Capricious Cosplayer

The Outfit

All around this outfit is super easy. You can easily put it together with basics from your closet or a friend’s closet. I have a separate post about styling the wig, so check that out if you are planning to cosplay as The Kid.

This outfit is made of a black t-shirt, black pants, black combat boots, and a red bandana. Very simple! If possible, iron the bandana to make it lie more uniformly on your neck and collarbone. I used the safety-pin, but if you plan to use this costume more regularly, I would suggest installing a button or clasp.

The Wig

I bought mine on Aliexpress for around $9 USD. There are many other places to buy wigs, but this was one of my first cosplays so I wasn’t after the highest quality. If I was going to redo this costume I would have preferred one from Rock Star Wigs because they are much higher quality and more comfortable. It wouldn’t have been as shiny as the one from Aliexpress, so beware when buying cheap wigs. But I got a basic wig at this link from Aliexpress,

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ladies-and-Gentlemen-Pixie-Cosplay-Anime-Short-Full-Wigs-Curly-Hair-Tail-White-Synthetic-Wig-Costume/32686661532.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.Pl9n2u

Here is what the site advertised:

This was my first ever wig styling and I think it turned out pretty well. I trimmed the pieces in order to make spikes. I suggest following a reference picture in order to have the curves of hair in the right place. At first I tried to secure the spikes with hairspray, shown in the first selfie. As you can see, the edges do not want to stay sharp. I used Tacky Glue to make the super secure and it definitely gave me the sharper points I was looking for. You also might want to use a nude colored wig cap since the wig is so light colored. Any hair that slips out will be very obvious and if the wig moves slightly, you would be able to see a darker wig cap.

This next picture of me at at Animinneapolis playing cards with some friends. The glasses aren’t part of the costume but I was taking a break and need them to see.

The Weapons And Armor

The Cael Hammer

This is the most iconic weapon from the game, so wielding this behemoth will make you seem like the brave Kid from the beautiful game, Bastion.

Supplies: A Styrofoam cooler, expanding spray foam insulation, two wooden dowels (1 inch diameter), a large sheet of craft foam, Spackle, and paint (I used the shade “Golden Sunset” by Apple Barrel paint). For the handle, I used linen fabric, coffee to dye it, tacky glue and gray polymer clay. (air-dry clay would be better)

Put the lid of the foam cooler on the side of the main body.

Clean up any holes on the outside of the cooler with some Spackle.

I found the correct place for the handle and added Styrofoam around it so it wouldn’t move around. I used scraps of foam on the inside so I wouldn’t have to use as much spray insulation.

Spray the inside with expanding insulation until it is about 3/4 full, and cover it with plastic so it doesn’t make a big mess. Make sure to spray some on the head of the hammer so it will stick to the body. Wait however long it says on the can.

I used a sharp knife and cut off everything that was sticking out, so it was a flat side. Sand it down so its super flat.

Fill the wholes left by the spray insulation with Spackle. You need a LOT of Spackle. So put it on and sand it flat when dry.

Also put Spackle in the crack between the main body and the head of the hammer (that was made out of the lid)

This is a rough picture of what the top would look like

The Next Steps

PAINTING

On the body of the hammer, you must measure out the length of space between the handle and the center of the top. This is where the red flags will go. Measure twice and cut once in order to get the correct size and make it visually appealing. So cut these flags out of thin red craft foam; I didn’t have any red so I painted mine red instead.

HANDLE

I wasn’t quite sure how to make the handle. To make it looked weathered, i soaked the fabric in coffee overnight. I washed it out and hung it up to dry. I was afraid that it would fray, so I rubbed glue on the edges of the fabric after it was done drying. I rolled out a rectangle of gray clay and put it at the base of the handle where it meets the bottom side of head of the hammer. I took it off to bake it and slid it to the base of the handle after it was cool. I used some glue to secure the clay to the wooden dowels. Then I slowly wrapped the handle in the cloth, weaving it between the two dowels. I glued that edge together so it wouldn’t unravel. Then i made an end cap out of clay and glued that down as well.

And there you have it, a complete Cael’s hammer!

The War Machete

This hammer was a very large prop, and sometimes it was difficult to bring to a convention. While I was at the Renaissance Fair, I found some wooden swords that I could re-purpose for my Kid cosplay.

