EVA Foam Learning Series

Intro

Welcome to the EVA Foam Learning Series! In this Series, you will learn the basics on how to make your very own EVA foam cosplay. We will teach you about the tools used, planning your cosplay, building it, creating effects, painting it, wearing it in contests, and every possible thing in between!

Do not rush through the series. Rather, take your time to fully get an understanding of each segment before moving to the next. Some segments are relatively quick, but others may take a while to get through. Each segment is written to give you an understanding not only of what things are and how things are done, but why. Simply knowing that you do something is not nearly as useful as knowing why you do something. There are also a lot of pictures and videos in this series. Some of the videos seen in this series are from popular, well-known cosplayers and builders in the industry.

What is EVA Foam?

EVA stands for Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate, which is a generic term for the foam. It is found most commonly as "puzzle floor mats," anti-fatigue mats, and craft foam. Floor mats are typically smooth on one side and textured on the other, with interlocking edges that will form a complete mat if they are assembled together. They can be found at most home improvement stores in the flooring department, at automotive stores, or at many online retailers like Amazon. Typically these are gray, black, or white. Craft foam, found at craft stores or online retailers, is smooth on both sides and can be found in many colors.

EVA foam can be found in a range of thicknesses, from 2mm up to 48mm thick from some retailers.

Where do I start?

Find something you like! A character from a movie/manga/tv show/book, a piece of art, or make something up! This is the world of cosplay, you can do just about anything you want. Choose your cosplays for your own enjoyment.

Once you've figured out what you want to build, find as many pictures, videos, cosplayer works, etc. as you can. Research every angle and aspect of it. Videos can help you get more perspectives than pictures, and cosplayer builds help you get a sense of how others built the same or similar suit.

Once you have your references, which we'll go more into, you can go in any direction; you can build as accurate to your pictures as possible, gender-bend it (make a male version of a female or vis versa), mix two more characters together, or put your very own twist on it. You can even do a totally original character of your own design.

So now that we've figured out who we're going to build, we start to plan. The next segment will cover this first and important stage of building a cosplay.

Planning and Design

What do movie makers do before they start filming? What do builders have before building a house? What do fashion designers make before cutting fabric? Plans, drawings, and blueprints. Using your reference photos, figure out what pieces will be separate, where pieces might attach together, where seams may be, where joints might go, and which materials to use for what part.

Sketch each piece and plan it out; write out a list of materials, processes, colors, whatever you can think of that may be helpful to future you. Whether you are good at drawing or not, it does not matter here. The point of doing drawings before you start building is to get you thinking about your costume critically and logistically; how you will wear it, how you'll move in it, and depending on the project or if you plan to fly to a con with it, how to transport it, and what parts need to be built in what order. It also helps you know how you're going to build each piece. Your end product may differ from the drawings when you are finished, but that's ok. This will save you a lot of time and frustration when you're building.

It is helpful to use tools along the way like checklists or planners, or even tech-oriented tools like Trello. Planning out a cosplay then breaking it down into manageable, bite-sized chunks helps make a large project seem obtainable - and you can start to figure out through this task-creation process how long some of these smaller chunks might take you.

Let's Start Building!

The best way to start building is to see professionals do it and see what advice they give. Watching professional creators oftentimes gives you a good handle on the tips and tricks they use and what they learned through their processes. The creator shown below is Evil Ted. He has been making foam and props for over 30 years. Other creators to watch would be Kamui Cosplay, Punished Props, or Kinpatsu Cosplay.

Parts 1-3

Parts 1-4

Parts 1-3

Tools

There are many tools used in the EVA foam creation world. The following tools are the minimum, must-have items in order to begin creating with this media:

XActo knife, hobby knife, or retractable utility knife
A way to sharpen the above knives OR blades to replace when they become dull
A self-healing cutting mat
Heat gun - a hair dryer is not enough
Contact cement
A primer like Plastidip or Modpodge
Acrylic paints (no rattle cans)
Personal protective equipment (PPE) like dust masks or particulate masks, goggles, and gloves.

