For the fur I went to a local craft store and found fur ribbon, so that's what I used. But fur fabric could work as well. (Keep in mind this is fake fur of course). To create the top I took an old bra and basically just glued on the fur all over it (while wearing it so it would be stretched to the size needed). I also left the back able to be re-clipped ~but only slightly, since I later went and wrapped 2 lines of the ribbon under the bra line and attached to the bottom of the bra. I did the same thing for the shorts. Glued on fur while wearing the shorts so they would be stretched to the size needed. The base of the shorts wear spandex black short-shorts. Be careful when gluing the fur if wearing it so you don't get it stuck to yourself nor burn yourself. I used super glue but hot glue could work as well -it just may not be a lasting costume. I ordered a few large brown, faux leather belts of eBay and cut those up/figured out placement. For the belts around the thigh I used two belts -this way I would have a buckle on both legs. Then I just measured it out and cut it with a little bit of leway and punched new holes. For the belts on the top I super-glued them to the back. In order to get in and out of it, I had originally safety pinned the front parts of the belt -but that was a pain, so I eventually just would super glue me in and pull it off to get out (it never tore the fabric, just a bit of the "skin" of the belt but it was never seen since I always glued it in the same part). I didn't keep the buckle on these -that could work to make taking it on and off easier though (I just didn't like how it looked, personally). To make the pendent and "buttons" for the belts I just used polymer clay. I used a reference photo to sculpt it out and baked it according to the directions on the packaging. Just glue those on using super glue. For her gloves, I added my own little touch. I was debating against adding the nails inside/on my own fingers -then the gloves would just look pointed at the fingertips- or attaching them on top of the gloves. I ended up attaching them to the top of the gloves. I used super glue to attach them and wore them while doing so to figure out the placement. I don't have any photos of the rest of these steps. For the gloves I just ordered long elbow length, white gloves off eBay -made of some satin-like fabric and cut it to the length I wanted. Then I glued on 2 strips of fur at the ends -using the widest part of my hand as a measurement (so I could slide it on and off). I already owned the ears and tails. They were a part of a set I had bought at the previous Anime Expo. I also already owned the boots. I just used brown, lace up boots (semi-combat-like). The wig was from eBay. I cut and styled the bangs. The fluffies (around the ankles/lower legs) are from eBay. I have a haul video on my YouTube that links to a blog post where you can find all the links. I also have a previous blog post on how I made all her weapons/props. This was as best as I could explain my process of making Kitty Cat Katarina. Hope you all can understand well enough and that it helps with any future cosplay plans of yours.
~Positive outcomes only! :)
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Unfortunately I never took progress photos for this. These were also the first props I ever made. So they're not perfect, nor very good. I'll explain what I would've done differently as we go along. For this I used thick foam poster board and Styrofoam posts. I traced and cut out the shape onto the poster boards to create the blades -use a reference photo to figure out the shape. I wouldn't say poster boards were a bad choice. They worked out fine. Of course, worbla or expanding foam may work better and offer more dimension. I could have also used craft foam or carved the detailing on the blades. If I were to go back and redo the handle I would've used PVC pipes. But, for the handle, I used a Styrofoam post I found at the local craft store. It wasn't typical Styrofoam though. This wasn't full of many pores (at least on the outer layer/surface) -so it allowed for an even (but rough) look once painted. If I were to go back I would've have primed it before painting. If using the Styrofoam and not PVC, I would've paper-mached it for a more smoother texture and too fill any holes. I did attempt to give it more dimension by creating slight indents around the handles where the rings of color were (the silver rings). After that I simply painted it all using a paintbrush and acrylic paint. To finish it off I used only white fabric I had laying around then wrapped and glued that around the handles. I also glued the blade and handle together. I believe I used super/crazy glue for this (do not use hot glue on Styrofoam). If I were to go back and redo this I would've used better fabric (the one I used was fleece/felt like) and would've shaded and highlighted the weapon to finish it off. This prop did not last long. It only lasted a few days worth of use. I wore this costume for Halloween a few years back and it lasted that night and had to be touched up before shooting this cosplay.
