 Fabric is the
king of anime costuming, since most outfits are clothing based. But what
about getting the colors right and creating a convincing effect?
Fabric paints and dyes then come into play, said the people who make up
the Cosplay Closet - David Ramsay and Kimberly Johnson. But what sort of
paints or dyes to use? The couple noted that there are many kinds of paint
with different chemical bases, and the right kind has to be used on specific
surfaces. |
 The first paint
suggestion from Ramsay was to use Deka or Jacquard fabric paint.
It's a permanent, heat set paint that embeds itself in the fibers and does
not come out, even after washing. Acrylic paints are not good for
fabric, but it's great for paper, cardboard and wooden objects used for
props. Model builders depend on Testors paint, and he recommends
it to paint plastic and hot glue. Hot glue? Yes, it can be
used to resemble and decorate other objects. Testors paint can add
to the illusion of metal or other reflective surfaces. Ramsay also
recommends automotive paint such as Plasti-Kote and Rust-O-Leum; they're
good for large, solid objects, but not for foam (the propellants in the
spray cans demolish foam). |
 The cosplay
couple noted that hall costumes actually need to be more detailed than
stage costumes because people in the halls see the details up close.
A masquerade audience views a costume from a distance and finer details
are not necessary. Johnson remembered to emphasize that, beyond dreams
of technical perfection, "The important thing is to have fun...even though
help others, we're fans, too." In the second hour of the panel, Johnson
discussed web resources for cosplayers, including photo galleries and link
directories to materials. Many of these lesser-known web sites can
be very helpful to budding cosplayers. |