What you will need for the War Machete:   A very small paintbrush, black paint, red paint, and golden paint (same color as the hammer). --side note, I didn’t use any sealer, but you can use some if you want.

I painted it wrong at first because I was trying to paint it from memory. Always look up a reference! This is the only reference I could easily find that was straight out of the game.

Repainted it because I’m a scrub

There you have it, Kid’s weapons from the game Bastion! It might be time consuming and tedious, but your hard work will pay off.

Kid’s Armor

The Kid wears a solid plate of metal riveted together on their stomach and back. Metal would have been a bit too heavy for me considering the hammer is heavy enough as it is. I substituted metal chest plates for some craft foam, but to make it more realistic I would suggest making it with some thicker EVA foam.

I used: Gray spray paint, iridescent glass gems, black elastic, and a hot glue gun

I used some thin black elastic so it will blend into my shirt, but you could also make it more sturdy by using leather straps.

Measure from slightly above your belt to your collar bone and get the width of your torso. Cut out a rectangle that fits your body for the body armor, and place your shoulder straps accordingly. For the riveted look I used iridescent glass  gems that are normally used for vases and spray painted them gray. I used hot glue to attach these rivets because I wasn’t sure what glues were strong and safe to use on this foam. Go ahead and test different types of glue for foam-deterioration and strength on scraps if you have time.

For the arm and leg bands measured the circumference my arm/leg and left about two or three inches as a space to add elastic to make it easier when getting ready for a con. After adding elastic, I cleaned off the tip of my hot glue gun and gently dragged it across the foam to make outlines around the border. This added detail really brings the whole look together and makes it look more interesting.

My next post will be about the wig and clothing, so stay tuned!

Female to Male Cross-play

Face Diagram

Using make-up, you can make your face look as though it is affected by testosterone. Personally, I used eye shadow to do my contours and highlights because it easily fits in my bag and has multiple uses. I got this photo from the 2017 Hudson Public Library Anime Convention in order to show the pattern that is used. There are many Youtube videos that show this process and explain the purpose behind each highlight and contour.

Safe Binders

Using things such as Ace bandages as a chest binder can seriously hurt you, so please be safe and use an actual binder. There are many different brands to choose from, so I would highly suggest watching Youtube reviews of the binders you are considering. Here are 2 of the most popular brands:

http://www.underworks.com/

https://www.gc2b.co/

Pro tip: If you are low on cash, follow your favorite brand on social media and wait for special deals and holiday promotions

Some guidelines:

1. Never bind for more than 8 hours and never sleep in a binder! This can cause pain, trouble breathing, and long term side affects. 

2. If you feel uncomfortable, take it off. Feeling pain means that something is wrong. It might make you sad that you have to change, but your health is more important that the costume.

3. Take it off if you are going to exercise. Unlike a sports bra, a binder is suppost to inhibit the movement of your chest. If you start breathing hard, a binder will restrict your lungs. And the binder will be all sweaty, smelly, and hard to take off. So just don’t do it

The One I Use:

Tips: Hand wrap, acting, and Yukina’s necklace

There are many different ways to wrap your hand like Hiei, but this is the reference I used.

This is a bit complicated, so practice makes perfect! If you don’t have time, I suggest gently wrapping your hand in bandages that sticks to itself. This makes it fit snugly around your hand, but it won’t make your palms overheat.

I found a necklace that looked like Yukina’s necklace at my local Renaissance Fair this fall. Any necklace with a blue gem at the end would work. This is an image from the show that I used as a reference.

And here is the actual necklace. The gem looks pretty dark, but I think it suits the costume more than a bright blue necklace.

I followed https://schmemycosplay.tumblr.com/post/143846376823/foam-wig-tutorial and used their instructions as a baseline. I made multiple of the “swim cap” base parts and chose the one I found the most comfortable. 

This project will need: Scissors, paper, a pencil, a measuring tape, a wig head,  and craft foam for the base. The hair is made with craft foam, hot glue, sealant (I used Elmers glue), and A LOT OF FREE TIME.

I spent hours cutting foam into the pieces of hair and I used about two sheets of craft foam that were 12 by 18 inches. It doesn’t matter what color foam it is, although I suggest trying to pick of a color close to what the wig will be in the end. I used red and white foam because that’s what I had lying around. This project is really good if you have scraps of craft foam.  I started layering them at the back and tried it on to make sure it covered up the wig cap.

