Cosplay Materials : What to Use/What to Stay Away From

[TalaRedWolf33]

So im not sure if this is the right place to put this, but id like to start this thread to help people like me who are just starting out making their own cosplaying. What are the best materials to use? Which kinds of fabrics to stay away from, what kinds of things are good to use as accessories?  Id like to start making my own cosplays. I cant sew worth nothing lol but i mean, i want to design them and pick materials out and try my hand at actually helping make my cosplay ideas come to life.

[EveofAbyss]

Craft foam and sculpy are both great elements to use for general prop-making. Craft foam is very diverse, can be bought in sheets, easily layered and sculpted, is flexible even when layered, becomes very sturdy...is just a great material for accessories and props.

I don't know much on the fabric front, though, heh.

[TalaRedWolf33]

Lol me either. I know how to make animal ears though. My next project is going to be making bunny ears. And pig ears.  But ive never used the craft foam before. Maybe ill try to make something.

[Felix]

For fabrics:
Don't use costume satin. It looks terrible in photos. Simple cottons are probably your best bet, though it really depends on the costume. If you're new to sewing, avoid anything with elastic in it, because stretchy fabrics are a lot harder to work with. (When buying fabrics, you can check the fibre content by looking at the end of the bolt, and many stores will sort by fabric type.) Broadcloth is cheap, and usually looks cheap.

Another thing to remember is that natural fibres (cotton, linen, wool, etc.) breathe, while synthetics (like polyester) do not breathe at all. You can go either way, but you will be more comfortable in natural fibres. c:

For props and craft pieces, Model Magic works wonders. It's lighter than polymer clay (such as sculpey) and you don't need to bake it. Sculpey is also a lot more brittle. Model Magic does tend to crack as it dries, but you can remedy this by filling the cracks with wood-filler and sanding with fine-grain sandpaper. I also use Mod Podge, which is a sort of glue but also works great as a sealant, to prevent paint from chipping. I recommend painting with acrylics or spraypaint, depending on your needs (large area vs. detail). Spraypaint goes on a lot smoother.

Unless you are really good at it, don't make props out of cardboard and don't use aluminum foil to make prop weapons look metal. The latter sounds like a good idea but never looks good. (there are some people who can make really sweet cardboard weapons; if you want to go this route there are probably tutorials, but it is very difficult to pull off.) I use wood for props-- balsa or bass wood, which comes in thin sheets and can be cut with a craft knife or box-cutter. To make swords, I cut two copies of the blade and glued them together using wood-glue, which makes the prop a lot stronger. If you do this, be sure to have clamps to hold the pieces together, because they won't want to stick.

...that's kind of a lot, but this is probably more useful than just listing things. xD

[Mitsukai Mizu Amaya]

I'm already starting on my major cosplay for 2012. I wouldn't say I'm a newbie, but the nature of the outfit is something I've never done before. I'm trying to find sturdy materials to make large, animatronic/puppetry arms that lengthen my own to about 5 feet. The catch is that they need to be a light as physically possible, because I can't have a shoulder or back brace to hold the weight due to the way her dress is. I was thinking an arm brace and have the main part made of thin aluminum or wood, then the finger animatronic out of wood with a rubber monster arm over it with latex and paint on top. Here's a pic of the outfit:

Eve
(both arms are huge; the artwork just makes one look shorter from the angle)

Also, I'll throw in my two-cents on helping people. If you want an elaborate outfit, or want it very well-made and out of expensive material (bridal satin, etc.), then buy the same amount of cheap muslin and make a mock-up. This way, you know the outfit will fit and your pattern works, and you can get tweaks out of the way before cutting expensive material. That's what I plan for the aforementioned Eve's red dress and for my Tear Grants.

[TalaRedWolf33]

Lol my grandma and i use bedsheets to make prototypes cuz theres only two beds in her house, but like 500 sheets for each lol

[Tomecko]

More on satin!

