7 cosplay gadgets that will save your life!

If you're currently crafting your new cosplay and are experiencing a moderate crisis, we've prepared a few tips and tricks for you. They'll help you out in no time!

Don't despair, ask CosplayUp. Creating a good cosplay is a true art. But professional solutions don't always have to be difficult to implement or extremely expensive. On the contrary, there are many clever ideas that can help you solve some problems immediately.

Here you'll learn about little cosplay helpers that can save your life when you're in the middle of a project and don't know what to do next.

These are primarily small helper tools that make absolute sense from a technical point of view!

Buy lots of brushes and sponges!

Let's start with a simple rule: In cosplay, you can never have enough brushes and sponges. You'll be working with many different bases (read more about primers) and paints (this is my color selection) , so it's always worth having several brushes on hand.

You should keep several brushes and sponges on hand so you don't have to take long breaks for washing . You can then always wash right at the end of your brush session , and the good thing is that this streamlines your workflow and allows you to progress faster overall.

More is less: And if some of the cheap brushes are beyond repair, you can simply throw them away. They really don't cost much, and the larger the quantity you buy, the cheaper each brush becomes.

If you're thinking about buying new brushes and sponges , just stop by your local stationery store . Almost any standard brushes will do, and you can even buy them in bulk online.

Don't worry if you're "just" buying cheap brushes; save some money for a change. I've included a few examples of decent brushes here.

• Pelikan: Brush starter set with 5 hair and bristle brushes – a true all-time classic!
• Artecho brush set with 24 different sizes - The more sizes, the wider your application area
• HARDY WORKING TOOLS 5-piece flat brush set - These flat brushes are very high quality, so you should wash them immediately and not throw them away!

Velcro: A universal life hack

One of the greatest cosplay helpers , which I now even use in other areas of everyday life, is Velcro. Velcro tape is a tape that allows you to attach a hook-and-loop fastener to two objects, and in practice, it's one of the most useful things I can imagine.

The advantage of such a Velcro fastener (which doesn't necessarily have to be from the Velcro brand, by the way) is clear.

Cosplays are often very large and bulky—for example, massive armor . Therefore, to create a cosplay consisting of multiple individual pieces, it's often worthwhile to incorporate a fastener. This allows you to join two objects together and separate them at any time.

So the basic idea is clear, and it doesn't hurt to have some extra Velcro on hand. I recommend ordering a slightly larger quantity of regular Velcro or a slightly larger roll of Velcro, since you'll be coming into contact with this material again and again anyway.

Velcro is a true all-rounder and the perfect cosplay companion for dozens of uses.

• Velcro tape 50mm thick x 2.5 meters long - Original Velcro keeps what it promises!
• Velcro tape 50mm thick x 5 meters long - Original Velcro keeps what it promises!
• STARKL Premium Velcro tape 50mm x 5 meters long - Velcro tape (self-adhesive and extra wide)
• Braveshine 12 pieces industrial hook and loop tape 60mm x 60mm - square surfaces with strong hook and loop fastener (self-adhesive)
• Klebeshop24 Velcro tape 30mm thick x 3 meters long - Velcro tape for sewing

Keep in mind that there are adhesive Velcro strips available, which are often self-adhesive. Alternatively, there are also sew-on Velcro strips that you can sew onto your cosplays. This offers the advantage of maximum durability and quality .

Which do you prefer? Let us know in the comments!

Magnets for gluing

Alternative to connecting and disconnecting: There's another useful cosplay tool that's always at your side, especially when it comes to connecting. As an alternative, I recommend creating a connection using magnets .

Construction with such magnets can be very clean and well-fitting. Working with magnets is also a lot of fun.

You can attach this type of magnet assembly to many cosplay pieces, and the sky's the limit. But you often see this type of fastener on helmets or masks .

For example, there are Spider-Man masks that you can print with a 3D printer . During printing, a free area for magnets is integrated. The magnets are glued into the headgear after printing, and the mask or helmet can be opened and closed – completely magnetically.

This can be a real advantage for comfort, especially when you're traveling to conventions !

You can order magnets online in bulk. These small adhesive magnets are usually self-adhesive and feature a strong 3M adhesive . However, there are also long magnetic tapes for larger surfaces, for example:

• Magnetpro: Magnetized in pairs with 3M adhesive – Self-adhesive magnets x 50 pieces
• Masterpiece AB magnetic tape – 3 meter long magnetic tape 15mm x 2mm
• Utomag: Neodymium magnets without adhesive - 300 pieces in size 2x1mm

Never enough buckles, straps and clips!

But some cosplays simply don't allow us to work with Velcro or magnets. The size or shape might require a different approach. So what can I do then?

For example, you could consider a solution based on regular buckles . Use webbing and a clip fastener to position and connect the individual parts. This also allows you to separate the parts later.

These indispensable universal tools like straps or clips will save your butt when you're in the middle of your cosplay creation and need a solution if everything falls apart again.

This kind of crafting material is incredibly versatile: You can basically connect any piece, for example, from your plastic armor , to your underlying body suit. If you're building Stormtrooper armor , for example, you can connect the individual armor pieces with straps and clip fasteners. And when you're not wearing the armor, the pieces can even be removed again.

• LiteTour buckle clips and Tri-Glide slides – flat side buckles
• HUSZZM webbing with buckles 20mm – clip closure made of polypropylene
• VEUWOLM 5M x 2.5 cm Webbing with 10 Pairs of Buckles – Heavy Duty Nylon Webbing

A plastic buckle like this greatly increases wearability and comfort when you're wearing your costumes at conventions . Always keep in mind that you'll be spending a lot of time in this cosplay, so you should always consider how comfortable a solution should be.

Which cosplay helpers can you no longer live without? Feel free to share them in the comments and discuss your favorite hobby with us! I hope you continue to have fun crafting, and we'll see you at the next convention.