Our First Cosplays & Advice For Beginners | Cutting Edge Cosplay #1

Today your Cutting Edge Cosplay Hosts Tell All About Their First Cosplays,  And Share Tips For Beginners.

Staring TheRebeccaRose, ThunderbunnySFX, BearsRawr,  and Dani w/ Planisphere Productions💫

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📷  Sihayashi (The Rebecca Rose as Evelynn) 
📷  Photos not credited in video were taken by a friend or family member

📺 Channels Mentioned
KamuiCosplay  ✧ https://www.youtube.com/c/KamuiCosplayOfficial
Jessica Nigri    ✧ https://www.youtube.com/user/jessicanigri

Transcript

Rebecca Rose: 0:01

Hello everyone and welcome to the cutting edge cosplay podcast where your fellow Geek Girls hang out and talk all things cosplay. Today we're going to talk a bit about our first cosplays how we chose those characters, things that we learned along the way. What's important to us in that choosing process all that jazz some things that might help out, beginner cosplayers as well as help those who are more cosplay veterans kind of reflect on how they started to so Bears. I'm curious, what was your process for choosing your first cosplay?

BearsRawr: 0:37

Well, my first cosplay, I talked about this a little bit in our little intro episode, but my first cosplay was because I really just wanted to cosplay at a con. It was the first time that I had even realized that cosplay was a thing I had never really dove too deep into costuming up until then, it was just everyone else was in costume at this convention, and I didn't want to be left out. So um, I also wasn't super into comic books or video games or anything quite yet. So I got into comic books. So I started reading a lot of comic books, mostly DC and Marvel, which quickly turned into mostly DC I just prefer the styles of those stories in general, um, and really into Batman for a while. And I like kind of centered on this one character called Huntress, which is Helena Bertinelli, who is basically like

Rebecca Rose: 1:39

the name

BearsRawr: 1:41

daughter of this mob boss kind of like the same vibe as Batman, but more and more willing to crack skulls, which I thought was kinda dope so I started reading a lot of Huntress birds of prey. Anything that might have her in it so like, different Batman stories she's in hush, devoured, anything with her in it, learned everything about her, was obsessed. Um, so that's how I picked my my first cosplay was like, I just found a character that I absolutely loved. And I did, that's the one. And she doesn't have at least in the comics that I was looking at in the particular outfits that I was looking at. She didn't have a lot of extras going on either because I didn't know anything about costuming. Like, I don't know how to make armor. I don't know how to make. How do you even attach anything? I don't know. I knew nothing. So a costume that was just a costume. Without the different odds and ends like the mask fine. I could figure that out. But everything else seemed pretty simple. It was just sewing

Rebecca Rose: 2:56

I picked my first cosplay so the love of the character really drove you to choose them. Yes. At what point did you like determine that you didn't just love the character by reading them but you actually wanted to like, become the costume looked easy.

BearsRawr: 3:14

Yeah, yeah. I mean, how did you pick your,

Rebecca Rose: 3:18

for some of them? It's the cosplay like these. I know there. There are some like Skyrim characters that I'm dying to do those armors and I'm like, that'll never happen. Like I can't make glass armor. But, but some of them are, are due to ease of costume like I like I talked about in the first or the previous episode. My first cosplay was 100% Peer pressure. Orihime from Bleach, which was fine. I wasn't too attached to the character or anything like that. Misty was just you know, from childhood and was fun. Um, but x 23 was pure love of the character. Like I read her comic books. Not expecting to even like cosplay wasn't really on my mind. I wasn't expecting to dive back in and I was like, this needs to happen. Oh, so it was love of the character too? I think so.

BearsRawr: 4:09

Yeah. What about you guys, um,

ThunderbunnySFX: 4:12

I'm probably kind of a different story on that. For example, um, I found these really cute heels that were black and white striped. And they were just like these pointy toed like, pumps. And I was just like, I need to make a costume with these. It wasn't the character, it was the shoes. Yeah, I need to make costume and so it's just like this is either gonna be Cruella Deville or um Beetlejuice. And I actually ended out doing both of those characters with those shoes. Um, I think I I can't even remember the order I think I started off with Cruella Deville because I went to like Goodwill or value village or something and I actually found like the perfect like fake fur like long cat thing that like went around your neck and like tucked into itself. So went around your neck perfectly. And then one of those like, weird like furry like cap things that looks very like French and fashionable and everything was like, Oh, this is perfect. So I created Cruella Deville I found that I'm very into being villains because it's fun. And you can like not really be yourself. It's, it's an escape, I guess. But then also using the same shoes I created, kind of like a gender bent, um, Beetlejuice, which turned out really good. That was, I think my first time working with liquid latex and I use that to create like, that like, falling apart skin look where I kind of like put some on different parts of my face, and like rubbed it up to like, give it that ripped up look. And then I actually used like that temporary hair coloring like the green stuff. And I kind of like splattered it on the edges of my face and stuff to make it weird. I'm

Dani: 6:11

like decomposed

ThunderbunnySFX: 6:12

underground look it turned out really good. I'm just trying to find something kind of close, I found a skirt that had like the right kind of coloring that matched the shoes that I was trying to create this costume off of. And then the like, I found this jacket thing that was kind of close. Um, it was actually one where it was like mostly white with these like thin black stripes. And I took fabric paint. And I spent hours and hours and hours painting like filling in every other white strip, to no to make it match my skirt that I had cut up to match

Rebecca Rose: 6:52

dedication.

ThunderbunnySFX: 6:54

And, but it was just kind of one of those like fun things where just like these shoes are my muse, and then I'm creating off of that. And just like

BearsRawr: 7:04

that is interesting. It wasn't like a character you liked necessarily it was I'll make my iconic piece

ThunderbunnySFX: 7:10

idea. I like these things and they seem to match. And I'm just like when I did like my sleep demon Alu. Um, the only reason I chose that is because it was COVID. So I was just like, gotta make my costume and a way where my nose and mouth are covered without it looking like they're like, it's a mask. So that's kind of how that happened. Like

BearsRawr: 7:34

take certain elements of something that you might want to try playing with, or just something that is really cool. And then build a character around it or find a character that already uses the element that you wanted to use.

ThunderbunnySFX: 7:48

Yes, so as to really cool. Yeah, and like even when I was looking for stuff for my Scarecrow, I found these like werewolf claw things you're supposed to like be able to attach to your fingernails. So I was like those look like they would be really cool tusks if I decided to make like an orc look.

Dani: 8:04

Oh, you're like, you're like little feelers are always out like searching for like, other things. I'm actually very one track minded. So if I'm going to Goodwill, or value village or whatever, just for like, It's only for that one item that I need. And I'm not there to browse in. Because it's like my brain is like shut off on all other possibilities. You're focused. And then I need another thing even if it's for the same costume. I have to go back. So I'm not I can't I wish I was where I was like, Oh, that would be great for that other thing that would be great for the thing. No, that's that's three trips that I have to go.

