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CzarChasm posted:So, I'm hitting a bit of a brick wall. I want to get a life cast done of my head so I can make a plaster mold for mask making. However, I'd rather get it done by someone that knows what they are doing. Whether that means a professional who does this for a living or someone who doe sit as a hobby but has done it enough times and gotten good results, either or. But I can't find someone in my area that does that. I even reached out to local college art departments and they unfortunately didn't do that kind of work. I'm certainly willing to pay for the supplies and for the time. I don't know if there are some keywords I could try to search for and I just can't put it together or what. I'm in SE Wisconsin in case anyone just happens to know of any groups in the area. I've done my fair share of face casting. The way I've always done it, we have at least a team of three. One leader, an assistant, and a mixer. Once you start, it goes very fast. I'd love to help, but I am in TN.
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May 21, 2017 16:52
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thespaceinvader posted:For my own 'HALP' issues: I've begun to seal the foam for my Fenn costume, and I'm using white plasti dip for the white parts. But I've discovered to my cost, that sharpie bleeds through white plasti dip. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? (Bumping for new page)
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May 22, 2017 00:37
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Knowing nothing about that foam, would it stand up to a rattle can of killz oil based primer? Because that stuff should cover up sharpie.
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May 22, 2017 03:37
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thespaceinvader posted:Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Not that this will help a bunch now but I usually swipe off sharpie as much as I can with a little acetone before I paint my pieces to avoid exactly this. Would wreck your sealant though I think.
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May 24, 2017 18:59
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You can remove sharpie with an alcohol wipe, which is much less likely to cause associated damage than acetone. I don't know if it would do any good at this point though.
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May 24, 2017 19:06
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Ashcans posted:You can remove sharpie with an alcohol wipe, which is much less likely to cause associated damage than acetone. I don't know if it would do any good at this point though. Probably a touch too late but good to know for next time. I wish I'd read the thread before rushing in, but even if I had, I don't have any alcohol wipes. This is all going to be a little inelegant, but it's only my second attempt at proper cosplay, and my first that is painted any colour other than black...
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May 25, 2017 20:53
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thespaceinvader posted:Probably a touch too late but good to know for next time. I wish I'd read the thread before rushing in, but even if I had, I don't have any alcohol wipes. If it's not too big, wite-out is formulated to be opaque.
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May 27, 2017 04:17
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gamera009 posted:If it's not too big, wite-out is formulated to be opaque. I ended up buying some rustproof oil based brush primer which seemed to do the trick. Then I tried to airbrush the base coat on and something in the way the white plasti dip interacted with the remaining open pores in the foam and a new and untried white paint just faaaaaaaaaaaaaart. Ended up looking like something with leprosy so I wiped it all off and went to primer first. Then tried again, same result. Fortunately I had just enough white rattle can left to coat the relevant areas but thus far I have hosed up more airbrushing than I've succeeded with on this loving costume. Me, a year ago: now, future self, you are going to have to focus on this project and work continuously probably all year to get it done. Me, 11 months ago: does about a month's convulsive work then stops until like january Me, a month ago: get the gently caress on with it Me, last week: *still playing computer games* Me, this week: just take it gently, don't be hasty, slow and steady wins the race, etc Me, today: LEEEEEROOOOOOY JEEEEEENKIIIIIIIIINS I think I should still be able to unfuck thisbut it's not going to be trivial. E: update: managed to mostly unfuck it, certainly enough to consider done aside from one remaining component. 
thespaceinvader fucked around with this message at 13:17 on May 29, 2017 |
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May 28, 2017 18:22
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oneof27 posted:I've done my fair share of face casting. The way I've always done it, we have at least a team of three. One leader, an assistant, and a mixer. Once you start, it goes very fast. I'd love to help, but I am in TN. Is this basically: 1. Make a latex mask "negative" 2. Use the latex mask to make a hard "positive" 3. Use the hard "positive" to design whatever you're making I don't know the technical terms for this stuff.
