Costume making plus diys

I made this to keep all my diy and cosplay resources away from my other blog

[howtobeaconartist]

Could you give some general tips on shipping charms from the US and managing a store? Stuff like what to charge for within the country and how to package the orders. How do you manage your orders?

Kiriska: 

What to charge for shipping? 

Basic Mode: Use the calculator on USPS.

Accurate Mode: Pack up two mock orders, one with 1 charm and one with 2 charms, take them to the post office and ask them how much. Use the difference in price in the two packages to determine additional shipping cost per charm.

Advanced Mode: Invest in a postage scale, set up an account with your shipment service of choice, and do the math based on the rates charts they give.

How to package orders

Basic Mode: Bubble mailers.

Careful Mode: Bubble wrap the charm, then put it in a bubble mailer.

Extras: Include a business card with every order; print stickers or get a custom stamp made with your return address.

Managing orders

Really, the only thing is to make sure you’re keeping up with orders!

Most shopfront systems let you view and manage orders from their backend and send emails every time a purchase is made. Make a point to keep up with your emails and mark orders accordingly (to ship, shipped). If your email inbox is a mess, make a point to check your shopfront backend regularly.

If you can’t ship something out within a few days (out of stock, damaged stock, out of town, personal emergency, etc), be sure to let the customer know and give them an estimate on when you think you’ll be able to ship it out. As with many things, the key is to be honest and communicative about your situation. Most people are very understanding when kept in the loop, but considerably less so when they have neither their order nor an explanation.

Other notes

Get a PO Box to use as your return address if you’re concerned about privacy.

Shipping internationally sucks. I recommend sticking to domestic shipping until you’re more used to everything.

Sometimes charms break in transit and it’s really no one’s fault. Decide ahead of time whether it will be your policy to replace broken charms or if it’ll just be a customer’s bad luck. Be upfront about the policy, especially if it’s the latter.

Further reading: #shipping, #online store, #mailing

[sworntovalor]

Here’s a “life-hack” for you. Apparently concentrated Kool-Aid can be used as a pretty effective leather dye. I was making a drink while cutting the snaps off some new straps for my pauldrons and I got curious, so I tried it, thinking, “ok even if this works, it will just wash out.” Nope. It took the “dye” (undiluted) in about 3 seconds. After drying for about an hour and a half, it would not wash off in the hottest tap-water. It would not wash out after soaking for 30 minutes. It did not wash out until I BOILED it, and even then, only by a tiny bit and it gave it a weathered look that was kind of cool. Add some waterproofing and I’d wager it would survive even that. That rich red is only one application too. Plus it smells great, lol. So there you go, cheap, fruity smelling leather dye in all the colors Kool-Aid has to offer.

[hammerhide]

WELL THEN!

[pomegranateandivy-deactivated20]

this may be important to some of my followers *and certainly not just getting reblogged because of my costuming and my boyfriends desire for leather armor*

[armeleia]

When I was in middle school we used to use it to dye our hair.  Potent stuff.

[baedlyweathered]

If you’re dying anything with kool-aid it’s best to use SUGAR-FREE ones otherwise the thing you’re dying might get all sticky

[samthor]

the flavor only packets where you are supposed add sugar are the best.  they will dye any natural fiber: leather, wool, cotton, hair,  flax, jute, silk and so forth.  heat the dye water so it is more potent.  let dry then rinse excess out in cold water.  there’s  a whole system to this. 

[mittensmcgee-deactivated2018033]

Oh my god

[triforceofdoom]

This will prove very useful for any future cosplays I wanna do.

[archiemcphee]

Here’s further awesome proof that cosplay is for everyone! Brazilian cosplayer Solange, aka Tia sol (“Aunty Sun”) has won the heart of the internet with her wonderfully accurate homemade costumes and convention appearances around her home city of Manaus, Brazil.

“A friend said that I wouldn’t have the guts,” Solange told BuzzFeed News. “I chose a character and had the costume made without saying another word.”

“I don’t miss a single event in my city. I’d really like to visit other ones, but have you seen the price of the fares?”