DaggersI made Katarina's daggers completely out of craft foam. Now I will note these aren't 100% perfect, nor the way I would've liked them to turn out, but with what I had to use and the time I had left (I procrastinated) it's what I could do. I'm still happy enough with them though. I drew the basic shape of the daggers onto a piece of paper, then traced it onto a thin sheet of craft foam -I made 6 daggers and layered together 5 pieces of these shapes for each, so about 30. Cut those out. I drew only the bottom half of that shape 6 more times onto what I had left of a thick piece of craft foam. I glued the 5 thin pieces all together and tried my best to cut it all the edges at an angle, so that the middle piece would be the longest point-like a blade. Then I cut all the edges of the thickest piece of craft foam at an angle -it would've looked better had I cut them at even more of an angle than what I had. Glue that onto the top of the 5. Using a reference photo, I traced out similar designs as on Katarina's daggers, onto the front of mine. So note, I originally used magnets to attach the daggers, small circular ones. So at this point, I outlined the shape onto the center back of each dagger and cut out about 2 layers (of the 5 thin pieces of craft foam). I'll mention now, the magnets worked fine, but for larger cons I wouldn't recommend, while they held fine when moving about they would've easily had gotten knocked off if hit against something/one. I ended up super gluing them for the con, but either a stronger magnet or attaching belt-like holders would've worked as well. After this I primed them (with wood glue), then spray painted them with metallic silver spray paint (acrylic paint would work too). Now shade and highlight (I used oil paints to do so, but acrylic would work as well). Lastly, I glued the magnets onto the back of the dagger and spots on the thigh-belt where I wanted the daggers to sit. Swords/BladesFor her swords, I used expanding foam, cardboard, craft foam, fabric, and wood. To start off I traced the shape of her dagger onto a piece of cardboard then (make 2). I covered one side of both of them in expanding foam, let that dry then do the same to the other side. I also took a long thing wooden post (from Walmart) and cut that into the appropriate size -this is up to you. I had no exact measurement, I just eye-balled it and went with what looked right. Once everything was dry, using a knife (I believe it was a steak knife-one with teeth) and a box cutter, I started shaping it. I cut off all the excess around the sides of the cardboard, then angled both sides so that they would come to a point where the cardboard was- think like a blade. Of course, I kept that oval part at the bottom wider than the blade. I also flattened out/evened the top of each half. Use a reference picture to figure out the exact shape of everything. I then took pieced of craft foam and covered the sword. You can see some of the shapes I cut of craft foam here. I also took another small piece of craft foam and wrapped a strip around the bottom of the wooden post. To attach the wooden post, I outlined the size after figuring out where I wanted it -centered as best as possible- and cut out about an inch or so, then glue it in place (with super glue, hot glue and wood glue -I wanted it to stay). I took thin, long strips of craft foam and glued it around the edge of the top part of the blades-like outlining it. Using a reference photo, I traced out shapes, that looked similar to the design in the photo, onto a piece of paper and used that to trace the same shapes onto craft foam (4 times). Cut those out. To figure out the size, I just would eye-ball it then place it onto the blade and change it as needed (when using the paper). Glue those in place. It should look the same on all 4 sides. Now prime and spray paint everything. I used metallic silver paint. Once everything was dry I when ahead and cut out long strips (ribbon could work too) of brown leathery(semi-velvety but not ~I don't know the name of the fabric) like fabric and wrapped it around the wooden handles. Glue it into place -so glue it at both ends and randomly around the middle. Using oil paints, I shaded and highlighted everything. Other SwordsI don't have any real good photos. But as for the swords on the back and side: I made those literally the day before (super bad with procrastination!). Sorry to say, but I just ran to the $1 Store and bought some foam swords in a shape that I liked -I was lucky to find the exact shape and size I wanted (had to go to a few different stores). I used black electrical tape to wrap the blade part -it gave the effect I wanted. For the handled I used the same fabric as on the other two swords (^ up there) and painted the very end a metallic grey. Had I had more time (and money for more expanding foam), I would've used the same technique as I did for the main swords -cardboard and expanding foam- and used this same shape. Still probably would've wrapped it with electrical tape or fabric since, according to the reference photos I had, they looked sheathed. And finished! Hope I could help and that my explanations were good enough >.<
~Positive outcomes only! :) Not sure why, but I decided to make a blog post on my photographer situation. Nothing special or anything but I figured "hey maybe this'll give people some ideas on how to go about getting photos of their own cosplay (or whatever)!"
