How to make a Build Book for a Cosplay Competition | Going through my Toph Buildbook & 7 good tips!

[@SarahSpaceman]

This is the video im sending to people when they ask about build books, Well done Kirilee! Ive seen so many build books with one image per page with a wall of text, and there just inst enough time to look at all that, give me as much info per page as you possibly can, and remember photos give judges SO MUCH MORE Info than text. Ill add to this, Create a folder in your phone of your work in progress pics and add it to that folder as you go. And Ill also say, as someone with a graphic design degree, DONT go for design flair, good design is design that functions, and in this case, something like what kirilee has here works better than a canva template.

[@KirileeCosplay]

This. This. This and this! Having a folder for the images as you are creating the outfit, such a good idea! I will have to do that moving forward.

[@WhatDoIUseForHandle]

Woah, Sarah i came here because of your server! Cool seeing you here :D

[@sylbriana5306]

This was so helpful. I’ve only had one competition that required a build book and I had no idea what I was doing. I really struggled to find examples of how other people had done build books as a guide so this will help me a lot next time.

[@KirileeCosplay]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rileycallmeriley]

I'm a beginner, and everytime I saw someone making a Build Book, I was like "what the heck is that?". Finally I found this video, and I understand! I'm going to start creating my own anime cosplay, and with these tips, I'll be able to create my own build book. Thank you SO MUCH!!! This was a complete LIFESAVER.

[@KirileeCosplay]

I’m so glad that I could help!

[@rileycallmeriley]

@@KirileeCosplay Yes! and, I have a quick question. for the design part of the build book (the part at the front). is this only used if you were using art from another artist? because im using a picture from the actual series, and im not sure if I should put the creator of the series for the design part.

[@AlpacaAsh]

Great great tips! One point of advice I have is to also focus on photos of things the judges won’t be able to see in person as easily. For example, did you make your own under garments? How does your finishing work on the inside of your costume look? Those are things that would be difficult to show off in a judging room without taking things off and I don’t think the judges would want that. 😂

[@KirileeCosplay]

Absolutely true! Yes!

[@jo_d]

This is fantastic Kirilee! I love that this is coming from a Judge's perspective as well as a contestant. Having the ref image on the front cover and the final cosplay photos on the back is genius! As a very experienced graphic designer/creative director, my advice to anyone who is not a designer, would be to do what you have done and keep it simple! Clear headings for each piece of the costume is great, and you could even look at separating these sections with a simple horizontal keyline/rule. Most importantly, use an easy-to-read font (Arial or Times is fine)... please NEVER use a script font, and NEVER EVER, in any circumstance use Comic Sans (unless you are an 8 year old writing a poem about unicorns).

[@KirileeCosplay]

I agree with ALL of this!

[@hannahwooden9679]

I had no idea what I was doing when I made my first build book - it was a whole mess and I was so embarrassed lol. This was so helpful, thank you!!

[@KirileeCosplay]

Glad I could help!

[@VampyBlood17]

I’m creating my first build book and this was SO HELPFUL omg! I wasn’t really sure how I was gonna make my build book and thought I was going to have to do a lot more! Thank you for reminding me that it’s important to keep it concise and more image based! Some follow up questions are: 1. Do you recommend having fabric or paint swatches? 2. Is it better having final photos that are from a “pro” shoot or can they be photos that are taken at home with your phone? 😅 3. Is it better to categorize by piece (like you did with pants, top, etc.) or would it be ok to organize by technique? (Aka sewing, 3D printing, foam work, etc.) Also oh thank god judges don’t care about the sappy story behind my cosplay lol. I genuinely pick characters because I think they look cool (and ofc it’s emotional in some cases) and I never log my hours 🤣🤣🤣

[@KirileeCosplay]

Good luck! And good questions! 1. You can have swatches if you like but I don’t think you need them. 2. Photos from your phone is A-ok! 3. Categorise them however you like- just make sure it is easy to follow for the judges

[@nix_cosplay]

Awesome video! Your section about using different references really made me think. I normally just go with whatever I like better, which is totally cool as long as it's not being judged on accuracy. As a judge, the hours taken mean nothing to me. Especially is someone says it took 500 hours to make something fairly simple. Whether you're lying or very slow, it doesn't really impact judging.

[@KirileeCosplay]

Thanks hun! And yes, my attitude has really changed on time taken - it just doesn’t really matter to me.

