Q&A for How to Design a Costume for a Superhero

Start with the superhero name, an origin story, and an alternate identity name (go to fakenamegenerator.com if you can't think of one). Then come up with a weakness, a rival, and a job/hobby for their personal life.

Many people find it helpful to trace mannequin shapes. Once you have a base, you can sketch the costume and accessories on top!

Of course! Think about Spiderman, and let your imagination flow.

Consider all-black with a bit of silver and the Grim Reaper's scythe. Maybe consider having a hood like the Arrow has, but in black/gray. Make sure you do have some silver/gray, or even multiple shades of black.

Think about the materials that you'll use for each part of the costume. Then, either find the materials yourself or ask a parent to help you. You can find lots of tutorials online about actually making clothes or costumes.

Try using a material like spandex which can stretch, dries easily, and can stand normal parties. If you wash your costume, hand wash it so that it doesn't shrink of get wrecked in the wash. Avoid ironing your costume, because that can burn it.

Try looking up color palettes online to get an idea of what kinds of colors look good together. Studying up on color theory and the color wheel would also aid you greatly now, and later down the line if you decide to continue designing costumes.

Green, purple or black.

Not at all! A superhero can simply be someone that has care or a heart. Not all superheros have special powers.

Blue, non-repro pencils are good for drawing before you ink. The printer won't see the blue and only prints the other colors. Copic markers work great for coloring. Some people do their comics on Photoshop or other programs you can draw with.

He would probably have some sort of glowing goggles to really show off that he has lightning powers. And try to make him a belt, as well as some boots as footwear!

No; you could make it more plain and subdued--street clothes, even--so your hero can better hide in the shadows and/or blend in among citizens.

Try to put these elements into your costume designs. The blue fire would be a good foundation for an overall blue or cool-toned color palette.

Not necessarily. As long as their costume is distinct and recognizable, you probably don't need a logo.

They must have some sort of motivation. For most, it is avenging a family member or someone close to them, or trying to discover what to do with their powers and "accidentally" stopping a crime.

That's fine. The Runaways is a book about teenage superheroes, and they don't have costumes at all. You can still give your character a signature look, though. Think about what kinds of clothes they wear, how they might style their hair, etc.

Nope, there are no age limits! There are many young heroes from both the DC and Marvel universes, so a 10-year-old superhero won't be a problem.

That depends on their power. if they have no powers, then yes. if they have powers which need strengthening by an eement of some kind, then yes. if they have no powers, then definitely. Just look at heroes such as 'Fuji' (DC), 'Ironman' (Marvel) or 'Robot' (Image). They all have a reason based on their powers.

Your move names should be based off the attack they're performing.

Yep! Consider how they got their powers - inherited from one or both of their parents, a supernatural disaster, a magical talisman, etc. These types of things can happen to someone of any age!

It depends. A cape looks good but could get caught in something if the superhero had bad luck. As for wings, whether or not they'd be suitable would depend on the shape, style and type of hero. A wing suit would look nice too.