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May 29, 2017 21:43
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Hello! I am making a mask for my fiance.  Six-ish layers of papier mache have been laid down over a beach ball to create the core of our Emil Mask. With that complete, I've cut out holes for the mouth, nostrils, cheek dots, and eyes. The eyes could probably be a smidge closer together, in retrospect. Also, it's maybe a little TOO large? We went with an 18" beach ball whenever a 14" probably would have been fine. Still, that's...nitpicking, in my opinion.  Crayola Model Magic applied directly to the papier mache core is shaping the lips and mouth.  Next, I'll be rounding out the shape with a layer of paper clay. After that, I'll be setting some pipe insulation foam around the "neck" area (both for comfort and support), lining the mouth and other holes with black nylon fabric, lining the eyes with white nylon fabric, and building up a few other minor details. Once that's figured out, the exterior will be smoothed and painted. We'll also be mounting an internal fan to help with ventilation as well as an internal speaker or two so that Emil's theme goes with him wherever he travels. Updates to follow.
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May 30, 2017 19:25
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So I am working on a small project where I need a material that is: 1. Pourable into a mold (like plaster) 2. Becomes ridgid (like plaster) 3. Is fairly simple to work with (like plaster) 4. Is paintable (like plaster) 5. Is not brittle (not like plaster) 6. Is relatively lightweight (not like plaster) Does anyone here have any ideas of a material that may meet those requirements? Maybe some kind of plastic or epoxy or a resin?
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May 30, 2017 20:48
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I use a semi-rigid urethane resin for roto-casts of masks. If what you're doing isn't huge/thick it could be a nice cost-effective material. Lightweight and paintable plastic. The actual product I get (cause I have a store nearby) is Smooth-On Smooth-Cast 65D (white in color).
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May 30, 2017 23:17
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Three-Phase posted:So I am working on a small project where I need a material that is: Yeah, sounds like a job for a two part resin, probably a urethane. But rotocasting something that size will be a tough thing to do. Though, if you can work this into two parts rather than one and are willing to use something that;s a little more work, it really sounds like a job for GRP/fibre glass.
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May 31, 2017 00:18
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Thanks a bunch for the advice. I am going to look into both. I did some experimenting with Smooth-On Rebound 25 platinum cure silicone. I'm amazed how simple, durable, and versatile that material is. Also just a heads-up this is not for theatrical or cosplay stuff but I figure for this kind of thing this thread is going to be full of knowledgeable people. Plus I honestly am fascinated by some of the projects people are doing here. I'm a bit of an artist trapped in an engineer.
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May 31, 2017 14:28
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Hi, I did a thing! Catch me at AnimeNext as this absolute shitheel (Narciso Annasui from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) Making pants-boots sucks, making all the lattice work was...interesting and involved a lot of cornstarch and hand work.   I'm also entering my first big costume contest there with this and Yotsuyu from earlier in the thread so wish me luck!
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Jun 7, 2017 01:36
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drat, that must have been hard to make. Great work! I don't follow the show but the costume looks awesome!
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Jun 7, 2017 04:12
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:drat, that must have been hard to make. Great work! I don't follow the show but the costume looks awesome! The part that character is in hasn't been animated yet.  Great work Goldaline! Try not to act too much like an insane murderer and stalker!
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Jun 7, 2017 04:16
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I would love some feedback on a thing. I've been working on a rendition of the Smart Pistol from Titanfall, and printed a model that was based off a rip of the in-game gun. I made some very precise fittings for things like switches, batteries, and other electronics, because I intend on adding lights and sounds to the thing. That said, I'm concerned it might be a bit too narrow around the rear slide. After some early assembly and holding it, it feels good in my grip, but it's just that visually it looks fairly narrow. Making the model thicker and reprinting would take ages, because it's not just a simple matter of widening the model out and reprinting. I'd have to rebuild all the inside cavities to be the right dimensions again. Still, I want to get this right... I filmed a quick 50-second video and threw it up on Instagram to show the dimensionality, because I figured video would more accurately convey the thing over pictures. https://www.instagram.com/p/BVBarabniXi/ An ingame reference and some others for comparison:    What do you guys think? I'd love some input.
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Jun 7, 2017 04:24
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it doesnt look thin to me. I think once you attach the slide latches and all the other junk it will fill out. Don't second guess your work, it looks great from the back. e: on the other hand, you could 3d print a shim of a few millimeters thickness if it's really bothering you. I've shot plenty of pistols and there's not a set width for bodies of guns, and it varies wildly from model to model. Dr. Lunchables fucked around with this message at 04:39 on Jun 7, 2017 |
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Jun 7, 2017 04:36
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Looks about the same to me, I seriously doubt anyone would notice the difference.
