The Art of Building Costumes

Walker Roberts, University of Florida Class of 2018

Life as a Vet Student Category Winner

The Art of Building Costumes

My unique, strange, and down-right crazy hobby is costume making. Not just small character builds or thrift store stops, but full on creature and armor builds. The world of costume making for a hobby didn’t reach popularity until anime and gaming conventions began to arise around the nation from Comic Con in San Diego, California to Dragoncon in Atlanta, Georgia. While many costume makers (also known as cosplayers) build and wear their costumes for the fun of gathering with friends and meeting new ones, I build costumes to compete nationally in costume competitions from Ohio to Florida.

Photo collage of my costumes including (from left to right) Impa from Skyward Sword, the Black Knight from Dark Souls, and an original character. Photography by Cerulean and Iconiq Photography.

My hobby didn’t start until I was at the end of my sophomore year in College. I had not taken an art class since elementary school and I had never sewn before. And yet my first costume, Impa from the video game Skyward Sword, was a raging success at the local convention and it swept through the internet. I was hooked. However, I did not start competing until I made my second costume, Commander Shepard from the video game Mass Effect, and competed in a low key convention local to Morgantown, West Virginia. I won first place, and it gave me confidence to compete in bigger conventions (which meant a bigger draw for more talented costume makers). Until finally, I became who I am today. I have been cosplaying for three years and I average two or three competitions a year. I have placed seven times in competitions of which four of them are first place.

Comparison of my costume to the in-game character, Impa, from the videogame Skyward Sword. Best Sci-Fi costume at Shockacon 2013. Photography is by Cerulean Photography.

In general, the rules of the competition and judging vary based on the convention. For admission rules, some conventions only allow costumes from Asian culture. The main points of judging, however, are mostly always the same. You are judged on craftsmanship, complexity, functionality, and accuracy. Craftsmanship is how well you make your costume. Do you have any glue showing? It is falling apart right at the judge’s table? How clean are the seams? How smooth is the armor? Complexity is how detailed is your costume. Does your costume have lights? Does it have movable wings? Does it make sounds? Functionality refers to how well you can move and wear your costume. If you have stilts, how well can you move? How well can you see? Do you require people to help you move around? Lastly, accuracy refers to how close your costume matches the actual character. Did you spend that extra week weathering and detailing? All of this is judged in a matter of minutes and your overall score competes with the other fifty plus contestants.

Comparison of my Valka Haddock costume to the in-movie character from How To Train Your Dragon 2. First Place in the Western Culture division at Colossalcon 2014. Second Place at Swampcon 2014. First Place at ALTcon 2014. Photography is by Joe Rondone at the Tallahassee Democrat.

Let’s discuss the making of a costume. It took me a couple of years, but I have finally learned that you never know what you are doing or how exactly to make a certain piece of the costume. You learn to have confidence in your skills and your knowledge of the materials. You set out on an adventure every time you make something and every time I learn a new technique or a new approach to an old one.

Photo collage of my Black Knight from the video game Dark Souls. Awards include Judge’s Award at WVpopcon 2013 and Honorable Mention at Tsubasacon 2013. Photography by Iconiq Photography.

The first step to building a costume is to choose the outfit. You need to consider the rules of the competition. Some people choose their costumes based on complexity, connection with the character, or for simplicity in a time crunch. I choose my costumes based off how visual stunning it is. For example, my latest costume is the Songbird from the video game Bioshock Infinite. Its introduction to the main protagonist and the detail work is what made me decide to build the character.

An in-game picture of the character Songbird from Bioshock Infinite.

The next step is to find reference photos to the character in order to ensure exact details. If this is a character from a relatively older show or game, then there is a good chance someone else has already done the work for you. However, if you are building a character from something very recent, then it is time to watch the same trailer or the same cut scenes at least a hundred times and try to capture every angle of the costume. There are also times when there just isn’t enough detail in game/movie that you have to find another method like the Songbird. I needed to purchase the official statue from the company as a reference. Finally, it usually helps to draw out the details so you don’t miss anything.

Picture of the Songbird statue and some of my notes breaking down the costume build.

The third step is actually making the costume. When working with new materials or techniques, this step can be even more frustrating because you need to add more time to your schedule to research how to use them. What I have learned over the years is to forego the tutorials, learn the basics, and just mess with the materials. It is a constant process of building on top of the last layer. You are never truly done since there is always that ONE little additional detail or weathering, but the deadline of the competition stops your work. The Songbird is still a work in progress, but with the stilts, foam base, and leather, it has taken me close to a year to get this far. It is also the most expensive step. It is far cheaper just to buy the costume, but making a character from scratch helps to give me peace of mind and is definitely worth the money, sweat, and tears. 

My skills in costuming have grown a lot in the past three years from Impa to the Songbird. There is still work to be done and techniques to master. This hobby is crazy and stressful both emotionally and physically. Most of the competitions don’t even offer prizes other than certificates or goody bags. However, I have made great friends at these gatherings and the moment you walk out onto stage with hundreds of people cheering, it all becomes worth it. I will continue to make bigger and better costumes until I believe I am ready to compete with the professionals at the largest competitions in the nation.

A photo of what I have completed so far with the Songbird costume. I still need to finish the wings, detail, and weather.

You can see more of my work and tutorials at facebook.com/swiftforge