Cosplay Crafting 101: How to Start Creating Armor Costume
One of the most challenging costumes you can make for your cosplay hobby is a body armor costume. This is because armor-making involves crafting with materials that are not malleable and easy to work with cloth. If you’re just starting out in armor crafting for cosplay, here are some tips and tricks from cosplayers around the world, that you can implement to help you save time and money:
Essentials You Need for Armor Cosplay
There are four things that you need to start creating your armor cosplay : (1) foundation or pattern, (2) crafting tools, (3) adhesives, and (4) design/decorations. The foundation or pattern involves your body’s measurements and the main material your armor will be made of from EVA foam, cardboard, Worbla and other materials.
Adhesives come in different forms. These can be contact glue, spirit gum, liquid cement, E600 industrial adhesives, and even tape. As for the decorations, you would need primers and paint, metallic or glitter spray paints, some stones, gems, or any other decorative materials. Crafting tools include a heat gun, sharp cutters, measuring tape or rulers, crafting mats, and other tools that can help you make the armor easily.
How to Start Crafting Armor Cosplay
First, you should start by taking your measurements. For your convenience, it is advisable to have a mannequin that has your exact same measurements so you can work on the pattern of your armor with less difficulty. You can take some scrap paper or any pattern paper and start drawing your armor on the mannequin, somewhat like a cloth you wrap on certain parts of the mannequin depending on where you need to place your armor.
Next, you take the patterns you just made to cut your base material. If it’s time to stick two pieces together, you can use adhesives that will help you achieve the effect you have in mind. For example, if you’re trying to stick two pieces of foam together, it will be best to use an adhesive that is in liquid form like contact glue or E600 so as to not have a bulky result.
Cheap Alternatives
For your first time making an armor cosplay, it is best that you work with inexpensive materials. This is done so that you won’t waste valuable materials like Worbla or EVA foam. You can also source the materials from the dollar store or a normal hardware store instead of buying online so you don’t have to pay for shipping and other fees. Looking for alternative materials that are cheaper is always a good way to practice your crafting skills.
There are lots of other cosplay props you can make with EVA foam, some of these include:
