Druid Tier 6 pauldron and headpiece making of

Next part of my Druid Tier 6 story from World of Warcraft:

Most of my work with fabrics was done, so I started with my weapons and my props.
The sample had 2 very complicated pauldrons and one helmet.

At first I tried to model both forms with expanding foam. I used rabbit wire as a base and covered it. My plan was to carve it now, but unfortunately my skills were at the time not good enough for such a hard sample. The pauldrons were too big, too long and just looked wrong...

I was frustrated and discarded both pauldrons. It was time for a other technique so I tried the one I learned 2 years ago, while making my Druid Tier 1 project.

At first I took a polystyrene half hollow and clayed some board on it. I carved the bird skull out of expanding foam and covered everything with crepe tape, newspaper and paper maché. The wings are made of board and foam (as core) and covered them with newspaper. My boyfriend had to do the paint job and I clayed everything together and added details with fur and feathers. Yeah... and what I have to say? This time I was very satisfied!

Okay... but the though that I still had to build a second one, was just horrible...
Someday both parts were done and I started with the building of the headpiece. I made the first steps at the same time I build the first version of my pauldrons, and fortunately I was satiesfied with the first version.

Here I took some rabbit wire, cut out the right form and clayed (with hot clay) the cut lines together. I covered this base completely with expanding foam, waited a while and carved the right model with a carpet cutter. After this I covered everything with crepe tape, news paper and paper maché. Paper maché gave it the last details and i got a really flat surface after I sanded it with some sandpaper. I added some details with wooden half spheres within the paper machè like this round things on the topside. The pattern on this ear muffs were just some greyboard parts I glued on the head piece. The next step were acrylic paint and acrylic finish. I took some feathers, painted their ends with acrylic paint, clayed them (with hot clay) and... Finished!

Puh... I wrote enough for today. In the next part I will tell you something about my staff Journey's End.

Druid Tier 8 pauldron making of

Soooooo, here are some progress pics of one of my actual projects: Druid Tier 8 from World of Warcraft.

Here you see a preview of the sample for my pauldrons from the World of Warcraft modelviewer. The first steps were really easy: I took half of a styrofaom ball, cutted some pieces out and glued a bit of greyboard on it. In the last picture you see some stripes of foam. I used it to model or fill some parts on this prop.

The followings steps were very easy, too:
I cut some pvp pipes in short pieces and covered a aluminium wire with it. Hot glue helped to put and fix them togehter. After this I used a bit of expanding foam to model the form of the pauldron. You only need a knife or carpet cutter for carving it. It's very easy to deal with it and I love the carving parts the most!
Then I stick the aluminium wires into the expanding foam, covered it with this stuff too and carved the twines I needed for my prop. In the last step I covered everyhing with crepe tape, newspaper and paper machè. These tree layers give the expanding foam a solid surface and you can paint it after a finishing polish.

Druid Tier 8 finally done!

It was a very long hard way and last weekend I finally finished my Druid Tier 8 costume. So here are some progress pictures:

I coverd my pauldron with a last finishing paper machè layer, added some lines into this with my dremel and installed a light effect.

It was a very simple circuit, but I love how it turns out at the end!

Then my boyfrieds started with his paint job and gave it an amazing look. I just love his work!

 And this was the finish result.

Later my staff got a new look. I was not really satiesfied with her old paint and her round spikes, so she get new ones.

She also got finally her buttom, which I also made of expanding foam and paper maché like her head.

So she grew a bit!

My boyfriend gave her a new paint, too. Now she looks a bit more wild an natural.

As you can see she also got some light effects and so this was the finished result!

I also had to finish my robe and this had a LOT of details! Sometimes I really thought, that the designers of Blizzard was just crazy and just wanted to annoy cosplayers!

And so after some months of work, about 700 euros and a lot of pain and desperation every part comes together... and...

... GLOWED!!!

As you can see I was not alone. This year I had two cosplay partners: My roomie and a good friend and we were a worgen druid (mostly in human form) in purple Tier8 version, a troll druid (Cataclysm!) in red Tier8 version and a night elf druid in green Tier8 version. I just loved my group and I'm also looking forward for next year! 

