Unsure where to start for your Costume or Cosplay? What materials to use, or how to put them together? Explore ways of thinking about Characters & Costume. learn how to measure yourself, draft and fit a basic pattern and build a portfolio with a range of costume and finishing techniques that will inspire how you create and refine your own future creations. Basic sewing skills required. BYO sewing machine.
Costume and Cosplay Foundations Skills
Course Description
Interested in creating your own costumes or cosplays and taking them to the next level?
This practical course introduces the essential techniques used to design and construct successful costume pieces.
You’ll explore how to analyse character designs, break down key visual elements, and translate them into wearable forms using foundational costume-making skills.
Through demonstrations, discussion and guided practical activities, participants will learn professional approaches to building shape, structure and detail in costumes.
The course also explores materials, finishing techniques and creative problem-solving used in the costume industry.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a collection of practical techniques and reference materials to support your own costume and cosplay projects.
Course Structure
The course combines demonstrations, guided practical work and group discussion to introduce a range of costume-making techniques.
Participants begin by learning how to analyse characters and think creatively about costume design, exploring how shapes, proportions and details contribute to bringing a character to life.
Students will practise taking accurate measurements and drafting a basic bodice block, learning how costume makers develop patterns and adjust them for different designs.
As the course progresses, participants will explore techniques used to enhance costumes, including working with unusual fabrics, creating decorative elements, and using paints, stencils, adhesives and mouldable materials.
The course also introduces finishing methods and closures that help achieve a polished, professional result.
Participants will receive handouts covering the techniques discussed, helping them build a practical reference portfolio to guide future costume and cosplay projects.
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Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Analyse character designs and identify key costume elements
- Take accurate body measurements for costume construction
- Draft and fit a basic bodice block
- Understand how patterns can be adapted for costume designs
- Experiment with materials, paints and finishing techniques for costume details
- Work with specialty fabrics such as lycra, sequins, and fur
- Apply practical techniques for constructing and finishing costume pieces
- Develop a personal reference portfolio of costume-making techniques.
Course Requirements
Please bring the following items to class:
- Notebook and pen for taking notes
- Ruler
- Pencils
- Eraser
- Paper scissors
- A4 document folder with sleeves for handouts
- Sewing machine in good working order, with bobbins and spare needles
- Basic sewing kit including: tape measure, hand-sewing needles, pins, fabric scissors, threads, and snips or unpicker
Please note: This course assumes a basic understanding of sewing and the ability to operate a sewing machine.
Your tutor is Victoria Arvanitakis
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Victoria has been teaching at WEA since 2026
Victoria Arvanitakis is a practicing Costume Designer and Maker for Film, Television and Performance, since completing her BFA in Costume from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2019 she has since gone on to work within Australia and New Zealand gaining skills and experience from Costume professionals from around the world. Victoria's creative ethos is one of curiosity and understanding the why, a proudly interrogative process in storytelling this has earnt her NIDA's Costume Excellence Award (2019), Inside Film Magazine's Rising Talent List in Costume Design (2023) and Best Costume at the South Australian Screen Awards (2025).
In 2026 Victoria is excited to share her experience with individuals who are also excited about the potential of Costume.
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