Have lots of reference pictures of your character and decide what size and shape the pieces need to be. This is one of the pictures of Hiei I used as a reference. Try to find pictures or 3D models so you can see how the hair in the back of their head lays.

Just keep cutting, layering, and adjusting. If you have parts that need to curl, gently heat them up with a hairdryer on low and shape to your desired look. Fill in empty spots with small scraps. Before painting, put multiple coats of sealant on all of the foam. Put sealant and paint in the inside as well so no one will be able to tell the original color. The paint will be absorbed into the foam and you will have to use at least twice as much if you don’t. Some paint will also eat away at foam, so I stress this, Seal your foam!

Sealing and painting was the most time consuming part of my wig. This part easily took 10+ hours. The main problem I had was the fact that i was applying everything with a paintbrush. I highly suggest finding a sealant and paint that you can spray. If you can’t find a way to spray it, I suggests finding some audiobooks. I used a tiny doe foot paintbrush to get into the corners and add the white detail in the front of Hiei’s hair.

The clothing Hiei wears it very simplistic and most of it you can find around the house. Start with form-fitting black pants, a black shirt to wear under the tunic, and a white infinity scarf. I made a white headband and it helped keep my foam wig in place. The last step is making Hiei’s signature black tunic, which is surprisingly easy.

To make the tunic, you will need: paper and a pencil, scissors, about 3 yards of black cotton fabric, black thread, and a black zipper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyc2utX16L4&list=PLHzZ5Ci9ekMKQWxBs-F2D-84ocRu4stug&index=40 I used this tutorial as a base and made small adjustments to make it more masculine. Some adjustments I made were:

On step #3, using an inch of hem allowance instead of 1/2 and inch because I used a non-stretchy cotton.

On step #4 making the chest area go down 3 inches instead of 2 to make it looks slightly more fitted at the waist.

I changed step #6 slightly by making the lines only 3/4 of an inch instead of 1 inch. This helped it look less like a dress and more like a tunic

I added a zipper in the back that was hidden my the scarf

Here what the pattern should look like

Here is the completed tunic and scarf

You can add detail by wrapping your hand (gently) in ace bandages and wearing a necklace with a blue gem at the end ( I got this one at the Renaissance festival). I used black combat boots instead of his black flats because I felt that it would make him seem slightly stronger.

Source idea  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxeHZzSyjFg&t=440s  “How to De-shine a Wig (ft. Castiel from Supernatural)”

I bought this wig on Aliexpress for $9

It isn’t the best quality and is SUPER shiny, but I wanted to see if there was any way to redeem it. I tested the de-shining method of soaking a shiny wig in a bucket of fabric softener and water. The wig is a bright pink wig I was planning on using for the character Nana, from Elfen Lied. The only problem is the fact that is its so shiny and unnatural looking.

I used over a cup of  fabric softener and enough water to cover the wig. I used warm water and swished it around to make sure the fabric softener was evenly mixed in.

I left the wig in the solution for one week and then rinsed the wig with cold water. The final product!

Okay so this method sadly didn’t work for this wig. another I method I tried was soaking it in apple cider vinegar. I mixed 1 cup of the vinegar to 4 cups of water and let it sit for an hour. It didn’t affect the wig at all.

For your convenience, here is a list of links for all pieces of the Edward Elric Cosplay tutorial.

Black Coat: https://capriciouscosplayerposts.tumblr.com/post/163731002904/edward-elric-cosplay-part-1

Red Coat:  https://capriciouscosplayerposts.tumblr.com/post/163948619924/edward-elric-cosplay-part-2

Hand: https://capriciouscosplayerposts.tumblr.com/post/164384119459/edward-elric-cosplay-part-3

I bought “Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric's Wigs Long Warm Blonde Cosplay Braid Hair Wigs” on Ebay. It was $15.98 USD (including shipping costs) and the product preview looked like this.

It required some styling and it was tangled when it came out of the bag. I simply brushed it out and re braided it. Here is a reference picture that shows his hair in detail.

This is what it looks like on a wig head. I don’t have it braided because it is easier for my storage method.