And now I have to finish my next costume. He he, I'm never able to make a break!

Druid Tier 8 finally done!

It was a very long hard way and last weekend I finally finished my Druid Tier 8 costume. So here are some progress pictures:

I coverd my pauldron with a last finishing paper machè layer, added some lines into this with my dremel and installed a light effect.

It was a very simple circuit, but I love how it turns out at the end!

Then my boyfrieds started with his paint job and gave it an amazing look. I just love his work!

 And this was the finish result.

Later my staff got a new look. I was not really satiesfied with her old paint and her round spikes, so she get new ones.

She also got finally her buttom, which I also made of expanding foam and paper maché like her head.

So she grew a bit!

My boyfriend gave her a new paint, too. Now she looks a bit more wild an natural.

As you can see she also got some light effects and so this was the finished result!

I also had to finish my robe and this had a LOT of details! Sometimes I really thought, that the designers of Blizzard was just crazy and just wanted to annoy cosplayers!

And so after some months of work, about 700 euros and a lot of pain and desperation every part comes together... and...

... GLOWED!!!

As you can see I was not alone. This year I had two cosplay partners: My roomie and a good friend and we were a worgen druid (mostly in human form) in purple Tier8 version, a troll druid (Cataclysm!) in red Tier8 version and a night elf druid in green Tier8 version. I just loved my group and I'm also looking forward for next year! 

And now I have to finish my next costume. He he, I'm never able to make a break!

Actual projects and a lot of expanding foam!

I'm still working on my three costumes: Aion, World of Warcraft and Bayonetta. The Armor of Aion is almost done and there are only a few armor parts missing. I'm very bad in sewing, so I dodge the parts which require seewing skills. So, here are some pictures and step by step making of's:

 

This was my ankle armor. Someone asked me for some more pictures, so I hope here you see better, how I built it.

For this knee armor I used almost the same technique, but just with a bit more single parts. One armor part consist of 54 parts! Oh, this was a long, hard job!

After covering the armor with some layers of Gesso, I started to paint it. The left picture shows my job. The right one shows the result after my boyfriend helped me. I'm very happy to have him, because he sets some nice highlights for me and redoes my work a bit. In the last years the did the entire painting job, but this year it's just too much for one person. So I do the basic painting and he sets the details. It's great to have such a good assistant!

Now, we both are almost done with our university exams, so we can start to paint together.

 

This was my basic painting job. I'm happy to be able to manage the colour gradient. Then I just have to add some simple details like the patterns on the bladed and my boyfriend have to do the rest! 

   

Here I also had to stop, because the sample is full of details. I cannot wait to see the finished work and I'm sure that he will do a great job!

Yeah, and every part here needs a paint... This will be long, hard work... (And there are some parts missing...)

 

Uhm... and I still have to finish this sword. But I have only 3 months left for this project. I'm very afraid that I will fail to get it finished in time, so I have to hurry a lot! 

Here is a little making of. You see here a lot of expanding foam. I LOVE expanding foam and it's awesome, how much you can create with it. I used just a bit of greyboard for the base and covered everything with this stuff. The last steps just consisted of a lot of carving. This step makes a lot of fun, but much more dirt, he he!

 But this was the dirt of the following project:

I've got a commision to do two gigantic hands for a commercial.

 

 He he, this was a lot of fun and it was an awesome experience to carve something of such a great size!

I also carved a lot for my World of Warcraft project:

I just have to finish the paper machè layer, polish it and can paint it afterwards. You see, expanding foam gives the chance to create every form you need!

I also started with my shoulder armor and my robe for this costume:

  

In the first steps I just cut a styrofoam ball and put some grey board parts with hot glue on it. Some soft foam stripes helped my to build the right form.

 

Then I used the same technique that I formed Journey's End antlers for the twines. I covered the top with a bit of expanding foam, carved the twines and the base out. For a solid base I added a layer of crepe tape, newspaper and papermaché. Now I just have to finish the twines and add some details. 

And my robe? It's just standing in my cosplay room. I'm happy, that I managed the hardest part of this costume for me: The seewing. And now it have to wait, until I cannot run away anymoreuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuj, he he!