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Armor Making Adventures
Jun. 18th, 2015 06:13 pmBless you, people of the internet, who have taken the time to post lengthy tutorials about the thirty thousand different ways that one can create craft foam armor. Where would we be without you and your fancy high-def step-by-step pics? Back to reinventing the wheel, that's where.
Craft foam gauntlets. I toyed for a long time with doing the fancy French cuffs on the frock coat, but decided against it because 1) I already did the coat that way in the first iteration of my Setzer cosplay a decade ago and 2) they actually only exist in the magical realm of fanart. Nowhere in any official art are there those fabulous pirate-y Jack Sparrow cuffs. Which is a shame, because I love them in all their froo-froo dandy sassafrass.
C'est la vie. Gauntlets it is.
Craft foam that's been cut and heat-shaped over an open flame (just like Grandma used to do, back when she was cosplaying a dapper bishounen and had to walk uphill both ways in the snow just to get to the fabric store). Add a layer of mod podge... or two... or five... sanding between coats. So much sanding. Hot glue some cotton cord on the edges because we can't be having those nasty cut edges hanging out for everyone to see. Mod Podge that, too. Hell, Mod Podge it again, two more times. We're not rationing this shit. It was on clearance at Target because apparently 'antique white' is code for 'water-damage yellow'. Let's call a spade a spade.
But who cares, because we're priming it. Four coats. And more sanding.
I apparently have no issue with the understanding that spray paint should be used outdoors, in a well-ventilated area. Where I screwed up was the Mod Podge. It looked so innocuous. Who knew ten billion coats of it applied in my basement would basically ruin the interior of my nostrils. Hello, nosebleeds for a week.
Don't huff Mod Podge, kids. I'm telling you this as a friend.
Congratulations. Now your gauntlet looks like a cast. But never fear, because after a paint job and copious weathering, it looks truly marvelous and much less like the end result of some misadventure that began with the phrase HEY GUYS, WATCH THIS.
Craft foam gauntlets. I toyed for a long time with doing the fancy French cuffs on the frock coat, but decided against it because 1) I already did the coat that way in the first iteration of my Setzer cosplay a decade ago and 2) they actually only exist in the magical realm of fanart. Nowhere in any official art are there those fabulous pirate-y Jack Sparrow cuffs. Which is a shame, because I love them in all their froo-froo dandy sassafrass.
C'est la vie. Gauntlets it is.
Craft foam that's been cut and heat-shaped over an open flame (just like Grandma used to do, back when she was cosplaying a dapper bishounen and had to walk uphill both ways in the snow just to get to the fabric store). Add a layer of mod podge... or two... or five... sanding between coats. So much sanding. Hot glue some cotton cord on the edges because we can't be having those nasty cut edges hanging out for everyone to see. Mod Podge that, too. Hell, Mod Podge it again, two more times. We're not rationing this shit. It was on clearance at Target because apparently 'antique white' is code for 'water-damage yellow'. Let's call a spade a spade.
But who cares, because we're priming it. Four coats. And more sanding.
I apparently have no issue with the understanding that spray paint should be used outdoors, in a well-ventilated area. Where I screwed up was the Mod Podge. It looked so innocuous. Who knew ten billion coats of it applied in my basement would basically ruin the interior of my nostrils. Hello, nosebleeds for a week.
Don't huff Mod Podge, kids. I'm telling you this as a friend.
Congratulations. Now your gauntlet looks like a cast. But never fear, because after a paint job and copious weathering, it looks truly marvelous and much less like the end result of some misadventure that began with the phrase HEY GUYS, WATCH THIS.
