So you decided to invest in a commission for your next costume, but how do you go about choosing the perfect person for the project? We put together a short guide of the common factors to consider.
Budget
The budget is probably one of the most important things cosplayer care about when it comes to commissions. Custom handcrafted work is not cheap, especially if the project contains lots of detail that require a careful hand and lots of hours. Some tips to getting a commission within your budget are:
1. Do research - Do some research to see what is available secondhand or factory made and have a clear understanding why you are not going with those options but instead going the custom route.
2. Have a realistic budget - Then form a rough budget estimate based on complexity of your project, cost of materials, and expertise of the commissioner. Be realistic in your estimation - see our quick guide on common tradeoffs for commissions. After you run these calculations, and if the initial estimate is not miles apart from what you can accept, go to the next step.
Bottom line: do your research and have realistic expectations about how much a commission might cost you.
Experience level
The experience level of the commission has several implications on your budget and final product.
With less experienced commissioners, the hourly rate will be lower and they tend to have less projects going on at any time and would have more flexibility in terms of adjusting or adapting the project as you go. On the other hand, if they have never made something similar to your project, it would take them more time to research, design, prototype, and experiment to get the final result. The final costume may also seem less "finished".
On the other hand, if the commissioner is very experienced (especially if they have made something similar before), it shave hours off in terms of prototyping and crafting. However, due to the mastery of their craft, these commissioners' rates tend to be higher. Also, if they are good and are reasonably priced, chances are, they are booked for the next few months. So do your research early to make sure that you can get a commissioning slot in time for your event.
Bottom line: Go with a less experienced commissioner if you have a smaller budget or are just starting out. Go with an expert commissioner if you can plan ahead and want an investment piece
Training
The commissioners with professional training tend to be able to work with all sizes (0-18, plus etc) because they have formal training on how to create patterns and how to do grading to adjust the patterns to different body sizes.
Self-taught seamstresses can be incredibly skilled at their craft (especially if they've been doing it for a long time), but if they don't have enough experience working with cosplayers in different sizes, they may limit the work they take on to a specific size that's usually similar to their bodies.
Bottom line: always include your size in your initial project request when reaching out to commissioners.
Location
If you can find a commissioner who is local, both you and the maker will have a much better experience. Since the costume is custom made to your body, taking accurate measurements and understanding your body shape is crucial to the success of your project. Whenever possible, try to find a local commissioner.
If that's not possible, make sure you take accurate measurements or get a friend to help you. You can also go to a local tailor to get them to measure you to minimize error. Lastly, you can also send full body photos of yourself to your commissioner so they can get a rough sense of your body shape and make adjustments to the standard pattern.
Bottom line: if your commissioner is not in the same city as you, make sure you take accurate measurements of your body (friend's help, or going to local tailor) and send full body photos to your commissioner so they understand your body shape.
Click for estimating the price of a cosplay commission!
Mengshu is a co-founder of Coscove. Growing up in Canada, Mengshu loved theatre, dance, and all things photography. She did photoshoots in costume before even learning what cosplay was! Find her on Coscove: coscove.com/mengshus
