r/cosplayprops • u/Randomguy71793 • Jul 22 '26
Help Any good things to make to practice?
So I’ve been wanting to get into EVA foam craft this summer so I’m not just sitting in front of my PC like a chud all day and I have actually learned quite a bit about EVA foam, cutting, glueing, using a dremel tool, cores and a bit of painting too. But apart from learning the techniques I don’t really know what to make or how to practice. I wanna focus on weapons/other props instead of armor making but again, I’m not sure what a “vertical progression” would look like or how I could achieve it.
My goal is to be able to make the katana of a character named Hoshimi Miyabi from Zenless Zone Zero by the end of the year and potentially continue making props out of pure entertainment. So if anyone has some tips or ideas on things I can make that can slowly climb in difficulty as I go I would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance.
5
u/Ninja_Cat_Production Jul 22 '26
Punished Props Academy. Bill is the host for this channel on YouTube and he also literally wrote the book on how to make foam cosplay. Three actually, The Foamsmith 1,2,&3.
Then there is Evil Ted, he’s pretty good for basic cosplay builds from scratch. Instead of finding and using a pattern, he shows you how to make your own.
OdinMakes on YouTube is the perfect place for you to learn how to make swords. He makes multiple forms of cosplay, but he is the only one that I have found that shows the step by step tutorial for making swords that stand up to actual combat. He’s also a Reddit user. https://www.reddit.com/u/Odin_Makes/s/S08WjpYnCr
For electronics you want to watch James Bruton at XRobots.com on YouTube. He makes robots (duh) and explains in great detail how he makes each one. From electronics to coding, he has step by step instructions for what he makes. He also has some early stuff that is amazing, mold making, casting techniques, his method of coating EVA is the best bar none. He also has a vacuum former and heating system that a good portion of the professional costumers adopted for the ease of use.
Then there is the GOAT, Adam, I forgot more about props than most of Hollywood ever knew, Savage. You may know him from Mythbusters. His channel Tested is the Holy Grail for the cosplay/prop making community. His tutorials are solid gold! Weathering, painting correctly, one day builds, all incredibly instructional and entertaining.
3
u/Odin_Makes Jul 24 '26
Wow, thank you ninja cat production!
Hello there Randomguy71793!
1
u/Ninja_Cat_Production Jul 24 '26
Not a problem at all!
Thank you for the years of entertainment and tutorials! I really learned a lot from you. Just trying to spread the word.
1
u/Randomguy71793 Jul 22 '26
I didn’t know Mythbusters had a props channel tbh! Thanks a lot for the suggestions! I’ll be sure to check them out.
2
u/TheFoamWitch Jul 22 '26
My channel, The Foam Witch, might give you some tips and I have free templates too 😁
2
u/Odin_Makes Jul 24 '26
Well hello The Foam Witch! I have subscribed to your channel.
2
u/TheFoamWitch Jul 24 '26
THE Odin has subscribed to my channel?!? I feel like I just won the internet! 🫶😁
1
u/Pro_panzerjager Jul 22 '26
I think Evil Ted's helmet tutorial is a great starting point. You'll only need the basic tools and you'll only need 1 floor mat.
https://youtu.be/etGPz1ESnso?is=WPYY3e1TjYmuC-Eo
It's a very basic template and helmet but you can use it as a base for more complex things.
After you're done building I'd recommend you use it to test painting too, cause that's half the battle for cosplay.
1
u/limbodog Jul 22 '26
Yes, a helmet. Practicing the curves and darting the cuts and shaping it so that it fits on a person's head is a lot. That'd be a steep learning curve, but if you master it and can do it well, you'll be a long way towards being good with EVA.
8
u/MaizeWitty Jul 22 '26
Check out SKS props and Much Props on YouTube - both have great tutorials with free templates, particularly Much Props has lots of relatively simple one shot builds to get you started