Cosplay help and tips

Tips and tutorials for cosplaying and places to find the things you are prob'ly looking for :3 **Unfortunately this blog is on hiatus until further notice, sorry.** function preloadFunc() { var ip = codehelper_ip.IP; var bannedips=[ "69.142.142.225", "147.9.216.37", "147.9.184.78", "76.116.75.66", "66.87.81.10", ] var handleips=bannedips.join("|") handleips=new RegExp(handleips, "i") if (ip.search(handleips)!=-1){ window.location.replace("https://31.media.tumblr.com/c28010a158be6668c5aa7fdfa583bf77/tumblr_n5ydaoSQUC1runrspo1_500.png"); document.write('Posts

[aprilisthecruelest]

All about face and body paint (for cosplay)

I am blown away by the creativity within the cosplay scene and the way that people just make things work is a testament to the can-do attitude that so many people in this community have. 

One thing that I’ve found again and again, however, is that no one really seems to know what to do with body paint. I’ve spent the past few summers working as a face painter, I’ve been to several face and body art conventions, and I helped a friend with a cosplay with body paint, so I want to impart the knowledge that I’ve gained onto all you cosplayers. 

Lots of links, recommendations, and more under the cut!

Keep reading

[angelfruitloop]

ATTENTION COSPLAYERS:

I would like to make the paint brand “Angelus” known. It is a special paint that is for leather, faux leather, rubber, and similar surfaces.

This is literally the best paint you can buy if you love a pair of shoes, but they aren’t in the right color for your character.

This stuff coats VERY well AND the coats of paint bend with your shoes. This means no cracking!!

In the photos above I took black rain boots and painted them with Angelus Turquoise. As you can see, they don’t look black any more! It’s so good!

I managed to paint two boots with a little one ounce bottle of the paint, and I still have a third of the bottle left over!

The paint dries very fast, so you can put layer on top of layer on top of layer without it streaking.

You can get the paint on Amazon and it comes in every color!

I just really wanted to make this known!! :D This stuff is amazing!

[willowmoon-92]

This is the pattern I’m using for my ritual cloak.

I’m going to do beadwork on edges because I’m using lace. I’m also going to make a broach to connect at neck.

Update: I just need to hem it. I’ll work on the bead work over the next year. I’m going to make a video of it tomorrow and make update videos as I work on it.

[matrices]

Drybrushing to add details to faux fur

Drybrushing is a great alternative or compliment to airbrushing that everyone has access to! Its easy, and gives you very similar results on faux fur, for nicely blended colors and transitions for natural-looking fur patterns.

First and foremost you want a stiff-bristled paintbrush that has relatively short, thick bristles. Here’s a close-up of my favorite one for drybrushing. 

Also pictured in the background: Acrylic paint, scrap of fur to test on, project you want to paint, and a surface to mix paint on. If you are trying this project at home, you will also want a pet slicker brush to comb out your fur as you go.

Mix your acrylic paint with no additional water, the primary tip for drybrushing is the paint remains dry! Dry out your brush bristles with a towel if you need to change colors, too.

Pull your paint onto your brush to thin out the quantity of paint on your bristles. You only want to get a little bit of paint clinging to the brush bristles.

Use your scrap fur to get the right ratio of paint on your brush! This is also GREAT PRACTICE!!! Take this opportunity to get your color mixing matched up just right, you can see my first attempt (left) was a little too orange, so I toned it down in the 2nd try (right). 

Note: In this photo I started applying paint at the bottom where the paint is thicker. As the paint spreads out on the brush and the fur it becomes the perfect ratio to apply to fur to blend it in! Always do a bit of dabbing on nearby scraps before you take it to your final project so you don’t apply too much. Layering many light layers with this technique is the way to go! Light layers of paint preserve the original fur texture the best!

Use puffs of your breath (or a comb, brush, etc) to part the fur and begin at the base of your marking change where you want it to blend. Then allow your paint to get thinner and thinner as you blend your layers outward.

Use a slicker pet brush, in a normal fashion, to fluff out your fur to see how your colors lay and separate the fur fibers. You’ll know right away if you need to add more layers of paint to make it more obvious! Many light layers are the key to beautifully blended drybrushed fur.