“I never thought that I would be well received among the young people, I’ve made a lot of friends during all of this.” Cosplay conventions have become a sort of a haven for Solange: “I can launch myself into the world of make-believe, where anything goes.” Her next event is coming up in December. “I’m finishing up the painting on my new cosplay, Granny Juju from Jorel’s Brother.”

Follow Tia Sol on Facebook to keep up with her latest cosplay creations.

[via Bored Panda]

[ck-blogs-stuff]

Incredible!

[pinkcheesegreenghost-deactivate]

We need more old women characters in media

[apostatefrog]

Gather ‘round kids: I had a coworker mention to me this morning that it’s impossible to get grease stains out of fabric. As a former chemistry minor who worked two years under the table doing housekeeping and who generally tends to be a fucking disaster, I am here to tell everyone that it absolutely is not impossible, in case this is a widespread belief. Here are a few of my favorite cleaning stain removers that I always have at home.

Here are some options:

A Tide™ pen.

I’m a generic kinda lady. I hate promoting brands 99% of the time. BUT if you catch absolutely any kind of stain before it gets ground in, you can get most of it out with one of these babies. I’ve tested it on blood, chocolate, coffee, guacamole, pizza sauce, red wine on, on that one time i accidentally slopped some oil I was supposed to be using on antiques onto a fancy rug (also an antique but not the one I was gunning for). If you’re washing something delicate, pump it onto your finger a couple of times and gently rub it in. I’m not sure what they put in these things but I’m pretty sure it’s an arcane secret.

Dish soap

Granted, this is a little trickier for upholstery/carpet, but it can still be done using a rag, some water, and some patience. But for clothing, just pour some soap on the stain and rub it in under cold running water.

Absolutely any clear alcohol is your new best friend

You know the old “white wine to clean red” trick? Well, this is its updated sister I like to call “you, too, can use coconut rum to get red jello shot out of your nice white dress”. It’s a nice party trick. Straight vodka works even better. For every day situations involving any kind of alcohol-related spills (including markers)–and especially work situations–rubbing alcohol is ideal. To quote another adage, this one from every chemistry teacher you will ever meet, “like dissolves like.”

Hydrogen Peroxide

It can get blood out of absolutely anything, including your mattress. It reacts with the iron in hemoglobin, which breaks down the molecule, causing it to lose its red color. So make sure you’re not using a cast iron skillet to wash your period underwear in.

Vinegar

This will dissolve lime buildup overnight. Fill a bag, tie it around your showerhead, and presto. You can also use it to scrub the area around your sink and to break up any buildup in pipes. (Limeaway™ is for rich people.) 

Baking soda

This is great if you have a pet or child who peed on the carpet. Just cover the area, wait until it dries, and vacuum it up. The longer you leave it, the better it will do at removing the smell. It’s also good removing mild odors from a small space, like a fridge or a laundry hamper. 

Charcoal

This is your heavy duty odor killer. A little goes a long way. In chemistry, activated charcoal is used as a purifier in reactions, and in medicine, it can be used to treat mild poisoning/overdoses. In your car that smells like someone died because you forgot you had potatoes in the trunk for six months? All you need are regular old charcoal briquettes. Stick a couple handfuls in a flat box and the smell will be gone overnight. Guaranteed. For larger areas, just use more charcoal.

[captainlordauditor]

Baking soda is also good for stuff stuck on pots pans and your stove top. Add a little bit of water and elbow grease and it’s like magic

@howtogrowthefuckup

[madamehardy]

Baby shampoo will get oil stains out of clothing even if it’s been washed and dried several times.  Shampoo is formulated to remove oil from organic stuff.

[inmysewingbox]

Fabric cleaning tips. good to know for sewers.

[peridotsalien]

I got a request to do a tutorial on how to create galaxies! Well, here you go!! Painting galaxies is so much fun, and can be really calming. So have fun!! 

If you have any questions or if I made a mistake, feel free to message me!

Do not remove caption

[art-res]

Here’s a very fun tutorial by @magiciansardonyx for you all today. The quality is out of this world! - @art-res / @astrikos

[masky8hoodie]

Picarto.TV - Masky8Hoodie's Channel

Masky8Hoodie is live on Picarto.TV! Watch our streamer do Creative stuff and chat with likeminded people. 126 have watched Masky8Hoodie’s stream!

