Maximize Your Material Use
Hey fellow makers! This week I would like to talk a little bit about scrap materials and the importance behind them.
As someone who enjoys working with my hands, I always seem to have a slight dilemma at the end of every project that I complete: what the heck do I do with all these scraps?! Everyone has their own pet peeves, and one of mine is the waste of precious materials in the craft of costume and prop making. Now some of readers may find it easy to simply throw away scrap material and be done with it., And that is perfectly okay. However, it does not hurt to try and save money in this hobby(a job for some) by making the most out of your crafty bits.
Many of my friends will tell you, I am a bit of a scrap hoarder so to speak. So many parts to a future whatcha-ma-call it or thinga-ma-jig for a number of costumes that have yet to exist! What do I use these scraps for? Why that depends. In some cases I use them to simply make more accessories for already existing costumes I have. In other cases I have enough to make a whole new prop for a cosplay!
How can you accomplish this? it's simple really. You see those chains on that part of your brain labeled "imagination". Yeah, that one. Take them off.
The beauty in using left over materials in creating new parts to a costume is that you aren't losing anything, and only gaining more experience while crafting a new piece. If you mess up, oh well, take what you learned from that and apply it to the next project. Using scraps from whatever you used to create your magnificent suit of asgardian armor, or that amazing destiny hand cannon, is an easy way to fully understand the limits of what you can and cannot do with your chosen crafting material.
Now I don't want to call myself an expert on the matter, but I do have two methods I like to employ when I build a prop or costume piece for cosplay and the use of any scraps I have.
Testing - If I am unsure as to how a certain kind of spray paint will react to my foam, I test it out on a small piece of scrap. I do the same method whenever I use a new type of anything whether it be an adhesive or sealant. Taking notes on how everything from texture to durability will really pay off in the long run.
Practice - "Man, I sure wish I had the materials to build this cool prop gun. To bad all I have is this bucket of scrap foam..". If I have some downtime in between cosplay projects, I like to do quick one day builds using what I have lying around. That way, I am always practicing. Even Bob Ross needed practice before he made masterfully crafted paintings.
With a little bit of elbow grease (and a few hot glue burns later) these tips will be helpful in the future for everyone! (I hope)
This is Raf, and I hope you have found my little rant/attempt at blogging helpful. As always, stay creative my friends!