[@Mommamacnz]

I have a cosplay idea and I plan on (one day) making it and maybe entering a competition with it. Knowing how to build a build book BEFORE I even start is going to be so useful. My main issue, though, is that I don't have a reference of the character as it's all in my head - not a thing that anyone else has done in a game or movie or written in a book or something else - so that will be an interesting thing to deal with.

[@KirileeCosplay]

That is all very true. It will be important to make it clear about what your inspiration is, and also ensure with the rules of the competition that own designs are allowed.

[@jo_d]

I have been thinking about doing an original character recently too and if I do, I will probably commission someone to draw it for me first. I think even if its an OC the judges will want to see some point of reference, so they can check for accuracy of replication/execution of your idea.

[@originalkingdomhearts]

Thank you for making this! This is such a great build book tutorial. So clean and to the point.

[@KirileeCosplay]

Thank you so much!

[@Reubixkube]

Immediately started researching how to create a buildbook after finishing watching the Toph build log! Excited to see this video

[@KirileeCosplay]

Oh thank you so much! Not too much longer now!

[@beecos_2308]

i just qualified for anime midwest by winning a best in show and they require a build book. no clue how to make one. thank you so much for this tutorial!

[@KirileeCosplay]

I’m so glad I could help!

[@MissTwisteddd]

This is amazing advice, thank you for making this! Especially valuable to have that insight from how judges use build books behind the scenes!!

[@KirileeCosplay]

My absolutely pleasure. Thank you for watching

[@ladyd7150]

This is really helpful. Ive never done a build book before and it was a bit of a shock to be asked to make one. Ive sort of done mostly photos, was worried that was bad. But its reasurring less text is good.

[@KirileeCosplay]

I’m glad this could put your mind at ease! Good luck for the next time you have to make one!

[@lucapoo8103]

thank you so much srsly😭😭🙏🙏🙏 im making a cosplay rn for a competition and i really wasnt sure where to start at all with the build book

[@KirileeCosplay]

I’m glad it could help!

[@danieljongeward5502]

so helpful! I will take this to heart for my next competition!

[@KirileeCosplay]

Good luck!!

[@Pipa12345678910]

This is incredibly helpful! Mine ended up being quite lengthy as i ran out of time to refine and whittle it down! I'm gonna follow your advice closely for my next comp lol

[@KirileeCosplay]

Glad I could help!

[@lovelesscosplay7864]

This is going to be so helpful this summer for my competition!

[@KirileeCosplay]

I’m so glad!

[@amarisjoseph]

Best video ever made for cosplayers

[@KirileeCosplay]

Awww thank you!

[@amarisjoseph]

@@KirileeCosplay no problem

[@Hestiacos]

Thank you! This was super helpful to hear about from a judges perspective!

[@KirileeCosplay]

You're so welcome!

[@faitparchristine]

Thanks for the info! It isn't customary here to have build books (just a reference picture) except for a few comps, so I'm always not quite sure how to go about making a good one 🤔 I remember a costume that had multiple layers (it was historical based) so I had used seperators with the little tabs that stick out to clearly separate each layer and make it quick for the judges to look back on a piece without searching all the pages. I have no clue if this was useful or if it just made the book bulkier for no reason 😅 🤷‍♀️

[@KirileeCosplay]

That is a good idea!

[@Mister_SD]

thank you for the information.

[@KirileeCosplay]

You’re welcome

[@kelseymiller7979]

This was so helpful, thank you! I'm entering my first contest this winter and I sp want to go about it right. A question regarding references: if the character is from a book with a very clear description but few usable illustrations, what do you use as reference pictures? I'm mostly going on fan art, and everyone has their own idea what the character really looks like.

[@KirileeCosplay]

Honestly, I would be hesistant to enter it. You are making it harder for the judges to judge you which is never a good sign. You need to have one clear reference image that you can use as your reference point.

[@kassandravandermeer7117]

I appreciate the reference image tips, but for my last cosplay competition I had to provide 4 different reference images. I was doing a character that doesn't have any one full body main design, so I provided some notes under each picture of what I included to try to make it not horrible confusing (ex. details and accessories from this one, colour scheme and shape from this one, prop from this one, that sort of thing). I felt like it was kinda complicated to look at, but it worked out in the end. I'm gonna try to stick to characters with more concrete references from now on.

