Armor and props patterns

[Corycaly]

Here I will list all armor and props patterns available online!

FREE PATTERNS

I found THIS an awesome source of  cosplay props/weapons/armors patterns!

Each pattern is available in English and Japanese, you just have to print the pages (pdf and jpeg available)a nd follow the instructions. Those patterns can be used for foam or worbla projects.

You can find whole armors sets, a huge weapon collection, plastrons/arms armors.

I also collected lots of patterns in my pinterest account

PATTERN BOOKS

I recommand Kamui tutorial books
There is a complete armor pattern collection and good tutorial books dedicated to cosplay.
The books can be bought printed or as a pdf, they are very well made and easy to use.

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Here is Kamui's tutorial to create armor pattern. Her youtube channel has lots of good tutorials.

[Suuper-san]

that looks really awesome.
since i have access to CNC machines and other equipment at school, i can do some of the steps a lot easier than by hand.
a whole bunch of kids at school keep wanting to make anime related things, so this might give me some good ideas.
thanks for sharing :P

[Corycaly]

You don't need lots of equipments for those armors. For foam armors you can use
-foam mats
-scissors
-contact glue (neoprene glue): it comes in different pack sizes, read the instructions carefully before you use it because some things (time etc) change with each glue brand
-paper (old newspapers is good to modify or create patterns)
-pens: to mark the patterns on the foam, sharpies are ok
- rulers : school one sare perfect
- tape
- a heat gun: that's the only "equipment" necessary to shape foam. Foam can be shaped easily this way. You can find heat guns for less than 20 usd easily. USE IT CAREFULLY!!
- ribbons or attaching systems to maintain the armor.

Group projects are fun: they are good for motivation and self confidence!

[Suuper-san]

yes thats a fair point.
because of my work in the technology field, i always think in terms of production speed and mass production, so for personal projects i often forget to enjoy myself and take it easy :P

-i have plenty of experience with heat guns so dont worry about me burning myself or burning my house down :P

i love the paper mache pulp that you can make with shredded tissue/newspaper and PVA glue. thats really useful for adding details (like on armor etc)
you can also use it for molding shapes (for making more than 1 of something) but its a bit difficult :P

[Corycaly]

Papier mache can be good but it's fragile. I like the foam technics but I totally fail the priming/painting steps. I have to use worbla to make it steadier. T__T

[Suuper-san]

i thought it was quite strong.
i am thinking of the pulp, not the layered paper mache, though.
i use a fairly large amount of pva to soaked,blended and squeeze dried tissue, and a 1cm thick layer is very tough. i havnt used it on a large area so cant comment for armor, but i would have though it was resistant enough.
you could try reinforcing it with chicken wire, which i have seen done somewhere else. that will make it really strong, and you can from the shape first with the wire.

first time hearing of worbla, googled it and it looks fantastic. i must try some out sometime.

[Corycaly]

I thought you used it only for a think layer: your method could be interesting!

Worbla is great to give solidity to foam armor: they are sturdier than normal foam armors. I have less problems with the priming  and painting than with normal foam, but maybe that could be improved.
Problem is that it makes heavier armors. Inconvenient is also the cost!

I also heard of a new material called Thibra: it seems even better than worbla!

[Suuper-san]

yes its closer to a paste or modelling clay, in fact some call it paper mache clay.
some have flour in it, which i dont use, some boil the tissue to make it more fibrous, which i dont do.

looking at some cosplay outfits im starting to realise how bad i am at craft stuff
once i get good at drawing i will give it a proper shot (5+ year probably lol)

[Corycaly]

I have never tried it. Could you make a video next time you use it? It would be awesome!

[Suuper-san]

i will do, although googling should yield fairly good results, and will happen a lot sooner than me making some :P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f84FvxLHCnk
this one is fairly close to what i do, but i just use PVA and tissue, because i am too lazy to add anything else. my version is a bit hard to sand i think though, i havnt made some for quite a while now and would probably try one of the "official" recipies to get a smoother paste.
judging by the results on google, there are 3-4 different versions with different pros and cons to using.

in fact the uploader of that particular video does a lot of tutorials on different kinds of paper mache, and is quite interesting to watch.

[Corycaly]

Thanks for your advice!