#cool cosplays

The Wig

I bought mine on Aliexpress for around $9 USD. There are many other places to buy wigs, but this was one of my first cosplays so I wasn’t after the highest quality. If I was going to redo this costume I would have preferred one from Rock Star Wigs because they are much higher quality and more comfortable. It wouldn’t have been as shiny as the one from Aliexpress, so beware when buying cheap wigs. But I got a basic wig at this link from Aliexpress,

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ladies-and-Gentlemen-Pixie-Cosplay-Anime-Short-Full-Wigs-Curly-Hair-Tail-White-Synthetic-Wig-Costume/32686661532.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.Pl9n2u

Here is what the site advertised:

This was my first ever wig styling and I think it turned out pretty well. I trimmed the pieces in order to make spikes. I suggest following a reference picture in order to have the curves of hair in the right place. At first I tried to secure the spikes with hairspray, shown in the first selfie. As you can see, the edges do not want to stay sharp. I used Tacky Glue to make the super secure and it definitely gave me the sharper points I was looking for. You also might want to use a nude colored wig cap since the wig is so light colored. Any hair that slips out will be very obvious and if the wig moves slightly, you would be able to see a darker wig cap.

This next picture of me at at Animinneapolis playing cards with some friends. The glasses aren’t part of the costume but I was taking a break and need them to see.

Tips: Hand wrap, acting, and Yukina’s necklace

There are many different ways to wrap your hand like Hiei, but this is the reference I used.

This is a bit complicated, so practice makes perfect! If you don’t have time, I suggest gently wrapping your hand in bandages that sticks to itself. This makes it fit snugly around your hand, but it won’t make your palms overheat.

I found a necklace that looked like Yukina’s necklace at my local Renaissance Fair this fall. Any necklace with a blue gem at the end would work. This is an image from the show that I used as a reference.

And here is the actual necklace. The gem looks pretty dark, but I think it suits the costume more than a bright blue necklace.

I followed https://schmemycosplay.tumblr.com/post/143846376823/foam-wig-tutorial and used their instructions as a baseline. I made multiple of the “swim cap” base parts and chose the one I found the most comfortable. 

This project will need: Scissors, paper, a pencil, a measuring tape, a wig head,  and craft foam for the base. The hair is made with craft foam, hot glue, sealant (I used Elmers glue), and A LOT OF FREE TIME.

I spent hours cutting foam into the pieces of hair and I used about two sheets of craft foam that were 12 by 18 inches. It doesn’t matter what color foam it is, although I suggest trying to pick of a color close to what the wig will be in the end. I used red and white foam because that’s what I had lying around. This project is really good if you have scraps of craft foam.  I started layering them at the back and tried it on to make sure it covered up the wig cap.

Have lots of reference pictures of your character and decide what size and shape the pieces need to be. This is one of the pictures of Hiei I used as a reference. Try to find pictures or 3D models so you can see how the hair in the back of their head lays.

Just keep cutting, layering, and adjusting. If you have parts that need to curl, gently heat them up with a hairdryer on low and shape to your desired look. Fill in empty spots with small scraps. Before painting, put multiple coats of sealant on all of the foam. Put sealant and paint in the inside as well so no one will be able to tell the original color. The paint will be absorbed into the foam and you will have to use at least twice as much if you don’t. Some paint will also eat away at foam, so I stress this, Seal your foam!

Sealing and painting was the most time consuming part of my wig. This part easily took 10+ hours. The main problem I had was the fact that i was applying everything with a paintbrush. I highly suggest finding a sealant and paint that you can spray. If you can’t find a way to spray it, I suggests finding some audiobooks. I used a tiny doe foot paintbrush to get into the corners and add the white detail in the front of Hiei’s hair.

The clothing Hiei wears it very simplistic and most of it you can find around the house. Start with form-fitting black pants, a black shirt to wear under the tunic, and a white infinity scarf. I made a white headband and it helped keep my foam wig in place. The last step is making Hiei’s signature black tunic, which is surprisingly easy.

To make the tunic, you will need: paper and a pencil, scissors, about 3 yards of black cotton fabric, black thread, and a black zipper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyc2utX16L4&list=PLHzZ5Ci9ekMKQWxBs-F2D-84ocRu4stug&index=40 I used this tutorial as a base and made small adjustments to make it more masculine. Some adjustments I made were:

On step #3, using an inch of hem allowance instead of 1/2 and inch because I used a non-stretchy cotton.

On step #4 making the chest area go down 3 inches instead of 2 to make it looks slightly more fitted at the waist.

I changed step #6 slightly by making the lines only 3/4 of an inch instead of 1 inch. This helped it look less like a dress and more like a tunic

I added a zipper in the back that was hidden my the scarf

Here what the pattern should look like

Here is the completed tunic and scarf

You can add detail by wrapping your hand (gently) in ace bandages and wearing a necklace with a blue gem at the end ( I got this one at the Renaissance festival). I used black combat boots instead of his black flats because I felt that it would make him seem slightly stronger.

For your convenience, here is a list of links for all pieces of the Edward Elric Cosplay tutorial.

Black Coat: https://capriciouscosplayerposts.tumblr.com/post/163731002904/edward-elric-cosplay-part-1

Red Coat:  https://capriciouscosplayerposts.tumblr.com/post/163948619924/edward-elric-cosplay-part-2

Hand: https://capriciouscosplayerposts.tumblr.com/post/164384119459/edward-elric-cosplay-part-3