ITW Kickstarter PreProduction: Making the Vest part ONE!

I decided to get started on the pre production side of the live action short based on Into This World. It will be used as my Kickstarter campaign (start saving your pennies now). First thing I wanted to get out of the way was the wardrobe. If the actress doesn't look like her video game counterpart, then she might as well be naked. Well...
I am no stranger to making props. I've done it for my own stuff and for art direction on shorts and webseries. What do I make props out of you ask or did not ask but I will tell you anyway because that is what this whole f'ing post is about. I make most of my props out of foam. It's light weight, semi-cheap and easy to cut (just like my ex wife).

"Bannon, you sonofabitch. You still owe me child support. I know we never had kids but I found a couple last week rummaging in my recyclin' bins. They keep trying to tell me that they are an old Chinese married couple. But I know kids and their sneaky tricks. I'm on to em'. God, I miss you."

Well, that was unpleasant. She's a fantastic woman, hell of a cook too. But, eh, not in the kitchen. Breaking Bad anyone? I just started watching. If you live in Los Angeles and you don't watch it, they come after you with pitchforks and torches.
What about the foam?
This is the foam I speak of. You can find it on craigslist every now and then for cheap. It might have to be cleaned because some parents put it in their children's playroom as a fun floor for the kids to fall/piss all over.
I buy mine at Target because I like to support small businesses. A pack of four run about $24 each.

FOAM! For the love of foam, it's FOOOOOOAAAM!!!

The first prop I started building was the battle vest that Drea wears. It's a mix between a modern military flak jacket and sci fi armor. It's meant to protect a driller from shrapnel and other debris flying at them.

The base of the vest was a cheap ass life jacket I found at a thriftstore. It's perfect for a thick vest like a flak jacket and it already comes with adjustable straps.

I did not add a photo of the life vest before I put shit all over it. Because we all know what a life vest looks like. Enjoy Chris Farley.

Here is the first stage of the vest. This is unpainted of course. I dont think the day glow look is bad ass enough. Like I said, the foam is easy to cut and adheres well when you use hot glue. It pretty much melts the foam into the other foam piece you glue it to. I got the basic shapes done, cut them out  with a razor blade and started gluing and used some masking tape to hold pieces together. I taped it together so the foam wouldn't bend back to it's original flat shape. You can bend this stuff with a heat gun. I do not have one. A blow dryer will not work. Trust me.

 I added some rivet holes by simply taking a magic marker top and twisting it hard into the foam. It leaves an imprint. Kinda like bevel and emboss. Any Photoshop hustlers out there? Holler!

I also took my dremel tool and etched some battle marks into it. This will be painted later to make it look like the paint got stripped and scuffed the metal.

This is the back of the vest. You can tell because it's the opposite of the front. Once again, I did the whole magic marker rivet trick. Those will get finished up with the paint job. That will be for next time. 

And no, that is not my jewelry hanging on the wall. It belonged to my ex wife...

"You bastard! I have been looking for that necklace for the past five years. I'll sue your ass so hard that your ass will countersue me. And then you'll have to front a bunch of money to your ass's lawyer. But you won't because your'e a cheap sonofabitch. Then your ass will be all butt hurt and you two will have a falling out. Kiss your ass's friendship goodbye, sucka!"