Full list of cosplays

• Elsa casual
• Black Canary (Kotobukiya version)
• Froppy
• Nana Shimura
• Nana Shimura (UA uniform)
• Tomoyo
• Chi (rainy day artbook)
• Chi (brown uniform)
• Moka Akashiya (teacher)
• Moka Akashiya (maid)
• Ruby (volume 5)
• Mumei
• Mumei (haori)
• Black Canary (comic version)
• Asui Tsuyu (UA uniform)
• Asui Tsuyu (gym uniform)
• Kaguya-sama
• Chika Fujiwara
• Ochako (UA uniform)

The simple stuff

I started the year with very big projects in mind which of course never came to be. A very expensive trip to the emergency vets with my beloved cat Mileena did not help to fulfill my plans either (NOTE: don’t let your cats enter your sewing room, they will eat your needles!). Nevertheless, I still tried to deliver and made an Elsa casual photoshoot very early on in January. Simple, but I just wanted some photos with my awesome Olaf.

By February I had been feeling a bit unwell for a while. Let me tell you my symptoms: high fever, continuous cough and loss of sense of smell. Sounds familiar? Yep, it sucks. I was in bed for a month and still with pain on my ribs and lungs until summer. Yet Coronavirus wasn’t a thing at the time, and I never got diagnosed. When I was finally over it (yet still in pain) I managed to finish my Black Canary cosplay! One of my favourite comic characters ever. And I also made a second version of the same character just a few months later (I also made a pattern for the bodysuit here).

My Hero Academia fever

One of the animes that has hooked lots of people in the last few years is of course My hero academia. The only event I managed to attend this year was late February and Froppy was my character. The cosplay was virtually finished at the end of 2019 so I only needed a few bits. Later in the year I got a photoshoot with the amazing Ian Moore and I also wore my UA uniforms which I had purchased.

Nana Shimura was next. Again, this cosplay was almost finished so I only had to wear it (pattern for the catsuit here). And I took the opportunity to take a few photos with the UA uniform too.Ochako also got new photos as I had barely taken any the year before. These photos are from much later in summer with Granetalia, when we were still with a postlockdown strange situation.

Blast from the past

If you follow me, you know I can’t resist throwing in some old characters. They may not be popular anymore, but I still love them. When lockdown kicked in I made sure to use some of my stash fabric. Tomoyo was first, and I used some leftover fabric from other projects to complete her.

Also, after many years, I finally managed to wear my Chobits cosplay. She is my favourite character yet I wasn’t sure if I would look good on it. You will see her again for sure. Furthermore, my other beloved character Moka made an appearance with two looks from the manga covers, as a teacher and as a maid.

Finishing old projects

There is always a project hanging around that you never seem to get the time to finish. My Mumei in particular had been on the make for 4 years! Far too long. I guess it was a difficult cosplay with many little parts and I kind of decided to go for three looks in one go. Oopsie. She was the perfect excuse to use my new 3D printer for the first time as well! I honestly think the cosplay and the photos came out great. But as it wasn’t a popular character anymore it didn’t get the attention it deserved.

Recycling to the top

As cash in general has been short, and going out shopping wasn’t even a possibility, I took the chance to make some awesome cosplays using the fabric of my stash. For some reason I seem to make my better cosplays whenever I just use whatever I have around. Perhaps I just have too much around? My Ruby Rose was almost entirely done with things I had around during lockdown. This included my old bedsheets! Which became part of my skirt and hood as well as my shirt. Don’t you miss the full tutorial on my IGTV! The pattern for the corset is here too.

Last of the year

The last cosplays of the year were Chika and Kaguya-sama. Love is war was one of the animes I really enjoyed this year so I decided to make them. Actually, I took the photos for these cosplays in July and sadly, that was the end of the cosplay year for me. Actually you can download all the patterns here.

I did continue sewing more slowly but unfortunately did not have a chance to really complete any other cosplays. The second half of the year has been stressful. Sad circumstances with a big loss in our lives, a neverending house renovation and the return to work under the new normal sucked all my motivation as well as the time left of the year. But! Not all is lost, and preparations for 2021 are already happening!

Final thoughts

I may not have finished all the cosplays I have planned for this year, but at least I was able to tick most of the boxes of my Cosplay New Year Resolutions . Although it ended rather early, I still had the chance to make the most of my time during furlough, and I actually have several almost finished cosplays that hopefully will see the light in 2021! It has been tough but it is almost over. We made it! It doesn’t matter if you did a lot or very little. The important thing is that we are still here and we are all looking forwards to better times.

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 My 2020 Cosplay Recap appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.

Spooky features

Horns, wings and pointy ears. Every creature of the night has its own traits. My personal favourites are the vampires. Have you got time to make your own articulated wings? If the answer is no, don’t worry, you can always download my free bat wing pattern and make cute bat wings with foam. Do not forget your fangs that you can make with your favourite thermoplastic Worbla’s deco art. However, beware of werewolves and their giant claws!

