If you have never actually cosplayed or bounded, getting started can be daunting. However, I’m here to help! I have come up with a method of creating your cosplays (for the sake of simplicity, I am going to call everything in this article “cosplay”, whether it is a cosplay, a bound or a mash-up. I call it the “Team Build”.
To say you are constructing or building a cosplay is remarkably accurate. Even if you aren’t getting out a glue gun or blow torch, you are still constructing. Every cosplay has building blocks that, when put together, make a complete look. The Team Build is organized so that when you put together each piece, or “member” or your team, you’ll have a completed cosplay. So, let’s get building!
I’m going to actually construct a dapper Star Lord as an example. I will break it down into team members and then at the end, you will have a complete super-hero team in one cosplay.
Team Member 1: The Leader
Every super character has that one thing that makes it, it. Examples are Captain America’s shield, Iron Man’s arc reactor, Batman’s cowl, you get the picture. What is that one thing you need to let everyone know who you are cosplaying?
For my dapper Star Lord bound, I began with his jacket. When building a screen accurate cosplay, I would begin with his Walkman. Now, because this is a bound and a dapper one at that, I took the burgundy leather jacket piece and made it a burgundy shrug instead. Get your own on Amazon by clicking this link.
Team Member 2: The Brick
This team member provides the muscle, the foundation. This is your main piece of clothing in the cosplay. This is the bat suit. This piece will be doing your heavy lifting. For my cosplay, I needed something dapper, so a dress. A 50s style dress to be exact. Now, think of your character, what color/style do you need? For me, a blue pin-up style dress was key. Get your own on Amazon with this link. Blue to mimick his blue shirt. It will go with the burgundy shrug nicely to give me a Star Lordesque look.
Team Member 3: The Scientist
This team member is all about being smart about your cosplay, specifically self-care. Let’s start with shoes. What footwear does your hero wear? How can you adapt that to a being-on-your-feet-all-day scenario? Since I was dapper bounding, I went with a sneaker. I adapted them to look like saddle shoes (I will give you all the details in a later post so you can make your own.). Does your cosplay present any other physical challenges? How can you adapt them to make it workable? Do you require any safety equipment? Make sure you adapt that into the cosplay!
Team Member 4: The Exotic
Literally where the magic will happen. Your exotic pieces will bring the cosplay to life. These are your accessories and props. Besides you Team Leader, are there other accessories that your character is known for? How can you incorporate them into your cosplay? If you are Iron Man bounding, instead of a full-size arc reactor, what about an arc reactor necklace? Doctor Strange bound, a burgundy long cardigan instead of a cloak. For my Star Lord bound, this was getting orange stud earrings for his head phones and a cassette tape necklace. I also added in a couple of Star Lord bracelets. All are available on Amazon. The shades are also available on Amazon. Just click the links above.
Team Member 5: The Blaster
This is your hair and make-up. Do you need a wig? If not, how can you color/style your hair to emulate your hero? How about make-up? Is there something that your character is known for here, such as a certain color lip or certain color eye shadow? For dapper and pin-up, best to go with a red lip, which is what I did. I wear Revlon’s “Love Is On”, which is available on Amazon here.
So, that’s it in five steps! You’ve built your superhero team, your cosplay! Congratulations! Attached is a checklist you can print and make notes on for your own team ups! Click below to download and print to your heart’s content!
Click here for your own Checklist!
Happy Building!
Love, Kim and Scout