I, too, despise the use of satin in cosplays for the horrible, shiny garish-ness it delivers in photos - but sometimes, for a dressier cosplay or a voluminous skirt where you want just the right drape, satin is neccessary. When this is the case, you can look for a low-lustre satin that still has the same fabric weight, but no shine, or my favorite trick - use the reverse side of the satin (so that the shiny side is the inside of the garment). The 'wrong' side of the fabric has no shine, but may still carry a slight sheen that works great for formal cosplays. And do stay away from satins advertised as 'costume' satins - they're cheap, but flimsy and low quality. It will fray outwards from seamlines.

[TalaRedWolf33]

Thank you for that trick. I learned that the hard way with my first lolita cosplay. We used black satin and red costume lace to make a gothic wa lolita dress, and i got made fun of the whole time.

[ogihci]

I think for this cosplay that I'm going to do, I'm going to make a detachable cloak, where it detaches about where the shoulder blades are behind a hood, so it can either be short, or floor length. I was thinking about using either a zipper or plain buttons...your suggestions?

[Mitsukai Mizu Amaya]

Buttons. Definitely buttons. Zippers are a pain at the best of times, and you'll have an easier time with buttons.

[ogihci]

Oh! I also have to make these bracelets and rings, I was thinking about using model magic or maybe polymer clay to make them, but I wouldn't know how to put the bracelets on unless I poked holes in the clay and strung elastic through them, would this work, or should I look for something else to do? Oh! The rings and bracelets are crowns, and all the bracelets are going to be pretty long.


I might be coming back here a lot, I'm such a newbie cosplayer xD

[veraca]

Eye and hooks are better than buttons. Especially if you can't get your dang machine to make a button hole for some reason (at war with my Brother machine). Though, like buttons, you still have to make careful to make sure the threads of the eyes and hooks don't come loose.

As for fabric, I agree costume satin is the devil. I actually prefer the more expensive satin for a dress I have. It's a heavier weight yes, but it has the correct draping effect and doesn't shine as much as the costume/prom type satins do. Low lustre is love.

I'd also say if you're not sure what you're doing, get some cheaply priced quilting fabrics to test with. It sometimes can be cheaper to experiment with patterns first rather than buying too much of your good fabric and messing up 20 million times.

[Felix]

@ogihci: To attach a cloak, you might want snaps. Buttonholes are hard for beginners, as are zippers. Eye and hooks would probably work too, but depending on how you're attaching it and how it hangs they may unhook when you don't want them to. (Also, a cloak attached to the front of your costume (at the collarbone) will pull the fabric if it's too heavy.) Could you provide a ref of your cosplay?

[ichigo_m.]

God yes, stay away from satin! And if you have to use it use a non shiny one, it just looks really bad in pictures.

I personally love to use Kona Cottons for my basic costumes. (=

[Black~Rose]

Any advice on what kind of fabric dyes / shoe paints are good?

[Runa]

First, From Sew Daily ,   http://www.sewdaily.com/Sewing-Techniques/?a=swe110909   is a free eBook (just enter your email to get it) about the top 10 sewing techniques and sewing notions.   

Back in the 60s and 70s when the early synthetic fabrics first came out they were notorious for not being able to breathe and were shunned by most people - especially that plastic-like polyester. That attitude remains despite the fact that many new fabrics have been invented which actually do breathe. Take a trip to Rose City Textiles (Nicolai street in Portland  http://stores.rctfabrics.com/StoreFront.bok ), and you'll see plenty of wonderful and amazing fabrics. Many are even labeled "Wickaway" (which do what you think: they wick away your sweat so you feel cooler). So don't avoid them, but rather test / check each fabric candidate for breatheability as you are shopping. To test, hold the fabric with one hand on the backside and blow on the fabric...flip it over and do the same. You'll notice that with certain fabrics they breathe one way ("waterproof breatheable" fabrics do this - it's because you want a rain coat that stops rain from coming in, but allows your sweat to exit the jacket...Plastic raincoats don't breathe, and you get soaked wearing them because your own sweat can't escape).

My commentary on various fabrics:

Velvets and stretch velvets - the pile on these fabrics cause the fabric to shift when sewing (trick is to hand baste it in place first, then send to machine... use walking foot, sew slowly and stop and lift foot every once in a while...). You also have to pay attention to direction of the pile, if you have one panel upside down, the color will look different from the other panels. Of course, you may choose to flip a few pieces just because it looks cool.

