can be, they are human and it can be too much. They did not consider your feelings but you know how much it hurts, and can be nice enough to consider theirs.

You should now have an idea of how to deal with trolls. It is not easy to deal with them, but you have quite a few chances to succeed in getting rid of them. Remember, take a deep breath, be calm and stay cool. How you handle it will say a lot about you and may get you a few extra admirers.

The post How to deal with trolls appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.