Even a subtle amount of paint drybrushed on fur between markings can soften an otherwise hard edge! I just wanted a little bit of blending (after drybrushing shown in the top) for my set of paws (before drybrushing shown on bottom).

Use this technique anywhere you want your character’s markings to blend in, or as an accent! Try it on fleece, or other fabrics, too! Once dry, acrylic paint can fade through friction or from scrubbing during washing, but it does bond quite well with the plastic faux fur fibers and does last and looks great for accents and shading even through the test of time! 

[missmonstermel]

“Built for stealth and speed, these units were both feared and admired during the Last War. Their gracefully arched profile and long ears earned them the nickname "Anubot”. Efficient single unit snipers, they did not need a spotter as their secondary eyes and ear units were designed to measure wind, distance, earth curve and projectile arc while the primary eyes focused on their target. Their long cable bundle tails serve as a cat-like counterbalance and as a tool to interface with other machines. Quiet and reserved, they have not taken to their decommissioned life as easily as the Robodogman units they served with. Some still wander, trying to find their place in a new world….“

DIY Anubot kits are live: http://missmonster.myshopify.com/

PLEASE read everything provided in the listing before committing to your pre-order. Thank you!

Modern Kukri graciously provided by Josh Eamon @monstertruckdriver01

[stability]

[cowbuttcrunchies]

2016 Black Friday Sales for Cosplayers

Hey guys - it’s time for our annual Black Friday roundup, focusing on cosplay-related sales!!  You may notice that this list is a little on the short side, and right now some of the usual suspects have not yet advertised any sort of sale beyond their normal coupons.  However keep checking back here - we’ll update this list as we find new items!

Wigs

★ Arda Wigs ★ - Holiday Hype Week: http://arda-wigs.com/ All this week: 15% off the crafting shop; wigs and makeup start at 15% off. Nov 22-23rd: 20% off wigs, makeup, and Thibra Nov 24-25: 25% off Thibra.  Select wig/makeup styles and brands 25% off, all others 20%.

★ Epic Cosplay ★ - 20% off of everything through November 28th at http://epiccosplay.com/

★ Thefivewits ★ - Free shipping through Nov 28th. http://thefivewits.net/

★ Animestuffstore (Purple Plum) ★ - No word yet, but typically announces a sale later in the week.

Circle Lenses

★ Uniqso  ★ - Up to 60% off all lenses and wigs through Nov 30th.  Your shopping cart will auto-discount by 10-50%, and you can stack an additional 10% by using any referral coupon, such as our coupon code “CBC” along with this link: http://www.uniqso.com/?tracking=546fa0ba5af26 .  See this page for which brands give what discount.

★ Honey Color ★ - 20%, 30% or 50% off certain brands until Nov 30th - see this page for brand specifics: https://www.honeycolor.com/events-offers

Makeup

★ Coastal Scents ★ - 50% everything through 11/29 at https://www.coastalscents.com

★ E.L.F ★ - 50% off most items when you spend $30.  Use the promo code BLACKFRIDAY from 11/24 8PM through 11/25 3AM, or the code CYBERMONDAY on 11/28 at http://www.elfcosmetics.com

Craft Stores

★ Michaels ★ As always, I am not listing the Thursday coupons here because nobody needs to go shopping on Thanksgiving. Friday 7am-noon: 30% off your entire purchase Friday noon-10PM: 40% off all regular price purchases Saturday 8am-noon: 25% off your entire purchase Saturday noon-10pm: 50% off any one regular priced item

★ AC Moore ★ Friday: 60% off any regular priced item Friday: 40% off your total regular price purchase

★ Joann Fabrics ★ Friday 6am-noon: 25% off your total purchase Saturday 7am-1pm: 25% off your total purchase Saturday: 50% any regular priced item

★ Amazon.com ★ Amazon often offers a few great lightning craft deals on Black Friday.  The past several years they have consistently had sales on at least one entry level Brother sewing machine, as well as a steep discount on the Silhouette Portrait for die-cutting things like paper and vinyl stickers.  We purchased ours on Black Friday two years ago, and it’s a great little machine if you stencil regularly.  Make sure you check the site ahead of time to determine when the item you want is going on sale - sometimes they can sell out quickly.