ThunderbunnySFX: 8:38

Whereas my version definitely builds up a whole bunch of extra stuff that might not be used for a while.

Rebecca Rose: 8:47

And Beetlejuice things for like at least three other projects. So so sometimes it sounds like sometimes we choose based on character. Sometimes we choose based on a piece whether that's like clothing or otherwise sometimes it's a skill, like the the sewing the mouth aspect. So it'd be a lot of reasons why someone chooses something I know Dani peer pressure was part of why you joined KDA, thank you for giving into the peer pressure. We appreciate you.

Dani: 9:14

Thanks for getting me on the bandwagon. I guess like for my Sae. Last Name, Sawanoguchi from magic user's club. Her costume I had already had a hot pink dress. And I had worn it to like a dance or something. And I was like it was it was like this like it was like that and bright neon pink. And that was her dress color. I was like great. I already have the dress so I can just make this other thing really fast. So I think it feels like the easiest that I can create the costumes is kind of like the character that I choose like, Oh, I already have that or this wouldn't be too difficult because yeah I am so like beginner level. I feel like so I'm not too I don't want to take on anything that's too hard. I think the Kai'sa wings was the most difficult cosplay piece I've ever done. And I've had a lot of help with my husband. Thank you on those, but I think I mean at first when you guys asked me to cosplay her, I was like, Yeah, cool. Yeah, piece of cake. I love that she wears yoga pants, like in any way. Like she wears pants. That's great. And I already wear crop tops often. So I didn't wasn't really concerned with that. It was those wings. I was like, what? How am I gonna get those? Like, how am I going to make those those are impossible. And then like hearing some people use their 3d printer, some you can buy them I guess. But they're like really expensive. And I was like, I have no idea I was way out of my element. I'm in a different zone here. But what I did find online was a pattern on Etsy. And I can't remember the exact price a link if it was like $7 or $11. But it was it was affordable, I was it willing to part with that money to get the directions on how to do this thing, save some time. So essentially, you just use the foam roll it out my first time using this eva foam, too. So I mean, I was like everything was new for me. And then you put you'd cut out the print out the pieces of the pattern, printer. And then you cut those out and you put them on the foam and then I just traced them. I don't know if there's another way of doing that. And then you cut them out. And then it tells you how to glue them and put them together. And voila, you have the thing so it takes a lot of the guesswork out. So I really recommend for the newbies or I guess anybody like if there's something that looks a little complicated, just do a quick search online. If there's either a tutorial already on how to do that, or a pattern on like Etsy or something like it will,

ThunderbunnySFX: 11:51

it'll save a lot of time. Yeah, and that's the same with makeup effects and stuff too. Like I didn't know exactly how to do a lot of like, effects that I've done. But then I like watch some videos. I'm like, Yeah, I think I can do that. And then I don't have all of the like, resources for it. And it's like, okay, there's another YouTube video that shows me how to make this too. It's it's I can't find it online fast enough for my photoshoot tomorrow.

Rebecca Rose: 12:20

When there's, there's a big, I don't know if like, a huge but there's definitely like conversation that goes on in the cosplay community around, bought versus made. And if you should make all of your pieces or if that's just if you're doing a competition, which there are rules and regulations for how much needs to be made, and how much from scratch and yada, yada, okay, um, but outside of that there, there are definitely, you know, dogs in the fight of both of these camps of do you make? Or do you buy? Or is it both and buying patterns is kind of a middle ground to that. And, you know, like, you know, we're bunny you said, somehow you were not born with these innate abilities to know all of these things. And that's just the way it is you have to learn somewhere. And even if you don't learn, like I'm no seamstress, and I don't ever plan to be, I'm okay with commissioning, like, hire an artist or get something that exists. And then I can modify that. But I certainly can't make it from scratch. And so my opinion on kind of that conversation is do whatever gets you the result that you want and makes the most sense for your energy, your time, your budget. You know, some of these commissioned pieces are very expensive, but it saves time because you don't have to make them and you're supporting somebody else and you're supporting someone

BearsRawr: 13:35

else. What they love. Making things is really hard. So here's assuming so here's the thing. So I talked a lot of game about Huntress. I was so about this costume I had and I gave myself like, Okay, here's how I'm gonna do it. I'm pretty sure I can figure out how to like, they're okay, her costume is basically a black suit with a cross on it. In the version that I wanted to do, it has like a belly window. better shape than me and how hard can okay, it's fine. It's a shirt with a hole cut in it. Um, so I got a bunch of black shirts from the store so I would have backups in case one got messed up. Unlikely and I got all this white material which was actually like a pillowcase. But whatever it's white material you don't need. Yeah, you don't need to go to Joanne's for every little thing you have. Yeah, um, so I cut these strips and I had it all patterned out. I made the cape actually using a pattern from Joanne's and started to cut the window out. I'm 1,000% Failing to remember that material has stretched to it. So when you cut a hole in it, it just no longer is the shape that you

ThunderbunnySFX: 14:57

expect. Okay, on that note, I had the same problem with my Harley Quinn. Um, so in the last episode I said something about going to like value village and Ross and wherever else I could find two exactly matching items that were like one black, red. And so I got like, I was able to find fleece lined yoga pants, and both black and red. And what I did is I cut each of them in half and then like layered them inside of each other, oh stitched them together. And then I tried cutting out those like diamond shapes kind of on the leg. And then of course, those diamonds turned into like these weird ovals plans. And so I took

BearsRawr: 15:44

something is not right.

ThunderbunnySFX: 15:47

Thread and I tried to like kind of like stitch it in a way where it like, pulled the like straight lines back in to be more straight lines. Yeah. And then I was just like, Okay, well, that's not happening on the other side. So what I cut out on the first side, I just stitched on to the other side. So I've got three layers of fleece pants on one side, and then like almost two on the other side. And then not only that, but of like the top that I had, I did the same thing, right, I like kind of like layered inside. And the only colors that I could find were like, Long John kind of material. So also extremely warm. Like, this is a purely winter costume becuase I am full on sweating, no matter where I am. Oh, it was the same kind of thing. I was just like, Okay, well, I did this to the pants. So I kind of have to do this to the top. And it's like, yeah, like fabric doesn't react the way that you expect all the time. So

Rebecca Rose: 16:47

there's four way stretch two way stretch. A million no stretch.

