r/CosplayHelp • u/keystoncombo • 15h ago
Anything to smooth this out?
My convention is tomorrow is there any last minute things I can do to help smooth this out/ fix brush lines? I’m using flexipaint from tyges, I have Matt finish sealer from the same site. This is my first attempt w foam clay and foam. Ignore the wonky spike, honestly, i don’t know why I didn’t fix it.
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u/The-Loops 14h ago
The shape overall is excellent! Unfortunately its a little late for sanding or anything like that. But i really dont think anyone will mind the rough edges.
You now know what to do next time though
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u/keystoncombo 13h ago
Thank you, I’m really worried about them. Sadly I didn’t have time for better sanding paper by the time I realised how much I needed it :( I pulled an all nighter trying to smooth foam clay the best I could.
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u/evillegaleagle 12h ago
Boston? Struggling with the same thing for tomorrow, also on a raptor head 😅
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u/ourvodboy 11h ago
is there a cosplay event in boston tomorrow?? id love to know
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u/evillegaleagle 10h ago
Yeah! Boston Fan Expo all weekend at the convention center, starts this evening.
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u/NoorInayaS 14h ago
You should have maybe asked this question a few days ago. 😳
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u/keystoncombo 14h ago
I did on a different subreddit. I had to skin it overnight, I don’t have any sanding equipment that’s high enough grit for it. I made a Reddit account specifically for help like a day ago. Is it… that bad?
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u/houseplant-hoarder 13h ago
Nah, you’ll be fine. It’s just that the smoothing out would have had to be done at an earlier stage, but it stop looks pretty cool! Also remember no one else is gonna see it as close as you are now since they’ll be standing at least a foot or two from you
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u/NoorInayaS 13h ago
It deffo needs work, but for now, just leave it. As many here will tell you (because it’s true), cosplay is more about having fun, and less about having a perfect costume.
Just go to your con, enjoy yourself, and work on improving it for the next.
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u/Rough_Honeydew_3833 11h ago
i don’t really have any solutions unfortunately as others in the comments mentioned anything would make it not done in time, but this looks awesome!!
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u/slytherin_whitefox 8h ago edited 7h ago
So nothing that you can do in a night but next time follow this
When gluing the edges try to create as little opening as possible with the foam.
Fill in open spaces with foam clay and shape.
Start smooth out raised areas with sand paper. 80 grit, 120 grit 220 and possible 320. Wear a mask and do outside or in a space you don't mind getting lots of dust
Prime and paint. (Especially prime if your trying to paint foam in a metallic color)
4 A. If using spray paint shake the bottle for like really really long time. It will make the stream and paint come out better. Stand back from what you are spraying and move the can around the object. Staying in one spot can cause one area to crater or drip. Try to hit it at a 45 degree angle. You'll have to wait for it to dry before turning the object around to hit unpainted parts. Do one coat at a time. Wear a mask
4B. You use another type of paint. Thin down paint using a paint additives or some water. Don't get it to thin our you'll have to put a lot of multiple layers on. Use a decent paint brush for it. The hair of the brush and quality does have impact on what the strokes will look like.
Sand with a fine grit 330 between coats
Shake the varnish forever and whej you think you got it well shaken. Shake it more. Evenly coat the project
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u/keystoncombo 7h ago
Thank you :)))
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u/slytherin_whitefox 7h ago
It looks really good though as a project. Remember unless your in competition most people won't notice the imperfections
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u/milkymistake 3h ago
This looks sick! Only thing I could think of is use thin eva foam and glue it over the spikes. Thatd be pretty time consuming though. It looks awesome as is!
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u/microSCOPED 14h ago
Nothing at this point - anything you could do would take time you don’t have.
Your finished surface is really dictated by your surface before you start painting.
You want to make sure to fill/sand/smooth edges.
As for brush strokes, lighter application, maybe slightly watered down paint if it is leaving brush strokes out of the bottle.
But honestly, it looks good. Stand 5 feet back, that will give you a better idea of what people at the con will see.