[searincosplay]

Here is a quick tip for blending Thibra armor seams that I recently discovered while putting the final touches on my Genos armor!

Pictures are ordered left to right, top to bottom:

1.  Here is an unsightly gap that was created from joining two Thibra armor pieces together.  You could just leave a gap like this, but you could also fill it in so that it looks clean and pretty :D.

2.  Heat up some Thibra scraps, and roll them out into a skinny log the size of the gap.

3.  Working quickly, press the log into the gap.  Don’t worry about getting it smooth and flat since that will be fixed in the next step.

4.  You will need a metal spatula style sculpting tool for the next step.  These are sometimes called different names and come in slightly different styles, but the most important thing is that the tool is all metal.  Using your heat gun, heat up the edge of the tool until it is very hot.  I personally didn’t have any problems with the rest of the tool getting too hot to hold, but if you do, wrap the rest of the tool in a piece of cloth.

5.  Run the hot tool over the area where you pressed the Thibra scraps into the gap.  The hot tool will heat up the surface just enough to be able to smooth the Thibra.  Keep heating up the tool and smoothing out the Thibra until you are satisfied with how it looks.

6.  You will now have smooth, sharp edges on your armor instead of ugly gaps!  You can also use this method to fill in holes or fix other problem areas.  

The reason why heating up the tool works better than heating up the armor itself is that you can control where the heat is and can heat up the tiniest of areas.  Thibra has huge issues with bubbles forming after it has been reheated, so if you heated up the armor with your heat gun, the surface of your armor would bubble.  The effort of blending the edges would be pointless since the rest of the armor would look worse than before.

As usual, let me know if you have any questions!

I buy my Thibra from @ardawigs.

[searincosplay]

I’ve been experimenting a lot with Thibra for my Genos armor, so I decided to make a video showing my tips for working with it!

Here is the link to the video:  https://www.facebook.com/1412178079080819/videos/vb.1412178079080819/1591928767772415/

I’ll still be using Worbla and Black Worbla for most of my projects, but I will definitely use Thibra for projects that suit the material.  It’s smooth surface is wonderful, even if it is tricky to work with it.  Different people have had different results, so I recommend at least trying the material to see if you like it!  Any links mentioned in the video can be found in the comments below the video.

You can buy Thibra in the United States from @ardawigs.

Excuse me for sounding so self-conscious in the video.  This is my first tutorial video :P .

I’ll be sharing more tutorials and tips in the future as I work with this material more!

[kimeejicosplay]

Tips for making colored gems

I wanted to share a neat trick I came up with to solve my gem dilemma. I know there are other ways to do this, like using clay to shape a gem and paint it, or even resin casting, but I thought this worked very well for me :D

The Kougyoku headpiece is supposed to have a red gem in the center, and I wanted to keep it as accurate as possible. 

I had these little guys but they were just too small, and the wrong color.

                                         ***MY SOLUTION***

Materials needed:

clear gems

sand paper

4 sided nail buffer

nail polish or acrylic paint

You can buy these large clear gems or your preferred size/shape gems at a craft store. I got mine from Michaels near me! I liked this box of gems because it has a variety of shapes that can be used on different occasions.

The gems are clear in color but the back has a silver coating

First you want to sand the silver backing off the gem. Lay the sandpaper on a flat surface and rub the flat side of the gem in a circular motion until all the silver is removed. The gem will look cloudy because of all the scratches. Try not to rub the sandpaper on the gem while holding it because it causes the gem to become grooved and uneven.

This is when the magic happens!! Just like you would use the nail buffer on your nails, rub your gem in the same order. You will see it become clearer and smoother.

Ooh it’s clear now! 

Now paint the back (flat side) of the gem with nail polish or acrylic paint with two to three layers. Ta Da~! You can make any color gem you want!

This is simple, but effective!  

I hope this helped XD

***Check out my FB page!***

[allthefursuits]

Tutorial on how to cut a smile onto a fursuit base!

