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Turns out none of my friends who wanted to join in on the group knew anything about making costumes so I had to do lots of teaching and delegation and sourcing materials and lending out tools but poo poo we still managed a group costume https://twitter.com/rottentunagames/status/1081657803847143425?s=21
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Jan 6, 2019 01:42
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Sockser posted:Con’s over and I collected all our photos so here’s some cool shots-
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Jan 7, 2019 06:16
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I want to make a costume of a pod from NieR: Automata that's basically a hat with a voice mod thing so I can make funny proposals. Any of ya'll have suggestions for materials to use or guides?
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Jan 7, 2019 17:17
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Bakalakadaka posted:I want to make a costume of a pod from NieR: Automata that's basically a hat with a voice mod thing so I can make funny proposals. Any of ya'll have suggestions for materials to use or guides? https://learn.adafruit.com/wave-shield-voice-changer/overview
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Jan 7, 2019 21:19
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oh man that's awesome thanks dude!
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Jan 7, 2019 22:01
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There’s a few other voice mod tutorials on Adafruit worth checking out as well, I think, depending on what you want to do
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Jan 7, 2019 23:20
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I got my Destiny 2 Warlock costume roughly 90% done in time for Halloween, which was great! But I want to continue to upgrade it, so I'm hoping that folks here can offer some advice! I'll start with a quick showoff of what I've already got:  ...And here's the Hard Light rifle prop that I didn't quite finish in time for Halloween, but is also roughly 90% done in this picture:  Question 1: I already have the Ghost prop, but how can I make it "float" by my shoulder like it does in-game?  I was thinking some sort of chest or shoulder harness underneath the costume, holding a long curved piece of springy metal or plastic, like the stuff they use in corset boning? So it would arc out from my back in a C shape, with the Ghost hanging from the tip of the C farthest from me. Or perhaps a more rigid rod sticking straight out, and then the Ghost hanging from that on fishing line or something? Question 2: I've never done a prop as elaborate as the rifle above. Is there a trick to making it so that the paint isn't, like, incredibly fragile? It was originally 3D printed, and I spent SO much time sanding, and priming, and re-sanding, and re-priming, just to get a smooth surface, and then a lot of experimentation to pick out just the right iridescent paints. But now I've already chipped the paint off in several spots along the edges, just from lightly bumping it against things while assembling it. I can't imagine it surviving--for instance--a comicon experience where I'll be in a big crowd of people wearing backpacks and costumes and stuff. How do pro-level cosplayers deal with this?? Is there some sort of clear coat that adds a lot of strength? Patattack fucked around with this message at 16:46 on Jan 23, 2019 |
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Jan 23, 2019 16:39
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I don't walk into big crowds wearing my props. That sounds sarcastic, but I specifically go to dealer hall, etc out of costume. Costume time is for hanging out in a lobby or with other people in a group where people will look and not touch.
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Jan 23, 2019 23:49
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Patattack posted:Question 1: 1: That's the best I can think of, it's the same trick Dr. Strange cosplayers use to make their cape levitate behind them. The difference is that their pole is built into the lining of the cape and gets concealed by it a lot easier than a small cube thingy. 2: There are various spray-on and brush-on clear coats that should prevent paint chipping, or you could do like I did with my Mantis sniper rifle from Mass Effect and use the weathering as an added feature. Battle damage gives stuff a bit more visual interest and depth, especially when viewed from more than an arm's distance away. And contest judges love the extra detail, if that's your cup of tea. Dab a little silver/gunmetal paint on the missing spots, make it look like the paint wore off to reveal the metal underneath, or silver with black edges to make it look like the gun is made of layered space-age carbon stuff, you have several options.
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Jan 24, 2019 12:53
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Patattack posted:How do pro-level cosplayers deal with this?? Is there some sort of clear coat that adds a lot of strength? I put a clear coat on absolutely every prop I make. I tend to use sprays, which go on quick and even, so there's just no excuse not to. Also, they come in gloss, satin, or matte, which can add additional visual texture to your prop sometimes, depending on the material you're trying to emulate (ie. how much light should this material reflect). If you've never done this before, definitely make a little test piece painted with your color palette to see how the clear coat will affect it. You can also end up making it look cloudy if you spray too much or too close, so it'd be good practice too. Here's what I personally use: https://www.amazon.com/Krylon-Color...ylon+clear+coat
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Jan 24, 2019 17:39
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You can also clear coat something in gloss (which tends to be the more durable) and then hit it with matte over that if you don't want the shine. Bonus: if you do this, you'll be able to see when the matte coat wears off because those areas will show a glossy finish, letting you recoat before any damage occurs! If you do get that clouding effect, you can sometimes clear it by applying another clean coat over the top.
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Jan 24, 2019 18:24
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Thanks all! I was planning on adding weathering anyway, I was just salty about the fact that I didn't have creative control over these particular chunks of weathering, and concerned about the prop's longevity in general. Hopefully a clear coat will do the trick. I only wonder what impact it might have on the iridescent topcoat that I've already added over the purple...but either way it's still better than constantly worrying about ruining the finish.
