Just a Pause

Hello all.

I have sad news to tell you. I will not be continuing this blog any more. As you can tell, I am new to the blogging community, but the experience has led my eyes wide open to another side. I never really enjoyed blogging before because I thought typing out all the thoughts and message to the world is quite troublesome. However, I started blogging because of my English class, it was an assignment and I am really happy to have this experience as an assignment.

Before starting to blog, I had to research different types of blog and how to blog because I am such a newbie. However as I continue the blog I felt the enjoyment of letting readers know my experience and how I could help them learn a new things. Thank you all for supporting me till today.  I really had fun doing these cosplay tutorials and giving you more information about the cosplay community. During this semester I really looked forward to write a new blog for you guys to see because it had become an enjoyment for me. The reason I won’t be continuing the blog is because I do not have enough experience yet. Maybe in the future when I am ready I will start blogging again but as of right now I am going to put blogging on a pause.

                As a blogger I learned how to send my thoughts to the readers. Whenever I post a tutorial post, I only have one goal in mine to help someone. There could be only one person reading it, but if it helped him I am satisfied. My mission is finished.  Also I learned as a blogger you have to put in a lot of effort and time into one single blog. Before I start blogging I always skim people’s blog and just get that tiny information but now I am going to read most of the stuff that is put out there because it is someone’s hard work. People put hours and hours on the blog and we should appreciate it.

                Before ending this blog officially I would like to emphasize the awesomeness of cosplaying. I just went to a cosplay gathering today. I could not stop smiling whenever I met a new friend there. People are always friendly and it is exciting to meet people with the same hobby as you.

                Thank you guys for supporting me, even though I am a beginner cosplayers I really hoped my blogs helped you guys on figuring a little bit about the cosplay community. I will see you guys in the future.

Have a great break!!!

Two Choices

Picture taken from Gundam Cosplay
Cosplayers cosplaying from EFSF Soldiers vs. Shingeki no Kyojin.

There are often many who are cosplaying the same character. When attending popular conventions such as Fanime, the chance of encountering the same cosplay is higher. However, even though the characters they are cosplaying are may be the same, their costume and detail might not be.

Being able to buy a costume can be a savior to those who haven’t learned to sew or handcraft props. They can go online and search up the costume you wanted and they are one click away from finishing their cosplay. On the other hand making a cosplay is really stressful at times and difficult because you are planning the whole outfit from scratch. In the cosplay community the biggest question is “Should I make or buy this costume?” There isn’t a correct answer for this question because it can vary. Factors that affect this are time, quality and budget.

·         Time

Creating a quality outfit consumes a lot of time because you need to scout for the materials appropriate for the character you are trying to cosplay. Then you have to sew, pin, build, and cut to finish the outfit. The time needed to finish an outfit ranges from a day to few months while purchasing an outfit can take just seconds.

·         Quality

Purchasing an outfit online can risk quality and it’s different for each online store. Some stores have decent materials such as fabric and color that matches the anime while others have materials that are off color and cheap which will have loose strings and missing details. Looking for a good store with decent prices is not hard but requires a bit of research. Although sewing your own outfit is painful but it is guaranteed to have promising results if your skills are up to par.

·         Budget

Nami's outfit for 57$
  Picture taken from cosplay deals

Assassin's Creed's outfit for 155.99$ from azcostume

When you step into the cosplay community you should hope your budget is not going to be small due to the fact that a decent cosplay is going to be quite pricey but it differs for each cosplay. Purchasing an outfit online is not cheap and it cane range from a simple costume like the dress of Nami from OnePiece for 57$ or 155 .99$ for a full outfit from Assassin’s Creed. Aside from purchasing the full outfit, picking out each material for the outfit is not cheap can add up to over 50 dollars or more. Although the price might sound insane, people actually purchase it anyway. Price is one of the few reasons why cosplayers create their own Cosplay and by making it themselves, the materials all together end up lower than store purchase.

