Cosplay explained: How the pros bring geeky characters to life

Canadian cosplayer Karli Woods is shown in costumes inspired by Edward Scissorhands, R2-D2, Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn. (Karli Woods / Instagram)

Bringing fictional characters to life is a full-time job for Canadian cosplayer Karli Woods, who designs, makes and models all of her geek culture-inspired outfits for legions of fans on social media.

The 27-year-old from Toronto boasts a sizable following on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and the video-streaming service Twitch, where she models all manner of comic book, horror and video game-inspired outfits. Her costumes have included everything from superheroes such as Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn, to Cammy from the video game “Street Fighter,” to Velma from the cartoon “Scooby Doo.”

Woods is one of more than a dozen professional cosplayers slated to appear at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto this weekend, where thousands of fans from all corners of the geek-verse gather each year to celebrate their favourite pop-culture phenomena.

Cosplay – short for “costume play” – is a common sight at these events, as many fans take the opportunity to dress up like their favourite fictional characters. Many also turn out for cosplay workshops with the experts like Woods, who have turned it into a business through the subscription-based crowdfunding service called Patreon.

But you don’t need to be a pro to put together a killer costume, Woods says.

“Cosplay is for everybody,” she told CTVNews.ca. “No matter how old you are or what you look like, you should definitely try cosplaying because it’s so much fun.”

Woods might look like she’s ripped from the pages of a comic book, but her secret origin is actually tied to the horror genre and George A. Romero, the late director of “Night of the Living Dead.”

“His zombie films are what really got me into it,” she said.

Woods discovered the joys of cosplay while attending Fan Expo in 2012, after her brother talked her into coming for the horror-themed elements of the convention.

“I fell in love with it, and I just wanted to figure out a way to make that my job,” she said.

Woods was a 22-year-old film student at the time, but once she’d been bitten by the radioactive cosplay bug, there was no turning back. She enrolled in fashion school to learn how to make costumes herself, and soon started modelling her outfits on social media.

She gave up her day job and became a full-time cosplayer in 2015, thanks to the support of fans who subscribe to her page on Patreon. Woods offers these subscribers plenty of behind-the-scenes content, including videos from her photo shoots, live Twitch chats and step-by-step updates on the costumes she designs.

How to make an eye-popping cosplay outfit

Woods draws inspiration for her costumes from many different sources, including fans, popular films, video games and comics. But no matter where she finds her idea, the first step to making a costume is putting it on paper in the form of a costume design.

Next, Woods will check her closet for any clothes or items she might be able to use in the costume. She says wigs and shoes are usually the most expensive elements of any cosplay, so she tries to re-use those whenever possible.

Woods heads to Toronto’s fashion district to collect all the materials she needs, then gets to work at her sewing machine. She also occasionally works with a thermoplastic material called Worbla, which can be used to sculpt armour and other complex accessories needed for her work.

She says a sewing project typically takes 20-40 hours to complete, while anything involving Worbla can involve more than a hundred hours of work.

“Painting and drying takes longer,” she said.

Woods documents the whole process through Patreon, where she attempts to showcase one costume build per month.

But she insists you don’t need to use Worbla or a sewing machine to put together a good cosplay outfit.

“Always look in your closet for pieces that you already have,” she said. “There might be old clothes that you can use to work on things.”

She adds that cosplayer newbies should always start by dressing up as a character they love, because that passion will show in the work.

“When you first start cosplaying you already have a few characters that you’ve always been in love with as a kid, so you gravitate toward those characters first,” she said. “You’re going to actually put that time and effort into it, because you’re going to feel amazing wearing it.”

Woods says she’s designed more than 30 costumes in four years as a cosplayer. She says one of her most popular costumes is a Star Wars-inspired outfit that she calls “R2-Tutu,” which features the blue, white and grey colouring of the droid R2-D2.

But her favourite costume right now is a recent design she made based on the recent “Wonder Woman” film. The outfit is composed of an armoured gold breastplace at a pleated skirt, to re-create the training costume Wonder Woman wears early in the film.

“I made everything from scratch,” she said.

Woods says she tries to tailor her outfits to fit the conventions she attends. But with the multi-genre Fan Expo in her hometown, she will have plenty of costumes to choose from over the weekend.

“This is one of my favourite (conventions),” she said. “This is the first show I ever went to, so it will always be special.”