The cost of cosplaying

Materials used: Yoga mats

Creative process: Mats with thicker foam used for armour, thinner mats used for helmet; foam primed, sanded and painted by hand

Sourced from: Delhi’s local sports stores, online stores

Time taken for creation: 10 days

Cosplayer talk: “I’m a 3D artist so I designed and conceptualised it myself. I’m happy with how it has turned out, even though it’s mainly ‘90s kids who are recognising the character. I’m glad I can make them nostalgic,” says Chaitanya Garg.

Materials used: EVA foam, rubber latex, canvas, faux fur

Creative process: Foam shaped and painted for weapons, canvas fabric cut and painted for clothing, latex cut and shaped to create arms, fur used to create hair

Sourced from: Mumbai’s local vendors

Time taken for creation: 2 years (approx.)

Cosplayer talk: “I started creating this costume in instalments after I realised I had a lot of free time during the pandemic. I started with making the bow first and then created every other element. I ensured I got local materials because if I had attempted making this using prosthetics, it would have had to be imported and would have become too expensive,” says Saurabh Singh Rawat, who hails from Mumbai

Materials used: EVA foam, Plaster of Paris, PVC pipes

Creative process: Foam and PoP shaped, sculpted and painted by hand; PVC pipes cut and fitted as elements for helmet

Sourced from: Delhi’s local hardware stores

Time taken for creation: 5 days

Cosplayer talk: “I’m actually a photographer but I wanted to experience what cosplayers go through when they pose for us. I started it as research to take better pictures, but now I’m having way too much fun. When you’re in costume, you forget that you can’t see or breathe – all that matters are the smiles you bring to people’s faces,” says Rishi Tiwari, who has been cosplaying for one year.

Materials used: EVA foam

Creative process: Foam cut, sculpted and painted by hand

Sourced from: Delhi’s Chandni Chowk and Karol Bagh

Time taken for creation: 50 days

Cosplayer talk: “While it took me 50 days to create it, it took over 20 hours to make sure it was perfect to be worn. I stayed up for close to three nights before coming to Delhi Comic Con,” says Vipin Kumar, who is a professional cosplayer and costume designer.

Materials used: Suede fabric

Creative Process: Fabric cut, designed and repainted by hand to create costume as well as smaller elements

Sourced from: All the materials have been sourced from locations within India

Time taken for creation: 6 months

Cosplayer talk: Gaurav Thakur, who has been a cosplayer for the past eight years, says, “I went with Deadpool this year, since the third instalment of the franchise is set to release soon. While I have cosplayed as the popular anti-hero before, I’d definitely say this costume took more effort, but is a definite improvement compared to the ones I made earlier.”

- Eesha Thorat