There's a couple different ways shoots can happen. You can be paid to do the shoot or pay someone to shoot it. I guess it depends on who contacts who. There's also one where it's free on both ends; the photographer takes photos therefore gaining more experience and shots for their gallery and you get photos of your cosplay ~there's an actual word for this but I forget. Most people seem to try out different photographers and usually settle with one or two or something ~do your research, don't go alone and check references. Personally, I'm not exactly sure on how these things work out, who pays who or if it's a swap/free thing. I don't work with "actual" photographers, so none of these things ever come up. How do you go about shooting cosplays if you don't work with photographers? I don't work with "actual" photographers. I just have friends take the photos! And no I don't mean, photographers who are friends or vise versa. I literally just mean I ask someone "hey will you basically be my tripod and help me take photos of my cosplay". So usually and most recently, I just ask my boyfriend. I don't call them "actual" photographers because they aren't. None of them have had an interest in photography really or are pursuing it as any type of career, the most experience they've had before is a photography class to fill an elective spot back in high school, they haven't done any photoshoot type things before this and I don't even think they own a camera ~we use my equipment for shoots. Honestly, I'm not really sure they even slightly enjoy shooting my cosplays, but they're super nice and helpful so they don't mind :) . So how do I get at least decent quality photos with people who don't know much about photography? 1. It'll be up to you to do your research! If your friend isn't interested the slightest in photography, then they'll probably look to you as to what they should be doing. So it'll be up to you to learn something about photography. -Figure out angles. Find what angles look best and flatter both you and the costume. -Poses. It won't work like a professional shoot, they wont be instructing you on what to do and where to look, in fact they'll probably be asking you where they should stand! So research your character and look up what poses fit them. -Instruct! As I was saying, your friends my be asking you where they should stand. So give them these instructions. Everyone's different though so some may go off and do their own thing, but if there are specific photos you would like at certain angles, tell them "hey also get some shots of this ___". -Take many photos! Ask your friends to snap a few photos of them same shot. This way when going through them you have a few options to choose from in case you blink in one, or don't like your expression in another, or they shot was a little blurry. -Take your time. Mention to your friend, especially if working a camera isn't their thing, that they may wanna just hold the camera still a few seconds before and after taking a photo and take slight pauses in between each snap of the camera. This is especially good advice if your equipment & setup isn't super amazing! It sucks to have a pose or photo you really like be unusable because it's too blurry. So don't try to rush through it. -Work as a team. Especially if both of you know very little and are new to photography. Work as a team, give each other input and advice and help set each other up I guess. Share ideas for poses and angles. 2. Have a good camera. Something other than your phone! If this is something you're really interested in then invest in a fancier camera. I use a Canon Rebel T3 ~which was "top of the line" at the time I bought it, just under the Canon Rebel T3i. I've also recently invested in lighting and backdrop setups -they're in the mail!- and will be getting a around 5-foot tripod. Now this is mostly for YouTube purposes but I'll be using it for other small "shoots" as well. 3. Good lighting! I try to shoot in the morning and/or mid-day and outside. Natural lighting is great and makes photos look so much better. Shoot on bright and sunny days. If you're shooting inside try and get as much natural lighting into the room as possible -if you have lighting equipment that works too. Note: Pay attention to shadows and the shadows of the photographer! Try not to have the sun directly behind you as well because that may throw off the lighting and shadow your face. What about editing? I edit all my photos. At the end of the "shoot" I just pack up my camera and stuff and later on, at home, upload them all to my computer and start going through them. This may be the tricky part about just having friends take photos. It means you'll have to learn how to edit, and if you're not super computer-savvy it may be a problem. Keep in mind photos don't NEED to be edited. It's all personal preference. I like to edit mine just because I feel like it helps give it a nice finished look. What do you do when editing? I mostly just mess with the lighting, contrast, hue and saturation. I'll also clear up blemishes and if need be change my eye color. I recently learned (and am still working on better it) glowing effects. I'll black out the background sometimes as well or shadow it over. I'll also blur the background if I feel it pulls too much focus away from the subject. I'm also working on swapping out the background (I still need a lot of work on this but there's been some photos I'm really happy with the result) and fire-y smoke effects. I use Photoshop Elements 8 by the way. For background swapping I'll use either photos I've taken or search for stock-photos (giving credit to the creator and letting them know-or follow whatever their guidelines for use were- whenever used). I've learned most of these from friends who were good with Photoshop (they draw a lot) or from tutorials online (YouTube is a great place to look!). Why don't you search for local photographers? There's a few reasons. 