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Jan 25, 2019 15:48
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If you’re worried about interaction between paints, test on a sample piece first. Better to find out that a glossy clearcoat ruins the iridescent finish on a little chunk of plastic than on the prop you’ve spent days working on.
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Jan 29, 2019 19:00
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Follow-up question re: clear-coats I was thinking of using silver Rub N' Buff for some of the weathering (i.e., to represent metal showing through worn paint) but I know that it's wax-based....so would that completely gently caress up any clear-coat I might attempt to spray on? Has anyone tried? Would it make sense to clear-coat the base paint and then add weathering?
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Feb 5, 2019 17:10
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Patattack posted:Would it make sense to clear-coat the base paint and then add weathering? Yep generally its a good practice to protect the base paint with a clearcoat before you move onto weathering. Personally I've not tried rub n buffing over a clearcoat but I can't forsee any problems with doing that.
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Feb 11, 2019 11:55
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Chrom is done! Ready for Katsucon on Saturday  The pants were a total nightmare but I'm very pleased with how it all came out!   
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Feb 13, 2019 05:35
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Wig? That's amazing. The whole thing.
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Feb 14, 2019 02:25
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Lord Frisk posted:Wig?
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Feb 14, 2019 04:41
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The cosplay I commissioned finally came in and this is the first time wearing it. I need to find a good wig next. It's so beautiful. I love it. 
Frozen Peach fucked around with this message at 03:58 on Mar 17, 2019 |
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Mar 16, 2019 18:47
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Hi thread, I could use some advice. The local comic expo is coming up in a few weeks and I'm hoping to rebuild/improve upon an old Halloween costume. The part I need to work on is the staff. I few years back I tried building it out of jewelry wire and 'polyform model air' paperclay. It ended up being ridiculously top-heavy and broke in half by the end of the night, so I tossed it out. I want to try rebuilding it, but proper this time - lighter and sturdier. My instincts are to either: - Make a hollow tube cast out of a wire frame+paper as a base for the clay. - Buy construction tubing or even Pop Tubes (+ wire) and build on that. - Impale a length of foam on heavy wire and bend it into the right shape and build on that. The issue is that I have no talent/experience with this sort of thing, so any tips or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.   Thanks!
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Apr 14, 2019 07:10
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Come And See posted:My instincts are to either: I think the wire frame and paper as a base is a solid idea, that's what I would do. A length of foam on wire could probably work, too, but I think it would be harder to work with. The pop tube idea is clever, but I suspect it either wouldn't bend as sharply as you'd want it to and/or it would shift around while you're trying to work with it. If the bends were less complicated, I might suggest trying expanding foam and carving it out, but I don't know if I'd want to carve foam for the first time with a shape like that. Disclaimer: I haven't made a very similar prop, so I'm guessing based on my limited relevant experience.
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Apr 14, 2019 19:58
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Mecha Neko, thank you for the encouragement. An update:  First thing I did was re-do the glasses (old: left, new: right). Not being an idiot with spray paint made a huge difference.  For the staff, I used a trick I stumbled upon on youtube, which is to use hot sand to bend PVC pipe. I used a 3/4" x 10ft pvc pipe, a bag of playground sand, and rented a heat gun for the touch-ups. I taped the pipe to the ladder to make it easier to pour into a funnel from the top without burning myself and my helping hands. While the pipe did bend (almost like a garden hose), my original design was far more ambitious (the inspiration was the ebola virus shepherd's crook). But I'm happy with how it turned out. For other projects I'd recommend using a smaller pipe like 1/2". The sand was pre-measured and two batches worth were baked at 420°F in separate tin trays. Cold sand was poured in after to keep it in place and protect the straight segment of the pipe.  After that I drilled holes in the pipe to feed wire through, make a simple teepee frame for the tip, and filled with with air clay.  Painted with black, then red, then a bit of black before coating with high-gloss 'mod podge' spray.   I know jack poo poo about making stuff or being handy, but I think this one turned out alright.
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May 5, 2019 23:52
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That came out GREAT! I really like the color of the staff, too. I never would have thought to use hot sand to bend a PVC pipe, that's a neat trick.
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May 10, 2019 18:17
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The sand is just to keep the PVC from caving in on itself when you bend it. Without the sand it’d be like putting a kink in a garden hose.
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May 16, 2019 20:39
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Yeah, if you've ever seen that show How It's Made, they do a similar thing when bending brass pipes to make musical instruments, only they use molten pitch which solidifies in the tube and then melt it again to pour out when it's done. Clever! That staff also turned out really good, Come and See, much better than what I would have suggested. While I'm here, a general question for the thread: if you're trying to make an outfit that's just more or less real clothes, do you prefer to make your own from scratch or just match and modify preexisting clothes as close as possible? I've got a cosplay project on the back burner that's basically just a jacket+shorts set when you get down to it... I was able to find a couple of suitable pieces but the colors don't match each other 100%, and I'm wondering if it would be more or less of a pain in the rear end to dye the shorts or just create my own outfit from a single type of fabric. But mostly I'm just curious how other people approach this!
