February | 2017 | Nivera Gilbert

Hi! If you’re here looking for how to make Ana’s Biotic Rifle check out this construction post! This blog post just covers how to scale/print blueprints using the Biotic Rifle as an example!
Thank you for checking out my blog!!!

Today’s tutorial is all about using the program ‘Posterazor’ to scale and print your blueprints for cosplay. If you’re like me an photoshop isn’t your thing then this program is perfect for doing the work for you with little maths involved!

So what is Posterazor?

Posterazor is a free program available for download (Click Here) that was originally made so that you could make posters at home by uploading and image to the program, choosing the size by spreading it over (x) pages and then printing it.

More recently cosplayers have found a use for the program by using it to print their blueprints for props. It’s made extremely easy as the scale is just based on printing paper size. So you can lay paper out in your printing formation before printing to check your scale or just referencing the programs display.

It’s super easy!

Tutorial Time!

Things you will need:

•A PC or laptop that can run the program

•A Printer

•Printing paper (depending on how many times you need to run prints this may be more or less)

•A PDF program (I used PDF suite 2013)

•A blueprint or reference image you want scaled

•Craft knife or scissors for cutting out the printed design

•Sellotape(clear) and painters tape (any thick tape will do) for taping the cut pieces together again.

For this tutorial I’ll be making Ana’s Biotic Rifle from Overwatch. Thought of course this tutorial can be used for any blueprint!

Biggest thank you to Cosplay Amino user Beariore for sending me their blue print they made for their Ana cosplay!
I discussed with Beariore and they’re happy for me to give out the final blueprint that they altered from an Original Blueprint made by u/babomazer by adding line-work, scaling it and converting it to PDF.
Below is the blueprint unscaled.

If you would like the scaled PDF blueprint that I made/used for my cosplay then please contact me via direct message on either Instagram, Twitter or my Facebook page. You can find me @NiverasWings.
The PDF version I used is scaled to best suit my heigh, I’m 5’7. Another important thing to note is that its made for A4 paper as opposed to American letter paper, please keep that in mind before contacting me. I’m very busy at the moment and don’t have time to custom scale this blueprint on request.
Besides! If you read further down this blog post you’ll find the information on how to do that yourself! 🙂

(Optional)

The first thing I did was download the PDF files Beariore sent me.

I decided to run a test print at this stage to test the size of the original blue print.

Sox my cat for scale.

I decided it was too small and wasn’t thick enough at the base of the gun and some added length wouldn’t hurt.

(Main Tutorial)

I fired up old MS Paint and pasted all of the portions into it (in order so they lined up) and then scaled the page down (the white around the gun) so that it was as close to the gun as possible. This is so that when the image is used in Posterazor there won’t be too much white and the blueprint will fill the pages better.

Less waste, save the planet
This was as small as I could make the image without cutting into the blueprint.

The little black lines around the outside are from the crop on paint. Don’t worry about those!
Next you want to open up Posterazor, there is a tutorial for using it on the site but I’m aiming to make it more clear.

Now you want to click ‘Input Image’ the file icon. Go through your files and find where you’ve saved your blueprint and open it into the program.

It’ll look like this once it’s uploaded.

Click next and it’ll go though printer formats. I personally don’t change anything on this page I’ve never needed to.

Click next again and it’ll come to image over lapping settings. Again I don’t change anything for this setting either as it makes lining your blueprint up once printed so much easier. There’s some trimming involved but I really do recommend leaving it this way.

Next is the easy part! Deciding on final size.

A grid format will appear over your image, using the width and height boxes you can change how many pages the image will be printed over.

Height refers to the amount of pages going up in the grid as indicated by the height arrow.

Width refers to the amount of pages going lengthways across the grid as indicated by the width arrow.

I was printing in portrait view but it will be similar using the landscape option too.

As the original print I tested with was only 4 pages in highly I thought 5 would be a good test. And as I wanted it to be wider I added another column (grid) of pages to increase the width.

Once you’re happy with the final size you can click next and then you’ll be brought to this page.

Click on the tick box ‘Launch PDF application after the poster is saved’.

And then save your scaled blueprint.

Your PDF application will then be launched with the blue print spread over the amount of pages you selected in the program.

I just made sure to check everything was okay and nothing was blurred or looked wrong.

Then you can hit print!

Before cutting anything out lay your pages out in order (ignore the overlap you just need to get an idea of size). Take a step back and check that this is the size you want. If it’s too big or small, go back into Posterazor and edit and repeat. If it the right size then celebrate and get rest to cut that thing out!

Here’s a size comparison of the original PDF size Beariore sent me (top) and then my newly rescaled blueprint (lower)

I really like the new size!

Cutting your blueprint out

I used a rotary cutting tool to cut my rifle out but ideally a craft knife would be better (I’m always loosing them). Or scissors.

Once everything is cut out you can start taping it back together. I used transparent tape for the printed side and then backed that with painters tape on the other side to give some extra support.

