cosbreaks-cosplay-reference

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

ATTENTION COSPLAYERS:

I would like to make the paint brand “Angelus” known. It is a special paint that is for leather, faux leather, rubber, and similar surfaces.

This is literally the best paint you can buy if you love a pair of shoes, but they aren’t in the right color for your character.

This stuff coats VERY well AND the coats of paint bend with your shoes. This means no cracking!!

In the photos above I took black rain boots and painted them with Angelus Turquoise. As you can see, they don’t look black any more! It’s so good!

I managed to paint two boots with a little one ounce bottle of the paint, and I still have a third of the bottle left over!

The paint dries very fast, so you can put layer on top of layer on top of layer without it streaking.

You can get the paint on Amazon and it comes in every color!

I just really wanted to make this known!! :D This stuff is amazing!

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Pitou Cosplay Tips

I want to share some reference and tips for anyone looking to cosplay Neferpitou, or just furries in general! I’ll start by saying that I had to remake every piece two or three times because I was unhappy with it. I’ve never made anything like this so it’s all completely new to me! Ultimately I wanted to make my own version of the character, with more realistic animal parts (and a better outfit). Use paper patterns to test out your designs, and buy more material than you think you need! Here are videos I used as inspiration:

Hand-paw and Latex Paw Pads by Tsebresos

Basically just trace a larger version of your hand onto fabric, but keep 2 fingers together so the glove will have 3 fingers instead of 4. The claws are sculpted from translucent clay and attached with hot glue, like the latex. If you let normal latex dry, it will dry pink. It is possible to dye the latex by mixing it with acrylic paint. If you want pink paw pads, no paint additives are necessary. When you are glueing the pads and claws onto the glove, make sure you part the fur so that it will fluff up around them. Careful not to capture the fur underneath. 

Ears by Anette Celia Rosemary

Glue the long white hair on the inside of the ear like a normal cat, not on the bottom. For extra realism I painted some darker pink inside to show folds and depth. Definitely look at photos of cat ears for reference! For fabrics, the inside pink is polar fleece, and the outside is very short pile fur. Cat ears have very short fur!

Tail by Act Out Games (this child in the video is adorable) 

Use batting wrapped around a coat hanger (one is enough), and cover in fur. I sewed my tail on the outside, not using the classic inversion method. The opening is way too tight and the tail too long to shove batting inside. You need to wrap the fur fabric around the batting/coat hanger and sew it up by hand. The long fur will hide the stitches if you’re careful. To attach the tail to my body, I ended up cutting off the protruding coat hanger wires and safety pinned the fabric to a cloth belt. My tail is a lot longer than the one in the video. 

Where To Buy Fur?

Fur length is called “pile.” If shopping online this is a key word since it’s hard to tell from photos. You’ll want a short, less than 3/4″ pile for the ears, around 1″ pile for the paws, and 1″-2″ pile for the tail. 

**Plan your costume in advance so you have time to order a swatch! I made the mistake of hoping for the best and ordered a whole yard of fabric I couldn’t use. I’ll stress again, it’s hard to tell from photos what the fur will look like!! 

white fur for tail 

I wanted a fluffy tail, but you can use a shorter pile if you see something cheaper at your fabric store. I was able to find 3/4″ fur, and a small package of maybe 4″ fur that I used for the inside of the ears at my local store. 

Legs

I already had some doll tights I made for a trapeze performance so I used those instead of making real “insect joints” legs. I don’t care. I think Pitou would look cool with bjd legs. I recommend stirrup dance tights, because they won’t slide around like footless tights, and they’re stronger material. I used mahogany brown to shade, black for the DARKEST creases (don’t go crazy, just a little will do), and white to add shiny dots and lines to make the legs look plastic. These are the colors that match my skin tone, but if you have darker skin, just pick colors that look natural for you! You might need tan or a darker brown. You need to wear the tights as you paint. Sit in front of a mirror and have fun practicing your splits when you have to paint the backs of your knees. As always, use reference to get the most accurate shading~

Those are my tips! I hope this post can help point you in a good direction if you’re planning on making Neferpitou or anything similar >///<

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Join us for a special edition stream where we’ll demonstrate how Tomei Clay + UV Resin are tools you don’t want to be without when making finishing touches to your cosplay! Tune in next Tuesday, May 10th between 2:30pm-4:30pm (CDT) on our Twitch Channel https://www.twitch.tv/ardawigs/profile

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Reminder: it is never okay to be rude or snarky to fabric or craft store employees just because you are a cosplayer/costumer.

If they suggest something for you (i.e. a certain cosplay-centric line of fabric or a community costume class), they are merely doing their job and trying to be helpful. They don’t know your skill level or experience and you don’t know theirs. They don’t know if you are an award winning master level cosplayer or a complete beginner when it comes to sewing. Also you don’t know if they happen to be the head of a theatrical costume department or merely a part-time worker trying to offer some form of help for a subject they might know very little about.

Be kind and courteous to all employees even if they might not completely understand where you are coming from or what your specific niche of the hobby entails. :)

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Shots of my Soujiro Seta cosplay from Log Horizon!  Thanks to the ladies at Pluto Knights Cosplay for taking pics of me!

