Sometimes you want to own something that doesn’t exist. You’ve seen it in a movie or TV show, or maybe a comic book or manga, but it’s not real. When you figure out how to make your own props and costumes in cosplay, you can have everything that you want that isn’t real. You can actually pull an item into existence.
“Unlike the mere mortals of this planet, a Maker can have souvenirs from fantastic worlds,” maker Shawn Thorsson writes in the preface to his newly released book, Make: Props and Costume Armor.
“Do you want to hang that barbarian marauder’s particular battle-ax over your mantle?” Thorsson asks. “You’re just a couple sheets of plastic and a few bits of lumber away from having it. Want that galactic warrior’s helmet for your bookshelf? A quick trip to the hardware store and you’re on your way.”
Using everything from ordinary paper to those anti-fatigue floor mats cashiers stand on to specialty fiber glass applications, Thorsson is a master builder whose fantastic realities have even extended to creating a Makey costume that regularly encumbers a series of young men willing to lurch around in it during Maker Faire. You can only imagine how handy he is to have around at Halloween.
Thorsson’s new book is just one of 13 crazy great cosplayer ebooks on offer during this Humble Bundle deal launched today (just in time for Halloween) that includes a one-of-a-kind, limited edition, you-can-only-buy-it-this-way “Cosplay Life” Lapel Pin Set. And you know that this lapel thing is bound to cause some frothing mouths.
Shawn Thorsson also joins us today (October 12) at 11am PST for a “Meet the Maker” livestream chat about his work on our Twitch channel. If you missed New York Comic Con or just miss reading about it, getting a bit of Shawn’s insight into the art and craft of dressing up promises to be true fun.
So does paying whatever price you please to grab a nice raft of instruction, humor, and insight from Harrison Krix of Volpin Props, everything step-by-step and smart from the good people of Kamui Cosplay, great photos of cosplayers arrayed and ready to dazzle from photographer Ejen Chuang, a foam armor tutorial from Punished Props, and a mold-making primer from everyone’s favorite debunker, Adam Savage.
We’ve also included some Make: faves, like Kate Hartman‘s Wearable Electronics backgrounder; Becky Stern‘s introductory Getting Started with Adafruit FLORA; terrific Design for 3D Printing ideas from the founders of France’s LeFab Shop; and Make: columnist Bob Knetzger‘s simple guide to kitchen floor vacuum forming.
(Did we mention that “Cosplay Life” Lapel Pin Set? Yes? Excellent.)
This Humble Bundle collection runs until 10:59am on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and then it and its limited edition lapel pin set disappears like Thor from the script of Captain America: Civil War. As always, a portion of proceeds benefits Maker Ed, the nonprofit closest to us with a mandate to expand the world for students through the practice of making. To date, we’ve raised over $190,000 for Maker Ed, which is something wonderful to also have conjured merely from thin air and imagination.
What do you want that doesn’t even exist? Take this as a prompt to make that thing real.
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