[@KirileeCosplay]

Good idea. Try to be as consistent as possible and remember, the less text that the judges have to dissect to understand your choices, the better

[@colourful__doodles]

Can you use references you’ve drawn yourself? If you for example intentionally have made a costume a bit different from the original, to give a personal spin on it? Really amazing video tho! I’m planning on getting into competing, so this was really helpful!!

[@KirileeCosplay]

It depends on the rules of the competition. For example, in crown championships - the one I entered - you can do your own design and the scoring is calculated a bit differently in terms of accuracy. And smaller competitions generally don’t mind. However most mid-top tier cosplay comps that I’ve seen have a score based on accuracy and that accuracy can not be based on something that you’ve drawn - otherwise you may have made the costume first and then drawn something to match that

[@colourful__doodles]

@@KirileeCosplay that was really helpful! Thanks!!

[@a.g.r1350]

I was wondering what your thoughts are on themed build books? I’ve seen a couple that are like fully themed to the character with the fonts and colors, are those too distracting to judges? Edit: This is my lesson in watching the whole video before commenting lol

[@KirileeCosplay]

It’s great if it is easy to read. However, I have judged books that have done this and I got so frustrated because it was more of a presentation about their love for the character than the actual build.

[@XxBarkxXCookiesxX]

very informative video

[@KirileeCosplay]

I’ve never included them. I think that because the judges are feeling and touching the cosplay in prejudging, I’ve never felt the need.

[@ElenaWIP]

This video is so helpful! ❤ I have a question, how should I go about having only one illustration as a reference? The design is based on a regional costume, so Im using that as a guideline to fill the gaps. Should I include images of those other references even if I'm not replicating them exactly? I dont know if it would be confusing

[@KirileeCosplay]

The least amount of confusion you can give the judges the better. If you have only one image you are using to recreate put that as your main image. If there is a backshot that compliments (but maybe not 100%, include that too but note why yours is different) If it is too confusing, I would go for just the one image

[@mystichorror7346]

So I'm doing a rose quartz cosplay and I'm also making a palanquin and I can't find a pattern for the way I want to do my skirt or a pattern for the palanquin so when I go to put the designer on the cover do I put my own name or what happens then ?

[@KirileeCosplay]

If you are replicating the canon design - then there is no designer.

[@HYPERxSONICxFANx2012]

i'm planning on making a shadow the hedgehog gijinka cosplay. pictures of the actual character aren't necessary right?

[@KirileeCosplay]

You need your reference image. If the design of the gijinka is clear, then that is what you need, not what it is based off

[@HYPERxSONICxFANx2012]

@@KirileeCosplay ok. thanks

[@licoriceveins9632]

I'm doing Peachette and i can only find the front reference, i had to play her in the game to get the back. Seeing as the game isn't a very clear or pretty shot of the character would the front view just have to suffice? It's my very first competition at a fairly large con (i think it was like 25k attendees last year?) and honestly I'm stressed

[@KirileeCosplay]

Honestly, even a bit of a grainy back image will help to have

[@icantthinkofanything798]

The best reference photo I could find for a bracelet I made for my Barbie cosplay was very very low quality, zoomed in from a promotional photo. I’m going to include it anyway because I think being able to extrapolate from a photo that bad and make something is kind of impressive

[@sakura851]

can you do a group in prejudging but only one person made the cosplays for the group is this acceptable to do

[@KirileeCosplay]

Depends on the rules. I have seen people do this before and it was fine.

[@Radcatcreations]

I love the point about time spent on cosplays because that has always been such a meaningless fact to me. Like ok this person says they spent 3 years making this cosplay, what does that actually mean? It could have taken them 3 years because they only worked on it for 1 hour once a week. So like a person making the same thing in a month is not more or less impressive to me. I kind of wish cosplay competitions would put less emphasis on time facts. I did one competition where I told the judges honestly when they asked that I made my cosplay in 3 days. I did it in 3 days because Im a professional seamstress and I had a free weekend, so it took me no time at all to pattern and sew a dress that for someone with no experience, would probably have taken a lot longer to pattern. But I could see the judges visibly look disappointed when I told them. Like how does me being a professional and being fast at what I do make my cosplay lesser??

[@KirileeCosplay]

All very fair

[@britishnoitall1998]

can I include physical fabric swatches in my book?

[@KirileeCosplay]

Yes absolute