1. I'm incredibly weary of online people. So I'd only be willing to work with someone if they already had some sort of gallery and references to look through and contact. Of course I'd bring one or two people to come with me -so they'd need to be okay with that because I won't go alone- and I'd only really want to go if it was either at an actual business place (like how some photographers have a studio) or public (outdoors someplace like a park/forest-y area or beach or whatever's fitting -probably prefer this). 2. Playing into the weariness, social anxiety. It already takes me a LONG time to get into the zone and comfortable taking photos with just friends -my boyfriend even- that working with professionals would end in chaos -,- . In other-words, I'd be really awkward, tense, and uncomfortable working with people I barely know. Now I have done a spontaneous shoot at a convention before, so it's not like I'm never up for it -I prefer not to let anxieties stop me from living & will just bare through it xD. I guess it just makes it harder for me to actually just say "sure I'd totally love to shoot with you!" 3. Control. Control issues? Insecurities? It's just weird and out of my comfort zone to not be in control of the poses or angles or shooting, nor the photo choices and editing. If I'm being honest here, I already have an extreme distaste for my appearance, so it'd be really hard to just trust someone else to take and choose photos in which I'd actually feel I looked okay. 4. Money & Travel. I don't have the money to pay for photoshoots, and I'm not really looking into doing so any time soon. I'd much rather put my money towards bettering my cosplays and have photos taken for free by super awesome friends! And anything that requires much traveling would be difficult-once again gas fair, and I don't have a vehicle. It's not 100% out of the question though, if a really good opportunity ever presented itself then maybe. Well I hope this may have helped some of you looking to shoot some of your cosplays (or even if you're trying to get into modeling or whatever). I'm sure if you ask nicely friends would be willing to help you out and if neither of you know much about photography well then hopefully I gave you some helpful tips or ways to find more helpful tips (seriously, YouTube and Google will lead you to tutorials and forums-so helpful!). Practice makes perfect! So as you get more experience with it your photos will improve (you may even want to revisit some old cosplay and reshoot). Good luck :) ~Positive outcomes only! :) My test prints arrived today! I like them and the company shipped them quickly. So I plan to set up shop to sell prints. I first need to order some packages (or find some at Walmart maybe) to ship them in. Once I have that all figured out I'll create the listings and put them up for sale on my Storenvy. In honor of my store opening I'll be doing a give away with these two. I'll have a post up on my Facebook later about it. And I'm going to do it the old fashion way! ~Write all the names down put em in a hat and draw them that way. They'll be signed, so sorry if that's a problem! >< (I hope not.) That's also what I need help deciding on, do I sign with my actual name or username? I've been leaning towards my username since that's what I guess I go by and watermark everything with (it's just still strange xD ). Either way my signature needs work, it's so bad ~but don't worry I'll practice a lot before I sign any prints... and I mean a LOT. I think I'll be making it so that there'll be two winners. First place and second. So first place will get their choice and have to respond within 24 hours and then I'll notify the second place winner about their print and get all the shipping information and whatnot. Yeah, that sounds good. I plan to do more give aways in the future as well, with prints and whenever I get extra skin codes (I want to try and get quite a few at Summoners Con if they hand any out ~hoping so!), and probably other things. So I ordered two test prints to see how this method works. If I like how the prints look, the company, shipping, etc. If I do then I think I'll list some prints on my Storenvy :) I have it all set up to go. I figured why not. If they sell they sell, if they don't oh well. They'll all be pre-ordered anyways so after so long (and I have at least 1 order) I'll order a batch of prints (or the amount I need), sign em and what not, and then ship them out. These are the two test prints I choose (without the watermarks of course ~ @w0lfierose ), The Malzahar is in the larger size 8x12 inch and the Katarina is in the smaller size 4x6 inch. The larger prints will range from $10-13 at the moment and the smaller prints will range from $5-6.50. I determined my prices by adding up the costs of the prints to be made, shipping & shipping material, and picking a middle ground between the few most common print prices I saw. I also updated my website's URL and appearance.
I've seen so much... controversy, I guess, on sexy cosplays.