BearsRawr: 16:52

And I gave myself a ton of time for this costume because it was my first ever thing. I've never sewn anything before. But how hard could it be? Like my life motto is how hard could it be? It was hard. So I was so I don't have a sewing machine at that point. So it was like hand stitching this outfit and I got I was able to get the cross part. But I could not get that damn window to work. And then so my husband was like, why don't you just not do the window? And that was out of the question. So, I was working on it working on it working on it. Now it's the night before the convention, it is not working, because I'm doing the same thing over and over hoping that it does something different, which I hear is the definition of insanity. But I didn't know what else to do. And there aren't a lot of tutorials on this particular character. Because she's not. I think that she's great. But she's not like the most popular DC character. Yeah, so not a lot of people cosplay her. So which was in my eyes, kind of another bonus, because if it even if it wasn't, like, great, there wasn't a lot to compare it to so pretty good. Except that I couldn't get it done. So the night before I'm in tears, it's probably 10pm I was like, I have to be something that I had decided that I was cosplaying. I have to be something this isn't going to work. Finally at 10PM admitted to myself like maybe this is for once you get better skills. Um all this to say maybe choose a character that you like, but be realistic about what your skills are. Because maybe buying something might be better but I didn't

Rebecca Rose: 18:49

do as I say not as I do. Yeah, so

BearsRawr: 18:51

my my next idea was to pick up this huge stack of DC like single it's like the single ones. It's not like the graphic novel size ones. It's like all those little like ones and just what other characters are there. This is the only one I've been thinking about for months now. Like I don't want to do Harley Quinn. Everybody does Harley Quinn and they do it so well that I didn't want that to be my first one. Um, so I like get to Black Canary. It was like I couldn't probably do that. I have fishnets. But I couldn't quite figure out what she was wearing. So it was like, I didn't have anything. I had a maybe had a leather jacket. I was like, Okay, I need to make this cat suit body thing. But I could didn't have any ideas. I didn't. So we went to, um, you we went to Google and we found which stores were open and the only thing open after 10 o'clock that sells clothes are the sex shops so we went on to every single sex shop from my house down to Tacoma. Oh looking for something that could mimic Black Canary's suit. A leather body suit. Well, guess what you find, really of all things shocking. They have like lots of little like Teddy's and things with little like, what does it like lacy things? Yeah. Babydoll and she's not. And her personality does not account for laciness either, so I couldn't do that. Um, so I was looking through the comic, my husband was driving me to each individual spot. We're getting to like almost midnight, where the closer the places are actually going to start closing. So we're like,

Rebecca Rose: 20:54

oh, man till the night before.

BearsRawr: 20:55

And I'm like, literally running in looking through all the things like, Nope, we gotta go. And we're just like running and running out. So we probably looked like we were thieves on a mission and we get pulled over on the way to our very last option. Very last sex shop. Oh, yeah. And the guy was like, Do you know how fast you're going? And I was like, I have to get to the next shop. I was in a full on panic. Like, we really just have to get to this next shop. This is the last one and or, and I was like pulling up the comics. And I was like, I have to find this. And I don't know where else I'm gonna find it. And I need it by tomorrow. And literally, I was going on and on and on and on. And this poor guy was like, tell me the cop was a nerd. I don't know if he was but he definitely felt for my husband. Because I was just words were coming out of my mouth. I've never said so many words in a row, in my whole life and I was pulling up the comics to him. I have to find this. You don't understand officer. Emergency. I was like on the verge of tears. He's like um Good luck, man. Okay. Get there safe. And guess what we found at the last stop. Thank you to Mr. Cop for letting us go because we ended up finding a swimsuit. Nice. That's all it is. Swimsuit leather jacket. fishnets knee high leather boots. Easy peasy. That cosplay looks so professional and great, though. I never would have guessed it was like one thrown together last minute. And taken from tech shops. And then also that it was just a swimsuit. Like it looked like a like a leather body suit. Yeah. Wow. Well, good job. It's amazing what the last minute con crunch will do to your motivation kind

Rebecca Rose: 22:57

of creativity, too.

Dani: 22:58

Yeah, that was that was my husband and I last night putting this set together. On crunch at home,

ThunderbunnySFX: 23:08

I don't think I've ever been to a convention where I like, made a costume and got more than like three hours of sleep the night before. Um, because I feel like even if you think you have everything together, there's still some kind of detail. Like when I was Yang Xiao Long at Norwescon. One year, I literally had sharpies where I was coloring up the very edges of all of my gauntlets. Like, as I'm still putting the costume on. There's always all kinds of stuff that happens during the day beforehand and stuff and the marathon. Yeah. So there's always that last minute thing, like even if you think you have everything together, it's so

BearsRawr: 23:49

that's actually a good point. And one thing, so if you're trying to decide what your first Cosplay should be, keep in mind what you think you might want to do during the day too. Because if you're just going to the convention, walking the floors, and then going home, then the level of comfort is going to be you can you can tolerate a little bit more discomfort. If you're going to be wearing the same costume all day and then trying to go out in the evening, or I don't know if it's going to be kind of like a longer day, maybe go with something that is a little bit more comfortable, especially if it's your first one. The little things are going to happen that you're not going to expect. And so if it's something that's a little bit more comfortable, it's often a little bit easier to repair on the fly too. So just something to keep in mind. Yeah, and

Rebecca Rose: 24:39

the the three to four hours aspect of sleep beforehand is super true, which makes it hard to say this next point. So in an ideal world, if you're able to do a costest, do one, at the very least just to know how the pieces feel on you. The contacts the wig, how comfortable it is or not because Bears you're right Like, there are some cosplays that I've worn to cons that I'll never wear to con again. And it's not because I don't like them, I like them a lot. Like, for example, Widowmaker, I love her costume, and she is the most uncomfortable costume I have by longshot. And because it's, it's a really long wig, a really long wig, with contacts with body paint with a visor that squeezing the wig that's already on your head, a really heavy 3d printed rifle heels I might not feel my feet for two days afterwards, it's not worth it, it's great for a shoot. But if you're going to be at a con and if I were to wear that to a con, I would be changing partway through the day. And that would just have to be like a pre planned thing.

BearsRawr: 25:41

I completely forgot until you just said that. But on that first Black Canary that I whipped together, my shoes were cute. My feet were bleeding by the end of the day, they literally couldn't walk by the end of the day. So be so careful. Like a costest would have been great, because I had only ever worn those shoes for 10 minutes at a time before that. Yeah,

Rebecca Rose: 26:10

I mean, case in point we've all had injured to some degree feet by the end of a con. And you know, the way that it is a lot of female presenting characters wear heels. And

ThunderbunnySFX: 26:20

so whether it's realistic or not, whether a lot

Rebecca Rose: 26:23

of it is realistic or not. But sometimes you have to choose like, if it's worth wearing heels for that character, if there are any ways that you can put some doctor scholls in there or, or something like that. And to make sure you're sitting when you can because it is it is a marathon, you have to take breaks, otherwise you will go numb. I don't sit down at conventions. What is a costest is like and how many

Dani: 26:43

hours are like how long of a time wearing your cosplay would you recommend fair?