Vinyl and pleather - requires a leather needle and a teflon or roller foot to be able to do it right. If you make a mistake when sewing, the needle holes are permanent (so it looks bad if you have to rip out). You also need to use longer stitch otherwise you'll cut the fabric rather than stitch it together.

Chiffon, georgette - beautiful sheers, but they just don't stay still. Plan on a lot of cursing and fiddling while you attempt to make it stay still so you can cut out the pattern. Recommend using paper on top and under fabric while cutting since that's supposed to keep it still, but it doesn't always work... then sewing with it is also interesting - super small needle, need to do french seams because it ravels like crazy (serging OK, but you'll see the serging through the fabric), and it wiggles when sewing so pin it within an inch of its life or hand baste it first.

Silks - if you wash it, it'll shrink. Wash it more and it'll shrink more. 6 times wash and dry...still shrinks...  It's also expensive... but it's beautiful and comes in amazing colors, so if you can afford it, go for it.

Linen - it wrinkles. Iron it flat and it'll wrinkle as soon as you touch it... If you underline a linen garment with silk organza it supposedly won't wrinkle, but I haven't tested that yet. I love the feel of linen - it keeps you cool. But linen is incredibly expensive.

Rayon.    Nice. A bit wiggly, but nice

Cottons - come in various weights, and can get some really really cheap.   Easy to sew. Wash and wear. Some 100% cottons wrinkle like crazy, so be prepared to iron frequently. Cotton-polyester blends behave the best, are least expensive and are very kind to sewists of all ages - plus you can throw the whole costume in the washer and not worry about it.

Stretchy fabrics vary, depending upon what you purchase and how much stretch they have.  Some are easier to sew than others. Use ball-point needle and stretch stitch or use serger. Beginners should wait on using super stretchy fabrics until they're more used to fitting clothes to their bodies because badly fitted stretch fabrics can look dreadful (actually, badly fitted anything can look bad...) I don't have enough time to write on all the different types since we do have stretch woven fabrics as well as knits... and each behaves differently depending upon the fiber content 

[TalaRedWolf33]

@black rose : what kinda shoes? I painted myself a pair of converse with normal craft paint and it worked really well. Also, ive heard to stay away from rit dye when dying or coloring shoes cuz it doesnt turn out bright enough.

[TalaRedWolf33]

@runa :  wow lol thank you for all the info. Ima have to find that place in portland when i get back in town

[Zensuke]

Mitsuaki I will love you forever for cosplaying Eve. for her hands you can use PVC and then cover it in something. I actually just watched a tutorial on how to do this yesterday while I was browsing youtube for prop and costume ideas. It's actually pretty simple and cheap to do.

check it out here


As for other materials I work with a lot of wood. With some work you can make amazing looking and very light props. I made a full size claymore that weighs less than a pound, very nice when carrying around a con all day. I do have the advantage of having a full wood shop to use but most everything I do you can do with basic hand saws and such.

The material I have used the most is insulation foam. This stuff is AMAZING. Both the buster sword and the Cross Punisher are from insulation foam and are huge, the cross is almost exactly as tall as I am, and my friend and I carried them around around all day for 3 days without much trouble. The downside is that the foam is not durable at all. bump into a wall too hard and you end up with a dent or a gouge. This can be fixed though. the Buster sword here was covered in Bondo to give it a nice hard shell which adds some weight but keeps it from getting banged up too bad.


A word of warning when working with insulation foam and any polystyrene product like the foam board you find at walmart, DO NOT SPRAY PAIN IT! the solvent in spray paint and most spray glues will corrode the foam giving you an unusable mess. If have worked with or read anything about using this kind of foam you probably know this but it's important. If you want to spray paint it you have to make sure it's sealed COMPLETELY. I painted several layers of white latex paint over my cross before spray painting it only to find out that there were little pin hole sized bubbles in a few parts that had very very small holes in my latex coat. Where these bubbles were I had sections of foam melted away underneath my paint giving it a very weird look that I had to sand out and repaint.

With that warning in mind if you want a cool texture try spray painting the foam. Just try it on a scrap piece first and start light at first then add more. you can some pretty nice stone textures this way.