Hey! The stream yesterday was really fun, figure i could try again today ^u^ i went for about 8 hours, so i think i’ll do the same today. I’ll start 4:30 EST and i look forward to any suggestions provided, wether its over tumblr or in the picarto chat~

[bon3-amanda]

My sister is drawing me a Kpop x Overwatch crossover icon! Go check it out.

[fabrickind]

Planning Your Cosplay panel, as given at SacAnime Winter 2017

Ever wanted to cosplay someone, but had no idea how to begin? Join cosplayer fabrickind to learn about how to take that first step! Topics covered will include costume choice, breaking down the parts of a costume, buying vs. making, researching materials and methods, and budgeting time and money.

This is just the bare bones of the panel, as many of the examples were elaborated on in-person, and it is just the slides, not any of my notes. It is not meant to be exhaustive or definitive, and is just meant for general advice and suggestion purposes only. If anyone has feedback they would like to give, feel free to do so. That said, I hope that people find this information useful.

Here is a link to a pdf of the presentation. You may download for personal use, but please do not alter the presentation, repost without permission, or do any sort of other unauthorized use. (If you have a question about how you can use this presentation, please send me a message with your question and we can work it out. I promise I’m not scary. ;]) Feel free to reblog this post as much as you want, though. I do these panels and post them because I want the information to be shared.

I hope someone finds this helpful! :]

[nutcasecaptain]

For those of you getting ready for con season (ahem, Kamicon), here’s an easy way to remove old makeup stains! Mix a bit of blue dish soap and peroxide together and scrub the stained area with it.

[weeablo]

Tips for working with foam!

So for cosplay, one thing commonly used to make armor, weapons, etc. is foam sheets like these ones (usually find these at the hardware store)

or thin craft foam like these (easy to find at almost any craft store)

now i realize we talk about these a lot and that it’s pretty common knowledge to cosplayers around the world that this stuff is great but hey i figured i’d show you exactly what i’m talking about

ANYWAY here are some easy tricks that it took us a while to figure out when using foam for cosplay crafting

1) USE HEAT GUN! IT’S SUPER EFFECTIVE!

(this one here is a regular craft one but you can also buy the ones that are more industrial power tools)

these are great for working with foam for a few reasons. first, they gently melt the top layer of the foam to make it less absorbent and less textured (it melts all the little teeny bubbles in the foam, making it smooth). this is important for if you want to paint your foam and/or make it look metallic. second, it also works great for bending foam and having it keep its shape. if you run your heat gun over it for a bit and then hold it in a specific shape until it cools down it will hold the new shape but still be malleable (this works especially well with regular thin craft foam; the thicker you go the more times you have to repeat the process to get it to stick.

2) GO CRAZY WITH THE POWER TOOLS

we’ve found it SUPER useful to use our bench grinder

and a handheld dremmel tool with a sanding tip like this

these are a great way to smooth edges and shape foam. box cutters and x-acto knives tend to leave a really rough edge so to clean that up you hit it with either of these to smooth it out and shape it (**or round edges**). the dremmel also was great for helping weather things by grinding and denting it.

3) PLASTI-DIP IS BEAUTIFUL!

this stuff works great to give your foam a smooth, hard surface. it makes the foam less squishy and gives it that authentic metallic texture. AND its a great way to prime pieces for the real paint (especially if you’re using colored foam).

edit: also this plasti dip stuff helps a lot to keep your pieces more resilient. this way when your wearing/using them, and you knock into something, it wont dent as easily.

And the great thing is all of these (excluding the bench grinder and besides a dremmel works just as well it’s just smaller) can be found at a local craft or hardware store no problem so enjoy your beautiful creations :)

[masky8hoodie]

Hey! I’m opening up commissions for Icons, Banners, and Looping Gifs for now. If your interested go ahead and message me over Tumblr.

I’m trying to make money over the summer, and if you can’t afford a commission then you could always reblog or can support me over Ko-Fi!

