How to make fabric covered foam armor

Have you ever thought of pushing the limits on your next cosplay project? Although it may seem a little daunting at first, making your own fabric covered foam armor is easier than you think. Cosplay connoisseur “Emmabellish” has a great Youtube channel with tons of cool, DIY-centered tutorials. She has used the fabric covered foam technique to make armor for characters such as Imperius from Diablo III and female characters like Yiffy and Arial.

The technique is fast, easy to do and you don’t have to spend a lot of time coating and sealing the armor. It gives the final armored product a stand-out, cartoony feeling with the shiny texture. She recommends if you want something more realistic, you should try sealing and repainting the foam. Some of the materials you need include glue, such as contact cement, which you’ll need to use in a well-vented area and have a respirator on hand. Other materials include brushes, armor, 4 way stretch fabric and stretch vinyl. Emma recommends using metallic dance fabric, as the spandex stretches a lot and you’ll be able to create more detailed work. Stretch vinyl is also a good choice, although it doesn’t have as much stretch as spandex.

Emmabellish kicks things off for this tutorial by covering your fabric and armor piece with contact cement. She definitely encourages viewers to use gloves while they’re doing this, and not to risk things like she did in the video. Next, allow the contact cement to dry completely, because if it is slightly damp then the details will not adhere properly. You’ll want to press the fabric onto the foam piece by using your fingernails or the end of a paintbrush to push the fabric into all of the detailed spots.

Then, clip the fabric perpendicular to the foam corners. Press the fabric down on the edges of the foam, and clip away the excess. Stretch the fabric tightly over curved edges to avoid puckers in the fabric. Double check the fabric hasn’t pulled away from the detail areas, and rework if necessary. Using this imaginative DIY technique for making foam armor is creative, funky and totally cool. The sky’s the limit when it comes to creating some awe-inspiring armor for your next cosplay debut. Check out her Facebook for more complex cosplay pieces: https://www.facebook.com/emmabellish/photos_stream

Written by Jade Nicolette