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May 17, 2019 04:37
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Eh, it kinda depends on the project, how much time/money/effort I want to spend on it, and whether I plan to wear it more than once. Also, dyeing fabric can be a bitch and a half depending on what type of material it is, and you almost certainly won't get the threads dyed the same color as everything else. Many years ago I tried to help a friend dye a corset (who the hell buys a random color corset and tries to dye it anyway??) and literally nothing worked. It was some kind of synthetic material that even red wine wouldn't stain. Eventually she just ended up painting it and it looked kind of terrible but oh well. As for your costume, I think it would depend on the character or how you choose to interpret their design. Is this a character from a live action series where you're trying to match a certain outfit 100%, or is it a cartoon/anime/game character where you have a little more leeway for artistic interpretation? Hell, is your character someone who would even care about perfectly matching clothes? I wouldn't sweat it too much unless you're trying to enter a competition, or you actually do want to do some sewing. Meanwhile, I'm the sort of person that just bought fabric to make a tshirt and shorts that are probably never going to be seen by anyone because they're the undergarments for a costume I'm working on.. oh, and the convention is next week and I haven't even started on the outerwear because I'm still trying to modify the pattern to suit my needs.. 
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May 17, 2019 10:17
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I'm always happy to buy clothes if they are 90% of the way there. Matching exact colors doesn't bother me that much because I feel like you are always going to get some variation. It also depends on the clothing, because it's one thing to bang out some kind of simple tunic or pants, but I am not making a dress shirt or sewing my own jeans unless it is absolutely necessary.
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May 17, 2019 13:12
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I finished a thing. The Hello! Happy World original uniform's hat (reference), I think it turned out pretty well considering my lack of experience, poor technique, and bad workplace. The metallic golden fabric was terrible to work with, in particular since it can not be ironed. I think total work time was around 16 hours across two days, but I had also made a prototype with different materials before. (I don't intend to make a full costume, just wanted the hat.) It's pretty nice wearing a hat sized exactly for my head.
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May 17, 2019 14:48
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Ashcans posted:I'm always happy to buy clothes if they are 90% of the way there. Matching exact colors doesn't bother me that much because I feel like you are always going to get some variation. Yeah, normally I'm happy enough doing things the easy way as long as it produces something functional and aesthetically pleasing, but not for this costume. It has a jacket and pants that actually do have to match, and I figured I'd make the underclothes as well since I have a serger gathering dust that I really should learn how to properly use. Hopefully I'll actually get this poo poo done before the convention next week. 
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May 18, 2019 07:11
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I still need a last few bits, but my Scottish Pokemon Trainer is coming out better than I could have hoped for.
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May 31, 2019 02:27
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I'm working on a Slay the Spire Cultist: The mask turned out way better than I expected.          
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May 31, 2019 17:08
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jmistajay posted:I'm working on a Slay the Spire Cultist: That’s pretty good! I advised my friend on his and just had him make evil teds helmet and then add a cone to the front  (I’m the silent) Sockser fucked around with this message at 07:03 on Jun 1, 2019 |
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Jun 1, 2019 06:53
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That's a drat good mask, I need to take a jump into armor making one of these days. I have a con in 2 months and my friend wants to go as Hit Girl so I'm'm thinking Kick rear end would be a good counter part. Anybody have a lead or idea on were to source that body suit or even were to start possibly making one from scratch?
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Jun 3, 2019 02:23
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Sockser posted:That’s pretty good! Haha, that pic is in my Cosplanner as ref! (You and your friends rule)
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Jun 7, 2019 20:44
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I'm trying to make the Dark Helmet Safari hat from Spaceballs. My idea is use a hula hoop and wire to make the frame and foam over it. I'm having trouble finding wire that is rigid enough to hold shape but can be bent to form the dome. Any ideas of something to use or any other idea for the shape.
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Jun 7, 2019 21:44
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Coat hangers have been my go-to for that kind of thing. 
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Jun 8, 2019 12:45
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my cat is norris posted:Coat hangers have been my go-to for that kind of thing. they still make wire hangers?
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Jun 8, 2019 14:35
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Deviant posted:they still make wire hangers?
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Jun 8, 2019 15:40
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Got started on another bit. Need to thicken up the paint, though. me maw gets so jel when I do anything fun
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Jun 8, 2019 19:36
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Deviant posted:they still make wire hangers?  Yes...? https://www.amazon.com/slp/wire-coat-hangers/f8wa7k4dsu4uoyb Though if you want to skip the hangers part, you can just find 12-gauge steel wire (I believe that's right).
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Jun 8, 2019 23:05
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