It's quite silly actually. There are no rules to cosplay. Everyone should be allowed to cosplay who they want and how they want regardless of gender, body, skin color, etc. It is cos-PLAY after all. It's for fun. It's a hobby and passion for many even, so their genetics, appearance and whatever else shouldn't be a reason for them not to cosplay or create costumes of characters the love--whether it be for the character themselves or the costume design of that character. And since there are no rules to cosplays, then sexy cosplays aren't an exception. They allow a lot of people to design their own creative and unique take on a character. It's also no a bad marketing strategy and let's be honest, people know it'll sell or get attention (everyone loves boobs right?). And that's not a bad thing. These people put a lot of time and work into their costume and it takes a lot of confidence to wear it in the first place, if they want attention for their work and/or know it'll be a way to draw in more viewers of for their other work, so be it. They deserve it! You don't have to look at it if you don't want to anyways. And if you do enjoy their work, even if it's not that specific cosplay, you shouldn't complain. If it's what brought you there and made you discover this awesome new cosplayer, then it's a good thing right? If it's not, but it's bringing in new admirers, then yay! The community is growing. You have a lot more people that share a common interest with you, socialize. And then there's other people that do sexy cosplay just because they love sexy cosplays and they're awesome and boobs are great. No shame in that. I feel a lot of people that have a problem with sexy cosplays are angry about it out of jealous. This happens a lot either way though. A lot of people get jealous because "they're prettier", that cosplay got more attention and they may feel theirs was better or more deserving, "they only have so many likes/fans/whatever because of the boobs/butt/whatever." And yeah that happens. Someone does a sexy cosplay and draws in a lot more attention than someone who might have done an incredibly well done accurate cosplay or even someone else who also did a sexy version. Then people get mad and angry due to jealousy and the fact that they feel they may have tried harder on their cosplay or don't understand why they didn't get the same reaction. Sometimes the people don't cosplay, and are just upset and mad because maybe they want to and don't have the confidence to or feel because they don't look like that or whatever there's no point (have more confidence, though!). But life isn't fair. Everyone says that and it's true. This will always happen, in every aspect of your life. And yeah it'll suck. Put a lot of work into something, get these high hopes that it'll do great and so many people will love it, then it doesn't work out quite that way and you get sad, hurt even. Then you see someone else who may not have been accurate to the character or you feel didn't do as well getting so much more attention and you get jealous. But to be fair, you honestly don't know just how much work they did or didn't put into it. You also don't know how hard it might have been for them to put on the cosplay. A lot of people aren't comfortable with their bodies but are trying to be, or just found the confidence and made the decision to be proud and this is one way of tackling it. You can't hate them for it. It sucks, yes it does. But you'll just have to work harder, keep trying, try new things, whatever... just don't quit. Things won't always be fair. A lot of things will be harder for you then it is for other people, and you'll have to try harder and put more time into it than someone else. They have their own struggles though, so it's not like their life is absolutely perfect and they have all the luck, you probably just won't ever get to see or hear about it. You're always going to find someone better, more popular, etc etc. Don't let that stop you and don't hate them for it. Just keep doing your own thing and you'll get there. People have the ability to love, admire, be fans of, whatever as many people as they want, so I'm pretty sure it's not like there won't be room. And of course, then there's the people who are like "they're just doing it for attention, they probably don't even play video games/watch anime/etc". But come on, is there anyone out there who is really going to put all that time and money, sweat and tears into cosplaying someone or something they have no idea what it is or is from? No. Now they may not be an expert, knowing every little detail or even finished the game/series but they'll probably at least know something. They don't have to be a know-it-all on the topic just to cosplay it. In fact, some cosplayers will cosplay a character they have never seen before just because they love the costume design. The closest you're probably going to find to a sexy cosplayer who knows nothing and is just seeking attention is probably some sexy Pikachu (comic relief people, keep that in mind xD). Buuuttt... even then, I'm pretty sure they've all had at least some experience with Pokemon or at least Pikachu since it's usually a part of everyone's childhood. You can't keep judging a book by it's cover. And if they really are doing it purely for the attention and no absolutely nothing of what they're cosplaying, so what. Just let them be. Let people who wanna admire it and be a fan of it do so and you can just choose to ignore it. They probably have other reasons or hope this will lead up to and help them achieve larger goals, so good for them. They're doing something that probably makes them happy and will help make them more successful in some way. They're obviously doing something right too, so it's not like they don't deserve the attention they're getting. I think the only time they wouldn't is if they were lying about being the creator of the cosplay or the cosplayer themselves (fakes on so many different social sites) and other situations along those lines of course. Sexy cosplays aren't a bad thing or something to rage over. I honestly never saw a problem with it. Yes, I've seen some cosplays I've found to be meh by but either I get over it or just ignore it. I don't smite and hate them for it though. I just say/think well it's not my cup of tea but good for them, and go about my way. If you don't like it then ignore it. It probably doesn't directly affect your life and it's not like it's hurting you that they're cosplaying this. You may be "the biggest fan ever" but that doesn't entitle you to being the gate keeper of the fandom. If you don't like sexy cosplay, my advice to you is just to ignore it. (I'm also wondering how do you not like boobs?? Like whaa? xD). But no really. Just ignore it. No need to dwell on subjects and topics that make you angry or unhappy. At that point you're just bringing unneeded negativity into your life and it's no one's fault but your own. And trust me, dwelling on the negatives won't get you anywhere's and will only leave you miserable. So ignore these things that don't affect you and focus on things you do enjoy. Most of the time you see these cosplayers on social sites or at cons. It's very simple to just scroll past it or keep walking. ~Positive outcomes only! :) I've been considering selling prints, but that's only if anyone's even interest? ;^^ ~And once I have a bit more variety in my cosplays (which I should soon!). I just always thought it looked like a fun idea and a fun way to make some spare cash to help with future cosplays! >< They'd be signed of course (if wanted), along with any little message you'd want and what not (that always seemed like the funniest part! xD ). So far I was thinking these photos? (They'd be unwatermarked in the prints too, btw). It'd also have to wait till I figured out how to even get prints made and what not.