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Jun 7, 2017 06:54
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That looks really good. If you want to reference with a real gun design, the smart gun is basically a 1911 with some added flair. The 1911 is also a slim gun, because it doesn't need to be thicker. Glocks and other designs have beefier slides because of the lock-up mechanisms need more space around the barrel. Also, the 1911 has a single-stack magazine (it is wide enough for a single column of bullets) while glocks and others are usually double-stack (the magazine is wide enough for two staggered columns of bullets). The trade-off is more capacity for a chunkier grip, something you don't need to worry about with your prop. In short, your current design looks really good, and also looks to be sized about the same as the gun it is based off of. I say stick with what you've got.
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Jun 7, 2017 14:15
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I started sewing my first garment ever tonight! I am thinking about cosplaying Isawa Tadaka from the Legend of Five Rings card game. I have the back and sides sewed for my yukata, and tomorrow i will do the sleeves! Wish me luck!
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Jun 8, 2017 06:36
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Anyone have a good tutorial for doing boot tops/spats? I cant justify getting good boots made, but I want something more substantial to wear than rope sandals for helping a friend vend at a couple pirate/renfaires this summer. I figure it's probably just easiest to make something I can pull on over an old pair of ropers to look like knee boots.
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Jun 8, 2017 12:15
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Liquid Communism posted:Anyone have a good tutorial for doing boot tops/spats? I cant justify getting good boots made, but I want something more substantial to wear than rope sandals for helping a friend vend at a couple pirate/renfaires this summer. I figure it's probably just easiest to make something I can pull on over an old pair of ropers to look like knee boots. This tutorial for spats is pretty friendly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP2LfhWQi9U
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Jun 8, 2017 14:11
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brb getting a time machine and flying back to 2010 so I can teach myself basic geometry concepts at gunpoint. "ehhhhh we'll never need to use this crappy class later in life" Yes you will motherfucker, yes you will. I was seconds away from cutting out a head hole with a 19cm radius for a 60cm head.
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Jun 9, 2017 03:26
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I just spent 2 hours figuring out how to attach a sleeve. loving armpit is impossible to stitch. I don't need to go back and study geometry... i need Euler's Formula.
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Jun 9, 2017 06:13
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I'm working on a Wonder Woman costume for a client and a Squirrel Girl costume for myself. Getting super stressed!
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Jun 10, 2017 20:55
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My hand dyed obi is done. Now to get better at tying it. Back to studying. My distraction of the day is done. dexefiend fucked around with this message at 21:18 on Jun 10, 2017 |
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Jun 10, 2017 21:10
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Really don't know which thread to ask in, but here seems as good as any: Does anyone have experience of these kind of light-up trainers? https://www.beamshoes.com/ https://www.flashez.co.uk/ I'm curious if they actually hold a charge as long as they say, and if they are relatively sturdy or if the lights stop working after you actually wear them about?
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Jun 11, 2017 13:51
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The ones from the 90s lasted like a month at least. We're living in the future, I don't imagine they'll be worse.
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Jun 11, 2017 14:07
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I bought some from Amazon that look to be the same model. The charge doesn't last all night, but does last awhile. Maybe like 3-4 hours. I was most annoyed that the button to change the lights can get hit just by walking around normally. So it'll either turn on when you want them off, or change from the color you want. The design could use some work.
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Jun 11, 2017 15:48
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Arda started carrying the Cady in light peach, which is the perfect color for Pearl! Procrastinating worked out for me; now I don't have to dye it after all. I was styling it yesterday, and the fibers were lovely to work with. Thankfully I'm playing "young" Pearl, whose hair isn't quite as ridiculous. Also, since this didn't get any responses last time: I'm still looking for somewhere to buy an ENORMOUS (in terms of cap size) wig. Ratspeaker posted:The guy we have playing Greg has an enormous head. Like, 99th percentile big. Most baseball caps won't even fit this guy. For Otakon, we were pressed for time and had to work with a normal girl's wig, and it looked fine in pictures, but it was bunching up and trying to escape off his head all day. No amount of bobby pins would keep it in place for more than a few minutes. So, I'm trying to find a better option. Does anyone know of a cosplay wig manufacturer that sells particularly large-circumference wigs, or of a way to modify a small wig so that it fits a larger head?