If you decided to go with the overlap option, trip the border edge (0.5cm) and then line up the over lap and tape it down. Because the overlap is printed it make it so much easier to line up.

Once you’ve finished taping you’re all done! And you’ll have a neat little blueprint ready for prop making!

Here is my finished Biotic Rifle.

And you’re all done! Get out there and make some blueprints and props! If you use this tutorial tell me what you’re making! Or what do you want to make? I’d love to hear!

I’ve been really awful at documenting (taking photos of) my progress for Ana recently so here’s a tutorial for Posterazor which I originally threw together for Cosplay Amino.
I have got another project on the go at the moment being the Deathbrand Armour from Skyrim (Dragonborn DLC) and patterned it all, cut the foam base for it and got to the worbla stage and… lost interest. I have a few other projects in mind at the moment of what I want to move onto next starting with my 1860’s ballgown which IS happening. But I’m conflicted as to what I want to make as a cosplay. I’m heading to Hertfordshire on Monday and will go to some fabric stores there so I’m hoping that out of the cosplays I have in my head one will have all of the required fabric there and I’ll make that one! Maybe? It’s probably the worst way to decided on something but I really don’t know or feel overly inspired by anything right now.
Red? Blue? or Yellow?
The red tribunal robes is something overly detailed I want to make and suffer though, blue is Sombra who’s a very fun character and with my blue obsession I have right now the cyber skin is perfect and then the Ancient One who easily makes my list of favourite characters of 2016.

I could easily change my mind in the next few days but a new fabric haul is on its way. I will make up of the weeks I haven’t posted! I recently got a new laptop so I’m still setting that up, why is the file system on mac so weird?

AND I’ll have a post/vent about my university applications and acceptances!

That’s all for now, thank you for reading
-Nivera

Progress, Progress, Progress!!

I had actually finished making the mock up for this cosplay at the time of posting my fabric haul for it but decided that I had so little content for it (and I ended up changing the final patterns anyway) that it wasn’t worth including in that post or making a solo post for it either.

The mock up

I decided it would be best to make the main coat up of four patterns in total. Front (2) and back (2).
I started off by flat pattern drafting my pattern. This was my first time using the technique and actually went pretty well!

I’ve been using all of the packing paper from when we moved as patterning paper, it’s really durable and something to hold onto
I then cut these patterns out of my mock up fabric which was an old sheet.

Once they were cut out I threw them under my nifty new sewing machine connecting all the seams. I marked were to stop, as these were the slits in her coat.
I doesn’t look like much nut the silhouette was pretty similar and that made me really happy! From the mock up at this point I realized that I needed to make the back seam larger as it pulled ever so slightly across my shoulders.
Next I moved onto patterning the sleeve, which I professionally stole from a sweater I had on my wardrobe.

I then made it a little larger around the arm opening and sewed it onto the coat.
The cuff needed to be rolled up as it was far too long, I later shortened it and added a cuff to the end.
A few days after completing the mock up mum and I went to Exeter and bought fabrics (seen in my previous post).

The Cosplay

The I begin the real cosplay, I added (really I took off) some more shape to the patterns by slanting them off at an angle. Which emphasized the slits in her coat. I also drew on the coloured details onto these base patterns.

Then using cooking paper I traced these details and numbered them, making a list of what pattern went where, size and color.

Cooking paper works great for tracing as its semi transparent and firmer than standard printing paper meaning it won’t tear and also doesn’t ‘bleed’ when markers are used on it.

I then cut these numbered patterns out (using a rotary cutting tool, which was so easy!), the patterns were then pinned onto fabric and cut out. Then I had to use those patterns once again to cut out heat n bond interfacing which took forever.

Once this was done (and it took hours) I was able to begin ironing on the pattern pieces.
Starting with the front pieces.
Then the back! I decided to pin them in place (as seen in the pictures) because I didn’t want the patterns to shift places and they were placed according to my drawn out patterns and measured to fit.

When everything was ironed on I pined everything together and tried it on.

I then unpinned everything and began satin stitching the edges of the coat details.
This took hours.

But I think it looks fantastic and I’m really happy I took the time to do it!

I ran out of blue thread half way through the third panel I was doing but was lucky enough to find it stocked at a small craft store in my town. It saved my life.
I then sewed the front and back pieces together and the shoulder seams.
This meant it was time for the sleeves!
I returned to my botched sleeve pattern and ended up taking about an inch and a half off which would later be made up with a sleeve cuff.
I cut out the fabric for both sleeves and the sleeve cuffs. I seed the sleeve seam and then used a gathering stitch on the end of the sleeve which I gathered down to the size of the cuff. The cuff was then sewn to form a loop.

I then seed the cuff into the sleeve and it was ready to be sewn onto the coat.

The first one went on perfectly but as I was working late that night (1am) I sewed the second on on inside out, I decided it was bedtime at that point! And sewed it on the next morning.

Then came the collar which was also pretty botched.

It worked! But I’ve now decided I want to make it more accurate which will only take an hour or two but I want to move on from the coat at this point.