hints & tricks
for your cosplay project

Sure, it's an insane feeling finishing a project in the last minutes:
But to be honest it's a story about stress, working through lots of nights, putting other people and things aside and some times using provisionally methods with the need of fixing them later.
So it really is recommend to start early with the costume of your dream or wear it later if the convention is only a few weeks away.

motivation

Avoid tight deadlines!

Don't waste your time

to search for fundamental tools and materials!
Sorting your stuff into labeled storage boxes, etc. will help you find the right, nearly forgotten extra parts really fast. And this way you avoid buying things twice ;-)
I use boxes for a lot of small things divided into the different worbla remnants, leather parts, buttons, decoratives, sewing tools, molding tools, riveting tools, cutting tools... larger stuff like colors and chemicals are stored in stacking shelves sorted after their usage.

What a bad and unsatisfying excuse.
Make it easy and enjoyful to start your next building session: Clean up the mess, put things back to their place and optionally stop at a point where you would enjoy going on the next time :)

No space to work, so no work today.

Only 149 parts left, yaaay...

Yeap, it can be annoying to repeat one step a few hundred times and having the feeling like you don't move forward with your project.
Remember: It's a HOBBY. It should be ENJOYFUL! It should not be a question of time!
So brake this line like instead of 1. cutting all, 2. forming all, 3. priming all, 4. painting all and enjoy seeing progress. Finish one part, be proud of your result or maybe find a mistake and eradicate it on the next part.

When using your heat gun to bring bigger things into shape it will happen that one end has cooled down again. Try using an thin metal plate between your material and the table. It won't only protect your working table off the heat, it would save some heat and helps you with modelling. It's very useful for jobs with hot glue, too!

building

Let it stay temperatured

Paint and glue won't wait for you!

Half-dried coates and dried out glue applications can ruin a lot of work. Before you start painting or gluing, be sure that you have everything you could need in the worst case next to you. Also have an eye on the temperature and humidity around.

If you look for an uniformly surface but don't wanna spray it on, try dipping a fine sponge over all the surface directly after applying the paint with the brush! It also helps you to create an equally thick layer.

Those damn brush strokes!

Priming IS important.

The usage of a primer on Worbla or EVA foam is not only recommend for granting a good adhesion of the following layers, it also smoothens the surface. Especially on EVA foam try applying at least two layers of primer on visible parts to close all the pores of the foam. Another bonus of two priming layers: When applying the second layer you will see very good if there are any unwanted things like hairs or crumbs in the previous layer! Remove them carefully and smooth the spot with a drop of water and soft pressure while rubbing over it.