I’ve had a couple of weeks off the blog as my birthday happened and I got a little distracted. My lovely friends bought me some books which I’ve wanted for ages and I’ve been completely absorbed. Thankfully for you, it means I now have a brand new project in mind, which will take ages and probably involve a lot of swearing.

Up to this point my cosplay has been mostly fabric based, because that’s what I know how to do. The books I got were by Kamui cosplay, who is frankly, a genius. Her books cover how to make foam armour, LEDs, props and a few other bits and pieces, as well as practical tips on how to stay comfy in your costume. Naturally I can’t get books like this without immediately coming up with an idea to practice all this on!

I’ve decided to start small and do a costume that’s half armour and half fabric, so I’m comfortable making half of it already. My favourite graphic novels of all time are a series called Monstress by Marjorie Liu – the artwork is stunning and the story is both bizarre and captivating. I’ve chosen one of my favourite characters, Warlord, to cosplay because as per usual, I’m drawn to the characters that wear masks.

I’ve had to tamp down my enthuasiasm in order to do research and to take my time with it, rather than jumping feet first, which is how I normally do things. So the past few weeks has been research and ordering tools online, but last night I finally started making the pattern for the armour, so I can work out how much stuff I need.

I’m using Kamui’s method of clingfilm combined with masking/painters tape (ideally I’d have duct tape, but I ran out). Me being me, I’ve of course chosen a day where the temperature is in the twenties, because, you know – why WOULDN’T you want to clingfilm yourself on a particularly hot day. This poorly taken picture is the result of my upper arm and shoulder being wrapped first in clingfilm, then covered in tape and a rough outline of the pauldron drawn onto it. I need to clingfilm more of myself to do the other bits of the pattern, but I need a second pair of hands for that because I have to go round my back. But this is officially started and I will be documenting the whole process, so stay tuned!