More and more cosplayers hope to make props by themselves. Here I collect some tips for beginners for you. I’m sure you would love to be one of them who can make those amazing costumes and props, but you have no idea where to start. That’s Ok! I’ll give you some tips on how you’re going to go from a noob to a amazing cosplayer!
Safety
Crafting can be a danger to you. There are many things that can hurt, poison, or even kill you. Please remember that safety is paramount! Here are some tips that will keep you safe during crafting.
- Read all warning labels on any type of chemical, resin, adhesive, or paint that you are using.
- Work in a well ventilated area when necessary.
- Buy a respirator and always keep the filters fresh.
- If things smell toxic, you’re doing it wrong.
- Loose clothing and long hair are crazy dangerous around spinning tools, keep tidy!
- A pair of safety goggles will save your eyes from damage. Normal Glasses are useless.
- A pair of leather gardening gloves will keep your fingers from getting lacerated, punctured, or burned from all but the most dangerous of tools.
Getting Started
Nobody goes to be a professional prop maker at the beginning of crafting, so pick something that is appropriate for your skill level. It’s OK for your first project to be something that doesn’t have a lot of detail. Don’t pick a project that is beyond your skill level. You may get frustrated and give up.
During your crafting if you find yourself way out of your depth, It is always the option to commission someone else to help finish something you’re having trouble with.
Budget your cost and time
Unless you have your daddy/momma’s support, you’ll probably use your personal income on your crafting. If you don’t have any tools, you will cost more dollars to get started. If your friend have tools, congratulations! You really can save a lot.
It happens a lot that you may end up accidentally destroying your project. It’s the fastest way to double your cost.
Add up your material and tool costs. Don’t forget to set aside some cash for your crafting. It is heartbreaking that you can’t afford the cost to finish it on the half way.
The other thing that you may cost a lot is the time. The best thing you can do is to make sure that you spend your time wisely. You may lose an entire day because of a mistake or accident. You need to learn from it and never do it again.
Budgeting your time becomes extraordinarily important if you have a deadline. Consider how long you think it might take to finish your project, and then double it. It avoids of ending up rushing it in the last week before complete it.
Gather Reference Images
Google Image Search is one of the best ways to collect images. The internet has provided so many images to you. Start there and filter by the largest images possible. Most of the time you will find everything you need. Jpegs are tiny, so download all the images! If this way is useless, you may turn to some other methods. Pulling screenshots from YouTube works is also a good way.
Next time, I’ll show you some materials that are usually used in crafting.