I am currently working on an Ashley Williams cosplay. It will be genderbent to be a female version but otherwise most everything should be the same as Ash from the Evil Dead franchise. I referenced his appearance in the movies, the TV show, and the newer video game. One piece I made for it is the harness that holds his “boomstick” on his back. This was my first time just covering EVA foam though instead of working solely on the foam. I decided to do this half way into the project as I originally intended to texture and paint it to look leathery. Instead I ordered way more faux leather than anyone needs and got to work. Here is how it went and what I learned.
How I Made Ashley William’s Harness
Ashley Williams is an icon of a character and I really wanted to make sure I made everything look perfect when I sat down to craft. I did make the template for this myself since I wanted it to fit correctly to my body while still mirroring how it looks on Ashley Williams. After I studied my character and made the template, I transferred it all onto EVA foam. Now I had fully planned to paint it and use my dremel to texture it. I was half way into texturing when I decided this was a bit excessive for no reason.
The EVA foam makes for a perfect sturdy base that I can just wrap in the prop’s material. It just saves me from fully working with leather which is beyond my skills. So I ordered a ton (way too much) of faux leather and cracked out the hot glue gun. I began wrapping and covering the harness and made sure the faux leather laid down flat so it didn’t accidentally get bunched up on the foam. I was a lot happier with the appearance immediately than what it was looking like after trying to texture the foam. It turned out a lot better than anything I could have painted.
What I Learned from Cosplaying Ashley Williams.
So I am always learning as I continue to make more and more cosplays. I learned I do not have to stick to one medium though when making my cosplays. Just because I decided to make something out of foam does not mean I can only work with foam. Using all the mediums together is another skill set and is a really good one to have. Never limit yourself to one material or tool. Explore and branch out. Put all of what you know together to make the best possible cosplay!
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