Time Traveler Extraordinaire (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solaciolum) wrote2010-03-29 09:25 am
solaciolum) wrote2010-03-29 09:25 am
Entry tags:
Armor
Dear LJ: stop telling me I'm a bot. You're already on thin ice, and currently serve me little purpose. Don't push it.
Yes, that's right, cosplay. It's been almost two years since my last, disastrous and traumatic endeavor, but there's going to be a convention less than ten minutes from my house this summer, and if that isn't a sign to get back into it, then I don't know what is.
Naturally, rather than choosing something simple to ease myself back into costuming, I have decided to cosplay Onion Knight from Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Lots of armor, lots of hand painting fabric, wig reconstruction, complicated props, and giant feathers. I think the rumors that I am something of a masochist may have a grain of truth to them.
I'm also trying to figure out how to build this costume as cheaply as possible- I have to gather up a lot of basic materials, since many things got lost in some move or another. I don't even have a glue gun anymore! orz
My previous armor constructing endeavors involved a great deal of 6mm craft foam and polystyrene sheeting. The styrene sheeting technique is useful for constructing extremely sturdy armor, but styrene can be expensive (shipping is a killer). It's also difficult to impossible to construct smooth double curves- bell curves or spherical shapes. Onion Knight has all sorts of double curves, with the breast plate and the shoulder pauldrons and the helmet.
So, I'm going to attempt to construct the majority of the armor from paper mache- that is, posterboard and cardboard forms, covered in strips of newspaper and watered down Tacky glue for strength. And then I'll cover these forms in paperclay to sculpt the curves and achieve a smooth surface. (I have eight pounds of paperclay kicking around for various reasons; under other circumstances, paperclay can be a fairly expensive technique.)
I'd forgotten how much I enjoy navigating the geometry of intersecting curves- I spend a whole lot of time taking measurements and sketching things out, and then I end up hacking at things with a pair of scissors in the end anyway. There's a lot of overlap between this sort of armor construction and corset design, actually- and researching corset drafting comes in handy when it comes to wrapping your head around the way armor curves intersect.
What I have so far for the breastplate is here. (I am covering my face not because of privacy concerns, but because I find it hilarious.)
I may find the papermache/paperclay method to be too time consuming, and it may be too difficult to smooth out those curves- in which case I will probably have to build myself a dress form out of duct tape and try heat shaping craft foam. I've had minimal success with this in the past, but that's because I was too afraid of melting the foam to get it hot enough to shape. Given that I still have scars on my legs from hot glue burns, I am now less concerned by the thought of surpassing the heat threshold of craft foam with an iron or the stovetop.
The key to armor- and all props, really, and fabric costume elements as well, to a certain extent- is in the finishing and paint job. The most beautifully constructed fiberglass or vacuum-formed plastic armor is going to look like crap if it isn't sanded, painted, weathered, and finished properly. Finding a good construction method is really just finding a good vehicle for your paint job.
Yes, that's right, cosplay. It's been almost two years since my last, disastrous and traumatic endeavor, but there's going to be a convention less than ten minutes from my house this summer, and if that isn't a sign to get back into it, then I don't know what is.
Naturally, rather than choosing something simple to ease myself back into costuming, I have decided to cosplay Onion Knight from Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Lots of armor, lots of hand painting fabric, wig reconstruction, complicated props, and giant feathers. I think the rumors that I am something of a masochist may have a grain of truth to them.
I'm also trying to figure out how to build this costume as cheaply as possible- I have to gather up a lot of basic materials, since many things got lost in some move or another. I don't even have a glue gun anymore! orz
My previous armor constructing endeavors involved a great deal of 6mm craft foam and polystyrene sheeting. The styrene sheeting technique is useful for constructing extremely sturdy armor, but styrene can be expensive (shipping is a killer). It's also difficult to impossible to construct smooth double curves- bell curves or spherical shapes. Onion Knight has all sorts of double curves, with the breast plate and the shoulder pauldrons and the helmet.
So, I'm going to attempt to construct the majority of the armor from paper mache- that is, posterboard and cardboard forms, covered in strips of newspaper and watered down Tacky glue for strength. And then I'll cover these forms in paperclay to sculpt the curves and achieve a smooth surface. (I have eight pounds of paperclay kicking around for various reasons; under other circumstances, paperclay can be a fairly expensive technique.)
I'd forgotten how much I enjoy navigating the geometry of intersecting curves- I spend a whole lot of time taking measurements and sketching things out, and then I end up hacking at things with a pair of scissors in the end anyway. There's a lot of overlap between this sort of armor construction and corset design, actually- and researching corset drafting comes in handy when it comes to wrapping your head around the way armor curves intersect.
What I have so far for the breastplate is here. (I am covering my face not because of privacy concerns, but because I find it hilarious.)
I may find the papermache/paperclay method to be too time consuming, and it may be too difficult to smooth out those curves- in which case I will probably have to build myself a dress form out of duct tape and try heat shaping craft foam. I've had minimal success with this in the past, but that's because I was too afraid of melting the foam to get it hot enough to shape. Given that I still have scars on my legs from hot glue burns, I am now less concerned by the thought of surpassing the heat threshold of craft foam with an iron or the stovetop.
The key to armor- and all props, really, and fabric costume elements as well, to a certain extent- is in the finishing and paint job. The most beautifully constructed fiberglass or vacuum-formed plastic armor is going to look like crap if it isn't sanded, painted, weathered, and finished properly. Finding a good construction method is really just finding a good vehicle for your paint job.
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