Rebecca Rose: 26:48

It depends. I mean, I imagine in an ideal world that I've never experienced, you'd try to wear it for the amount of time you're hoping to wear it at a con but I don't know anyone who's like hanging out at home wearing a cosplay for eight hours, you know, so that it kind of doesn't make sense for that. But for me a costest is putting all of the pieces on at the same time or at least like in chunks where I can understand how they would feel on my body all at the same time. Making sure that there's nothing missing nothing that's immediately falling apart and making adjustments for like, Oh, if my wig is sliding back a lot, I need to add like glue or these contacts are absolutely not working or these these shoes are absolutely not going to last or whatever it might be. So it's a good catch all so that you don't have like a mishap happen the first second you walk onto the con floor, right? For example,

ThunderbunnySFX: 27:35

my Mileena. That was the first time I wore those like over the knee boots. And like I was wearing like shorter socks. And like with those boots you should wear like longer socks, which I didn't know it was the middle of summer. So like my ankles were super, like, super messed up and everything. But the biggest problem is I was going up and down these really steep cement hills. And if I did like a normal kind of costest, I wouldn't have even thought about that. But it's like, in the area that I was going Why would I not think about all of these silly hills and walking up and down in these like super steep heels with like, I should have like thought about long socks in the first place. But I didn't because it was so hot. So but like the environment for testing out certain things too was definitely important. Good point.

Rebecca Rose: 28:26

And like even for like, not convention wise, but renfaires. Like yeah, there are a lot of cute outfits with heels but you're not going to wear heels if the RenFaire is in the grass in the mud and the dust and it's just not gonna work. And so there are some things that you just have to modify, unless you're just putting them on to take pictures and you have no flats or boots in your bag and you switch in and out of your shoes all the time. That works for some people too. But that reminds

Dani: 28:51

me the last renfaire I went to there was one day that was forecasted that it was going to be sunny and I am pretty much allergic to the sun. So I I packed sunblock, and I had also gotten a little like Amazon costume for Ren Faire but it was long sleeved and it was gonna be really hot but I knew that it was like you know, really thin and you know, I just it was comfortable and breezy but I got it solely so I wouldn't have to be coating myself in nasty SPF

Rebecca Rose: 29:27

dust in it and everything from fair.

Dani: 29:29

It's so dusty and I don't know it was just like, doesn't sound appealing to me like sitting in sweating in that and so unpleasant for camping too. So how do you wash it off? You can't, yeah, it would just be really uncomfortable. So I kept that in mind so I got something that like would cover as much of me as possible but still be breezy. So I wouldn't be like drenched in sweat. I still got a sunburn. And I was wearing sunblock and I got it it was like around my neckline I think on one shoulder I missed it or something I tried so hard but yeah, so weather too would be, especially where we are it rains randomly and like it's slippery and the shoes. A lot of shoes are so slippery on the bottom. Yes.

Rebecca Rose: 30:14

Which there are tricks for that, right? Yeah,

ThunderbunnySFX: 30:16

but anything for cosplay too, it always seems like there. There's no texture. No, which makes it so hard.

Rebecca Rose: 30:23

Yeah, that's why you see a lot of folks like when they have like Spidey suits or stuff, they'll add 3d puff paint to it to give it dimension, give it some sort of a feel. Because when you buy these things that surprise, don't exist in the real world. Like, it's hard to translate it perfectly. And so there are some situations where it's not going to be 100% accurate because it doesn't exist. Like some of these things are actually impossible. But that's the cool thing about cosplayers making something that isn't real real. Yeah. As real as it can be. At least Yeah.

BearsRawr: 30:55

So for your first cosplay, what are some things that you wish that you had? Like, what kind of tools tricks etc just for your first one that you think would have been really helpful to have had or that ended up being really helpful

Rebecca Rose: 31:14

come back to the on that I

BearsRawr: 31:16

found that hair spray was one of the best. Yeah, that's for setting

ThunderbunnySFX: 31:21

your makeup and stuff to to make it last the

Rebecca Rose: 31:24

true bobby pins extra safety pins safety whole day

ThunderbunnySFX: 31:28

safety pins are like half of most of my costumes. To hide them, like my I finally made real tails for Ahri that are kind of more accurate in size and I full on ran out of time, like the morning of, um, so I ended out safety pinning eight of the nine tails, um, into like, the sock shape that they needed to be and just gonna, like, shoved them into place. And I was like, Well, it's good enough. So safety pins are a lifesaver, lifesaver.

BearsRawr: 32:01

And just remember, it doesn't have to look good from this close. So look good from this close. Yeah, so you're probably fine. Nobody's gonna see the safety pins. And if it's all inside against yourself anyways, as long as it's not showing

ThunderbunnySFX: 32:16

and not poking. You

BearsRawr: 32:17

know, nobody's seeing a picture of the inside of your costume. That's what I mean.

ThunderbunnySFX: 32:22

Yeah,

Dani: 32:23

I mean, not at the convention. I'd say from my experience is no matter how embarrassed you are, from your first attempts at cosplaying, get photos of it. Because true. 15 years later, you could be a part of a cosplay podcast and not have any evidence of your first cosplays. Both of us over here. I just I just made I was like, I wish I did. I wish I had pictures. Because then you can see your progress over time. And it's like, I don't know, it's fun to see that, you know, cringy stuff back in the day.

Rebecca Rose: 33:06

It's inspiring for you to say, Oh, I have actually learned a lot because it's hard to like, look at yourself currently and be like, Oh, I still know nothing. But you're like, actually, I've come a long way. But it's also refreshing. I found for like, people who are starting cosplay to see that other people had to start somewhere too just like Kamui Cosplay, the goddess of all goddess cosplays like she has her first like cosplay pictures up. It's just like she's a brilliant human. And she also started with a cosplay that was a beginner cosplay.

BearsRawr: 33:37

Jessica Nigri's Pikachu versus her Sirfetch'd that she just put out. Yeah, incredible growth. Yeah, yeah.

Rebecca Rose: 33:45

nothing to be embarrassed about. It's it's growth and it's, it's funny to look back on.

ThunderbunnySFX: 33:51

We have these big albums of our old masquerades and stuff and just seeing like, one of my costumes was a package delivery person with like, the butt ripped out and like a fake dog attached to my leg, and like envelopes trailing out of a big duffel bag. All right, there's, there's a sign there. There's something a little different. But it's cool to see that transition. I totally forgot about that costume. And I wouldn't have thought about it if I didn't like look through those old albums and stuff. So to see the transition is always nice. It's very

Dani: 34:29

it was a very creative. Yeah.