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Hey followers there’s a neat cosplay giveaway by @cosplaying-on-a-budget over on FaceBook, if you’re in the US go check it out. Ends at 12:00pm EST so there’s still time to enter! -admin Danica

We’ve reached 12,000 followers! Wooo, giveaway time! Due to tumblr’s restrictions I’ve opted to host the  giveaway on FB. Follow the link for the details.  Sorry in advance but it’s only open to people in the US (stupid international shipping rates :( ).

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Perona on a pirate ship! Taken at metrocon last summer!

Phoots by FFFUUUtography

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Complete cosplay breakdown/reference guide (including pattern ideas!) for Leonardo Watch from Kekkai Sensen (Blood Blockade Battlefront): CLICK HERE! 

Don’t forget I’ve also written a breakdown for Zapp: CLICK HERE!

Update: Still alive and making breakdowns, albeit slowly. :D Just busy with work & school - taking a class this semester on costume design & construction which has been fun (not the least because I have access to a huge cutting table, multiple good sewing machines, and a serger...) I’m also volunteering with a local costumer on an elementary school production of Alice in Wonderland. 

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

I’m opening up 5 commission slots right now! I sprained my shoulder and can’t work for a little while. But I can still sew without too much pain!

Commissions start at $14 per patch, are made of top quality threads and materials, and are easily ironed onto cosplay, costumes, or any accessory! Go ahead and message me here or at my etsy if you have any questions!

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Seraph of the End (終わりのセラフ)

Character designs for the main vampires of Owari no Seraph featured in the Seraph of the End Design Works (eBay) illustrated by anime character designer Satoshi Kadowaki (門脇聡).

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Luthien and Curly Clip in Rose Pink CL-009, Wefts in Baby Pink CL-014

Rose Quartz from Steven Universe

Wefts were sewn in(two packs), hair was straightened and then curled using the boiling water method.  Curly clip had clip removed, added a piece of foam for thickness, attached with a comb.

Cosplayer: KecharaCosplay

Photographer: Kraftastrophe

Thanks for the submission! You can submit too! Click here and read the rules!

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Friday AM Magfest cosplay. I gotta be better about remembering to take photos with this book in the future. Wearing Ed is such a pleasure at cons because I find all the ppl who have as many feelings about FMA as I do! #fmab #fmabcosplay #edwardelric #edwardelriccosplay #magfest2016 #ActualAlchemistEdwardElric

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

| A Cheaters Guide to Chainmail |

Hey guys! I’ve been working on my Hyrule Warriors Link cosplay for Anime Detour 2016. The hardest part of this cosplay would have to be Link’s Chainmail. In general, Chainmail for cosplay is extremely difficult and taking the “cheaters” way out might save you a LOT of money and time (debatable on the time though)! I searched the Internet looking for a good way to make fake Chainmail, but I couldn’t find something I liked (plus I had already purchased some Chainmail online and didn’t want to waste it). So I came up with my own method! This might not be the cheapest method to making cosplay Chainmail, but it’s probably the closet you’ll get to realistic Chainmail (and it makes clanking sounds as you walk :3).

Materials you’ll need: •Chainmail links eBays a good place to go, or even the ring lord •Wide hole Tulle (aka mesh fabric) and get enough to make a shirt out of. 1+2 yards Don’t buy this online! Expensive if you do. Go to your local craft store (like Jo-Ann’s) it’s like $2 or $1.50 on sale per yard. Online: $5+ •Pliers •A whole lot of patience!

First create a shirt out of the mesh fabric. Sew it together and then you can move on!

The next part is pretty straight forward, but you’ll need to start from the bottom up to create the illusion of linking Chainmail. To start: begin at one hole and then angle up the the next one and connect 3 holes with your Chainmail link. You don’t want too many, or it will cause some problems. Just experiment with this too. After that, Close it up and continue horizontally. Then, Keep making as many rows as you want! You don’t need to cover the entire shirt if you don’t want to (and Chainmail can be expensive). My rule of thumb, just cover the areas you know will be exposed!

Things to keep in mind: Don’t let the links have spaces between them. If they do, they will just fall off! Make sure those spaces don’t exist! Keep the links close together.

I hope this gave others an idea on Making Chainmail: The Cheaters Way! Feel free to expand my idea and create your own works of art!

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

The trench coat looks like either Vincent from FFVII or Vash from Trigun! Love the wings too. McCalls patterns are generally pretty good.

Mccall’s is on the ball with these new patterns! Very excited for that new jacket pattern, it looks like it could be easily modified into numerous jacket styles and a great successor the the Matrix jacket pattern that cosplayers used for ages until they discontinued it.  

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Hansel in Silver 082

Allen Walker from D.Gray-Man

parted a hair line

Cosplayer: ChemicalKingTwoon

Photographer: ChemicalKingTwoon

Thanks for the submission! You can submit too! Click here and read the rules!

[cosbreaks-cosplay-reference]

Hey followers~! Please let us know if you’re having trouble getting on to main cosbreaks.com or blog.cosbreaks.com! 

Our host has been having a a lot of random downtime and slowness lately it seems. I’ve been working with support to see if they know what’s up / can help, but otherwise unable to do anything about it currently. Really sorry about the inconvenience!

Do message us with date/time (maybe screencap too?) of any occurrences where Cosbreaks is down if you could, so that I can send along to host so they won’t say it’s just an issue on my end.    -Danica