Just as a general piece of advice, never rule out a material just because you don't know how to use it or you think it might be too hard. Learn to work with it. I've known lots of people that refuse to try new stuff because they either don't know how and don't want to learn or they convince themselves that it's too hard for them. I always look for new materials to work with and because of that I now have a lot more options of how to do things when I decide on a new prop or costume. Don't even worry about picking something too complicated, when I decided to learn how to sew I didn't make a t-shirt or something simple I made a giant freaking stuffed lion. So try new stuff.

[TalaRedWolf33]

Wow i never thought of using insulation foam. Do you think that may work to  make pokemon parts? Like, im leaning towards teddiursa and ursaring for my boyfriend and i, and ursaring has huge claws. Would something like that be possible?

[Zensuke]

yeah you could use insulation foam for claws. The problem is that it only comes in boards that are like 4'x8' kinda big for just some claws. I use lots of this for my other hobby too so I always have scraps laying around. If you happen to live in or near Salem I would be willing to give you some of my scraps. if you want I could even show you how I carve the stuff.

[Tomecko]

Black~Rose - for fabric dyes, it depends on what type of fabric you're using. Really, the only things that can be dyed well are cottons and mostly-cotton blends. Polyester will not dye at all, though I hear they make polyester-specific dyes now? For cottons, I like Rit dye and Dylon.

As for fabric paint for shoes! I've had really good results with Jacquard fabric paints, my shoes for Sailor Saturn and Songstress Rikku were both done with it (along with plenty of actual painting of fabric). My favorite line of paints is the Neopaque, which has great coverage on black backgrounds (My Saturn boots were originally black, only took two coats to make them purple). Their website has a store locator here.

[ogihci]

Felix: Of course!
This is where the cloak is long and this is where it is short.
What I want to do, is be able to take it off to make it easier to walk around, and to make it cooler temp wise, and what I was thinking of doing, is behind the hood, maybe mid-way down my back would be where it would detach.
If I were to do eyes and hooks, the hooks would have to face upward so that it doesn't detach, but I think that there would have to be a lot of eyes and hooks to really keep it in place just in case, a few of them either break of or fall off from the weight. I don't really know what material I'm going to be using for the cloak yet, but I'm thinking that it'd be fairly light.

[bunny_jean]

My advice on fabrics is to go for what the garment looks like it would be made of. If it's a military (formal/dress) uniform, go towards suitings, if it's a gown go towards special occasion fabrics like matte satin, if it's a yukata go towards cotton, if it's a cloak or coat go towards wool and tweed (thicker fabrics). It really depends on the costume for me. If you're making a military jacket, don't use thin cotton because it won't hold the right shape; if you're making a yukata, don't use satin (don't use ultra shiny acrylic satin anyway).
I also suggest that if you need to do another color for edging (such as on Vampire Knight or FMA uniforms) use bias tape, ribbon is more of a pain and can look lumpy because it is not cut on the bias. If you have to do a design of some kind on fabric, try to stay away from painting with a brush, try bias tape, ribbon (both straight stitched down), or cut outs of other fabric (held down on all edges by a small, close zigzag, like a buttonhole stitch; if it is a large piece, try fusing the fabrics together with fusible fabric tape). If you have the money and time, embroidering or silk screening designs on looks amazing (I've heard of ways to mimic silk screening using paper stencils, but I've never tried).

[zenneth]

i do not recommend  cardboard since it's so fragile esp with hot glue- BUT it can be done if u put good enough infrastructure

[Zensuke]

I have seen a few props made from card board that look good but most of the time they look very much like cardboard. I use cereal box cardboard for certain applications but never as a primary material.

[Drauska]

I found out that my great aunt has a sewing machine that she wants to get rid of that only needs a foot pedal and something that goes on the sewing platform.  I just might have to make my cosplay myself and enter the cosplay contest next year. 

I think we need to have an electronic incorportated cosplay tread.  My basic electronics are a tad rusty.

[Black~Rose]

@black rose : what kinda shoes? I painted myself a pair of converse with normal craft paint and it worked really well. Also, ive heard to stay away from rit dye when dying or coloring shoes cuz it doesnt turn out bright enough.

