I'm tan, small, and have masculine features, so I have a tendency to pick out characters like that. I usually end up with a male character (even though I'm a girl, but I don't mind. As long as the cosplay ends up looking good XD). 

Please take note that this is very very important! Since the beginning, I've been fixated with the idea that I could pull off a sexy girly costume, something like Rikku from FF10. Tried it and failed miserably. The costume never even left my closet. Since then, I have fully accepted that I can only be a man (for cosplay). LOL (Maybe I'll try it again, someday.)

2. If you don't have it, make it work. If you don't have the features that your character of choice has, don't worry. That's what make-up and prosthetics are for.

Here are some techniques you may want to use:

CONTOURING. Contouring with make-up and face paint does wonders for the wonderful world of shapeshifting that we do in cosplay. You can turn a young girl into an older woman, a man, and even into a cat if you want to. 

Here's a link to my Orochimaru Make-up Tutorial as a sample of contouring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDXmdbzvcCg&lc=qaugkcYHhEvOpdB7IRprCleCyjYVIAi5wZOZ7FU54Pg&feature=inbox

PROSTHETICS. As for other features, e.g. pointy ears and fangs, one can easily buy silicone prosthetics through the internet. You can even try making them yourselves. 

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS. With regard to one's actual body type, there's no easy way around it. You work hard for that awesome body with exercise and a healthy diet. (Although I DID make fake muscles for my Thanatos cosplay. He's a really big guy.)

CROSSPLAY. Changing one's apparent physical features from female to male or male to female may be a bit more difficult to pull off the first time around, but when you find out how to do it, you'll be happy to know that it's easy as pie. I'll discuss this more in a different blog entry. 

Here's a link to my very simple tutorial on Crossplaying. :) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB3RFCQH8Ug

3. Two heads are better than one. Cosplaying is generally much much more fun when you do it with friends! Have your friend check out the character you picked out and keep an open mind to any comments and suggestions he/she might make. Seeing the situation from a different perspective helps a lot in making an accurate decision for picking out your character. Furthermore, I highly recommend going on group cosplays than cosplaying particular characters from different games or anime together. It's a lot more fun to pose and fool around during conventions. XD

4. Know your limits. As much as I'd like to say, "There ARE no boundaries for cosplay!", I cannot. Here are a few reasons why:

RESOURCES. You have to set a budget for your cosplay making. Going beyond a reasonable amount for your costume is simply wasteful. Pick a character and do your research. Like mentioned in Easter Egg's previous blog, doing research will help you picture how your costume would look as a finished product and subsequently help you decide efficiently how much material you would need.

BODY TYPE. Although there are a variety of means to get the body that you want for your cosplay, we sometimes have to accept that there are limitations to how much one should change about oneself. For example, I cannot tolerate any act of permanently altering one's body JUST for the sake of cosplay, i.e. plastic surgery. Go out in full confidence and pride of your body.

Well, this blog post has gotten too long. Basically, for best results, pick out a character that looks like you or a character that you LOVE. LOL