Yeah, but if anyone's interested I guess I'll look more into it. Until then! :D ~Positive outcomes only! :) Here's how I made Pow Pow, Jinx's mini gun from the video game, League of Legends. For the base of the end I took an old ice cream bucket and removed the handles. I also picked up a dome/half circle of floral foam at Walmart. Floral foam is easy to break and crush and very fragile. So using it as is isn't a good idea. In order to make it sturdy I wrapped it in quite a few layers of paper mache and let that dry. The reference photo I used and preferred had a funnel shape look for the end of her mini gun. In fact, a person who made that design said they used a giant funnel. Since I couldn't find a large enough funnel I used floral foam and expanding foam. I first attached the floral foam onto the bottom/underneath of the bucket using hot glue and super glue. Then I covered the floral foam in expanding foam adding more to the top rather than the sides. After that dried I used a box cutter and steak knife to give it the shape I wanted. If you're wanting to get the shape of how it is in a majority of her photos and game model you could easily follow the same steps and shape it more squared and angled with the steak knife and box cutter. Cardboard could even be used instead. Paper mache that once it's done. For the handle toward the front I took a Styrofoam disk with the center cut out and covered it in a few layers of paper mache. For more information on how to paper mache refer back to my How I Made Fishbones post. For the handle part of that piece I cut out the original shape in cardboard. Then covered both side (one side at a time) in expanding foam and shaped it once both were dry. Paper mache that. Next I cut a piece of a wooden post to a tiny bit longer than the length of the Styrofoam disk. I carve out a shallow notch, in the shape of the ends of the wooden post, into the sides of the handle and glued it in there using both hot glue and super glue. Now that the actual handle is finished, I attached that entire thing onto the Styrofoam disk with both super glue and hot glue. If you want even more security and nut and bolt on both ends could work too. For the barrels I made the ends using craft foam but first cut out a pattern using just normal paper. I didn't have access to any, but it's recommended to use a plastic primer for spray paint before painting the barrels. Once you're ready spray paint it with metallic paint. Since the ends are pink I later went and wrapped a sheet of paper around each barrel just under the craft foam part and then spray painted it. Remember to seal all craft foam pieces with before hand. For the rest of the attachments I used a mixture of craft foam and expanding foam. For other two pieces that go around the barrels I used crafting foam. I cut out a circle then places the pvc pipes ontop of that and traced 3 smaller circles into that then cut it out -this makes sure it'll fit right around the barrels. For the handle at the end of the mini gun I used a card board cut out of the shape I wanted and cover it with expanding foam, shaped it and then covered it in paper mache and attached it with super glue and hot glue. I did the same for the small hook-like piece that comes off of that. The vent-like design on the side is made from crafting foam as well. I first cut out the pattern on a normal sheet of paper then traced it onto crafting foam, cut that out then glued it to the funnel part with hot glue. For the bucket part, I once again used craft foam and cut out little half oval every inch or so across a long rectangular craft foam piece. I used hot glue to attach it. I took all those pieces out and spray painted that. For the front handle I just spray painted the whole thing pink then went back later and used acrylic paint to paint the handle brown and add slight wood detailing. For the bottom piece I first spray painted the entire bucked with metallic grey paint, once dry I wrapped that in paper and spray painted the funnel part with the pink paint. I'd later go back and use an orangey-yellow color for the cut out half oval pieces of the bucket, and using the same technique and paint as I did with the wooden part of the front handle, I painted the back handle. Note: The reference photo I used had wooden handles and the back one looked barrel (like wooden barrel, think root beer or something) shape. I also cut out a circular piece of craft foam that fit in the opening of the bucket and had 3 smaller cut outs that fit the pattern/shape of the pvc pipes and painted that with the metallic grey. I slide all the pieces onto the barrel then placed them where I wanted them in the bucket and filled it with expanding foam. I used the expanding foam like glue since I knew it'd be the sturdier option for keeping the pvc pipes in place. Keep in mine you're going to have to sit there for 5 minutes holding them as still as possible while the expanding foam sets and then have some set up so you can have the barrels facing upwards, to finish drying completely for the next like 15 