Boots for Claire redfield. I need to get them the right tan color so it would probably be a leather-ish material if not suede.

[Felix]

Felix: Of course!
This is where the cloak is long and this is where it is short.
What I want to do, is be able to take it off to make it easier to walk around, and to make it cooler temp wise, and what I was thinking of doing, is behind the hood, maybe mid-way down my back would be where it would detach.
If I were to do eyes and hooks, the hooks would have to face upward so that it doesn't detach, but I think that there would have to be a lot of eyes and hooks to really keep it in place just in case, a few of them either break of or fall off from the weight. I don't really know what material I'm going to be using for the cloak yet, but I'm thinking that it'd be fairly light.

That looks like a fitted coat to me, not a cloak. You could still do what you are proposing, but the hood wouldn't completely conceal the attached portion, since it wraps under his arms and around to the front. It would work, but it depends whether or not you're okay with it being more visible. The other alternative would be to alter the design itself so that it is a cloak... sometimes altering designs slightly can make the finished costume look better than the exact design would have, but it has to be done well or it just looks wrong.

This costume doesn't look like it will be comfortable regardless of whether you make the coat detachable or not. Sometimes you have to put up with it... you would also need a friend to do the back for you, and if you get stopped for pictures often you probably wouldn't want to be adjusting it constantly anyway. If it were me, I would just do it in one piece-- less work to make it and fewer worries at the con. c:
(The least comfortable part will probably be the gloves and finger-blades, not the temperature... if anything, at least make sure you can remove those easily.)


...Incidentally, does anyone know a good way to change the colour of the rubber part of shoes?

[TalaRedWolf33]

@black rose : you could try certin house hold items. I know that to make the bubble nurses dress from silent hill, soaking the dress in coffee and tea work nicely for a dried blood brown color.  And for the rubber part question from i forgot your name, paint them. Acrylic paints for canvas work best, and then for me, i go over mine with sculpty finishing  gloss in mattee just to make sure it stays.

[veraca]

What would you seal the insulation foam with? I've heard people say just plain gesso works pretty good and can provide a nice rock outside for the foam.

[Zensuke]

I've never worked with gesso so I can't really speak from too much experience but I have seen some foam props coated with it. It seams to seal it well but doesn't really give it a hard coat so the foam will still damage easily. The buster sword I made was coated in bondo which worked very well for us. I wouldn't recommend it for anything with fine details though as it goes on thick. I've been playing around with a clay like stuff made from joint compound, glue and oddly enough toilet paper that seems to work pretty well while remaining light. I have seem some people coat the foam in fiberglass resin which will give a nice hard coat but you have to be sure it's sealed or the resin will dissolve the foam (unless you use epoxy resin which is about 3 times more expensive than polyester resin)

Once I do some more work with this toilet paper clay I'll post here to let people know how it worked out.

[TalaRedWolf33]

Teehee im watching blues clues and totally thought of an idea. has anyone ever tried socks? Like cutting them up and using them for armbands or whathaveyou

[Felix]

And for the rubber part question from i forgot your name, paint them. Acrylic paints for canvas work best, and then for me, i go over mine with sculpty finishing  gloss in mattee just to make sure it stays.

I used acrylic paints-- they worked fine for the canvas part of the shoe, but not the rubber. After only a few minutes of walking they were already peeling like mad. :C

[TalaRedWolf33]

@felix maybe use a sharpie or paint marker then? something like that doesnt crack or peel as far as ive seen.

[OokamiYami]

@black rose : what kinda shoes? I painted myself a pair of converse with normal craft paint and it worked really well. Also, ive heard to stay away from rit dye when dying or coloring shoes cuz it doesnt turn out bright enough.

Boots for Claire redfield. I need to get them the right tan color so it would probably be a leather-ish material if not suede.

I can give you a website where I bought my leather paint. To me, I think they are pretty good prices and they worked very well with my leather shoes (you saw a photo of my Serah's boots) . Just make sure to purchase the finisher as well.