[enayla]

My cosplay wing tutorial is now complete!  I tried to cover as much of my process as possible for making feathered wings. I hope you find this helpful :) Facebook | DeviantART | Twitter

[vicious-cosplay]

i was just wondering how you created your own parts for pigtail wigs, i havent seen it explained anywhere and the time has come for me to implement this technique. all i really know is it involves a skin cap, i believe?

cThere are a few methods that me and people have used in order to do that. 

My favorite method is using the skin cap of another- or multiple wigs. This gives the more clean ‘skin’ look for it.

For example, this wig was gluing I believe 3-4 pieces of skin cap and then using heat to force the fibers to go in those specific directions. This makes it look a little more natural.

Another method if skin caps aren’t available is setting wefts close together to get a faux part. I used this method for my great fairy wig.

The general idea is setting the wefts down in a line where the fibers are going in the opposite direction of where you want them to go, and then utilizing heat to pull them over the weft line itself and therefore giving it a ‘parted’ look. Rachsaysmer has a great tutorial on this trick.

The last general trick if you are only working with your supplies on hand is to make the ‘woven’ part trick to cover the wefts across.

The basic idea is pulling the fibers back and forth across to make this sort of back braided look that allows you to make twintails. There is this tutorial and another one from Arda on how to do it!

[elicatherogue]

10 Tips From a Cosplayer

Okay, so I’ve been doin this nonsense for about 8 years now and here are my 10 biggest tips for anyone else doing this sadistic hobby (This is a bit geared towards people who make costumes just FYI. I will post another more geared for beginners or those who buy later)

1) Remember Why You Do This.

Maybe you showed up to con and were 1 of 74 Jinx’s. Or maybe your costume wasn’t as accurate as someone else’s. Or maybe it feels like everyone else made theirs and you bought yours. So what? Did you have fun? Did you meet friends, and/or bond with the people you came with? Unless you’re in the contests, remember that it ISN’T a contest. And even the contests are meant to be fun. Alternatively, don’t let any elitist fans ruin your fun.

2) Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously.

Remember that being a cosplayer doesn’t make you ‘more’ of a fan than someone who doesn’t. Remember that you do this for your own enjoyment and that is all that matters. Spend as long or as little as you want on a costume, end a con with 20 silly selfies and some new friends, compliment that other cosplayer in the same outfit because you clearly both have something in common, don’t think of them as competition.

3) Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help.

Parents, siblings, teachers, friends, neighbors, craft store employees, theater teachers, art teachers, people online. There are tons of people who could offer help with even little things like what glue to use on foam that needs heatshaping(non-flammable x-treme elmers glue is nice) , what paint to use on leggings (apparently fabric paint stretches with it just fine), ask your grandma what stitch is best for rounded edges on cotton (idk), ask a JoAnn’s associate what thread to use. In my experience store associates are extremely helpful, even with things like a second opinion on matching colors.

4) Use Coupons.

Seriously. If you can, set up an email just for coupons. Going to Michaels for a 2 dollar little thing of paint? Use that coupon they emailed you and now it’s 75 cents and you have more money for other things like fancy fabric or idk food. Check if any stores have student or teacher or senior discounts if that’s applicable, then you’ll have a discount even without coupons. Especially good for big purchases. If you’re buying everything at once there is almost definitely some sort of 5 off of 30 type of coupon out there. If you are able, this is a good way to set up a savings for con or your next costume maybe, just look at the receipt, see how much you saved and set that much (or a part) aside for food/hotel/gas/merch.

5) Look at your Source.

No matter how well you know your character or your design do not go very long without looking at the source. Working on a wig? Have a picture in front of you the whole time. Maybe sketch out the different angles beforehand. Going fabric shopping? Stare at the original. If you print out a reference pic know that it may be slightly off. If you’re doing a costume where the color seems different in every shot (like Rey from Star Wars) then pick the one you like. If you can, consider coloring or painting a swatch of the color on an index card and bringing it with you to compare. Seriously. Keep checking the source when working. It’s equivalent to “measure twice cut once”.

6) Measure Twice Cut Once.

Even in crunch. I know, it’s stressful and scary and frustrating but you know what is more frustrating and scary and stressful? It being 8pm the night before the con and you just cut that last bit of fabric too small. Or your wig too short. Seriously. Just double check yourself.

7) Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself.

Outdated meme but useful tip. If you’re getting anxious to a difficult level, or exhausted physically or mentally  address it. Take a break. Take a nap. Eat a meal. Go for a walk. Watch an episode of that show you’re trying to cosplay. Play that game. Watch cosplay videos if you’re scared of losing motivation. Just don’t push yourself too hard or you risk messing up parts of your costume and more importantly, you risk hurting yourself. Don’t work until you accidentally stab yourself with a hot iron and have a panic attack. Would you rather spend 15 minutes playing with your cat or crying and bandaging yourself?

8) Use It.

Found some fabric you love for that SnK skirt thing, but it’s infused with glitter?Who cares, use it. Every cosplay you have seen of Red Hood has a lot of leather and cargo pants but you want skinny jeans and suede? Use it. The costume is for you. Make it how you want. To quote the great Hilary Duff “Why Not?” Also, go listen to that song if you need encouragement. 

9) Enjoy The Whole Process.

Maybe it is redundant at this point but seriously. Have fun. Not just at the con, party, photoshoot, meetup etc. Have a wig styling party. You finished that jacket? Nice, wear it out shopping and be proud. Make a playlist for each character you work on or general motivational music. 8-tracks.com is great for this too. Test those seams/that hairgel/ those shoes/ flexibility by putting on your jam and dancing around. Send snapchats to your friends when you test your make up. Skype your aunt to show off that circle skirt. Put your hat on your dog. 

10) Procrastination isn’t Great.

Probably don’t put off making your costume by making a list of tips for other people.

[trichro]

Keep reading

[hellocrissey]

DIY Tattoo Tights/Stockings Tutorial

Sorry for not posting often! :( But as promised, here’s another easy DIY tutorial! :) I’ve been seeing this trend for quite sometime now and I think it really looks cute ! I’ll be teaching you how to transfer your design/drawing on to your stockings. If you want to use a design you found on the internet, please make sure you’re going to use it personally / do not make any form of profit from the material — better yet, contact the artist and ask permission if you can use his/her illustration/design :) Art theft is not cool. There are dozens of sites that provide stock illustration/vector/materials — all of which you can use! (Make sure to read the copyright/description before downloading and using any)

MATERIALS:

• Tights / Stockings (nude or beige)

• Fabric Pen (Available in bookstores / office warehouse)

• Carton / Used folder

• Masking Tape ***

STEP 1:

Print out your design (8.5” x 11”). If you’re using a black pen, it’ll be better if you print it out in gray/light color so you won’t get confused when you’re tracing over the design.

After printing out the desired design, tape the sheet on to your carton/folder. Make sure to tape all sides to avoid any paper movements. 

***

STEP 2:

Once attached, roll up your carton until you form an arch.

Tip: You can measure the arch width using your thigh :p

Tape both sides to hold the cartons form/ hold it in place

***

Step 3:

Insert your carton inside the leg of your stockings.

Make sure to push it down to the area where the stockings start to get thinner. *see dotted lines ~ Please note that the area above the dotted lines will not be visible unless of course you’re going commando/no shorts/no skirt HEHE :p

***

Step 4:

Grabe your fabric pen and carefully trace over the lineart :)

PS: Buy the fine tip pen to make tracing details easier.

Be patient! :))

***

Step 5:

Allow the ink to settle in and dry overnight *just to be sure* although it dries as fast as 5 min ._. hihi

You should have something like this.

t

***

FINAL PRODUCT:

Super easy right? :) Show me yours if you make one ^u^ Hope this helps! 

This is super cheap too! Cost me around P40 (stockings) and (P75) for the pen ~ roughly P150? :)

Likes, comments, and shares are always loved <3

[gabbynucosplay-blog]

It’s time for another #tutorialtuesday!! Today I’m gonna give a quick cosplay hack on making gems for costumes. So if you’re not interested in casting resin or want to save a bit of money and a lot of time, this method is super easy and quick!

1️⃣. Find clear plastic Christmas balls online in the size you need! You can buy packs for cheap on Amazon. Just make sure they’re the kind that split in half.