hours. I'd later go back and super glue and hot glue all the rest of the pieces on the barrel in place. If you have longer nuts and bolts available to you, I'd recommend attaching those through the bottom of the Styrofoam disk and the two bottom pvc pipes for more security. The ears were cut out in craft foam and painted with acrylic paint. I just attached those with hot glue to the Styrofoam disk. And the bottom piece was made from two identical pieces of cardboard and expanding foam. I covered one cardboard piece in expanding foam, let that dry, cut off the excess around the side then made the top (top as in when it's laying flat on what would technically become the side after it's attached) as even as possible then hot glued on the other piece of cardboard. Then I went around the sides/edges and covered it in craft foam. I also traced out that same shape (as the cardboard) 2 more times in craft foam, only with a center piece of the cut out as well, and glued that onto either side of that piece. Seal that and spray paint it pink and once that dries paint the middle (that was cut out from the craft foam) purple using acrylic paint. Go ahead and attach that to the underside of the mini gun using hot glue and super glue to glue it onto the bottom of the bucked and bottom of the front handle. I shadowed and highlighted everything using oil paints. I'll probably make an entire post on highlighting/shadowing, like where's best later on (or someday xD) but for more tips check the Fishbones post (posted right before this). I used a guitar strap to carry it, making a loop with one end and looping it around the top pvc pipe just behind the front handle and bolting it to the bucket piece on the side that rests against me. And finished. :) Hope you all enjoyed this post and/or found it helpful.
~Positive outcomes only. Here's a little bit on how I made Fishbones, Jinx's rocket launcher from the League of Legends video game. So first I started off by gathering my supplies. I used a lot of different kinds of foam ~craft, EVA, expanding~ and glue ~super, hot~. I bought EVA foam squares (aka exercising mats) and turned those into the base of Fishbones. Most people used a large pvc pip or one long even strand of foam or something else that's sturdy. But at the time of making this it appeared to me that Fishbones had levels throughout it, although it could've been the different sizes of armor on him. Either way, in order to achieve this look I took 2 squares and formed a circle with them (just by gluing them together it shaped correctly ~same with the rest) to create the first half. I took 2 and a half for the second piece and for the 3rd used a little more than 1. Reminder I was basing this off of the music video version of her, and in the exact paused scene I was referencing, Fishbones looked to be about as tall as she is. All the cosplayers of Jinx I've come across go off of the video game model when it's miniaturized on her back, so if mine is looking over-sized, that's why. I wanted to go all out huge. A rocket launcher would be huge in reality anyways xD. To attach all the pieces together I laid them so that the little "teeth" on the bottom piece of each would lay just after the little "teeth" on the top piece. Basically I just laid them inside each other until it looked about even. Then I placed the bottom two on top of different sized objects (books) to get it so that the piece would lay center with no foam pieces actually touching each other. And then I took a can of expanding foam and foamed all around the lower piece and inside of the large piece (using it like glue but to fill in the gaps as well). Since the foam expanding a lot more in some parts than others, I had to go back through with a knife (or a long bladed box cutter would work) and remove some of the foam (in curved cuts) to let the eva be able to even out and make everything as even as possible. Once I did that I finished it off by removing all the excess foam on the outside (I didn't bother with the inside, that part will be blocked off anyways). Next, I used craft foam to make the armor pieces. Before cutting anything I laid it out and pinned it (using sewing pins) to the eva foam and drew out a rough sketch of the shape I'd want it at using a pencil (and light pressure!). For the fins and the handle I took a cardboard outline and covered it in expanding foam, shaped it with a box cutter and steak knife, then paper mache-d those. I made the handle larger because I've planned to revisit this and alter the prop when I have money for it. I found a small portable fog machine online that has a small switch box for it so the handle is designed for me to be able to cut out and place the switch box inside of it with the flips sticking out and just poke a hole through the bottom (which means wiring has to be detached and reattached but whatevs :P) and it'll be able to be strung through the prop and connect to the fog machine. I also wanted to wire in lights to the switch box as well. But that's for a later date. In order for that expected mess and the