This is the inside of the wig and as you can see it is a typical cosplay wig. (not a lace front wig)

It can get rather itchy and uncomfortable after wearing it for a full day so be careful. There are some ways to make it more manageable but I haven’t had time to test them. Some ways that i have heard about are sewing lace onto the headband or soaking the whole wig in a vinegar and water solution. I can’t promise that these will work so be cautious; you don’t wanna damage your wig.

This part will contain instructions on how to make Edward’s Automail hand. I did not make the arm because my black half jacket (that I made in part one) covers it.

For this project you are going to need your pattern pieces, some plaster wrap, masking tape, some metallic silver spray paint, a clear top coat spray, thin craft foam, 1/4 inch black elastic, hot glue, and googly eyes. I wore a very thin black elbow length glove so you can’t see my arm underneath.

I printed the pattern out from this fabulous website, Amethyst Angel, http://amethyst-angel.com/armormaking_automail2.html .Simply just print out the pattern for the hand and finger pieces on some printer paper and cut them out according to the directions.

Making the Finger Pieces

After you cut out all of the finger pattern bits I suggest trying a couple of them on your fingers and adjust their size. After you find a size that fits, use some tape and secure them to your plaster wrap. This stuff is normally used for making masks or art pieces so it can be found at any craft store. Cut around them and make them a bit bigger than the patterns. Make sure to cut it big enough so the wings on either side fit around your finger. Plaster wrap comes in large amounts and is relatively cheap so don’t be afraid to make them a bit bigger than they need to be. I suggest you work with it and practice using it before making your final project.

This next part is gonna get pretty messy so you should put down newspaper or plastic bags down where you are working. Cover your fingers with plastic wrap and tape on your right hand so you won’t get the plaster stuck to you. Don’t worry about the plastic wrap being too bulky because your black glove should take up the extra space. This is why I didn’t use a latex glove to protect my hand. Make sure you read the instructions to using your plaster wrap. Now take the pattern pieces one at a time, working from knuckle to finger tip, and plaster wrap them onto your fingers. Smooth them out really well so the finish product will look like smooth metal. You’re going to have to work rather quickly because it dries rather fast.

Wait until they are all dried, a fan helps with this. I suggest watching some Fullmetal Alchemist/ Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood until they are dry. Wiggle off as many as you can. For the ones who won’t come off, cut a through the back and make it a little wider with more plaster wrap after it is off your finger. Be very careful and work slowly so you don’t hurt yourself.  I suggest letting these set overnight before painting them. 

The finger pieces are gonna need multiple coats of silver spray paint, so you can recycle the newspapers or plastic bags from earlier. Follow the instructions on the can and make sure you are in a well ventilated area. The first time I wore these I only did two coats of paint, and that didn’t go well. The finger pieces would rub up against each other and slowly started to come apart. Make sure to use around 3-4 coats of paint and a clear top coat. Remember to let the paint dry before adding the next coat.

The fingers pieces need to be connected to actually form a finger so I used my black elastic. It works very well because it can stretch really easily. You can move your hands around as much as you want and it makes the fingers easier to take off after a long day at a con. Put the finger pieces on where they fit comfortably on your hand. Hold up a piece of black elastic to your finger and mark out where the middle of each finger piece is. Cut the elastic so it can go down to the middle of the back of your hand.

Making the Rest of The Hand

To make the part that covers the hand and palm, I used craft foam as the base. I used the patterns from Amethyst Angel and cut out the foam. Try on the foam around your thumb and make sure it fits comfortably. Use hot glue to secure the base pieces of foam together.

This picture was taken from    http://amethyst-angel.com/armormaking_automail2.html   and is not mine

This picture was taken from    http://amethyst-angel.com/armormaking_automail2.html   and is not mine.

The way I created the knuckles is really simple. Just cut out the indents drawn in the picture and glue a large rectangle underneath. You should glue the elastic that comes down from the fingers in between the knuckle parts. The rectangle of foam inside will protect your hand from the glue and create depth in the knuckles.

I made the larger circle out of foam and glued it in place. To create the line in the middle, I used a hot glue gun with a clean tip and slowly dragged it across the surface of the foam. To replicate the two rivets, I made the the exact same way I made the rivets for the jacket clip; I spray painted googly eyes. So the hand doesn’t slide off while you are wearing it, I suggest attaching some black elastic to the side opposite your thumb. It should blend right in with your glove.