Anyone good at making costumes?

[Dark Claws]

So I have a bunch of costumes that I have to design sometime next year, but I really can't procrastinate this one. I need to design a bunch of roman age armor and stuff and make it look at least semi professional. My budget is zero right now. The bed sheet toga thing is definitely happening on account of my lack of ability to design stuff, but I still have to find a way to put together a bunch of helmets and breastplates. Anyone have any tips on what to do?

[Krowdon]

Ooh! I have a bunch of foam armor tutorials I can link you to when I get home.

[Dark Claws]

Thanks, you planning on getting home anytime soon?

[Krowdon]

This is all i can find ATM. i'm sure i have more somewhere. I haven't tried any of these, but they look good.

Armor patterns: http://www.armourarchive.org/patterns/

References:
http://saroux.tumblr.com/post/46911363176/armormaking-faq-ive-been-asked-on-multiple

http://entropyhouse.com/penwiper/costumes/helmsdeep.html

[Kilkenne]

Dear Krowdon,

When you are referencing or quoting a source, and you provide said source, you do not need to provide references to the first source.

Love,

Kilkenne

[Krowdon]

Dear Krowdon,

When you are referencing or quoting a source, and you provide said source, you do not need to provide references to the first source.

Love,

Kilkenne

Did I goof up.

[Dark Claws]

Only a little. Thanks for the links!

[Dark Claws]

UPDATE: The armor patterns didn't work out too well due to my lack of skill. Also, I need  to find a way to make swords/shields/daggers.

[windhound]

Paper Mache?
Google for instructions, but basically its just a water/flour paste smeared on torn up newspaper.
Find things you can use as a mold, apply several layers, allow to dry, and then rattlecan it and you're good.

I'd just use foamboard for swords, trace the outline and cut.  Tape the handle. 
You can always rattlecan that as well.

[Kilkenne]

By rattlecan he means spray-paint if you are a little slow.

[Raggon]

Ah. Thanks, Kilk.  :D

[Dark Claws]

Cool thanks. And thanks for the translation kilk.

[Peace Alliance]

I made my daughter Arya a sword for her second birthday. All I did was take a scrap bit of plywood and sand it down with a powered hand sander (I also tried using my metal grinder, but it was a poor substitute for a table sander). I haven't painted it, nor have I made a hilt... And so far she has to grow into the sword a bit.


So basically, all you'd need is scrap wood and a sander (ask your friends/dad, someone oughta have one).

Windy's right, you can use reflective metallic spray paint. But you might want to make a point of trying to match the colour to iron or bronze, rather then steel. During antiquity (which was the time of ancient Rome, which went right up to about 500 AD depending on how you look at it) most weopons were made out of bronze because it was cheap, but the best warriors (the aristocrats, who were social elites trained in combat) could afford iron, which was very expensive because they didn't have blast furnaces in Europe till sometime between the 2nd and 5th centuries AD.

Here's a quote from a class I just took:

... iron is harder than bronze so if you are using bronze weapons and armour
you cannot hope to win against someone using iron weapons and armour. Hence only
a small elite, those who could afford iron, were able to fight in battle. And that had
tremendous social and political consequences; rule by kings, and a social system
dominated by a hereditary warrior caste called aristocrats

We had 2 lectures on metals, and a later two on war technology. If you'd like a copy of the notes, or even the lecture video's I can send you them. This class was awesome, and it is a university class so I'm sure it'll give you the edge up (assuming you're in high school?). The prof was a bit technocentric but I'm totally over it.

[Kilkenne]

It took me a minute to figure out what window was talking about :3

Also Arya is 2 already? Time goes fast...

[windhound]

Ahhah.  Made her a sword that's longer than she is tall
Nicely done, I like the grip

TIL rattlecan is not as common as I thought
https://www.google.com/#q=define+rattle+can&spell=1

But yep, if you've got the tools or can find someone with them a 1"x4"x8' untreated (!!) board is only a few bucks.  No treated wood for this plz.

Also, they make bronze spraypaint.  I painted a chicken coop's tin roof with it - http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/windhound/coop_done.jpg
Its rather pretty, though I've no idea what color roman swords should be.  Your local hardware store more than likely has a gigantic array of spray paint colors, or if you're feeling ambitious you can grab a quart of normal house paint and have whatever color you want mix'd up; just bring in a sample.