First of all, welcome...
My recommendation for an inexpensive suit (probably in one of the forums, but I don't mind typing this AM as the coffee is strong today) is what I did 2 or 3 years ago, before finding the Lair. First, buy a Mr. Incredibles suit(about $75.00 on Ebay). Then buy a set of white UnderArmor top and bottoms (probably about $50.00... remember, they stretch, so find a pair that will just fit you, and they will stretch very nicely over the muscle suit... you don't want them baggy). They will go over the Mr. I suit. You can either put it on yourself and have someone else do the painting or put it on someone close to your size and do the painting yourself (there is also the option of using a duct tape mannaquin of yourself, but that takes your budget up a little and this is all about budget mindedness). You could use a fabric paint, but I used regular spray paint from the hardware store. As long as you don't wash the thing, you'll be fine that way. Depending on what color scheme you want for your suit, you'll need black, brown, a couple shades of green and yellows and red (about $25.00 in paint). Get some photo references and start painting. MAKE SURE THE UNDERARMOR IS ON THE MUCSLE SUIT, so you can highlight the muscles, etc... I started with all the yellow areas, worked my way in with greens, browns, then blacks, fading each into the next. Then comes the dots...
Get a piece of cardboard (thin, not corrugated... the single layer stuff you get at the art suppy store... all this coffee hasn't helped me remember what it's called) and hole punch a bunch of random holes into it. The cardboard needs to be about 15" long X 10" wide and the holes, though random should form the general shape of a triangle, about 6" long X 4" wide. Look at some photos of the dot patterns and you understand the triangle and where to paint the dots. Put the cardboard over the areas of the suit where you want dots and spray the cardboard, the paint will go through where the holes are and onto the suit. Do one set of dots over all the places that you want them in black... then go over all those areas with the browns, then maybe a few hits with the dark greens and reds. You want them to be random and all the different colors will layer them nicely. Paint is going to build up on the cardboard so wipe it off frequently so you won't get drips that you don't want on the suit... You're looking at around $150.00 for this. Here are some photos of the suit I did 2 or 3 years ago with this exact same method. The colors were a little stronger then, as they've faded a bit with time, but you get the idea... Here are some photos of the production process and ultimately the finished product... Special thanks to good friend, Cletus. He made quite the studly pred model. I'm the one doing the painting... Hope this helps.
Scott
Here's a link to one that I'd commented on a few days ago:
