Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Instruments of Doom!

Hey, there, Cats and Kittens!

I thought I'd take a brief minute to talk about tools. Particularly, the tools that I use for my costuming. There are tons of people who all use a ton of different things, but I've found the following to be most beneficial to me.

1)  Coffee

Nothing like a nice, hot pot or two of joe to keep the little gray cells moving. This is number one on the list because it's, perhaps, the most important. If I didn't have coffee to spur the imagination, I'd probably have no imagination at all.

2)  Cutting mat

You can pick one of these up at your local craft store (I did) for somewhere in the range of 10-30 bucks. I didn't get a great big one because I don't need a great big one, but I do suggest you fork over the cash and get one big enough for your needs. It's a pretty penny at the beginning, but it's damn well worth it. Better to spend a little up front than to have the wife kill you for cutting up the kitchen table.

3)  Box cutter

There are many different kinds of razor-sharp blades out there. You can get hobby knives of a hundred different shapes and sized, but I prefer the old standby -- the box cutter. It's got a blade that can be replaced anytime you feel like it. Those blades are readily available at almost any store that sells hardware. Those blades are pretty cheap to replace. If you decide to go this route, I suggest you get something in a smaller, handheld variety (like mine). The bigger ones can be a wee bit cumbersome.

4)  Scissors

Buy a good pair of scissors. Don't go cheap on this one. Cheap, frappy scissor will dull quicker than anything. You want to keep your scissors sharp.This pair, made by Fiskars, is a damn good pair. They're heavy-duty and can be used to cut pretty much anything short of metal. I like it! It also comes with a handy dandy blade sheath with a sharpener. Nice. (Hint:  need to sharpen your scissors? Take a piece of aluminum foil, fold it a few times, then cut it with the scissors. It'll give them a non-permanent quick edge.)

5)  Square

Yeah, I know it's not a square. It's a triangle. But it's called a square. A roofing square to be exact. You can find one at your local hardware store. They come in plastic or aluminum. Choose the one you want. I'm partial to the brightly colored plastic ones (they're easier to find). I've got a small one and a big one. They'll run you from 5-15 bucks, but they work wonders for cutting straight edges. They're perfect for drawing straight lines.

6)  Tape

Tape! This stuff will be your best friend. Packing tape, Scotch tape, duct tape, masking tape...the list goes on and on. You can use it to hold material in place on the cutting mat. It temporarily holds material together. Draw a pattern on a piece of typing paper, slap some packing tape across it (like laminate), cut out the pattern, and you've got yourself a handy dandy template. Tape, it's a wonderful thing.

7)  Yardstick

I know I told you the square was good for straight lines (Did I say that? If not, then I'll say it now. The square is great for straight lines.), but sometimes you just can't beat an old-fashioned yardstick. It's three feet long, so you've got a straight edge that's as long as you probably need. It's roughly an inch or so wide, and I end up using strips this wide in a lot of things. And, if you don't end up needing it for the straight edge, you can pretend it's a sword. That's what I do.

8)  Hot glue gun

I don't think I even need to explain this one. If you don't have a hot glue gun, you need one. You don't have to get a super expensive one, though. You can buy one for around $5. Just get a small one. It's all you need.

9)  Pen and pencil

You'll need something with which to write. I like both a pen and pencil. The pencil is good for drawing lines, and the pen is good for drawing designs (especially fine tipped pens).

10)  Doodle book

This is my doodle book. I keep it in my back pocket at all times and jot down any ideas I have. As you can see, I sketch, plan, write, draw, list, explain, imagine, and otherwise doodle my ideas. If you don't have one, you should think about getting one. It's great.

That's it for my "use all the time" tools. I'll talk about materials in another post.

Y'all have a great night!
Cheers

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