Tampa Bay Comic-Con 2016, Pt 3

Aight, peeps, let's see if I can fit the rest of my Tampa Bay Comic-Con favs into one last post. This... will be a challenge.

(You HAVE seen Part 1 and Part 2, right? Yes? Excellent. Carry on.)

Let's start with one I actually missed: here's my friend May's photo of herself as a gender-swapped Marty, along with THE coolest Transformer:

"Are you telling me you made a Transformer... out of a Delorean??"

Yes, someone did. AND IT IS GLORIOUS.

(Cosplay confessions: I've dreamed of building an Ecto-1 Transformer. Maybe someday.)

This Eleanor was part of the BioShock group that went on to win Best Video Game in the costume contest:

(She's holding Subject Delta's drill; sadly he wasn't around at the time!)

These two Splicers were also part of the group:

And I just really like that close-up of Eleanor. :)

This little Wonder Woman was so on point I didn't have the heart to tell her her shield was upside down:

:D
Seriously, check out that pose! Perfection!

Pearl and Garnet from Steven Universe:

And a mother/son duo as Boba Fett and Endor Leia:

This Lady Kylo Ren covered her lightsaber in something - maybe hot glue? - to make it look more like ragged flames:

How To Make Vinyl Boots Look Like Aged Leather

I went looking for summer boots last month, and found this cute fold-down style:

Not bad for $30, right?

 

Trouble is, like almost all vinyl faux leather, they're super shiny and plastic-looking. Bleh.

So let's make 'em look like real aged leather, shall we?

I won't keep you in suspense: here's how they turn out:

Pretty cute, right? And sooo much more realistic than that shiny vinyl.

Don't worry, this finish is quite durable, and won't come off in water even if you scrub. So splash through as many puddles as you want, and rest assured any extra wear and scuffs will only add to the "leather" look.

You can use this technique on any vinyl, so it's also great for costuming and steampunk applications!

But best of all, this is super easy, and super cheap. All you need is a little 400 grit sandpaper (check any hardware store), some flat brown craft paint, and a wet rag.

So let's go.