I only used wire and paper to make my Maleficent’s horns. And if you prefer something fancier you can also go for my Dragon’s headdress. Making your own elf ears with foam clay and masking tape should also be easy.

Dressed to impress

I can hardly imagine a vampire without a corset or a magician without a cloak. Get some fabric and make a lace up bustier and a hooded cloak. They make a great base for magicians, pirates, sorcerers and vampires!

I cannot forget the superheroes, precisely because it is Halloween you may want to do your best to fight evil. This simple turtle neck bodysuit or the front seam fitted bodysuit are just perfect. You can also wear a catsuit if the night is cold.

Last but not least, there is also space for princesses, pretty dresses and big bows. You can be absolutely anything or anyone! Maybe you want to be Mulan on her Chinese Han Fu, or you just want to add a big bow to spice up something you already have.

If looks could kill

Finally, don’t forget your special make up. Maybe you are cutting it short if you haven’t ordered your contact lenses for this Halloween, but there is always express shipping! Some of my favourite coloured lenses are the Sweety Vampire Red and the Sweety Pro Black from Uniqso. You also get a 10% discount if you use my code ALICECOS. Is it your first time wearing contact lenses? Stop! Make sure you ask a professional first and get your eyes tested. It won’t take long and they can answer all your doubts about contact lenses.

It doesn’t matter what you wear this Halloween. I doesn’t even matter if you are not going out this Halloween. The important thing is to be creative and have fun! Honestly, even if I have a big Halloween cosplay collection, I have my own reasons not to wear a cosplays this Halloween. Whatever you decide to do, have a great night! And let me know in my social media which ones were your favourite Halloween resources!

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 Halloween resources for cosplayers and costume lovers appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.

Let the cosplay list season begin

It has started. Every year by December and January my feed gets full of cosplay wishlists. “This year I am doing these cosplays”. Well, I don’t even know if I’ll finish soon the cosplay I started 6 months ago!

But let’s be realistic, how often do you get to finish the cosplays in those lists? I have actually checked my own lists. My Cosplay Planner actually helps a lot keeping track of my ideas.

I checked the lists of my last three years. I wasn’t that bad, on average I completed about 40% of the cosplays in my lists. However, I almost never completed them in that same year they appeared! I only completed about 25% of the cosplays I had planned for the year on time! Which means I dropped 3 out of 4 cosplays I had planned that year! And I am being very optimistic with these numbers.

Reasons why you will never complete your Cosplay Wishlist

There are many reasons why you won’t be able to finish those cosplays on time. And I’m not even considering the time when you sprained your wrist while doing martial arts (funny story, true story) or when you had to refurbish your craft room from scratch. Here are just some of the problems you may encounter.

1. The hype

This is your nemesis, the number one reason why you won’t be finishing your cosplays, the thing that will keep you awake at nights. The culprit of all those unfinished projects, the delay of your current build and the great fear of the cosplayer. The new stuff.

Fashions come and go so fast, and they also apply to cosplay. There is always new characters appearing on your social media and you want to be on top of the wave. There are so many new characters and with so amazing designs. The new anime season, the latest Marvel film, the E3 new games, you want to make them all! The truth is most people will forget about these characters in a year or two, but who cares, you want to do it and you want to do it now.

Hype can strike you in two different ways. One, it will make you drop your current project in favour to the most fashionable one, you will finish it, but you will delay or drop your current project, maybe forever. Or two, you will do a make up test, probably spend a lot of money on fabric and materials you will never use and you will lose interest. The cosplay will never make it out of your list. FAIL.

2. Too many cosplays

And this makes cosplay 31 on my wishlist of cosplays for this year, which means… I need to finish a cosplay every 1.6 weeks in order to finish them all in time…D’oh!

You are not being realistic, there is no way you can finish all the coplays in your list before the end of the year. There are just too many! And you haven’t even considered the hype in the original ecuation.

There are just far too many outfits out there you would like to make and not enough time for all of them. You are going to have to choose. Go for the ones you would really want to make, and leave the rest for whenever you have the extra time (ha, ha, ha, extra time). Remember that not only you want to make the cosplays but wear them in a convention or two and take some photos. That takes time too! Choose wisely and remember that cosplay time has its own flow (usually slower than you think).

3. You are poor

Sorry my dear, the piggy bank is broken. You have spent all your money on fancy fabric and worbla. And you don’t have enough for a new project.

Cosplayers have very expensive tastes, we think we are clever and we are saving money on the sales, but the truth is that we spent quite a bit of money on those cosplay details that make our cosplays perfect. If I were to buy all the materials for all the cosplays in my list I would probably not have enough to eat!

Sometimes saving up for that next project may take longer than you think. Be aware of your limitations and plan your budget with care.

4. Life

Yes! You DO have a life! Did you forget to visit your grandma this weekend? Don’t tell me you run out of milk again this week. When was the last time you played with your cats?