current mess to be nicely hidden I cut out circular shapes out of craft foam, one that'd fully cover the back and fill the hole completely and another for the front that covers most of it but leaves spaces so that the fog could still get through. To attack these I took all the extra teeth that I had cut off of the eva foam from earlier, stacked them up and glued them to be the same height as the 2 different levels and glue them into the props then the circular pieces onto that (it also made the prop sturdier). So that the tails fins at the back would be sturdy when getting knocked around a bit I took thin wooden sticks/post (circular onces) and attached that to the center underneath/inside of each fin with glue. I also used a knife to cut in ridges every so often so it looked like it'd was metal piping or wiring and fit in with the rest of the prop. For the outline of the armor I cut thin (maybe an inch or 1/2 an inch) of craft foam and glue it onto the armor pieces. The teeth where triangle shapes cut from craft foam as well and attached to the head with hot glue. Before gluing anything onto the base I unpinned it all and took it all off so that the base could be paper mache-d. There's a rough side and a smoother side on this eva foam but I when with the rough side (mostly because for me it didn't matter). In order to paint foam you have to seal with (either with wood glue, or plastic dip I hear works) ~it was out of my budget though either way, but old news paper and .79 cent Elmer's glue mixed with water wasn't! That's how you paper mache by the way. Take either the more expensive mod podge (which I did once because I didn't know ;-; ) or Elmer's (craft) glue and mix it with equal parts water. Paper mache will make some areas a little wrinkle-y though. Just as a heads up. In photographs its an easy fix with lighting and smoothing it in editing but it may be noticable especially when close up a conventions. Once that's dry go ahead and attach all the armor pieces. Once that was mostly attached I went ahead and used a box cutter to cut out the holes in the armor. Using light pressure and a cardboard sheet underneath, I made sure I didn't cut through the Eva foam. In order to get even hole sizes I used a spool of thread and traced that lightl with pencil. I eyeball-ed the spacing between each though. I attached the head pieces on, so that they'd be movable, using nuts and bots. It's easy to just poke a screw through the foam so you're going to need a nut at the end of it so that the screw doesn't just slide out and you can tighten it enough to make the head stay in place and not just easily flop back down or fall off. Once that was all done I went ahead and painted all the armor pieces with wood glue to seal it. A smarter quicker (but slightly more expensive way) to coat it is with different sealers (like plastic dip) or spray wood glue ~I already owned lots of wood glue (thanks grandpa!) so I used what I had. Once that's all dried I took it outside, laid down some new papers and coated it twice with metallic "aluminum" colored spray paint. For the shading and highlighting I used oil paints I bought from walmart. Acrylic paints work too but it dries a lot faster and can be more difficult to blend. Oil paints take a day or two until they're completely dry and are easy to smudge out and blend. I shadowed every ridge, the more underneath something (whether it be a prop or another piece of armor) that more shadow and darker of shadow I made. For the highlighting, I highlighted just a long, very thinnly, along the corners of the ridge of the different pieces of armor. I also took a small amount and blended, blended, blended it along the top curvatures of the head piece and fins. Once the highlighting and shadowing was done I coated once more in gloss-y, non-yellowing clear spray paint. I wanted it to still look metallic and oil paints dull out and matte that areas they're in but the gloss paint fixed that. For the eyes I took a sheet of plastic (a plastic bag jewelry came in ~same material of the bag wigs come in) and painted it. I did this so that the lighting in the future could show through it and make the eyes look like they're glowing that color. ~I actually attached a flashlight (a small one) at the con using duct tape (ghetto??? xD ) and it worked like I wanted :3 Although it wasn't noticeable in the lighting. If you have a brown belt go ahead and use that for the belt around fishbones. I didn't have one to spare though so I just used some belt-like fabric I had and shaped a belt buckle out of polymer clay. Then glued that all on. And finished!
I wasn't 100% happy with this. I could do better, especially if I had better material and the right ones. But for what I had to work with I am happy with the outcome. Oh and in order to carry it around, at the convention I attached a guitar strap to the underneath using 2 nuts and bolts (same technique as the head). It turns out this post is a lot more than a little bit? o.O ~Positive outcomes only :) |
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