Now I bet most of you are familiar with putting together costumes for your cosplay but what about props? Props are integral to bringing your character to life there’s only one teensy little problem: how in the world do you acquire them? For starters, if you want to purchase your prop you could check one of the following weapon crafters online: www.wmarmory.com, http://props.punishedpixels.com or www.volpinprops.com. If these folks don’t have what you are looking for Ebay, Etsy, and Amazon are also options. Alternatively, you could make your prop. Make you say?! Why how would one take a “stab” at that? Well, sit back and relax – we’re about to get you on the right path!
First things first, you need supplies. What you need really depends on what you are making. For this tutorial we’ll focus on the dagger from Skyrim (as depicted in the image below).
Dagger crafted by ThermoCosplay
Supplies for this project were as follows:
- 1 inch Eva Craft Foam (these can be found at any hardware store; they are typically called “fatigue” mats)
- 2mm Craft Foam (found at any craft store in various colors)
- Super glue (any ole super glue will work)
- Contact Cement (you can get this in tubes or large containers, for testing I suggest tubes)
- Disposable brushes
- Worbla’s Finest Thermoplastic (it can be bought here: www.cosplaysupplies.com)
- Heat Gun
- Spray Paint Filler and Primer – White Matte
- Mod Podge Clear Sealant – Matte Finish
- Exacto Knife
- Cutting Knife (industry strength blades – such as those found at hardware stores)
- Poster Board (this is for drafting your design)
- A ruler
- Some rags (for cleanup and painting)
- Acrylic paint (colors: black, brown, silver and red)
- Gold and Silver Metallic Spray Paint – Krylon brand
- Safe surface to work on (one you don’t mind dirtying and cutting on)
- Dremel Sander
Let’s start with the basics: designing your prop. For this design I located some line art online that I modified to fit the shape and size I was looking for (this blade it approximately 14 inches in length and a little over 3/4 of an inch thick at is thickest). Once I had the design right on my computer I printed it out and transferred it to poster board.
Once you have your poster board cut out transfer the design onto the Eva foam and start cutting! NOTE: Be sure you have planned out how you want to layout your cuts. As depicted in the image above, laying each piece out will help you discover possible weak