Kigu Tips!
Mask Maintenance
Tips & Tricks
As a kigurumi mask maker & Kig Doctor -
I get asked a lot of questions involving
how to take care of or fix certain
things on masks? Below are some
tips and resources that I like.
Paint Suggestions
+ DO NOT - please... I beg of you...
do not use sharpies or any kind of
permanent marker on your kigs.
if any form of chemical (top coat spray,
acetone, cleaning agents - ANYTHING)
gets on the places where you
have sharpie - it will bleed.
+ If you NEED a pen type tool,
try out paint pens like these:
IVSUN Fine Tip Pens (<---Link)
there are better options,
but these work pretty well.
+ in most cases, a cheap acrylic paint from
Walmart will suffice. Small detail
brushes will also come in handy.
Like these (<--- Link)
+ if you want to be a bit fancy,
my favorite acrylic paint is
PlaidFX Smooth Satin (<--- Link)
+ for anything that needs a more,
airbrushed look - a cheap option would be
using a makeup pallet & a fluffy brush.
+ But - for more color payoff &
matte color options, chalk pastels
are the way to go. I like these:
Prismacolor NuPastels (<--- Link)
^ If getting the color to come off
onto your brush is proving difficult -
scrap/shave some of the
power off onto a plate and
use a brush to apply.
+ for hard lines, I suggest watercolor pencils.
they're more forgiving if you need
to erase or remove them.
theyre also softer then
standard colored pencils.
I typically use Prismacolor (<--- Link)
+ for top coats, my suggestion would be
Mr. Super Clear (<--- Link)
+ for skin tone fixes: AVOID ACRYLIC PAINT
it will not have the smooth airbrush look
and will stand out & not blend well.
+ a good spray paint that matches
most pale toned kigs would be the
in Pale Flesh (<---Link)
+ for any other tone- you would be surprised
the color matches I have found at
hardware stores or Walmart.
+ Take some good, color accurate pics
and bring them with you to find something
that best matches your kig.
Kig Safe Glues
+ If you need to glue any parts
back to your mask-
my current favorite glue is
E6000 (<---Link)
(also usually available at Walmart)
+ If it feels like more a of
hot glue job - my favorite is
Gorilla Hot Glue (<--- Link)
(also usually available at Walmart)
+ DO NOT- please...omg - please
do not use super glue.
+ Super glue does not always hold well
& will cloud the area around the section
you glued. It's a hard resin type glue
that cannot flex well, and will typically
crack or flake off with time.
Wig Upkeep & Tips
+ Wig maintenance really
depends on the wig.
+ Anything with permanent styling
(glued down pieces or extreme styling)
I would NEVER wash. Keep these
in confined storage to avoid dust
(example: large Rubbermaid
container or box of some sort) depending
on the wig, you can lightly dust them off
with a damp rag- but I would avoid it.
+ For flyaways/stray hairs on
permanently styled wigs,
I would use GOT2B hair spray (<--- Link)
and lightly press the hair back
down with your fingers.
+ When it comes to wigs that can be removed
& do not have any form of permanent styling:
+ You can clean/deep clean these,
but I would do so sparingly.
+ This is a video I like to refer people to
when it comes to these types of wigs
& cleaning/detangling them:
Detangle and Revive Cosplay Wigs
by: Iwasaka Miyuki (<---Link)
+ almost any videos & tutorials for
cosplay wigs, will apply to kig mask wigs.
+for either permanently styled or
non-permanently styled wigs:
+ brush the wig hairs that do not have any
sort of permanent styling to them
after every wear.
There are lots of "wig brush" kits
you can pick up online -
like this one. (<--- Link)
+ if you have issues with your wig
CONSTANTLY tangling, using a silicone spray
can sometimes help, I use this one:
CRC Heavy Duty Silicone (<--- Link)
+ Apply light amount to affected
areas of the wig, brush evenly
through the strands.
+ Do not over apply or do it toooo often
it can damage your wig fibers over time
or get REALLY greasy and need
a deep clean after a while.
Scuffs & Scratches
+ Not all scuffs can be removed without
staining or further damaging the paint.
+ but- a faaaairly safe option to try when
you're dealing with a scuff- take a
clean pencil eraser and lightly
rub the scuffing.
IF YOURE LUCKY- it will come off.
+ Magic erasers help a bit too- but DO NOT
press too hard, in most cases you will
remove the paint along with the scuff.
+ if you're dealing with a scratch & are
fairly confident in your artistic ability - lol:
+ you need a good matte (in most cases)
skin toned match spray paint,
as well as a clear matte top coat.
+ a good spray paint that matches
most pale toned kigs would be the
in Pale Flesh (<---Link)
+ for any other tone- you would be surprised
the color matches I have found at
hardware stores or Walmart.
+ Take some good, color accurate pics
and bring them with you to find something
that best matches your kig.
+ for top coats, my suggestion would be
Mr. Super Clear (<--- Link)
+ You can find good matte top coats
in hardware stores as well.
The automotive ones are the
best in my experience.
+ Once you have a good matching paint,
we're gonna sand that scratch down.
+ lightly sand the scratch down a bit with a
600 grit sandpaper for light scratches
& 220 grit sandpaper for deeper scratches-
after the 220 grit, smooth it with
the 600 grit afterwards.
+ you can find higher grit sandpapers
in the automotive section
then you will standard paint supplies.
+ once the mask is smooth -
use your spray paint
to carefully cover the smoothed area.
+ BE CAREFUL to cover or shield other parts
of your mask so you do not spray over them.
+ Let the color coat dry completely
before adding your top coat.
+Let dry - and TAH DAH - all fixed.
Have a question I didn't cover?
feel free to shoot me any further questions
to my Twitter: @SABKigu