Taking the three factors into mind, purchasing an outfit online is the easiest for people who want to cosplay but have a busy schedule or are new to cosplay. Personally, I don’t prefer an online purchased outfit because of the possible drawback of the outfit not fitting you. You’d have to either modify your outfit or mail it back while making an outfit that is guaranteed to fit you.  It’s not impossible to find a good store that sells decent outfits but budget is an important factor which is why I decide to make it myself.

Here is a blog that explains more into it - cosplaytutorial

The Difference between Materials

            After much anticipation I will now show you the difference between using materials for props. I know you’ve all been wondering about how to make a prop for your cosplay. In order to make a decent prop, you must know the different and how to use the materials for each prop. Common materials include spray foam, cardboard, or worbla. 

Worbla. Picture taken from cosplaysupplies
A webwite that sells worbla.

          Worbla is the thermoplastic plate and modeling material which enables you to shape it into any desire shape with heat, therefore it is the most expensive but proven to be the best, be/cause of its functionality.  Although worbla is listed as the best material for crafting cosplay props, I only choose to use it for armor, because it’s not strong enough for making weapons. Here is a Simple Worbla Tutorial

A quick look on how to use spray foam. Picture taken from Angela Clayton

Aside from worbla, spray foam is the second most recommended before worbla was well known. Spray foam insulation is an alternative to traditional building insulation; however cosplayers have found another use of the material which is shaping the spray foam for their props. A way to use spray foam for your prop is to spray it on a stencil of your desired design then carve it when it’s dry. While worbla is expensive and weak for weapons, spray foam is affordable, durable, and more effective for making weapons. One can of spray foam is enough to for me to make a durable and long lasting prop.

Card board: a common material that can be seen everywhere, it's traditionally used for packaging. However, cosplayers have used their creativity and have found a way to transform this plain brown paper into something amazing, which is making it into a cosplay prop. Making a prop out of cardboard is a bit difficult compare to the other two materials. Crafting with cardboard not only time consuming but also require a lot of energy. Worbla and spray foam are light and easy to shape, unlike cardboard that is hard to cut into desire shape because it is a heavy duty paper. However, making cosplay prop out of cardboard is probably the cheapest material with a decent quality. 

My Akali sword I made with cardboard.  (Quick tutorial) I cut out my sword shape on a peice of paper, then I repeat the steps 4 time but with cardbaord. Then I put paper mache on to the cardbaord that I glued together. After it dried up. I paint my sword with acrylic paint.

                     As people say "quality comes with price" this saying can also apply for making props. The pricing for all three materials is quite different. Obviously, worbla is the most expensive out of them due to the material quality and functionality, therefore the price for a piece of worbla range from $18 for a 14.5" by 9.8" a sheet and $88 for 39.25" by 59" a sheet. Second is spray foam at $7.63 for 12 ounces. Last but not least is cardboard which can probably be found anywhere in your house from boxes. Price being the factor here, spray foam is the more desirable material for me.

                     After comparing all three materials, I would like to conclude that spray foam is my favorite material for props. However you guys should experiment with the different materials. Knowing the pricing for the different materials and its function, I hope you guys will try it in the future.

Now I’m going to teach you how to make a basic prop. 

HOW TO MAKE A BASIC PROP!

         You now know some common materials that are used to make props.  Coming up are some pointers on how to make a decent prop. First step of creating anything is making a draw out the design, blueprint, and size. The prop should be adequately sized for the intended user. With an outline of your desired design, you can use it as a stencil to cut out the shape. With one of the three materials, you can now shape the cutout to your design. Be careful to not to apply it all at once but to apply it slowly in layers. After you finished your draft prop with either material. It is time to strength the prop with paper mache, prime, or other idea you have. To finish the prop always PAINT it because it creates the realistic feel. No one will know what it is until you color it.

Tips: When using spray foam, remember to wait for it to dry before carving it and for cardboard, remember to use paper mache to strengthen the board. Last but not least, paint is your best friend; you should generally be trying to make it look as realistic as possible.

•  For more great tutorials: tripleacosplay.com