It is very easy to get carried away with your cosplay and forget about everything else. Many times I have found myself forgetting to eat! Your mum won’t be cleaning your room for you forever. The truth is there is not enough time for everything. Make sure you have plenty of time saved for your everyday tasks, your friends and your family, they are for sure much more important than your next cosplay. This also includes TAKING A BREAK every so often.

My list of cosplays I will never complete (2020 edition)

I may not be able to finish my list of cosplays this year, but nevertheless I will make one. It just wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t. Here are just some of the cosplays on my list that I may or may not finish, but hey, let’s just give it a try!

By the time you read this I will have already started 2 of them, and probably dropped another too. Want to know how I’m doing? Make sure you follow me on Facebook . Twitter and Instagram to see my progress!

And remember to check my goals on Ko-fi, I will be ablet to create more cosplays and more tutorials with your support, and I will share them with you! Some of my cosplay patterns will end up in my patterns and cosplay related downloadables make sure to check my current collection! Also, don’t forget to download my Cosplay Planner to start your own list! Happy sewing!

The post Why you will never complete your Cosplay Wishlist appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.

The cosplay giveaway includes all this!

One of the stars of the giveaway is a free pair of contact lenses! As you know, I have been reviewing contact lenses by Uniqso during the past few months and they have kindly offered 3 pairs of contact lenses of YOUR choice, that will go to 3 different winners! They have a huge selection so you can start picking now. I will also add a cute lens case for the first prize.

The first, second and third prize winners will get coupons of £25, £15 and £10 pounds respectively to download my Cosplay Planner and two of my patterns from my Etsy Shop, such an amazing start if you are looking into making your first cosplay!

Also got two Wigs 101 books for the first and second winners which are a great help if you are a cosplay beginner with wigs, this printed edition is a convention exclusive and you won’t find it anywhere else unless you meet Kukkii in person! Check the review of the book here and learn where to buy it if you can’t wait!

Of course you will need a wig for your cosplay, so I have chosen two wigs of my collection, the two blond ones, that will go to the first and second prizes as well, they are a great practice and useful for so many costumes!

The first prize also includes all this!

Other bits and bobs that a cosplayer will need include a pair of eyelashes, a w7 contour palette to change your face so noone can recognize you, 2 face masks because you forgot to hydrate your face and it feels like a cactus, clips for your cosplay planner, a seam reaper for all those mistakes you are going to make, a notebook to write down your crazy cosplay plans on the go, invisible zippers that probably you won’t know how to sew, post-it notes to remind you how late you are for your cosplay

Also, a sachet of worbla deco art for little details, thread, safety pins for when you are in the middle of a convention and your cosplay starts falling into pieces, micro lights to add to your cosplay and be the boss of the convention, a make up bag to keep all the bobs and pieces above and a tote bag for all the props that don’t fit in your luggage but you still need to bring to the convention! And of course, some sweets, because you know you won’t have time to eat during the convention will you? Oh yeah, and prints with my face that probably you don’t want but I am giving them away anyway.

The cosplay giveaway finishes Tuesday the 16th at 22h (UK time) and it is open worldwide!

Good luck to everyone and to many more years of cosplay!

XXXOOO

Alice

Hey, and if you want to invite me to a hot chocolate why not support me on Ko-Fi? Maybe? It is not a subscription! Birthday wishes comments welcome too!

The post Cosplay Bundle Giveaway Birthday Celebration appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.

Welcome to Cosplayland! My name is Alice and I’ve been a cosplayer and manga addict for a while now.
For those who don’t know, to cosplay is to dress up as a character from anime, manga, videogames and even films and comics. It is a wonderful (and very time consuming) hobby but overall it is worth it.

Many people write about this and there are hundreds of wonderful tutorials waiting out there if you can find them. In this blog I will try to summarize all the knowledge that I have acquired (and I keep acquiring). I will also add some solutions that I have worked out myself.

Sit back, relax, collect your tools and let’s start those cosplays!

I hope you can have fun with me in Alice in cosplayland!

Spanish

¡Bienvenidos a Cosplayland! Mi nombre es Alice y he sido una cosplayer y adicta al manga desde hace ya una temporada. Para aquellos que no lo saben, hacer cosplay es disfrazarse de un personaje de anime, manga, videojuegos e incluso películas y comics. Es un hobby maravilloso (que consume mucho tiempo) pero sobre todo merece la pena.

Mucha gente escribe sobre este tema y hay un millón de tutoriales maravillos (la mayoría en inglés) esperando si puedes encontrarlos. En este blog intentaré resumir todos los conocimientos que he adquirido (y sigo adquiriendo). También añadiré algunas soluciones que he encontrado yo misma.

Toma asiento, relájete, coge tus herramientas y empecemos a hacer esos cosplays!

Espero que os divirtáis conmigo en ¡Alice in cosplayland!

The post Welcome to Cosplayland! appeared first on Alice in Cosplayland.