How do you make clothes look cell-shaded like Borderlands?

Use a thick black fabric marker or fabric paint to trace all the seams, pockets, and natural creases of the clothing. Add short, sketchy hatch marks to mimic hand-drawn comic book shading.

What pants does a Borderlands Psycho wear?

They wear bright orange cargo pants or combat trousers, heavily weathered with dirt and outlined with black ink to fit the game's art style.

Is a Borderlands Psycho costume hard to make?

It is moderately easy. The clothing is simple to source, and the iconic look relies mostly on your ability to draw black outlines on the garments and find a good mask.

AI-generated example

Borderlands Costume

Bring Pandora's chaotic wasteland to life with cell-shaded style.

Borderlands costumes are a massive hit for gamers and cosplayers due to the franchise's unique, hand-drawn art style. The most iconic and recognizable look from the series is the Psycho Bandit, known for his orange pants and glowing mask. This guide focuses on recreating the classic Psycho look using cell-shading techniques to make you look like you stepped right out of the video game.

Difficulty: Medium
Time: ~60 min
Budget: $40–120

See yourself as Borderlands →What you need Buy the Borderlands costume

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See yourself as Borderlands

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Borderlands costume — Example look · AI-generated

You as Borderlands

Result

What you need for a Borderlands costume

Short on time? Buy it ready-made

Spirit Halloween sells the complete Borderlands costume — one box instead of 6 pieces.

Shop Borderlands at Spirit ↗

Psycho Bandit Mask
A white and grey mask with glowing blue or yellow eye pieces and a built-in respirator filter.
DIY: Paint a hockey mask white, attach a plastic soda bottle cap as the respirator, and draw black comic-book style lines with a sharpie.
Amazon
Orange Cargo Pants
Bright orange, loose-fitting tactical or cargo pants.
DIY: Dye a pair of white scrub pants or light-colored khakis with bright orange fabric dye.
Amazon
Brown Leather Belts and Straps
Multiple brown utility belts worn around the waist and thighs to mimic the character's harness.
DIY: Use old thrifted leather belts and buckle them around your waist and upper thigh.
Amazon
White Athletic Tape or Bandages
Standard white gauze or athletic tape wrapped around the hands, wrists, and abdomen.
DIY: Cut strips of an old white cotton t-shirt and wrap them securely.
Amazon
Black Fabric Marker or Sharpie
A thick black permanent marker used to draw faux shadows and outlines on the clothing.
Amazon
Fingerless Gloves
Dark brown or black fingerless tactical gloves.
DIY: Cut the fingers off an old pair of black knit or jersey gloves.
Amazon

Rather not assemble it? See ready-made Borderlands costumes at Spirit Halloween ↗

How to put it together

1
Put on the orange cargo pants and secure them with a thick brown leather belt.
2
Use the black fabric marker to draw thick, sketchy black lines along the seams, pockets, and folds of the orange pants to create the signature Borderlands cell-shaded look.
3
Wrap white athletic tape around your hands, wrists, and midriff, leaving some frayed edges for a rugged, post-apocalyptic wasteland aesthetic.
4
Strap additional brown belts around one thigh to replicate the character's weapon harness.
5
Put on the black fingerless gloves over the hand wraps.
6
Put on the Psycho Bandit mask, ensuring the straps are secure and the eye pieces are aligned.
7
Optionally, carry a toy buzz-axe or a heavily weathered prop blaster to complete the look.

Makeup & hair

Since the Psycho mask covers your entire face, hair styling is minimal; however, you can apply dirty, soot-like makeup (using black and brown eyeshadow) to your neck, collarbones, and any exposed skin to match the gritty wasteland vibe.

Borderlands for couples, groups, kids & more

couples: Pair a Psycho Bandit with Lilith the Siren or Handsome Jack for a perfect Pandora duo.
group: Gather a squad of vault hunters including Maya, Salvador, Axton, and Zero alongside a Psycho.
kids: A mini Psycho with a soft foam mask and bright orange sweatpants.
Plus size: Relaxed-fit orange cargo pants with adjustable waistbands provide a comfortable, screen-accurate fit.
pet: Dress your dog as a tiny Claptrap using a lightweight cardboard box costume.

Tips

To get the cell-shaded look right, draw bold black outlines on everything—including your skin if you are going shirtless.
Make sure your mask has decent ventilation, especially if you plan on wearing it indoors or at a crowded convention.
Weather your pants by rubbing them with real dirt or diluted black acrylic paint to make them look wasteland-worn.

Borderlands costume FAQ

How do you make clothes look cell-shaded like Borderlands?: Use a thick black fabric marker or fabric paint to trace all the seams, pockets, and natural creases of the clothing. Add short, sketchy hatch marks to mimic hand-drawn comic book shading.
What pants does a Borderlands Psycho wear?: They wear bright orange cargo pants or combat trousers, heavily weathered with dirt and outlined with black ink to fit the game's art style.
Is a Borderlands Psycho costume hard to make?: It is moderately easy. The clothing is simple to source, and the iconic look relies mostly on your ability to draw black outlines on the garments and find a good mask.

Did you know? The iconic Psycho Bandit is the official cover art mascot for almost every main game in the Borderlands series, making it the most recognizable silhouette in the franchise.