Re: Yashias Cosplay Blog [Specialists Sergeant]

[Mob of Blondes]

[...]
Re the pistol, I'm taking my first tentative foray into the world of cosplay by making a Mass Effect Carnifex pistol and having researched a bit opted to get some Rosco Foamcoat. Apparently they use it in theatrical prop making to give a tough outer shell on polystyrene that's also sandable (if that's a word). Yet to give it a try but I've got high hopes.[...]

Where did you buy it? Do you by chance have any pictures at hand? That would help me find the equivalent in my country.

Buy gesso, or modelling paste of ultra fine grain (not the one that is like sand or lava), in art shop. Rosco declares the product to be composed of acrylic polymer and calcium carbonate, and it's sandable and flexible. So it must be some kind of gesso-brother, because gessos are like that too.

@Claudius:
No, I didn't try it yet, since the paint is very expensive.
But I'm very pale (I tried tanning by sun and solarium, but I simply don't take color) and the one time I tried a tanning shower the result was pretty extreme, even though I took the lightest tone. So I guess my skin takes color pretty good (when it's not up to it doing so on its own... -_-)

Claudis idea about comparing is fine, but why not paint a small zone to see the change, like a coin in the cheek or so, and then I can try to redify you in full in the photos? Uh... maybe I should just start masking and keep the file ready for color changes...

[Maxvon_d]

[...]
Re the pistol, I'm taking my first tentative foray into the world of cosplay by making a Mass Effect Carnifex pistol and having researched a bit opted to get some Rosco Foamcoat. Apparently they use it in theatrical prop making to give a tough outer shell on polystyrene that's also sandable (if that's a word). Yet to give it a try but I've got high hopes.[...]

Where did you buy it? Do you by chance have any pictures at hand? That would help me find the equivalent in my country.

I picked it up in a place here in London called 4D Model Shop. Another alternative that seems to get used in theatrical prop making is Sculpt or Coat.

Then there's artist's Gesso as Mob says. Sounds like it might not be as tough as the dedicated foam coats but should be much easier to source.

This is all hear say from me though as I've not put it to use yet. Might do a test run with the foam coat on a small piece of blue foam this weekend to get a sense of its working properties.

[Yashia]

Thanks everyone for your help! ^_^

Shoes are painted. Atzilla did the most with his airbrush, I just added some weathering. I think I'll make it a bit dirtier since the shoes would be the dirtiest part of a warrior.

[Errhile]

Still, I'm glad you didn't choose to cover them up your ankles deep in mud. This would be damn realistic for a footsoldier, but somehow I don't find it befitting your cosplays

[Mob of Blondes]

With some extra checking, I see Vallejo and Liquitex list Super/Extra Heavy Gesso, and Golden lists Sandable Hard Gesso, on top of the normal offerings. I guess those are thicker and more paste like. They also offer modeling pastes that are sandable/carvable.

Some days I fear many of those are just label changes.

[Yashia]

Thanks for your effort! I'll surly give it a try someday

[Mob of Blondes]

And with red skin, the hair looks great.

Red skin with hair

Also updated the other.

Red skin with top

yashia-oznat-top-2.jpg (13.19 KiB) Viewed 20517 times

(No idea why one image must be clicked and the other scrolled. Maybe each triggers a different setting based in dimensions?)

[Icchan]

Did your helmet have a mask? Or are you planning on taking it off from time to time?

[Mob of Blondes]

There is a pic of that. The question is if she will have to remove both, or they are separate. They seem to be mask + helmet, all in one.

[Yashia]

Great work, Mob! I even don't look as sick anymore ^_^ Maybe I should take the red skin look more frequently

The mask can't be seperated from the upper part. But with two simple magnets the mask can be turned down, with another two magnets deattached completely. But I plan to do that only in my breaks, since I can see and breathe through the mask, though of cause a bit limited.

Udates!


Knee pads are painted. Again Atzilla did the main part with his airbrush and I added the details and weathering.


The attached kneepads look like this. This completes the leg part.

Overview post updated with the comparison shot

[Claudius Sol]

Just laying there, the left knee pad's impact crackle looks fine, but being worn, looks way too... circular?

I'd consider elongating one or two of the cracks to give it a less "regular" appearance.

That said, it still looks good! I like the scratch marks!