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Jun 14, 2017 14:22
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Ratspeaker posted:Arda started carrying the Cady in light peach, which is the perfect color for Pearl! Procrastinating worked out for me; now I don't have to dye it after all. I was styling it yesterday, and the fibers were lovely to work with. Thankfully I'm playing "young" Pearl, whose hair isn't quite as ridiculous. Arda is the largest cap ones I know of. As for enlarging, I googled "how to make a wig larger" and came up with a ton of results, mostly indicating you'd likely need to splice 2 together.
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Jun 14, 2017 16:52
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I hope this doesn't sound weird, but have you tried looking into wig retailers and wig resources for drag queens?
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Jun 14, 2017 20:12
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my cat is norris posted:I hope this doesn't sound weird, but have you tried looking into wig retailers and wig resources for drag queens? This is actually the way to go. I was doing a Dr. Girlfriend cosplay (crossplay?) years back, and I was able to find these amazing go-go boots in a men's size 13 by searching down this path.
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Jun 14, 2017 22:27
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I want to make samurai armor for GenCon, but I've never made anything before. Where do I start?!
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Jun 15, 2017 06:07
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How accurate do you want it to be? If you want to know how to make the honest to god real thing, here's an utterly exhaustive source from my SCA days: Nihon Katchû Seisakuben Anthony Bryant was one hell of a scholar, and he'll be missed. He's got other works on what was his homepage that would be useful as well. If you're looking to do it on the cheap, you can approximate something out of costuming materials using proper lacing methods, maybe plasticard or similar, or the plastic plates made to his specs, although those are more meant for SCA level heavy contact fighting than costuming. The Japanese enthusiasts of the SCA have a forum with a lot of good discussion posts on making this sort of thing. Someone else will surely be along shortly with a better and easier way of making a costume approximation. 
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Jun 15, 2017 11:15
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WerrWaaa posted:I want to make samurai armor for GenCon, but I've never made anything before. Where do I start?! Unless you've got a lot of dough to drop on fancier materials like real leather and thermoplastics (Worbla, Wonderflex, Terraflex, etc) I suggest you go with EVA foam. It's the stuff gym mats are made from and you can buy sheets and rolls of it in various thicknesses anywhere from the thin, brightly colored sheets Michaels and Hobby Lobby (kids section) to the industrial mats at Academy Sports and Harbor Freight. It's cheap, you can shape it with an iron/hair dryer/heat gun/stovetop, and you can layer pieces on top of each other to make ridiculously cool shapes. First, you'll want a mannequin or dressform approximating your body shape. You can buy them or make your own out of cling wrap and tape. http://www.keabtium.com/the-best-duct-tape-dummy-tutorial/ Also go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of cheap poster board so you can demo patterns and see how they look on your body before tracing to foam. Here's a site full of tutorials on how to make foam armor: http://www.hardscrabblefarm.com/costuming/index.htm Here's a blog post that covers things like making patterns for individual pieces: http://rydain.org/basic-armor-patterning/ I can personally vouch for this technique of strapping the armor to your body reliably: http://www.wmarmory.com/?p=1380 I used four thicknesses of foam to make my Commander Shepard armor, and I'm in the process of redoing a few pieces for improved mobility. Also because now I (almost) know what I'm doing now. 
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Jun 15, 2017 21:36
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Liquid Communism posted:How accurate do you want it to be? If you want to know how to make the honest to god real thing, here's an utterly exhaustive source from my SCA days: Nihon Katchû Seisakuben
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Jun 15, 2017 22:43
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Google results tell me to use Sintra, cut measured strips, and do a fancy weave with shoelaces. Budget is important, especially because I've never done anything like this and when I ef it up I don't want to be out too much money (gotta spend some at the Con, after all). Historical accuracy is not at all in the cards... I want to prance around in something inspired by Legend of the Five Rings at their big release party. Inspiration from this guy, but vaguely; I've no intention of trying to recreate this. Related, if anyone is in Los Angeles and wants to help...?  I'm off to Burbank Plastics tomorrow to ask about material. They advertise for industrial needs and cosplay! They know their real audience.
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Jun 16, 2017 00:40
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