Rebecca Rose: 34:33

Well, it all depends on the budget too like when we were at least when I started out I certainly wasn't making any money because I was in high school. And so you know, you you do what you can with what you have, and eventually over time you know, you might have more of a budget you can up your game in terms of materials or commissioning, but I'm curious what folks have like, if you guys have tips on how to have a budget friendly cosplay, like what corners or creative tricks you have to keep somebody on budget,

ThunderbunnySFX: 35:03

I tend to always start off going to like Goodwill and Value Village and because stuff that I get from there, like with the idea that I need a costume I'm not as worried about like messing up and then you can find something kind of similar to what you're looking for and then just kind of alter it enough that like, people get the idea of what you're going for. Like for example, that like package delivery person, it was just like, kind of some clothes that were even a little too big for me that I like ripped a hole in and try to like add some extra fabric on the back of and like I think even my little like nametag label thing on my chest for like, the company I think I did like SUP instead of UPS or something. But it was literally just like a little like label like a sticky paper a label that I like wrote with a sharpie and stuff. And like you can still get your point across without having to like, embroider and like have all these big fancy stuff, it still will get your point across and still look super cool. Especially from a distance

BearsRawr: 36:11

or like think okay, this is kind of might sound a little off topic, but it's not. Do you guys. You guys have all seen Star Wars, right? Yes. Yes. Have any of you looked at the costumes they have in the original Star Wars? Yes. They're like bathrobes. They're trash. My guy, one of the most iconic movies? And no, you don't. You don't think about Star Wars and you're like, yikes, those terrible costumes that they wore you think of like, they presented really cool. But if you look close at the details, it's like a cardboard box with red dots painted onto it. They're not high quality costumes. So that movie made millions of dollars, you'll be fine. That's, that's my whole point. You just have to look good from far away. If all you can afford is a box that you have to paint use that.

Rebecca Rose: 37:10

That's fine. We're bears even you've even found a really cool way to make EVA foam look like leather, because leather can be expensive, and unforgiving. Leather is really hard to work with. And so there are ways to work around materials that are more expensive to find an alternative where no, it's not leather, it's not going to act the same. It's not as durable, but it certainly looks good.

BearsRawr: 37:33

And little by little tricks. So the trick that she's talking about, which we'll probably do on one of our like live stream episodes, but you just take a piece of EVA foam which you can buy the big long rolls from Joanne's or from various online sources or you can probably find something close enough at Goodwill. I've gotten a lot of foam from Goodwill. Um, you take a ball of foil, tin foil, aluminum foil, crinkle it up. And then heat up your your foam using a heat gun if you have one or a hair dryer. And then just Up Up, up, up, up, up up up up with a tin foil looks like other just paint it brown you're done. You hit it to get crinkles, just hitting it so once the foam heats up, it gets like really, you can shape it. So if you just press the crinkled up foil into it, it gives it that kind of more imprinted a little Yeah, like a more organic texture. Oh, so that's how I made all of my belts and stuff for Merida as I just took a lot of foil and just

Rebecca Rose: 38:46

that was interesting. Yeah, yeah. Or like for when I did Aela the Huntress from Skyrim I was not gonna do all the metal because they have metal armor. Um, and so I found a great tutorial on YouTube from somebody who's done something similar, and used EVA foam and a Dremel and took like one of those round tips and just went all over to make it this hammered texture and then you paint over and it looks like hammer hammered metal. But it's foam, which means it's cheaper, which means it's lighter. And it's going to be fine.

BearsRawr: 39:23

Um, a lot of times, it could just because you're talking about the paint and paint at the store can sometimes get a little pricey. But if you go to like Value Village or Goodwill or Salvation Army or wherever your local thrift store is they often have like little plastic baggies with a bunch of stuff in it. So I go to Value Village a lot actually. And they always have like, little baggies with like 10 to 12 like, of those little tubes of acrylic paints, just in there, and mostly they're full. So I spend$4 on a bunch of paints Instead of $4 for an individual,

Rebecca Rose: 40:03

so smart,

BearsRawr: 40:05

something you can check out, if you need a specific color, that might not be the best way to do it. But if you just want paint, that is a good thing to just have on hand.

Rebecca Rose: 40:15

Maybe the opposite of this question is what pieces are worth spending money on.

ThunderbunnySFX: 40:21

I mean, sometimes you don't realize until after the fact. And so for example, um, my most recent tails that I made for Ahri, um, I made them based off of some stuff that I saw online that other people had made, and I needed the tails within a certain period of time. And if I ordered them online, they wouldn't show up until after when I needed them. So I was like, I can do this. Like, that's easy. And but then realistically, when it came down to it, I spent way more money than I would have if I just bought them and it took me more time and everything. And luckily that photoshoot pushed out, but since it pushed out I could have ordered online. Um, so overall, I probably should have just bought online in the first place. But I mean, at least it was good that I realized, like, okay, like, lesson learned.

BearsRawr: 41:16

Doing it yourself is not always cheaper, it feels like it's going to be but you got to remember that you got to get each individual part now, right, you put it all together,

Dani: 41:25

and you need all the tools to mess with that, like we needed for my Kai'sa wings. Not only did I need to buy the foam, I needed to buy paint, I need to buy a glue gun, I needed to buy this other type of glue, I needed to buy this, like worbla stuff I needed to, there's so many things. And I also didn't know how to use half of those things. So then you also needed other tools to use, like paint brushes, you know, again, the list goes on and on. Or it's like, Oh, I could just make it myself, you could.

ThunderbunnySFX: 41:54

And then you also have to figure out how to like harness it to you and stuff and like make it like, shape out in the way that you want. Like for the wings for them shooting upward like for the tails, like they go out in all kinds of different ways. And like I hit a point where it's just like, well, they're all just gonna be kind of sad and limpy, but that's fine, whatever. They light up, it's okay.

Rebecca Rose: 42:14

And KDA wise, like for Evelynn's claws, I've made her gold set, and I've made her silver set. And I'm glad I did like I learned a lot for both of those processes. Because one of them, the gold ones are Worbla covered in like a vinyl wrap as the gold. So it's really reflective. And the silver ones were 3d printed, sanded, primed, sanded, primed, sanded, primed, and painted. And so both of them were very different processes that took very different amounts of time and the silver being a lot longer. But also like in hindsight, and if the sad day eventually comes when I break one of those silver ones, I'm going to buy a new set. I think like, I'm glad I learned that process, proud of those claws. But I've seen some really great claws come out and I had made them before. They like the new version of them got really big. So there weren't any viable options yet. So it was like kind of a necessary learning experience. But but now that there are some really talented people out there like specially on Etsy and making Evelynn claws I would happily buy from them save myself some time because time, time is money too. When you got a commissioned piece, usually you're paying for materials and for talent, you know, pay by the hour kind of thing.

Dani: 43:26

Yeah,

Rebecca Rose: 43:27

that's something I keep in mind to where I'm like, this is going to take me 20 hours to make and how much how much money is that?

Dani: 43:34

Make per hour? Am I going to pay myself for that time for this like hobby piece or

ThunderbunnySFX: 43:39

right for kind of okay, work versus like, wow, that looks amazing. Right, right.

Dani: 43:44

Yeah. Yeah, I know. It's like kind of controversial for people to be like, Oh, maybe this was just back in the day. I feel like people were a little more judgy and weird back in the day than now.

ThunderbunnySFX: 43:54

When it was weird to go to science fiction and fantasy conventions.

Dani: 43:58

But yeah, like, you lose, like, Oh, you didn't make it like you bought that. And it's like now like, you can almost say it with pride because you're supporting somebody else. And then you can talk about that person that probably already has like a successful like social media group where like back in the day that we'd MySpace and stuff but wasn't really the same thing as it is now. So yeah, it's kind of like, not only can you wear it, well, kind of like as a model for this other person. You can also give, like, credit them for their work. Yeah, I was just happy to be supporting this character.

