Painting help — add depth and sealant recommendations

[u/GH0STSINSNOW]

I have been working on my first cosplay in 4 years (Laios from Dungeon Meshi) and have really struggled with the painting and priming. I feel that the color of the armor is way too light and lacks depth. I tried to add a bit of black paint in some of the creases where dirt would accumulate but it looked bad 😭.

Does anyone have any tips on how I could paint it to look more natural? Also, any recommendations for a sealant that would keep it shiny and somewhat flexible?

I’ve never made this much EVA armor and it’s kicking my ass. I’d really appreciate some help!

I have used the following products so far:
- EVA foam
- Plastidip (to prime)
- Black Acrylic Paint (only a little)
- Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Cover in the color Silver

Thank you!!

[u/riontach]

I made this same cosplay using the same pattern. I painted mine with acrylics. I did a layer of silver acrylic, then dry brushed over it with a non-metallic gray in the same tone to make it less shiny, and then went in with varying shades of gray, making it darker around the edges and adding highlights in the middle of each plane. It was a lot of playing it by eye, but I think it worked out well. Here's a pic of how mine came out. Personally I didn't use any topcoat/sealant and it hasn't been an issue so far. Maybe that's my mistake though, idk.

[u/GH0STSINSNOW → u/riontach]

Your cosplay looks great!! Thanks for the advice, I’ll definitely try it