[Black~Rose]

@black rose : what kinda shoes? I painted myself a pair of converse with normal craft paint and it worked really well. Also, ive heard to stay away from rit dye when dying or coloring shoes cuz it doesnt turn out bright enough.

Boots for Claire redfield. I need to get them the right tan color so it would probably be a leather-ish material if not suede.

I can give you a website where I bought my leather paint. To me, I think they are pretty good prices and they worked very well with my leather shoes (you saw a photo of my Serah's boots) . Just make sure to purchase the finisher as well.

Yes! That would be Awesome!

[Jacob_Blackfeather]

I like to stay away from felt because I am allergic especially the scratchy kind ><

[TalaRedWolf33]

Thats a good idea lol

[OokamiYami]

@black rose : what kinda shoes? I painted myself a pair of converse with normal craft paint and it worked really well. Also, ive heard to stay away from rit dye when dying or coloring shoes cuz it doesnt turn out bright enough.

Boots for Claire redfield. I need to get them the right tan color so it would probably be a leather-ish material if not suede.

I can give you a website where I bought my leather paint. To me, I think they are pretty good prices and they worked very well with my leather shoes (you saw a photo of my Serah's boots) . Just make sure to purchase the finisher as well.

Yes! That would be Awesome!

My god, I just read this. x.x I'm sorry! Here is the website for the leather paint!

http://www.wardrobesupplies.com/store/angelus_paint.html?gclid=CJPQsanP2KsCFUw0QgodKm6nOA

[Black~Rose]

@black rose : what kinda shoes? I painted myself a pair of converse with normal craft paint and it worked really well. Also, ive heard to stay away from rit dye when dying or coloring shoes cuz it doesnt turn out bright enough.

Boots for Claire redfield. I need to get them the right tan color so it would probably be a leather-ish material if not suede.

I can give you a website where I bought my leather paint. To me, I think they are pretty good prices and they worked very well with my leather shoes (you saw a photo of my Serah's boots) . Just make sure to purchase the finisher as well.

Yes! That would be Awesome!

My god, I just read this. x.x I'm sorry! Here is the website for the leather paint!

http://www.wardrobesupplies.com/store/angelus_paint.html?gclid=CJPQsanP2KsCFUw0QgodKm6nOA

haha thank you!

[TalaRedWolf33]

Lol its okay, i had totally forgot about this thread too

[Vysh]

I like to stay away from felt because I am allergic especially the scratchy kind ><

A fabric that has the same look as felt, as in fuzzy but not furry, is Fleece. For my Prinny Cosplay we used Blizzard fleece which goes on sale at Joann's every once in a while. It looks so much better, and it's breathable. I recommend it if You want a fabric that has a more cuddly look to it. It folds very nicely as well, and if you use the correct side your seams are well hidden by the material.

[Jacob_Blackfeather]

I like to stay away from felt because I am allergic especially the scratchy kind ><

A fabric that has the same look as felt, as in fuzzy but not furry, is Fleece. For my Prinny Cosplay we used Blizzard fleece which goes on sale at Joann's every once in a while. It looks so much better, and it's breathable. I recommend it if You want a fabric that has a more cuddly look to it. It folds very nicely as well, and if you use the correct side your seams are well hidden by the material.

thank you for the advice

[jam112383]

Where is a good place to get contacts?

[TalaRedWolf33]

Vampfangs.com    they have awesome ones. They even have sasukes eyes.

[jam112383]

ok two questions


First I am going to do maka from Soul eater for contacts should I get one that is all green no black in it. Or green with small black pupil center?



Two I have NEVER made any props before any hints or tips on materiels to use to make Maka's scythe? Anything will help thanks in advance.

[GregAtlas]

PVC piping from a hardware/general store for the handle and probably wood for the blade.

[Black~Rose]

ok two questions


First I am going to do maka from Soul eater for contacts should I get one that is all green no black in it. Or green with small black pupil center?



Two I have NEVER made any props before any hints or tips on materiels to use to make Maka's scythe? Anything will help thanks in advance.

Depends on your level of annoyance with seeing in a certain color lol. The green screened contacts will make things either look green or you wont be able to see very well. I suggest regular green contacts with a pupil.

[TalaRedWolf33]

I agree with black rose