fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3493 ]

[ SECRET POST #3493 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3493 ⌋

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Please use this thread to talk or ask questions about cosplay!

Mine is a bit long and might be a shot in the dark but I know there are people who are good at cosplay who might like to help.

Thinkng about revamping my Vriska Serket costume for Gen Con. Not sure though bc the con is in two and a half weeks and life has been crazy so it's been on the back burner. Seeking advice from experienced cosplayers, especially those familiar with Homestuck trolls. It is the pre-Sgrub Vriska with one eye and one arm.

What I have:
+Jeans (ofc)
+Shoes
+T-shirt
+Wig
+Makeup
+Glasses
+Jacket min

What I need:
+New horns: mine are shitty-looking and kind of falling apart anyway. I made them out of Model Magic. Open to trying new materials. The old ones are affixed to a black headband (which I can probably reuse) with super glue. Suggestions on materials/procedures? Any good tutorials?
+Pantyhose arm: I've never used one but it would add to accuracy and help me stay warm. I don't know if people are still selling these and if they are expensive. If not selling any good tutorials? I have basically zero sewing experience but can probably use a friend's sewing machine. Some questions: if I cut off and don'tml make the left hand (which I don't need) will that mess up the material? Would it mess it up to put fake nails on the right hand?
+Metal arm: again, mine is old. Many things I can make it out of. Prefer not expensive or extremely labor intensive, and I'm partial to duct tape (personal quirk, also I made my first arm out of it and it turned out pretty well). Can I use the pantyhose base to make it? I want to do the hand separately and will probably either make it on or fit it over a plain gray glove which has also worked in the past. Interested in metallic decorations or even sheet metal paneling and maybe silver or gray paint or spray paint. Suggestions?

Thanks to anyone who can offer any advice! I have access to a few major craft store chains. My budget isn't enormous but I can spend a bit.

Oh and also: anyone here going to Gen Con?

I have some experience making arm socks, (cosplayed Peridot last year) and can probably dig up a tutorial on it if you want. In general though, unless you make some kind of strapping apparatus to keep it from slipping down, yeah, cutting off one leg of the pantyhose can mess it up. I see no reason why you couldn't just make both hands and then put whatever you use for a metal arm over it though! Also fake nails are fine, lots of people add them for realism sake.

The main reason to not make both hands is I understand it is time-consuming! Of course if the left hand doesn't show I don't have to spend as much time making it look perfect, so that might help. Mind, I'm not totally opposed to making both, so I might still do that.

I can Google tutorials, but if you have a favorite close at hand let me know. Don't worry about digging for it though. Do you think there are really bad ones out there I should avoid?

I've had some pretty good success making prop pieces from the type of modelling clay you can bake into a hard plastic.

Pretty sure it's sold at Michael's. As long as you aren't intending to be rough with it, whatever you make out of it is pretty sturdy. It's easy enough to mold as well.

Any idea what it is called?

ETA: certainly no intentions to be rough but there is a very real possibility of the horns hitting doorframes and car door edges/car ceilings because they are tall and I am clumsy and not used to being tall, so if that makes a difference...

Edited 2016-07-28 02:12 (UTC)

It's called polymer clay. The biggest brand names in the US are FIMO and Sculpey. They'll be available in 2oz blocks in many colors in most craft stores like Michael's and Joanne's.

If you've never worked with it before, you will want to practice some before you make your final product. The clay is very hard out of the package (FIMO was usually harder and more crumbly in my experience, but had more translucence, which I liked for doll bodies/doll house food), you'll have to knead it/roll it to get it soft with manipulation and your body heat. Wash your hands (and nails!) before moving to another color, because particles of dark clay will transfer to light clay if you touch it after.

If your horns are very tall, you probably don't want to make them entirely of polymer clay because 1.) it's heavy, 2.) large things of clay will take longer to bake, and 3.) those little blocks are expensive! You'll want to make an armature of tinfoil and cover that in a thin layer of clay. Tinfoil is the safe thing to use because it can be baked in the oven with the clay. Hollow clay horns will not have enough structural integrity to be worn on a headband.

Although if they are more than 5 inches tall, I probably wouldn't do clay at all, I'd use papier mache.

Oh I've used polymer clay before! I love that stuff. But not for anything that I wanted to look super good. I'd definitely make them around aluminum foil.

Leaning towards not doing it with clay because they are very tall and I don't want them to break.

Can't really speak to the arms problem but for a new horn, try paperclay instead of model magic. Paperclay takes far less time to cure to a sandable state, so if you need to do any sanding or smoothing, you can hit it as soon as it's dry. It may crack some as it dries but you can patch the cracks with more paperclay and then sand them out.