BearsRawr: 44:31

Yeah, I don't think I've ever heard anybody say anything. I've heard the discourse around that kind of mindset. But I've never personally heard anybody say like not that, or anything like that. Like, I don't know, maybe I'm just too late to the game for that part of the

Dani: 44:51

Same. Like I don't think we've ever had somebody come up to us and be like, like, but I know like, in our upbringing, it wasn't really an option to Buy stuff because it was kind of a niche thing. So like we just if you wanted to cosplay a character you had to make it like it wasn't a thing where now it's like there are some really high quality stuff that you could get from like other countries and stuff like shipped over to you quickly. And for pretty cheap.

Rebecca Rose: 45:17

Yeah, some of those like mass produced, like pre made cosplay sites have come a long way. They're some of them have like true gems hidden in there were

Dani: 45:27

really good. I was really impressed with my Kai'sa wig. And yeah, I can't remember how much it was, but it was like $20 or $25 or something. And it's like, I could use it for other cosplays, too, because like the buns are little clips. So and the wig fits well. It's like shiny and like healthy looking. And yeah, brush it and like curl and straighten it and it's like does really well. Yeah, it's like pretty impressive.

BearsRawr: 45:50

Oh, speaking of things that you might want to buy, wigs, I've tried. Every time I have a way I tried to just do it myself. And I'm like, kind of getting to a point where like, I love making armor, even if it doesn't quite work out. I'm pretty confident that okay, next time, I've learned enough from the failures here that I think that next time I won't run into those same problems. I keep hitting the same brick walls with wigs. It's just my brain doesn't isn't understanding how they work. I've watched way too many hours on how to make wigs from cosplayers from drag queens from theater people like I don't enjoy it. I don't like it. It's not fun. It's not rewarding. And every time that comes out at the end, and it's not that's a wig that I made that

ThunderbunnySFX: 46:45

yeah, I don't do wigs very much just like I've done hair extensions to make my hair like thicker and longer, but it's just adding into what I already have. Whereas like wigs, just

BearsRawr: 46:57

I don't want to do that. I don't want to style a wig. But I do want to wear a wig. Okay, because like, I straightened my hair not very long ago, and it's already frizzing out. Like it's I don't know how to style my hair. Do you think I'm bad at wigs just watch me try to curl my hair. So I want to just like put on real hair that are real, better hair. And then I just don't want to style it myself.

Rebecca Rose: 47:25

Yeah, well, and when it comes to wigs, like there's a lot of different like methods that you can approach a wig from like, there are really cheap wigs out there and they look cheap. And there are some like magicians out there who can make really cheap wigs look phenomenal. Like there's also like human hair.

ThunderbunnySFX: 47:44

Like I mean some of your most recent ones though, those are amazing.

Rebecca Rose: 47:48

I styled my Sypha wig, which I had so much of that got to be glued spray on my hands like it was coats. And it was worth it because I learned a lot and I was terrified of it. And I figured if I mess it up, I'll just get a different wig. And it's going to be fine. And I'm glad it didn't have to do that, thank God. But with a lot of wigs, I notice lace front is the way to go. For me, it looks the most natural but just because it lace front does not mean it has to be expensive. Like there are some really pricey lace fronts out there or like human hair wigs are like hundreds and hundreds of dollars. I haven't found any need for that you can find some great, great lace front wigs on Amazon for like 30 $40. And they're just as good. There's a lot of there's a lot of leeway in terms of what your budget is, what pieces you're willing to splurge more on, whether that's due to time due to skill due to just not wanting to like and all those are valid reasons. So

Dani: 48:52

yeah, I used to dye my hair a lot, all different colors. And when we moved out of state, I decided I was going to let my hair grow out naturally because it was probably ten years since I knew what my actual natural hair color was. This is my natural hair color. I do like it but it did take me five plus years to get it grown out. And I I like the idea of the different changes in the hair colors and stuff, but I'm like, Nope, I can't do it. But I want to get more hair extensions because those are easy to just clip in and clip out. And they're more comfortable than a wig. But yeah, at this point, it's even like I'm going to just invest in some wigs and like colored hair extensions or something. If I ever do want to change my hair because also most of the time if I went to a salon and got my hair done, I wasn't actually happy with it and it was over$100 There's like one time I went and got like, balayage or something. It was like the price was like 300 something dollars. Yeah, and it didn't look like that. I mean, I didn't, I didn't walk out of the place looking like a stunner like superstar, I just looked like myself with a little bit of like darker roots and like lighter ends,

Rebecca Rose: 50:08

right? Well then if you did get your hair dyed at a certain color for a cosplay, now you're committed to that color until you get your hair treated again. Whereas the wig, you put it on, take it off.

Dani: 50:16

Yeah. And so you could probably use that money and just invest in some really good quality wigs, and just not ruin your hair,

Rebecca Rose: 50:23

your hair, save the damage and save the money. Like

Dani: 50:26

it's expensive.

Rebecca Rose: 50:29

Yeah, but there's something to be said for like finding a couple cosplays where you don't need a wig. Like, especially if you're planning it for an after party, because it's going to be hot and sweaty. And the last thing you want is essentially a hat, which is a wig. Covering your head it's going to get sweatier and your your head is going to start throbbing by the end of the night. Yeah, so those are all that's when like I've found it very helpful to focus on cosplays that have my hair color for any sort of after party, because then you can also like whip your hair back and forth and not worry about your wind flying the other way. And it's it makes more sense for me that way. I tend

BearsRawr: 51:04

to do more like apocalyptic style cosplays on days that I'm going out, like, Fall Out or. That's the only one coming to mind. I've got other ones but like, because then if my hair gets trashy, it's fine. It's still part of the look. It's actually better now, that it's frizzy. So

ThunderbunnySFX: 51:26

jeez whereas with me for like after parties and stuff, I normally try to choose costumes where I'm in some sort some sort of like combat boot or like flat shoe. Because if I'm going to be dancing a while I don't want to be worried about like, my feet hurt or my ankles or feeling weak or whatever. And, but you can be a bit more like comfortable and like yourself, I guess if you're not worried about like breaking ankle or something, you know, we're damaging

Rebecca Rose: 51:58

your costume. It's like if you're going to be in any sort of crowded scenario. Be ready for a drink to get spilled on you or someone to crash into you don't wear something that you're going to be super upset if it breaks

ThunderbunnySFX: 52:09

right or worried about like poking someone in the eye. Like you've got like some type of wings or something like that. Like

BearsRawr: 52:17

Leave your props in your hotel room. Yes. Yeah. Or your car. Or with your handler or whatever. Yeah,

ThunderbunnySFX: 52:23

yeah, I mean, like the first few times that we went out as KDA like I had my my baby tails. Which were just like these prepubescent tails they were only about like a foot and a half long each Yeah, I just I only had enough time to make three of them, but they just like flop down so they were good for like dancing and stuff. Because I wasn't worried about them. Like wapping people in the face. I wasn't worried about bears like tripping over them when she jumped over me for the Pop Stars Dance. Um like, yeah, there were way more applicable in like a normal like crowded setting then like the ones that I made for our most recent KDA shoot. Where like, they're out there. Like I've got like, two to three people's worth of like tail behind me. Oh, her tails are

BearsRawr: 53:18

an entity the're great. Yeah.