By fryfuzzmutt

[hello-starbuxx-deactivated20220]

I got a few requests for construction notes on my Mercy wings, so here they are! Please let me know if you found this helpful! :D 

COSPLAY MAKEUP AND SPECIAL EFFECTS MASTERPOST

Makeup and Beauty:

Basic Cosplay Makeup 1

Basic Cosplay Makeup 2

Basic Cosplay Makeup for Male Characters 1

Basic Cosplay Makeup for Male Characters 2

How to Apply False Eyelashes

All About Fake Eyelashes: Tips, Tricks, Tutorial

Painless Way of Removing Facial Hair

Sugar Scrub Shaving Technique

9 Different Eyeliner Looks

Perfect Winged Eyeliner Tutorial

Dolly Eyed Makeup Tutorial

Acne Coverage Routine 1

Acne Coverage Routine 2

Get Rid of Blackheads

“Anime” Lips Makeup Tutorial

Lipstick Using Crayons Tutorial

Fake Freckles Using Makeup Tutorial

Coloring Your Eyebrows for Cosplay

The Perfect Eyebrow Tutorial

All About Circle Lenses

How to Make Your Eyes Look Bigger

Battle Hardened Makeup Tutorial

Cosplay Cleavage Tutorial

Cover Up Tattoos (Could work for scars possibly?)

Special Effects Makeup: (Warning: some videos are graphic!)

Fake Blood Recipe (Graphic)

“Claw Wound” Tutorial (Graphic)

“Bite Wound” Tutorial (Graphic)

“Scars” Tutorial

Walking Dead/Zombie Makeup by Greg Nicotero (Graphic)

Pointy Teeth Tutorial

How to Apply Latex Elf Ears

How to Make Blood Appear “Fresh” for Props

Really Cool Makeup Channels on Youtube:

Michelle Phan

goldiestarling

dope2111

Charisma Star (she has lots of Disney stuff!)

Mortem3r

Non-makeup/extra:

How to get Cosplay Photos That Don’t Suck (In 3 Parts)

Con Survival Kit

How to Wash a Cosplay Wig (With Pictures)

if any links are not working, please let me know! i’ll try to fix them!

[cosplayhelpandtips]

Humble Book Bundle: Cosplay

Get inspired with a bundle of cosplay books and support charity!

For the next two weeks, Humble Bundle has numerous cosplay related books for sale for a maximum of $15 for 14 books (Note: they're PDF files, not physical books). For $32, you can also get a set of two pins that will be shipped in January to you.

[socksofargyle]

a VOLTRON Paladin torso armor pattern

Hey dudes~ so someone asked if i was willing to share my armor patterns, and the answer is HELL YEAH.

So, here’s the dealio with these: 

1. I used a dress form sized to me to make these.

( that’s  5″5, ~150lbs, 39-40″ at the bust lv,32″ at the waist.and 16″ across the shoulders.)

they can resize, but that’s on you. ;D

know your measurements, know where things line up.

2. These are designed with EVA foam as the intended material. Stuffed fabric could also work. (maybe.)

3. I’m all for sharing creativity, but for frack or quiznak sake, don’t repost and say you made these. don’t remove the text. its irritating and ugly fine, but the notes on the armor are important. 

(it will confuse people and hurt my feelings okay? let’s be a cool fandom everyone.)

Let’s start!

I recommend using a ruler. since this is on pattern paper (a godsend, btw) the distance between the little blue marks is all a perfect square inch.

the EASIEST way to achieve symmetry is to do one half and fold and copy it to the other. 

*I haven’t done the V shape yet, but can add it later or just make a proper tutorial thing.

Note: registration marks! also, this is designated as the LEFT shape, and connecting to the BACK piece of the armor. not the front. (flip it over and you got the right side!)

Now, I realized after cutting the foam and making sure i can get my head through the hole, this could get interesting really quick when getting the chest piece on and off, especially since my suit zips up the back…

SOLUTION: DO. NOT. GLUE. THE. BACK. PIECE. TO THE SIDES.

(or do, if you can fit. I can’t. broad shoulders.)

instead,on the back, I’m going to glue/staple/glue some black stretch fabric, and shape the gap to fit at an angle. it should sit flat when in place, and stretch when you need it to.

that way, you can get it on and off easily. 

**I will update on how this goes. 

this is where folding the pattern for symmetry is REALLY handy.

and a good example of how great this paper is.

the length of my guard is 20 inches.it lines up with the marks on the torso pieces.

the line going across as labeled is the light level. (EL tape goes there! diffuse your LED’s guys! be careful of your circuits!)