These tools are helpful, but optional if you do not have the funds or ability to obtain them:

Metal rulers for using as a cutting guide
Miter box and saw
Dremel or other rotary tool
Airbrush and airbrush acrylic paints

Kershaw Ultra-Tek Sharpener

Manipulating Foam

Manipulating foam is the act of changing it, forming it, and treating it to suit your specific needs. EVA is inherently a flexible, smooth, and flat material. Untreated foam can be compressed, formed, or bent but will return to its previous state when that force is removed unless you heat it. Heating the foam causes the material to expand slightly, which closes the pores and makes a smoother, more consistent surface. This also helps prevent paint or glue from being absorbed into the foam and leaving inconsistent surface coating. You can also use the heat to bend or shape foam by letting it cool into the held position.

Making Patterns

When you're building your armor, prop, suit, or clothing you have to have patterns or templates so each separate piece comes together to form the intended garment. So where can you get patterns for your cosplay?

There are various sources where you can find, download, purchase, or otherwise acquire existing patterns. Evil Ted, Punished Props Academy, and Kamui Cosplay are a few great resources where you can find pre-made patterns to print and use.

So what do you do if the cosplay or prop you are making doesn't have any preexisting patterns? You have to either take existing generic patterns and alter them or you have to make them entirely from scratch. So how do you do that? The easiest method here is to use the duct tape and ceran wrap method. Here, you take whatever part of your body you need to make a pattern for and wrap it in ceran wrap. Over this, you will use the duct tape to help create the shell. Be careful though, do not wrap the duct tape too tight or the pattern will end up too small. We will cover more on this method in another series.

Inkscape

Clean Seams

Clean seams are daunting and viewed as incredibly difficult and hard to achieve, but we are here to tell you that this is a big phony myth. Good seams are easy to achieve if you give yourself time and have patience. The easiest way to help ensure clean seams is to have very sharp cutting implements. If your cutting tool is dull, it will result in skipped cuts and it will tear the foam instead of making a precise cut. The amount of glue you use is also another important factor - remember less is more when it comes to contact cement - and letting it dry until it is tacky is best!

If for some reason you still have holes or bad seams, fret not! You can use foam clay, GapFilla by Punished Props, or KwikSeal to help hide those bad seams. Using these and a little bit of 220 grit sandpaper and some good, ol' fashioned elbow grease will help hide those pesky seams with ease. Just remember patience is your friend!

Adhesives

Your choice of adhesive has a direct impact on how you put your pieces together and how easy or difficult it is to do so. It has a direct impact on the quality of your seams and the longevity of your cosplay. Each also have their uses and disadvantages. In this segment, I will cover three very common types of adhesives that people use on their cosplays and props.

The first type of adhesive people use on EVA foam is contact cement. This is generally a cosplayer's adhesive of choice when it comes to gluing their pieces together, large or small. This glue is strong, forms a near instant bond, and is flexible. The brand names you will find this type of glue under are Barge or Weldwood. Barge can be obtained online or at leather crafting stores like Tandy Leather. Weldwood can be obtained at Walmart or at your big box hardware stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. This type of glue is quite pungent, however, and it is a MUST that you wear protective equipment like a particulate mask or using outdoors. Barge does come in a "low odor" version, but its adhesion is not as great.

The second type of adhesive people use is Cyanoacrylate (CA), or more commonly known as Super Glue. Super Glue is a great adhesive for gluing details on your armor but we would not recommend it for gluing large pieces together. Though this stuff is generally tough when cured, it does not create an immediate bond. The biggest downside though is its cost. Because it comes in small bottles, you'd end up spending a lot of money on super glue if that's all you use. So super glue is a great option for gluing on details.

