The easiest method for making your swords and other props look like metal is by using metallic acrylic paint. However, this doesn’t give you the most realistic effect, since there will always be brush strokes and surface texture even if you spend a lot of time sanding. Still, for most cosplay props, this looks good enough and it’s still my favorite method because of how easy the process is. Other methods include using wax paints, which tend to give you a shinier end result. A more advanced method is to use metallic spray paints or metallic airbrush colors to create a more flawless metallic eff ..read more

Sometimes you need to make a wooden wizard staff for your next cosplay, but there’s no way to get ahold of an actual stick to use. Or maybe you need to create a wooden staff that has a very specific shape to match the character design. In these cases, I have found that the best way to mimic the texture of a wooden staff is by using aluminum foil and clay. Like any other cosplay staff, you’ll use a PVC pipe as the base pole. But then, you’ll build the shape with a wire frame, and create a texture using foil and paper clay. These materials will help to create that natural texture that you need f ..read more

The easiest way to create a sword is by using EVA foam. You can easily taper the edges of the foam and sand everything to create a nice smooth finish. For the hilt, use a shortened PVC pipe with an EVA foam crossguard to make an easy, simple design.  If you’re a beginner, a sword is one of the best props to start with. You don’t need to worry about a lot of little pieces (unless you’re making a particularly intricate sword), and you don’t need to figure out how to form curves with foam.  If you’ve never heard of EVA foam, feel free to check out my post going over the basics of this m ..read more

Goggles are a very common accessory among cosplay protagonists, but they all come in unique shapes with odd details added on. Unless the character is very popular, it’s usually pretty difficult to find ready-made goggles that are perfect for your costume. I guess that means it’s time to make your own custom pair of goggles! This tutorial will teach you how to make simple cosplay goggles using EVA foam. This is a pretty simple tutorial that comes down to cutting, sanding, and gluing the pieces together. The lenses will be made using clear sheets of plastic, instead of trying to create hard lens ..read more

There are so many characters from anime, movies, comics, and games that have unusual and unnatural hair colors. You might also want to find a way to temporarily color your hair a different natural color without applying any kind of permanent dye or bleach to your hair. Luckily, there are a lot of different types of products you can use to color your hair depending on your budget and how long you want the color to last. The most common way that cosplayers match a character’s hair color is actually by using wigs. However, you can also temporarily dye your own hair using colored hair spray, wax ..read more

There are any number of ways to go about making a dagger for cosplay. If you’re a beginner and you want an easy first project to try your hand at prop making, this tutorial is for you. It is a basic, cardboard dagger or knife that you can use to add a prop to your costume and make it a little bit better. You can change the design or add details to the dagger to make it look exactly as you need for your costume. This tutorial is meant to give you the basic step-by-step that you can elaborate on for slightly different designs. If you’re looking to create a more realistic or more intricate knife ..read more

You can use props of any kind to help your costume stand out within the crowd of cosplayers. One of the most common types of props that costumes call for is some form of shield. There are many different types of shields you can create, but the basic structure underneath can be created with cardboard or EVA foam. I will go over two basic methods for creating a shield for your next cosplay. Cardboard shields are fairly easy and cheap and they are a great starting point for beginner prop-makers. However, if you need a domed shield, you’ll need to use the second method with EVA foam to give it tha ..read more

You can create antlers for your next cosplay (or Christmas-related event). This type of headdress is actually a lot simpler and cheaper than it looks. Even if you’ve never made a cosplay prop before, you’ll be able to get a pretty good pair of antlers using the method in this tutorial. The easiest way to create deer antlers is by using wire and paper clay. You’ll create a wire frame for the antlers and then cover them with clay. This makes it great for beginners since clay is easy to model and rework until you are happy with the shape. Of course, the larger you make your antlers, the more diff ..read more

Sometimes a character you’re cosplaying has a ring with a very unique design. You may be able to find a prop replica if it happens to be a popular show or series, but often your only option is to make the rings yourself. The two main methods used for creating costume rings are wrapping them with jewelry wire or creating them with polymer clay, depending on the look you want to achieve. Both types of rings will require steady hands and practice to perfect, but even if you’re a beginner you can make rings that look pretty cool. This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn ..read more

You can create talons that are like finger covers, or you can attach claws directly to your fingernails for a more beast-like effect. The type of claws you make will depend on the overall look you’re going for and the amount of work you want to put into the claws. Nail claws are much easier to create. However, they cannot be taken on and off at will. If you’re not used to wearing long nails, they may get in the way of holding things. Talons can easily be removed when necessary, but it will take a little trial and error to get them the correct shape for your fingers. This page contains affilia ..read more