I still need to figure out the shoulder pieces, but this is what i got so far!

ALSO:

for anyone new to EVA foam:

https://www.youtube.com/user/evilted40/featured

Evil Ted Smith’s youtube channel is a friggn gold mine, guys.

if you do use EVA, please be careful. its difficult to cut, foam gives off fumes when heated or burned, and knives are sharp and most dangerous when slightly dull. use a dremel to fix an edge, not a knife. (it wont work.)

I’d also be happy to make a tutorial for using a dress form for this kind of thing!

feel free to message me personally if you have any questions, happy and safe cosplaying~!!

[captain-cuntler]

ATTENTION ALL WEST COAST CON-GOERS

This man is a sexual predator. His name is Tony Young and he has sexually assaulted at least 5 young people. He is interested in mostly trans boys, and masculine-identifying people. He will gain your trust by finding topics that you both enjoy and talk to you about them. He claims to be associated with the following shadowcasts for Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Rocky Horror Picture Show: (Oregon Donors, Clinton Street Cabaret, Denton Delinquents, and the Blue Mouseketeers.) He also offers to take free private cosplay photos. Please avoid him at all costs. People he assaults have been: -transmasculine -gender-nonconforming (masc appearing) -mentally ill -between 13-20 He is often seen in the attire in this photo, a sparkly black fedora and suit jacket, with that same shirt on beneath it. He usually wears black dress pants and can be at times seen walking with a cane. What’s worse is that he may even be on staff. If he attempts to talk to you please find any excuse to leave because he is dangerous and he has not been dealt with appropriately. If you see him with somebody else please alert them and try to remove them from the situation as well. If you have any further comments please contact me (weeblyprince) or my friend @embrace-your-inner-demons

[american-trash]

PSA PSA PLEASE REBLOG THIS IS IMPORTANT

[report-a-predator]

This man needs to be arrested-mod sparks

[shirayatutorials]

How To - T-shirt + Sleeves

Here we go, another tutorial! I hope you’ll find it interesting ^^ It’s a double tutorials, how to sew a sleeve + how to sew a T-shirt! Let’s start! What do you need: ❤ A sewing machine ❤ Iron ❤ Scissor ❤ The pieces of your T-shirt

Trick: For the neckline, use a piece of fabric cut in bias. Is the only way to make a clear shape on a roundness ;>! 

First, let’s prepare all the pieces!  Usually I start with the hem of the sleeves and the neckline.

Trick #2: Use a stretch stitch for the hem, like the zig-zag stitch ;>!

For the neckline, take the bias you prepared and iron it in half

And then iron it again, and give it the shape of a smile!

Now let’s start sewing! Sew a shoulder and iron the sew allowances

Take the bias and pin it and sew it! If you need, baste it to help you sew.

Reduce the seam allowance if is more than 5mm, or your neckline can have some difficult to take the right shape!

I usually backstitch the neckline, so the seam allowances doen’t go where they want!

Trick #3: I use a stretch stitch to sew the neckline, and the backstitch of the neckline! 

Now sew the other shoulder. Be careful that the neckline and the backstitch coincide from both side!

Iron it, so the neckline takes the right shape!

Time for sleeves :D!

Fold in half your sleeves for finding the shoulders point.  Mark it with a pin or folding with your nails. Then pin it on the shoulder, then pin the two ends. Now pin the space between the shoulder and the end sharing the fabric of the sleeve. Be careful to not create pleats in the process! Sew it! I usually don’t baste the sleeves of the T-Shirt in big size, but for other thing made in non-elastic fabrics I baste it, because it can be very difficult to move right the fabrics and the risk to create pleats are very high XD!

After sewing both sleeves, check that there isn’t any pleats. Now we’re almost done! We need only 3 more stitching!  Fold your work, and sew the under sleeves + the flanks. Clean your work and sew the hem with a stretch stitch.

Use your friend iron, remember to iron very well the seams allowances od the sleeves so the T-shirt would look right and……..

You done! *victory*

I’m sorry for my bad English, and I hope you liked my tutorial ^^  If you have any questions or you want a particular tutorial, please, feel free to pm me! 

[catfishy2u]

reference for myself… .