Lots of cosplayers use craft and EVA foam to make parts of their cosplays, whether that is a weapon or prop, or armour. It’s a useful and cheap material that can be shaped and painted into almost anything! Read on to find out my top tips for working with foam.
· Start by ensuring you have a paper pattern for your foam pieces. This allows a little room for error and ensures you are not just wasting your foam by drawing and cutting straight into it.
· Cut your foam pieces with an Xacto knife, scissors or a pen knife. Knives allow for more accuracy, and for very small pieces to be cut out easily. Be careful though – these are very sharp!
· Shape your foam using a heat gun. This softens the foam to allow it to be bent and modelled into the shape you want. Once it cools the foam will keep its shape. I don’t own a heat gun yet as I don’t usually make many props, so if I need to do this I will use an iron or a hairdryer (which works best on thin craft foam rather than EVA foam).
· I tend to fill gaps and seams with a filler, but there are other materials out there that do the job – such as hot glue.
· Ensure you prime your foam before painting it. I use either PlastiDip (which still allows the foam to bend – it’s a plastic based spray) or Mod Podge.
· Check which paint can be used on your foam by testing it on a sealed scrap piece. A lot of solvents and paints can dissolve foam, so it’s best to test it first before using it on your costume piece.
I can’t say I am the most experienced in making foam props, but my Iron Man Mark 43 gauntlet was made using these tips, and it turned out really well!
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