Cosplayer advice for a first timer

[Logic]

Comic-con is coming to my local area, and I plan to go. I also plan to go full local, and dress up.

I have a short list of characters I want to go as, but am having trouble deciding. My current short list is (in reverse order of likeliness):
Dr. Strange: I am not a dark haired 40-something, and my facial hair is probably not going to work out, as I am required to shave every month for military obligations. But the costume is fantastic, so I am a little partial to this one.
Iron Fist: I am not exactly the right build for a Kung Fu superhero, but I suppose I am close enough.
Moon Knight: Finding all that white and not getting it stained before or during is going to be TOUGH.
Dr. Horrible: I think this is my best bet. I look fairly close to the part, plus I don't have to wear a mask!

However, I am open to suggestions. I prefer comic characters, and will not go as a character I have never heard of, or a character I intensely dislike (Kyp Durron anyone?)

But, more to the point, is what is the experience of of the cosplayers in the playground? Any particular pearls of wisdom that should be imparted upon me before I undertake this endeavor?

[Ravens_cry]

Make sure it's something you can wear. Not a cosplayer, never had a chance, but as someone who loves Halloween, I know that walking around for several hours in something you can barely breathe and see out of, however impressive, loses its lustre fast.
I saw someone as Pyramid Head show up at a Zombie Walk and they didn't exactly do much walking.

[Jay R]

Make sure the costume does not restrict movement, and get used to wearing it before you wear it in a crowded convention hall.

I also recommend having a few generic phrases memorized and ready. For Dr. Strange, for instance, "By the lush, lurid, living alliteration of Lee" or some such. After all, you can't dress like Dr. Lazarus without saying "By Grabthar's hammer!"

Finally, don't forget that when it stops being fun, you can go take it off and just be you. It's a game, not a straitjacket.

[Illieas]

are you making your costume?
plan it out if you do and add a month or two of leeway. do skteches and add dimentions and measure twice cut once.


doctor strange: you can get fake facial hair and a wig to cover those problems. depends on how accurate you want. you don't necessarily need the right hair color unless anime weird colors like say pink or blue (which you can spray on).

convention advice:

bring a emergency sewing kit and safety pins or if desperate duct tape.

A bag to hold stuff.

Hydrate well.

choose light breathable material where possible.

deodorant

if multiple days in the same costume a smell test it with a friend or wash it.

check for photo gathering for your cosplay genre if you're interested in that.

enjoy what you're wearing and have a good time.

[Vanitas]

You must do Iron Fist!

Someone must hold back the storm when nothing else can!!

[dethkruzer]

Gonna second the emergency kit bit, turned out keeping a roll of duct tape on me at a convention was a good idea when a prop scythe I had with snapped in two. It was part design failure, but even a piece of duct tape gets you a long way.

another thing worth mentioning is that if you plan on having some sort of prop, make sure it can disassemble if necessary.

[Haruki-kun]

Tip:

Make sure that whatever you pick, it's not something that looks like regular wear. If you dress up like "that character from that movie" who is a regular human in our modern-day Earth, no one will get it, and they will likely think you're not cosplaying at all.

[Jay R]

One more thing: don't let other people's reaction to the cosplay be the only goal of the convention, especially for a first time at cosplay. Have fun with it, but if somebody has a better costume than yours, it can still be a good day.

[Karoht]

1-Start at a thrift store, end at the hardware store. My fiance coined this motto, it's worked pretty well so far.
2-Have a clear idea of what you expect to look like before you start. Reference pictures, sketches, all good ideas.
3-Be absolutely certain that clothing parts fit properly. If you can't do a cartwheel without destroying the clothing, move on. Wardrobe malfunctions suck.
4-Makeup. If you can't do your makeup yourself, simplify.
5-Weight. Put all of your costume pieces into one bag. Can you lift it? Can you move it from place to place without severe difficulty? Can you carry it up a flight of stairs in one go? If not, chances are it's too heavy for you to wear for very long at a time, consider simplifying.
6-If you plan on working with things like fiberglass or worbla or any hard substance, do a cardboard mockup first. You would be amazed how much time this actually saves, and can save on wasted product (Worbla and other resources are typically expensive)
7-Paper mache is either your best friend or your worst nightmare.

Hope that helps.

[Jay R]

7-Paper mache is either your best friend or your worst nightmare.

I've had a best friend like that.

[Godiva]

I make tons of costumes, here is what I've learned:
1) high heels never work out, carry spare shoes
2) clothing tape that tapes to your skin stops embarrassment
3) if it's itchy or hot or lose or too tight you won't enjoy your con
4) if it includes a corset of any other sort of clothing you have no practice with, you need to wear it at home and break it in
5) make sure you have a place to hide your badge it otherwise ruins photos, same said for bags
6) make up melts unless it's professionally done or set, having to spray paint your body takes too much time to cover and you'll need a friend and it's messy, it gets everywhere
7) don't trust your friends to help you with the costume while at the con, everyone will want to do their own thing, lack of sleep and too much sugar also play factors
8) and as someone said above carry a repair kit, duck tape, safety pins, crazy glue, needle thread
9) last but not least WEAR UNDERWEAR, you never know when the costume just needs to come off and you need to be covered.