To make your costume more accurate to the comics and movies, pick out your shirt and pants in a form-fitting fabric like spandex or stretch cotton, or buy them a size down so that they’ll fit nice and snug. If you’ve got a little money to spend, sturdier materials like neoprene will lend your costume a high-quality, realistic appearance. Keep in mind, however, that you’ll be cutting these items up.

To replicate the look of Spider-Man’s original costume more faithfully, use a long-sleeved red shirt instead and leave a 2 in (5. 1 cm) strip of fabric running down the top of each arm. [3] X Research source If you don’t want to go to the trouble of piecing together 2 shirts, you also have the option of simply buying a Spider-Man logo shirt or hoodie from a store that sells officially licensed Marvel merchandise.

If you’re planning on wearing your costume outside, put on a pair of all-red sneakers that won’t take away from its overall effect. Crocs, Keds, and Vans slip-ons are all good choices.

Be sure to buy gloves in a material that you can draw on easily if you want to add a webbing pattern later on. “Flat” fabrics like cotton and polyester will provide the best results.

You can play around with the size of your emblem, if you like. A bigger spider will look more impressive, reminiscent of the original costume, while a smaller one will be more subtle and modern. [8] X Research source

If your emblem is on the small side, it may be easier to cut out and attach the legs separately than to try to cut out the entire design in one piece. Use fabric glue in place of hot glue if you decide to make your emblem out of felt.

Make sure that all of the arcs in your web pattern are curved in the same direction. They should point downwards like frowns, not upwards like smiles. [10] X Research source Drawing a web pattern onto all of your components by hand can be a painstaking, time-consuming task. It’s okay if you don’t want to bother with it—your finished costume will look just as good without it.

Depending on the size of your costume and webbing pattern, it may be a good idea to grab a backup bottle of puffy paint in case you run out before you’ve finished detailing the whole suit. If you opt for puffy paint, you’ll need to be extra careful while wearing your costume. The paint may be prone to chipping or peeling if you rough it up or get it snagged on something.

A ski mask made from smooth, stretchy lycra will be more form-fitting than an ordinary knit ski mask. [13] X Research source

Make sure the facemask you get is completely blank, with no pre-cut openings for the eyes or mouth. If you just can’t get the mask right, you can always buy a cheap spandex replica mask separately. Alternatively you could Make Spider-Man Lenses separate from the mask out of card and craft foam to make them look 3-D. This will save the mask stretching and looking misshapen from cutting the shapes out of the material.

To really go above and beyond in terms of detail, snip 2 1 in (2. 5 cm) sections from a plastic straw and glue them to the end of each wrist piece to make nozzles for the webbing to escape. If you’re looking for a slightly simpler web shooter design, cut a length of 1 in (2. 5 cm) PVC pipe into 3-8 5. 7 cm (2. 2 in) segments (depending on whether you want to make 1 or 2 web shooters), spray paint them silver and arrange them around a pair of Velcro wrist straps. [16] X Research source

Many costume shops sell things like replica masks, gloves, special clothing items, and accessories individually, so you can pick up only the pieces that you need.

If you’re working on a budget, study many different costume designs and go with one that you think you could pull off using items you already have lying around. Some versions of the Spider-Man costume are even easier to create than the classic red-and-blue getup. You could pull off Spider-Man’s symbiote suit with nothing but some black clothes and white fabric paint![19] X Research source

“Vigilante Spider-Man” from the film Spider-Man: Homecoming wears only a blue shirt, blue pants, a sleeveless red hoodie, red sneakers, fingerless gloves, and a red balaclava with welding goggles. Similarly, Scarlet Spider’s costume is comprised of only a red bodysuit and a sleeveless blue hoodie. [21] X Research source