I need help

I need help.. can someone teach me how to make props?

 

For making props you don't need a teacher. You need talent, creativity and experience. Learning by doing!

 

Welcome to the RPF,Chris.
Better start reading the forum and watch plenty of youtube videos.Knock yourself out :cheers

 

I sure can help you. I charge $1000 for our online course.

Here's the course.

Choose a prop you'd love to own.
Spend as many hours as it takes to study everything about that prop.
Watch YouTube videos, read RPF threads, ask questions here on the RPF regarding the building of that prop.
Study, study and study some more.
Start building and then keep building until finished.
Rinse and Repeat.

That's all you have to do!....you could spend money on a tech school course I suppose, but 99% of the knowledge you'll need is here and online.

My top tips are.....If you're new to prop building, make your first prop something simple and make sure you finish it.

Good Luck and don't forget to send me that $1000

 

A few things you need:

1- Talent
2- Time
3- Money
4- Space

Good luck!

 

I love the RPF!

 

Pick something like, something simple to start off with. Now go to the serch bar at the top and once you find that topic or piece read as much as you can on the build. Once you've done that then try it. You're new but you have to understand that you HAVE to do the work yourself. There is no quick fix here, if that were the case then everyone would be doing it. You might as well just buy something. There are a lot of artisans here and posting a question like yours is gonna garner a lot of smart * comments. If you're sincere about wanting to get into this then you have to do the work, and with that comes research-effort and a lot of trial and error. Lastly enjoy the process, if you fail then you discovered one way of how not to do it. Don't give up and good luck man...GM

 

Props can be made from many different materials. I'd suggest that you choose a prop that can be made from wood or clay before you start experimenting with resins or complicated building materials. Good luck, who knows, maybe i'll be interested in one of your creations in the future!
Browse through the threads that interest you for inspiration

 

Maybe better start off with a nice kit that needs only little work to finish (just some sanding, gluing and painting).

Also depends on what kind of prop's your interested in, off course. Making a replica of a book (like a Grail Diary or a Nine Gates book) is totally different than making a replica of a helmet or something. Needs a total different kind of skills to create...

 

Money can be an issue for materials for anyone on a project. I've suggested that newcomers try working with cardboard, corrugated or cardstock, since it is readily available and is generally thrown out as trash. Standard white glue is cheap enough and will certainly do the job for assembly. A cutting matt, exacto knife, straight and curved edges also come in handy.

There are members here, including myself, that use this medium with great results. As advised before, do a search and read the threads. Also check out some images on the internet and see what possiblities can be done with a simple search, "Building with cardboard".

 

Something simple and small to start with is the best way to start building
You don't need expensive materials.
I made a replica prop from the old BBC show Hitch Hikers Guide To the Galaxy (The Mouse Tree House) from paper machete, to prove a point. It was left to totally dry out and then I brushed on resin to harden the surface. The end result was a very nice table setting piece that didn't need to do any functions, just an art piece
good luck

 

Since the OP was on here as late as yesterday, but has not been back to the thread... I feel I must say something!
Numerous people were nice enough to entertain a ridiculous thread and ridiculous question like this, maybe the first thing to start with here would be to post a thank you for the advice already given. Prop making is not as easy as asking someone to teach you to do it, and for those that can teach you it would take time, as well as their knowledge. And to go to school for this would cost you tens of thousands in tuition. So I personally feel that when your first post is to expect someone to teach you skills they have developed over the course of years, and when a few try to give you some guidance and direction on where to start, ignoring the thread is not the route to go.... Saying thank you to everyone will go a long way to earning respect and developing friendships here at the RPF.

 

Rich is right.Dumping your wishlist on the table,as a newcomer even,without a proper "thank you",and in your very first post of all things,does not testify of good manners.
In that context,I believe I owe the guy whom I told back then to be more patient with newcomers an apology (I forgot his name).It's becoming a trend to barge in at day one with wishes and expectations,and often without a sign of gratitude.
Is it possible (for as far as this isn't happening already) for the Admin to monitor new threads like this and delete them? Just wondering...

 

probably just a kid. jumped In hard and fast. and now want's to go back to lurking with no reprisals.

 

Yeah a better first post would be like "I want to make a Luke Skywalker lightsaber. Could someone give me some tips on where I should start."

 

This thread is not dead. I believe he is working on the research. I pm'd him the other day and he's working on it...GM

 

Still... He was even on here yesterday. He should at least show a little gratitude and thank some people.

 

So, the key thing you need, besides a project or goal, is the ability to build a three-dimensional object. Folks do this by sculpting, woodworking, forming metal, pepakura, 3-D design and printing, and a whole host of other techniques. There are lots of places and ways to jump in, though. Read up on how others are creating things you like, then study those techniques. Most of the time, it's labor and time-intensive. And you will mess things up and wreck projects as you learn.

 

I'd sorta disagree with a lot of people. And maybe I'm a bad example (so many things I never seem to finish!) but my feeling is the biggest thing you need is stubborn. Skill is great, but skills will come in time if you stick with it. Natural talent is a big leg up but you can still struggle through and fake it around without it (I'll stand witness to that one).

Even taking on a project that is a reasonable size is not an absolute -- some people throw themselves at something massive right out of the gate, and even if it disintegrates half-way through they'll still learn a lot and have a great feeling of accomplishment.

The big one is being brave enough to try it and patient enough to keep at it.

 

Well shoot. whats he researching? I pm'd when the thread came up. what I thought to be just a few words of encouragement. not a peep nata zip.

my next words would be a little courtesy goes a long way....

 

Guys
maybe he's just a kid and he is overwhelmed and intimidated with the attention as well as the language problem
or he is not sure how to proceed with people coming hard at him.
Personally I think we should give him some space,
if he wants help he will try to make contact again
If he is a prankster, he will get board quickly and go away

- - - Updated - - -

 

Kid or not there's a thing called respect and gratitude. Usually you learn this at young age
A simple thank you would have been enough
Maybe it's because of things like this there are a few threads posing questions with no replies...

 

opcorn nothing but crickets?

 

Then grab your gun and bring In the cat...:lol

 

So..... No thank you to everyone, I presume?

That must be one hell of a research session :lol

 

Other peoples children! :unsurel

 

I don't think he inserted the coin Into the RPF prop making machine properly...:devil

 

This reminds me of something similar that happened to me the other day.
I decided I wanted to go to the moon before I died, so naturally I went to the NASA forums and signed up. They were SO rude! I just asked if someone could teach me how to be an astronaut. They made fun of me and laughed me off the forum! What a bunch of jerks! I asked a sincere question and they made me feel stupid!
I'll show them! I'm never posting over there again!

 

I came here and saw the amazing props and knew I had no skill at making props.
But I was (am) a computer Geek.
So, I taught myself how to 3D model and I have made several props since then.
Bottom line.....find your own path FIRST and then ask specific questions on a particular technique when you get to it.

 

Now, now children...play nice.....:lol......I'm new here and I've seen many forums where the 'old guard' don't like the ungrateful 'new people'...sometimes manners and courtesy are lost on some folks...especially some new 'young' folk....that's how some just are....anyway thank you RPFer's....your wisdom and talent is appreciated.....