25 DIY Cosplay Prop Ideas
Cosplay Armor: How to Make a Full-Face Helmet with EVA Foam
Helmets are absolutely one of the most difficult pieces of armor to construct for a costume. Not only do you have to get the shape of the helmet right, but it also has to fit over your face (sometimes with…
Tutorial: Create Armor Talons for Costumes (with moveable joints)
If you want to create talons that you can wear and move around with your fingers, EVA foam (or craft foam) will be the easiest material to use. You will create three separate pieces and create hinges around your finger…
Tutorial: Cosplay Swords for Beginners
Need a shield to go with your sword? check out my other tutorial (which includes two types of shields) Crafting a cosplay sword can elevate your costume from good to great, providing that element of realism that can impress at…
Tutorial: Sturdy Boot and Shoe Covers for Costumes (EVA foam)
There are countless methods for creating boot covers for your cosplay. For some, you glue (or otherwise attach) the cover to the base shoe. However, I prefer to make covers that are completely detachable. Since I expect to wear these…
Tutorial: How to Make Dragon or Bat Wings
Making cellophane wings is slightly more difficult than other methods of costume wings, but it’s still doable for the determined beginner. This method creates shining, see-through wings that look somewhat ephemeral. It’s best used for open wing structures, such as…
Tutorial: How to Make a Snaggle Tooth for Costumes
Adding fangs to the bottom jaw is a little more difficult than adding them to the top. This is because most people have a slight overbite, so a bottom tooth that stands straight up will poke into your top gums…
Tutorial: Make a Clip-On Unicorn Horn
For this tutorial, you use two strands of clay and twist them around each other to create the horn effect. This method creates unicorn horns that have a somewhat more cartoonish look, which will work well for a lot of…
Tutorial: Sew an Anime-Style Bow With Ribbon
This is not a tutorial for how to tie a bow, instead it’s for how to sew one in place so you can reuse it. It will create a bow with a visible looping effect, rather than the flat look…
Tutorial: How to Make Gloves (and fingerless) for Anime Costumes
Making gloves from non-stretch fabric is difficult because you need to take the thickness of your hand and fingers into account. The fabric is not going to be able to stretch around your hand. It took me three tries to…
Tutorial: Make Gems for Custom Jewelry with Resin
A lot of jewelry will have gems and jewels inlaid as part of the design. The good news is that you don’t have to go out and purchase expensive gemstones to recreate the costume piece. Instead, you can create fake…
9 Tips to Weather Your Props
Weathering props adds character and story to them. After all, what fighter will ever have a pristine shield or armor that looks like it’s never seen battle? All of the items that we use day-to-day will have some kind of…
3 Methods to Create a Fake Beard or Goatee for Cosplay
There are a lot of skills to learn in cosplay, and one that doesn’t get talked about as much is creating fake facial hair. Despite this, it’s an essential skill for crossplayers to master but is a useful skill for…
How to Make a ‘Wooden’ Wizard Staff (with clay)
Sometimes you need to make a wooden wizard staff for your next cosplay, but there’s no way to get ahold of an actual stick to use. Or maybe you need to create a wooden staff that has a very specific…
How to Make Custom Goggles for Your Cosplay (it’s easier than you think)
Goggles are a very common accessory among cosplay protagonists, but they all come in unique shapes with odd details added on. Unless the character is very popular, it’s usually pretty difficult to find ready-made goggles that are perfect for your…
Tutorial: How to Make “Wooden” Shield for Costumes
You can use props of any kind to help your costume stand out within the crowd of cosplayers. One of the most common types of props that costumes call for is some form of shield. There are many different types…
Tutorial: How to Create Claws for Costumes
You can attach claws directly to your fingernails for a beast-like effect. The type of claws you make will depend on the overall look you’re going for and the amount of work you want to put into the claws. Nail…
Tutorial: Make a Unicorn Horn and Hold it on Your Forehead
Whether you’re dressing up as a unicorn for Halloween, cosplaying as a galarian ponyta, or just want to be a narwhal, you’ll have to make a horn to match your costume. If you’re ambitious, you might also try to find…
How to Make Floppy Dog Ears with (faux) Fur
Making floppy dog ears is a little different than cat ears for a costume. In order for the material to accurately reflect the shape of a dog’s ear, you need to create a solid base for the ear (I used…
Tutorial: How to Create a Perfect Bow (shoujo style)
I am not good at tying bows. They always end up droopy, uneven, and upside down (somehow?). So for cosplay, I try to never rely on my ability to tie a pretty bow. Instead, I fake it. There are multiple…
Tutorial: How to Make the Perfect Witch Hat for Cosplay or Halloween
Have you tried making a witch hat only to find that it looks stiff and lifeless or keeps drooping? Well, I have the fix for you! Mostly, this comes down to the material you use for your witch hat. I…
Tutorial: Superhero Eyemasks for Costumes
Creating a superhero eyemask for cosplay is a fun way to immerse yourself in your character. Whether you’re aiming to replicate the iconic look of characters like the Incredibles or crafting an original creation, the eye mask is a central…
How to Paint Something to Look Like Wood (the easy way)
When making cosplay props, one of the most common painting techniques you’ll need to learn is how to paint something that is not wooden to look like wood. There are really countless techniques for painting objects to look like they…
Tutorial: How to Make Tiefling Horns for Costumes
Crafting tiefling horns for your cosplay ensemble isn’t just about adding a striking visual; it’s about embodying your character’s otherworldly charm. It’s easier than you might think to create your own custom horns that look great and stay put no…
How to Make a Poseable Cosplay Tail for Cats and Tieflings
Your cosplay character has a tail and you want to make one that doesn’t just hang behind you lifelessly. You’ve come to the right place! I will teach you how to create a tail that you can position into various…
How to Make a Collar Stand Up Like an Anime Character
As someone who does not have a background in sewing, there was a lot I had to teach myself about how to make costumes look the way they should. One of the things I had to learn was how to…