[Yashia]

I see what you mean.
Unfortunately I can't (or only hardly can) change that. The cracks are scratched into the material and then weathered. I don't know if lengthening by hand would work...

[Yashia]

The bracer for the right arm is finished! ^_^
Again: Airbrush - Atzilla, Weathering - me

[Yashia]

Shinpads painted and with cording. (airbrush work done by Atzilla)


The worn shinpads and shoes

Overview post is updated with the comparison shot of the feet.

[Claudius Sol]

Looking very nice! I like the gentle fading that was done to give it more shading!

[Maxvon_d]

My slight concern is that the edge-shading makes the boot/covers appear a bit soft. Will you be shining them up in some way?

[Mob of Blondes]

True, the shading should be in the cracks, and highlight in the edges.

Maybe time for more paint over tests?

[Yashia]

Well, Atzilla tried both and liked the "shaddow on the edges" version better. More mangaesk.

Who am I to question his friendly painting service?! :shrug:

[Mob of Blondes]

Must be a different definition of manga.

[Yashia]

[Mob of Blondes]

OK, this is what I meant about toes and color. Also dusted a bit.

Bigger side toes

Basically just grown them towards the back, so they nearly touch the instep joint.

[Yashia]

I love your photoshop work! I think next time I just email you a picture of me standing in underwear and you do the rest by editing. That saves so much work and stress!
(Please don't get this wrong, this is not meant ironically in any way, though you can misread it that way. I really enjoy your alternate versions of the pictures! )

As for the painting:
The idea of more dirt isn't bad. I already added some since the picture of the shoe covers alone, but you can't really see much of it in the picture. So: More dirt incoming!
The painting itself will stay this way. I'm really really glad that Atzilla helps me with it. Airbrush color looks so much nicer and smoother than I could ever do with the brush. He decided he liked the black out version better and did so on all the armor parts. Changing that scheme would mean retouching all of the armor parts. I really don't wanne do that to him, especially since he willfully decided to do it this way.

As for the toes:
I really don't know why I didn't recognize it when I did the shoe covers in the first place. It's not only too small to be harmonic, it's already a good part smaller than the concept, so my mistake already was not adopting the proportions right in the first place. Don't know why, but on the desk it looked totally fine to me.
I wrote something about the difficulties of reworking the toes in the other forum.

Well, these are the reasons why I'll never reach a satisfaction level of 90% or above

[Mob of Blondes]

:lol: I love your photoshop work! I think next time I just email you a picture of me standing in underwear and you do the rest by editing. That saves so much work and stress!
(Please don't get this wrong, this is not meant ironically in any way, though you can misread it that way. I really enjoy your alternate versions of the pictures! )

Paperdoll Yashia...

As for the painting:
The idea of more dirt isn't bad. I already added some since the picture of the shoe covers alone, but you can't really see much of it in the picture. So: More dirt incoming!

The dirt is very subtle, it just gives a slight brown tone, matching the shinpads, most visible in the black of the back part. The rest is the effect of painting back some light grey, which may give it an used look as it is "random" in the central zones.

The painting itself will stay this way. I'm really really glad that Atzilla helps me with it. Airbrush color looks so much nicer and smoother than I could ever do with the brush. He decided he liked the black out version better and did so on all the armor parts. Changing that scheme would mean retouching all of the armor parts. I really don't wanne do that to him, especially since he willfully decided to do it this way.

Did he use (free) masks? The issue I have is the black is in edges and not carcks, so hard to understand, and very big, like if scaled up from miniature.

[Yashia]

Well, what shall I say, he liked it that way. That's all

The shoulder armor:

[Claudius Sol]

I like the shapes, though the edges look a bit rough. Purposeful? I could see it fitting the M.O. of the Oznat.

I dig the color selection there, though. very good brown for that and the shading seems very natural. Not overly done and not too subtle that you don't notice it at a glance.

[Yashia]

Right hand piece finished.


The right arm is complete now. This was part 5 of 10


As always I'll edit the overview post with the copmarison shot

[Errhile]

Looks great

[red harvest]

It does look very Morat. Nice work.

[Claudius Sol]

Again, the shading and weathering if phenomenal on that new piece!

The right arm looks great with the three pieces!

[Mob of Blondes]

More Red Yashia.

Red arm

Red belly

It changes how the rest appears, more integrated.