2️⃣. Break off the little piece meant for hanging the ornament on the tree. Now is the time where you can cut the ornament smaller if you need to. I had to do that for the necklace gem on my Dark Magician Girl because I wasn’t going to buy a whole other pack in a smaller size just for one gem! Now paint the undersides of the ornaments with acrylic paint (don’t paint the front, it’ll lose the gem effect!)

3️⃣. Decorate the gems however you need to. My gems required foam backing and trim. Then add to your costume!

Good luck! ✨💕

[skylanth]

How to Make Quick and Easy Tattoo Sleeves

Got a cosplay idea but the character has lots of arm (or leg) tattoos? Don’t feel like painting on yourself with body paints or hunting down that horrendously expensive temporary tattoo paper? Here’s a quick tutorial for making tattoo sleeves using nylons and sharpie markers! 

Upsides: 

- Supplies are cheap! You may even have many or all the supplies you need right at home.

- Quick and not very messy! No paint is involved, and sharpie marker dries instantly. 

- Easy! Great artistic skill not required.

- They move with your skin! People have legit thought these were real tattoos. From a distance, yes, but I had guys at cons with actual ink on their arms come over to compliment on my full (fake) sleeves. 

- You get to eat pringles! More on that later. 

Downsides:

- They are delicate. Nylons get holes in them super easy and forearms run into stuff, lean against things, and generally make it hard for the sleeves to survive. But if you only need them for a weekend, that’s ok.

- I haven’t experimented too much, but unfortunately this technique probably doesn’t work for wearers with darker skin tones. Sharpie ink is transparent, so any color it rests on just multiplies and the tattoo won’t show up very well. You’ll want to go the fabric paint or body paint route to get the best bold, bright tats. 

- Can’t do white sections, because sharpie ink is transparent and doesn’t come in white. I leave them blank and they read OK, but the white areas will always be pink, tan, brown, etc. unless you dab in a little fabric paint, which will not be covered in this tutorial.

- Sharpie is supposed to be permanent marker, but on skin…it’s not. The ink will most likely wear off onto adjacent clothes. Not that big of a deal for me, as I tend to wear my tats with white shirts that can be bleached, but other shirts may not survive as well.

OK, let’s go! Here are your supplies: 

You’ll need a pair of nylons, scissors, tape, a set of sharpies, your designs printed out on 8.5 x 11 paper, some bracelets, and a can of Pringles. You can use any design you want, of course, but Here is the link to these fine Newt Kaiju tattoo designs. 

If your nylons have an undies part, cut the legs off and wear the undies on your head for the rest of the tutorial, if desired. Put the legs on your arm like so, and cut the toes off so you can slip your hand through. You can cut some of the top of the sleeve off as well, but don’t cut too much because you can’t put it back on if your sleeves are too short. 

Here are my creepy sleeves. Now for the pringles.

Tape your design template to the Pringles can. It doesn’t reach all the way around but eh. The Pringles can gives you a nice stable surface to draw on that is roughly the shape and size of an arm. It’s a little short, so just roll up the rest of the nylon above the workspace and adjust both template and nylon down when you get to working on that part of the sleeve.

Color with the markers! I recommend doing the colored areas first and then doing the black outlines on top of it, to avoid the black ink contaminating the ink pads of the lighter markers. Remember how that always happens to the yellow ones? Eww. Nylons are thin and slide around a bit, so it’s best to use short strokes and dotting to get the ink on.

Take the template off the Pringles tube, flip the paper to the blank side and put it back on again. The paper collects the extra ink, so it’s hard to see any missed spots. Now you can see any bits you may have missed. Fill them in for completion. Also, the paper doesn’t manage to wrap all the way around the Pringles can, so now is the time to free-hand a bit of the design where the template doesn’t reach. For Newt tattoos, that’s the back of the arm. 

When you’re all done coloring, put them on!

There’s a rough end to the tattoo right at the wrist, of course. Disguise where the sleeve ends and your skin begins with some pretty bracelets:

There we are, much better!

Now…you’re done! Have some Pringles! 

[shinierchrystal]

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