By some strange miracle, I have finally ventured into creating my dream cosplay- Vol'Jin, Leader of the Darkspear, Warchief of the Horde.

EVA foam is your best friend // It's no secret that any item can be used for cosplay (like the dish soap I used for my boomer bile), but the same can also be said for armor making specifically. There seems to be a golden rule consistent throughout the countless tutorials I've read- if it isn't Worbla, it's probably EVA foam.

Worbla is a thermoplastic that is highly regarding in the cosplay community for it's malleability, versatility, and durability. However, the high price tag steers many crafters, such as myself, away quite quickly. In comes Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate, most commonly known as craft or EVA foam, which is available everywhere from craft stores to home improvement stores (my favorites being Hobby Lobby and Home Depot). Not only is it incredibly affordable, but it can be primed and painted to give the same look as worbla armor, but without the high price tag.

Hot glue just won't cut it anymore // I've managed to stay true to the same basic tennant of 'accuracy' when making my cosplays; that is, I like my costumes to resemble as close to the original character as possible. With accuracy comes extreme attention to detail, aka doing things the more tedious way over the cheap and fast method. After some research, I found that most prop makers have a liking for the adhesive products of E6000 and Barge cement. I purchased a tube of E6000 and was more than slightly paranoid about the potential cancer-causing agents within the product, and also noted the importance of ventilation due to the almost nauseating scent. What I'm saying, is that I'll give Barge cement a try before venturing back to that silver tube of death. However, the end result was phenomenal- unlike hot glue, E6000 left no visible space between the two sheets of EVA foam, and even allowed for some adjustment time before it was finally sealed after a few minutes.

Prop makers actually respond to your questions // I would never have embarked on such a masochistic endeavor had I not the resources necessary to understand prop and armor making 101. Most of the people within the community belong to the Replica Prop Forum, and seeing their WIP feeds on facebook everyday not only encourages me to keep trying, but enables me to ask questions directly without judgement! I highly recommend checking out their website and forums, as well as digging through YouTube and cosplay-related Tumblrs. I've also been looking up to the following accounts for daily inspiration and guidance:

While prop and armor making is an incredibly vast subsection of cosplay, I highly recommend everyone to try it out at least once! Make a bracer, pattern out a pauldron- you'd be surprised at how easy things can be with the right tools and knowledge.

Have any tips, tricks, or advice? Let me know in the comments below!