Here is a list of our top 20 around-the-house materials plus inexpensive products to help you get started with DIY costume making. Keep in mind Bryce is a young man so your list may differ slightly for a young woman.
First, and most importantly, use your creative mind and build rather than buy for DIY cosplay. For instance, we used $0 dollars and only materials around our home to make our Tin Man. Use this link to see how Bryce created some of his iconic costumes, including Tin Man, using materials around the house and a DIY approach.
1. A work area - cosplayers need a dedicated spot to create, preferably with a computer to look for and display costume ideas and costume making videos on You Tube, etc. You will also need a mirror for your cosplayer to admire their work.
2. Cardboard - just recycle the cardboard that enters your house. You'll be surprised at how much free cardboard you have. Grocery store paper bags and shipping envelopes also make good and flexible structures with duct tape reinforcement.
3. Tape - lots of tape, painter's tape, duct tape (many colors). We get ours from Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels.
4. Paint and brushes - we repurpose house paint stored in our garage. We also buy small cheap bottles of paint for our work area from Hobby Lobby, and paint brushes, small to large.
5. Paint pens - these are great for detail needs. We got ours at Hobby Lobby.
6. Sharpies - we get them from Costco, both the black and the set of colored sharies.
7. A hole punch - used to create ways to tie or assemble costume parts.
8. Elastic cord in many colors - used with the hole punch to assemble costume parts such as masks, wrist bands, body armor, etc., and make wearable.
9. Recycle your old unwanted clothing and even your old costumes - hats, shirts, socks, gloves, shoes, even old baseball pants. Turn shirts inside-out if needed to hide emblems and logos. Paint, dye, or tape to the color you need. Our designer likes to cut off sock ends to wear on his arms.
10. A local Thrift Store - for when you cannot find a clothing fit at home
11. Rit dye - it is often easier to dye than paint and easy to do.
12. Scissors - use with caution. We have regular scissors and fabric scissors and big and small scissors.
13. Bubble wrap - use for texture or to add cushiony comfort. We get ours at Home Depot or online.
14. Temporary make up and colored body cream - because sometimes your characters require it. We get ours at Party City.
15. Paper full face masks - we get these from Amazon. You can paint or tape and you can use the full face or cut out parts of it to fit your mask need. We also get smaller eye masks that we paint but sometimes we make our own face masks from cardboard.
16. Disposable gloves - these are cheap and can be painted to any color. You will also use them to keep your hands clean while painting.
17. Toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, and wrapping paper rolls (after paper used) - these are great to make ears, noses and other mask details. Wrapping paper rolls can be cut vertically then spliced together to make fake boot tops (think shin guards) that can be painted or taped for the perfect look because buying real boots is expensive. Wear these boot tops with similar colored shoes.
18. Wigs - we did go to Amazon for black, white and blonde wigs that get reused frequently. Bryce has brown hair so no need for a brown wig. Now we have almost every color, green, blue, red and orange included.
19. Bald and White Skull Caps - for the bald look or white face bald look. We got these at Amazon and use makeup to blend into the face.
20. Pull over face covering hoods - we get these cheap at amazon. They cover the hair and neck area with a face opening to blend in your costume. Also an easy alternative for a bald look.