The third type of adhesive is hot glue. There are low temp and high temp versions; high temp creates a much stronger bond. This type of glue comes with many more cons than pros, if truth be told. The pro is that this type of glue is the easiest to obtain, does not have a smell, and is relatively easy to use. The cons of this glue do tend to outweigh the pros though. First, it takes a long time for it to cool and harden. You'll be spending a lot more time than you need to just trying to hold your pieces together as it cools; and if you are working on a curved piece, this is potentially much longer waiting for your curve to set than you would if you used either of the two glues listed previously. Second, it's messy. It gets everywhere, and if you're trying to hold pieces together, you're also trying to get rid of excess glue before it hardens or burns you. Third, it's near impossible to get even good seams because the glue takes up much more space than the previously listed two do and it will squish out if too much is applied. If too little is applied, your pieces will not stick together. Lastly, this form of glue is temperature sensitive - meaning that if your cosplay is held together with only hot glue and you are outside on a warm day, the cosplay may literally come apart at the seams.

Cutting Bevels

What exactly is a bevel? A bevel is an edge that slopes at an angle, as opposed to perpendicular to its top surface. Instead of a 90 degree angled edge, it may be 45 degrees or any other angle. Cosplayers and fabricators create bevels in order to achieve endless amounts of results in their crafts; to create effects, details, or attach pieces together in special ways. CosTools also makes a line of bevel cutters so that you don't need to have a bunch of tools to cut beveled edges. These tools can be found on Amazon and at Michaels.

Another reason why you need a good blade and a good sharpener is to be able to make nice clean bevels. Using a sharp blade and a metal ruler as a guide for cutting, cutting at an angle is much easier and will give you cleaner cuts.

Attaching Armor

So you’re building your foam cosplay, but how do you put it together so that it stays on you and allows you to move as much as possible? Consider researching the ways armor was historically attached for inspiration when deciding how to attach yours. Remember, lighter armor will not need as robust an attachment, but should be tested against normal movement before finalizing. Consider how you will put it on and whether or not you will need a handler when making those decisions.

Straps to Foam

Neodymium Magnets

Ventilation

Where and how you put in ventilation depends entirely on the cosplay you're building, but you should at least try to add some if it's possible. Suits like Iron Man or many Monster Hunter armor sets for example, can be nearly impossible to do so. However, larger suits and especially ones that are only partially armored are some of the most able to have proper ventilation. Wherever you are able to put ventilation, your core and head are the most important areas.

Many cosplayers choose to install very small battery powered fans in their suits and helmets. They are completely hidden and most beneficial in costumes where there really is no place to add ventilation. You can use computer fans or even purchase pre-made helmet fan kits from venders like Henry's Helmet Fans. You will see fans used most by cosplayers in fur suits and those in The 501st Legion, Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club, and Star Wars charity groups that wear film-accurate suits. These cosplayers may wear their suits for long periods of time without breaks so having fans can mean the difference between passing out from heat stroke and not.

So when you're designing and building your foam armor, try to see where you may be able to add some ventilation or even some fans because seriously, your body will thank you.

Adding Details and Battle Damage

Adding details can make your cosplay stand out from the rest but it doesn't have to be difficult. There are only four things you need to make most any kind of detail: a sharp blade, a blade sharpener, a wood burner, and a Dremel.

The wood burner is particularly useful for detail work because it uses many different types of points to burn details with. The process is by no means quick but such attention to detail can make all the difference. Be sure to wear your PPE as the smoke that comes with burning foam can be toxic.

What about battle damage? The joke among foamsmiths is if you make a significant mistake it is now battle damage. A lot of mistakes can simply become battle damage.

What about raised details that foam isnt thin enough for or can be cut small enough to create? Puffy paint fills this need quite nicely. It can be drawn on like a pen and the result will be small, raised areas of detail that can be coated with paint and sealed just like any other part of your foam.

Battle Damage

Plastazote and Foam Clay

Foam clay is exactly what is sounds like; EVA foam in a form that is easily moldable and, when left to dry, will keep its shape for good. You can press this material into silicone molds, pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, and then de-mold and you have a nice, flexible piece of detail that you can adhere to your cosplay after its dried. Be sure to seal this within 24 hours or it will become brittle.