ThunderbunnySFX: 53:21

It's a bustle.

Dani: 53:23

I have a question. You mentioned a handler, can you explain to me and what a cosplay handler is

BearsRawr: 53:31

Yeah, so I definitely recommend everybody have a friend who is not cosplaying. Who can have a backpack with all of your all of your cosplay care, package stuff. So have something like super glue or safety pins or whatever. And if you are in a photo shoot scenario, or on the con floor or whatever, they can be there ready with some water, get you a snack, they can hold your phone and your wallet and things like that. And if they can be like kind of looking around to make sure that you're in a safe social situation or that photographers aren't getting you're too comfortable. Yes, yeah,

Rebecca Rose: 54:12

perfect. or non photographers hanging out while you're at a shoot taking pictures of you that you want taken

BearsRawr: 54:17

more common with photographers are usually pretty, pretty good. Anyways, so but like basically they're there to keep you safe, and keep you alive and corral you in directions. Because if you're so say somebody was like taking a picture of me on the con floor. But also there's this guy over there wants my card. I'm over here paying attention to this, but my handler can be kind of just aware and hand out some cards, whatever. Maybe not for your first cosplay but eventually I do recommend getting contact cards with your face on them and your Instagram and Tiktok and whatever else you're using, because nobody's going to remember your name, they will remember your face. So if you have your card, they can

ThunderbunnySFX: 55:04

look it up later. Well, and then also, not all cosplays allow good vision, I guess in a way. For example, my sleep demon, I had all white contacts, which look awesome for any kind of horror look. But it's like you're looking through a veil. And so even for doing my makeup after I put my contacts in, like I didn't really know what I was doing, because I couldn't see very well. And but so to have someone to help you make sure that you're not like tripping over things, or that you're like in areas that you probably should stay in versus like not as safe areas, it's definitely good. Or, for example, if you've got like huge armor that covers your head or face, so it definitely helps make sure that you stay safe.

Rebecca Rose: 55:53

Yeah, and if you do have a handler, buy them food, why them to be so nice to them, they are not there to be your slave or anything like that they are your friend and you want to maintain your friendship after the con. So treat them nicely. They're not just your go-for oh my

BearsRawr: 56:09

gosh, I had a mask, or the plague doctor that I have. And the mask that I made looks really cool. But it has like these mirror eyes and I drilled a couple holes in the bottom so that I can have like air to breathe. But I didn't know novel concept while you're taking photos but I didn't drill enough holes. So as I was doing my shoot, I could breathe. But my breathing fogged up the eyes. I couldn't. So I was just like doing my best to pose and look good. Not even looking at the photographer, you and so luckily my handler was there to make sure I was walking in the right direction. I had big ol heels too. So he was like there's a step here. Can you see? No. Okay. I'll be your eyes. Yeah,

Dani: 57:10

I didn't know that was a thing.

Rebecca Rose: 57:13

Yeah, it doesn't have to have to be but it is certainly helpful. Yeah.

Dani: 57:17

So have we talked about the essential tools for creating a cosplay like, no, what you absolutely have like say you were going to put your first cosplay together? What would you recommend? I have one, fabric scissors. Yes, not just regular scissors. They are kind of pricey and you get a little bit of a sticker shock when you see. I would ask somebody what they recommend because you don't always have to get the most expensive brand for it to be good. Like in my case, I bought fabric scissors for the first KDA shoot. And, and I did that I asked somebody because I was like I am not spending $50 on a pair of scissors. And she found she told me which ones that she actually used and they're probably in like the 20 $25 price point. But I mean she I trust her she works there and she uses them all the time. Like a crafty lady you know, workin' at Joanne's you gotta trust those people. Oh, yeah. And they worked great and I was just really happy that I didn't just spend 50 bucks because that's kind of how I am like, I probably should get the most expensive one because it's gonna be the highest quality in all reality that's not always

ThunderbunnySFX: 58:25

the case. So okay, weird thing about me is I'm extremely picky about my scissors like all throughout my house. So I've got like my crafting scissors which um, I only ever use on like fabric or yarn. I've got a different kind of scissors that I use for like paper and stuff like that I've got a different kind of scissors that I use in the kitchen for like meat and other things like that but everything is very specific and if someone like switches up it's area like there is hell to pay. do you have them labeled. no they're just in different areas of the house. Yeah, I

Dani: 59:02

definitely I actually put those craft scissors this the fabric scissors like in areas that are not where I would reach to open something so they don't they're not in the kitchen, they're not in my office and the little like drawer, they're like next to my sewing machine or next to like my extra T shirts that I cut up cuz I'm like, I don't want to dole the blade and like not supposed to be used.

Rebecca Rose: 59:25

And speaking of those things, it's super handy to have a box cutter with a retractable blade and a sharpener because they will get dull very very quickly if you're cutting EVA foam and then you're gonna get raggedy cuts and they just don't look good and waste time to try to Dremel them out. And so getting one that you can retract and getting a sharpener is a game changer

ThunderbunnySFX: 59:48

that or replacement blades

Rebecca Rose: 59:50

absolutely both I would say because eventually you're gonna have to replace it but getting a sharpener makes it last a lot longer

Dani: 59:56

about that. So when I did my Kai'sa wings I used probably used scissors to cut the foam. And they were not even were like angled. Yeah, and it was a thin foam. So it's like if it was thicker it would have even been more angled. So but I it was a ton of foam and I was just using my dining table. So what would you recommend for people using eva foam with a box cutter? Like where would you cut that? Would you need a giant like cutting matting mat?

Rebecca Rose: 1:00:22

But you could also one, you could use a

BearsRawr: 1:00:24

giant? Oh, you could use any cutting board? Yeah. Oh, okay. Um, or just get a big old box from Amazon. Yeah, put it underneath

Rebecca Rose: 1:00:34

through. I just have one of those little like, it's literally like not even a 12 by 12 cutting mat. And I'll just put it underneath my foam. I'll you know, put my knife and start the cut. And it works fine. Like it's not convenient. But it's it's fine. And

BearsRawr: 1:00:53

if it's your first cosplay you don't want to invest too much into it just yet.

Rebecca Rose: 1:00:56

Cutting mind can be expensive. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Like weirdly expensive? Yeah. Whereas cardboard is great. It's not Yeah, save those Amazon box.

BearsRawr: 1:01:05

So when you order your knife, just save the box? Because you're gonna need it. Yeah.