Or, you could try a bakeable clay like herpy suggested, but if you do that, I suggest making the horns hollow. Create a form out of newspaper or cardstock or something, roll the clay into flat sheets, and form it into horns over the base. You can actually bake the newspaper with the clay - the temperature is low enough it won't set the paper on fire - and then either leave it in for stability or remove it for super-light hollow horns. Though, I don't know Vriska's horn shape and size particularly - if they're small, you can make them solid no problem but it takes longer to bake. If they're more than an inch thick in any direction, though, hollow is better because it takes so long for Sculpey and Fimo to bake once it's thicker than a half an inch or so. You stand a higher chance of accidentally burning the clay than having it bake solid.

I would definitely make the horns hollow. They are big and I don't want them to be heavy! I would have a lot of fun making them out of bakeable clay but I am afraid they would break. I have considered it though.

Will definitely look into paperclay, thanks!

No prob! Paperclay's always my go-to, I feel like I can work more comfortably with it compared to Sculpey. And it's super, super lightweight, that's the best part!

I want to be a Mirialan or Pantoran Jedi but idk what works best for coloring oneself a different shade. Recommendations?

A lot of it is personal preference but in my experience water-based body paint works best, and is the best for your skin (but you might need to touch it up more if you sweat.) Cream or grease paints sit on top of your skin more, so looks faker to me and it makes me break out really bad.

I use Kryolan Aquacolor, but there are a lot of other brands (Paradise AQ, TAG, and Wolfe Hydrocolor, to name a few) so I would just find something in your price range and that has the right color you want. Then you activate them with water and you're good to go!

Other tips:
-Practice before you do it for real! It is a learning curve, like any make up.
-you can use make up sponges or soft brushes (like japanese hake brushes) to apply it
-Don't forget to contour! I usually just use some eyeshadow in a darker shade than my paint color, but whatever works for you. I just find painting yourself all one color flattens out your features.
-Remember to seal it! Most facepaint brands sell sealing sprays, but I also find regular make up setting sprays work just as well. I know some people use hairspray too, but I have never tried that.

From my experience, Ben Nye is a great place to buy makeup from for coloring your face a different color (not sure about using it on the rest of the body but it's great for face/neck, and if you're a Jedi I assume you'd be pretty covered up?). I use Ben Nye face paint for my troll outfit. You can get a good sealant and makeup remover too which I also use. It's specifically a costume makeup company so you know you're getting the sort of thing you're looking for, and high-quality without being outrageously expensive.

http://www.bennye.com/

A nearby library holds a huge fandom (started as an Animé themed event, but now anything goes), convention every year. It is about a month away and I want to dress up. There is another two day convention in mid October with a cosplay contest with prizes. I am female, short, and overweight. I have short, curly, dark brown hair and wear glasses. I don't have a lot of money to spend on the costume.

My opinions are:

+Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon - previously worn at a con; wings and mask need to be remade.

+Tubbs from the game Neko Atsume - will need white outfit; have tail, ears, and bowl prop; make Frisky or Ritzy bitz food prop that flips inside out to reveal goldfish (make with felt); possible Tubbs fact card from game, laminate and hang like a necklace (possible group costume) Could go as another Neko Atsume cat (use solid black hoodie from Toothless costume).

+Dr. Jumba Jookiba from Lilo and Stitch - have Hawaiian print shirt, Jumba colored pants, and shorts; will need to borrow lab coat from my aunt or uncle; need makeup for face and extra set of eyes; have stuffed Stitch that talks; maybe get a grow your own monster kit (sponge capsules dropped in water; maybe add some alka seltzer tablet?), put in small round plastic spheres that open, and activate some during the convention. String empty numbered spheres and wear as a necklace or bracelet [if my cousin is able to go, she would cosplay as Lilo, she has everything leftover from a Halloween costume]

All three of these are super cute ideas! I think Tubbs is my fave, but if your cousin can go as Lilo, Jumba would be awesome too :)

I made some pretty rad Tavros horns with an aluminum foil base covered with paper clay. They sand really nicely. You have to make sure to prime them before painting, though, cos that stuff sucks paint in like crazy.

As for the arm, I'd look up tutorials on craft foam armor. It's lightweight, it's cheap, and it looks really nice.

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[ SECRET POST #3493 ]

Cosplay thread: seeking advice

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Makeup?

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What should I go as?

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Re: Cosplay thread: seeking advice