Plastazote, also called LED foam, is a material you undoubtedly have seen before as the semi-transparent white packing material, but this material now also comes in the same thicknesses that regular EVA foam comes in, up to 6mm thick. This type of foam can be glued and shaped the same way regular EVA foam is, but it allows light to pass through it, unlike regular EVA foam; making it perfect to cover lights on your cosplays.

Foam Clay vs Model Magic

Freezer Method

Sealing Foam

There are a few ways that you can seal your foam before you begin painting.

Big Sealant Test

Other Sealants

Allround Medium

Weathering

Weathering is a paint effect that makes your prop or armor appear worn, old, or otherwise well used. It also helps add dimension. This is an effect I used on my Skyrim Glass War Axe. And mentioning Skyrim, three videos below are from Skyrim! I’ve spent way too many hours playing that game (or have I?).

Weathering can be a scary thing to do but the end result is worth it. Why is it scary? The basic idea is, once you've spent tons of time painting your prop or armor, you pretty much cover it in diluted dark paint and then wipe away with a paper towel, or a technique called black-washing. If you wait too long to wipe...well, that's the scary part, hence why it's important to dilute the paint with water. Watch the videos below and see how it's done!

Your New Armor and Cons

Now that you're all done, you want to show everyone your new really cool cosplay right? Here are some things to remember while at conventions"

Transportation:

Depending on the size of your costume, you may or may not have difficulty taking it to a con. If you plan to fly with your costume, you'll need to design it to be able to ship it or fit it inside a large suitcase and without getting damaged. If you plan on flying with a prop weapon, make sure security or anybody that might search it has a way to know it's a fake prop so bring thorough documentation that it’s a prop.

Moving and inevitable damage:

If you plan on wearing your costume for a long time, make sure it's as comfortable and relatively easy to move in. If your feet hurt too much, consider padded soles or taking several breaks. Damage will inevitably occur, sometimes just from walking the con floor. Parts can and do come off. You will bump into people, walls, doorways, walk on stairs, hit things you didn't know were there, etc. your armor will get scratched, cracked, torn, and overall worn as you wear it. So before each con, look over your armor and check for places that need repair. Also, if places tear easily like foam straps, reinforce it with plastic like Worbla or a piece of a plastic grocery container.

For more serious damage:

If you're at a con and part of your costume breaks or tears off, make sure you're prepared. Some cons will have cosplay repair stations but others won't. When attending a con, take a cosplay first aid kit; things like super glue, contact cement, a blade, scraps of foam, brushes and spare paint, anything you might need for your costume that you can use to repair it on site or in your hotel room.

Heat and water:

EVA foam does not breathe at all. Make sure to hydrate yourself and wear a very breathable base layer if possible.

Eat:

Seems like a no-brainer but you will be having so much fun in your costume and getting your picture taken that you may forget to eat. Hey, this sounds like a great time to take off your costume! Go get some food.

Photos:

You will get your picture taken, and depending on how involved your costume is, you'll get it taken a lot. So if you have somewhere to be, give yourself extra time to get there. People may even wait to take your picture until you finish a conversation with someone. It happens.

Take spare clothes:

As you will sweat a lot, make sure to bring extra clothes like socks, shirts, and if you have a hotel room, underwear. Nothing like driving home or having dinner in clothes soaked in sweat.

Pain Killers:

Nothing like having a headache and not having Ibuprofen or Tylenol. It may just ruin your whole day.

Lastly, remember this rule: Cosplay is not consent. What does this mean? It means a few things. First, if you want to take a picture of someone in cosplay, do not just take it. You need to ask their permission first. If they say no, do not take it. Cosplay is not consent means no touching of props, costumes, and cosplayer without their permission. Cosplayers put in a lot of time and work into them and many are fragile. Cosplay is not consent means no costume, no matter how much skin is shown, is ever implied permission to harass, touch, grope, kiss, cat call, give sexual advances of any kind, or even ask out for a drink. It’s not permission of any kind. Fail to abide by this and you will be, at minimum, ejected and banned from the con, and you could even be arrested and thrown in jail. If you are ever the victim of harassment or worse, whether at a con or outside, notify security and/or police immediately.

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