ThunderbunnySFX: 1:01:11

Open it up, flatten it out, you have more surface

Rebecca Rose: 1:01:14

exactly. Are there any tools that you can think of Bears that we haven't mentioned that are essential.

BearsRawr: 1:01:20

If you're planning on doing armor, I would highly, highly recommend a heat gun, you can get them for like 15 bucks. You can get better quality ones too. But if you're just trying it out, you can get a pretty cheap gun. And it makes a huge difference in your What's the difference between the heat gun and a hairdryer. It's hotter. Okay, faster, hotter, faster. And so that will let you form your I've personally had issues where if I use a hairdryer, it heats up the foam too slow. And what happens is the foam kind of rearranges itself to sturdy itself into the shape that you want. And if it heats up too slow, it can't get it to the right shape. Yeah, because it'll basically reform itself before it's pliable enough. Um,

ThunderbunnySFX: 1:02:14

so I ran into that problem with my gauntlets because I only had a hairdryer, because I had never really used foam and stuff. And so it was one of those where I kept having to like reheat it, reform it like, tie shoelaces around it and stuff like re hotglue gun is one of my big things. Just a lot of hot glue to like, try and re hold things into place and stuff.

Rebecca Rose: 1:02:37

Yeah, and I feel like with the heat gun, it's more directable versus a hairdryer where like, you might be aiming at something but it's pretty diffused. Yeah, there's a heat gun, you can have direct heat to just this little part of it if you have to.

BearsRawr: 1:02:50

Definitely recommend that that that's worth it. Um, and it's not that expensive. I don't like hot glue. Personally, I avoid it. Unless it's like the only thing that will work. I use contact cement for almost everything to also pretty cheap. And it comes with a little paintbrush. The thing about learn how to use it.

Dani: 1:03:11

Yeah. And that's why I'm like, Oh, I only know how to use a glue gun. So yeah,

BearsRawr: 1:03:15

the thing about contact cement is the first time you use it, it's not going to work. Yeah.

Rebecca Rose: 1:03:20

So it's a learning process absolutely have to wait. You have

BearsRawr: 1:03:25

to learn how to read it. But basically, you have to put it on both things that you're going to connect together. Don't connect them together for a lot for longer than you expect. This is why I can't do fake eyelashes because I can't wait for the glue to dry to start actually, it's almost exactly the same as fake eyelash, has to get tacky. I have her do

Rebecca Rose: 1:03:44

so to the point where you're like, oh, it's dry, it's not going to stick together at all, then that's it. So

BearsRawr: 1:03:49

wait until it looks like it's dry. Yeah, and then attach it and it's not coming apart. Yeah, and it's

Rebecca Rose: 1:03:55

contact cement is not that expensive. But you do have to do it in a ventilated area wear a mask or just try it try to be smart about it because it is fumes. So you don't want to breathe that in as opposed to hot glue where you can do that problem.

ThunderbunnySFX: 1:04:10

Right? see and I've always been more of a hot glue person but I think it's because normally I'm throwing things together last minute and I'm just like I just need to get this to work. For example, my Astrid costume um I made that a few years back and I revamped this last year. Um, but the majority of that costume is hot glue, like even the spikes on like the skirt panels are just like brass brads that I poked through some vinyl. The vinyl that I hot glued together to make these little pleats and then but brass brads that are poke through and then twisted up into like these kind of gnarly spikes and then I covered them in duct tape. Duct tape is like one of my biggest things too. Because all all of my pauldrons are made out of cardboard like, like paper bowls and stuff like that or whatever and duct tape literally, um, but um, I completely coated well filled the brass brads with hot glue and then put the duct tape on the outside to give it kind of like a stone kind of look but um, when I revamped it I needed to refill more of that hot glue to give more of that like stone shape whereas like it I wouldn't be able to do that with very well with like, contact cement,

BearsRawr: 1:05:30

don't you get. I don't know. I guess the problem that I run into with hot glue is it peels off. It doesn't

Rebecca Rose: 1:05:36

stay. I think it depends on the material in the heat of the hot glue gun because there are some low temp hot glue guns and some high temp hot. And I have a high temp one which that'll burn ya, real quick, so be careful. Yeah, but it because it gets so hot it if it's like a plastic material like foam or something it'll melt it just a smidge, which kind of helps. Or like if you're hot gluing foam if you score it with a knife that has something to settle into, to make it like stay better but I am more team contact cement hot glue totally has place. And you can do a lot of cool design with hot glue as well. Yeah, just

ThunderbunnySFX: 1:06:11

because it's so rigid. Fabric. Yeah, fabric. Um, I also use a lot of, I guess like various forms of styrofoam. How porous it is works really well with the hot glue, as it kind of like seeps into it to help give a better connection. So like all of the little skulls around the waistband of that, like skirt for Astrid are all just like little Styrofoam balls like what you would use to create like a Christmas ornament or something.

Rebecca Rose: 1:06:40

Any other tools that are necesito for a beginner cosplayer Fashion Tape, I would say Fashion Tape is important.

BearsRawr: 1:06:49

Don't use fashion tape, but I could see it.

Rebecca Rose: 1:06:51

I don't use it every time but I'm so happy when I need it. And it's available like whether that's a strap that keeps falling off my shoulder or some random like necklace keeps twisting, and then I put like a little piece of tape on the bottom and just nail it right down to my skin and it'll stay there. So it does help with

BearsRawr: 1:07:08

with things that you wouldn't expect, I would probably recommend a needle and thread too because even if you don't really like sewing all that much, sometimes you just have to hem something or a button pops off, a button pops off or you have a detail that like have a shirt that's supposed to have an insignia on it or something and you just got to

Rebecca Rose: 1:07:29

go, I would also say velcro has saved my butt a million times. And they have I've gotten mine on Amazon but I'm sure you can get them a million places they have like rolls of velcro dots. So they have adhesive on the back already. And there's like one roll, that's the soft side roll. That's the hook. Hard plastic use scratchy side. And so you can just you don't even need glue or anything you should if you want it to actually stay. But like if you're at a con and a piece of your costume falls off, you can just go stick stick and then like pop em right together and at least it'll get you through the day. And so that's something I always have in my bag.

BearsRawr: 1:08:07

If you're gonna use foam, silver sharpie,

Rebecca Rose: 1:08:11

most of you are Yeah, because you can't see the black Sharpie on black foam. And so if you if you're tracing out a pattern, you need something that you can actually see that's really important

BearsRawr: 1:08:22

learned that the most frustrating way possible.

Rebecca Rose: 1:08:24

I ended up like doing black on black and then I like tilted in light and I'm like where's that bluish tint? Like, that's actually really smart. I'm taking that tip home with me. You're welcome. Thank you so much.

BearsRawr: 1:08:39

In our next episode, we will talk about convention etiquette and the importance of being in character

Dani: 1:08:50

so share your cosplays ON OUR DISCORD SERVER. We'd like to see what you have going on. And thanks for watching. BYEEE