Deathsmiles: Windia (or, How to Make a Wooshy Sword with Fiberglass and Resin)
Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Update to an Old Post
In addition to today's post, I updated this older post about using fiberglass to make the Windia Sword. I added a few resin progress shots, and updated some of the text. Check it out!
Creating Branches and Wood Texture - Cheaply!
Hello!
The aforementioned project for which I painted many, many leaves also required branches (what else would leaves be on?). Not only branches, but branches of specific thicknesses and shapes. And, oh yeah, they have to be light enough to carry on my back. Geez!
I solved the conundrum by creating the branches out of PVC pipe. It's cheap, readily available, lightweight, comes in many different thicknesses, and easy to bend with some sand and a heat gun. I'll talk more about that process in another post.
Once I had all this smooth PVC formed into branches, how to make them look like... well branches? The answer: TEXTURE ALL THE THIIINGS!
2. Apply some Modpodge (white glue should also work here, but Modpodge is stronger) to a section of the branch. Overlap the Modpodge a little with previously-textured sections to ensure no spots are missed.
The aforementioned project for which I painted many, many leaves also required branches (what else would leaves be on?). Not only branches, but branches of specific thicknesses and shapes. And, oh yeah, they have to be light enough to carry on my back. Geez!
I solved the conundrum by creating the branches out of PVC pipe. It's cheap, readily available, lightweight, comes in many different thicknesses, and easy to bend with some sand and a heat gun. I'll talk more about that process in another post.
Once I had all this smooth PVC formed into branches, how to make them look like... well branches? The answer: TEXTURE ALL THE THIIINGS!
How To:
Materials:
- Cheap paintbrushes
- Matte Modpodge (matte so it's easier to paint)
- Tissue paper (any colour will do, I happened to have white)
...that's all!
Then, I used the following steps:
1. Crumple the tissue paper in (mostly) one direction to create wrinkles that more-or-less go one way. I did this by holding one side of the tissue sheets in my hands, then using my fingers to gather and crumple the sheet until it was all inside of my hands. It was sort of like doing a really poor version of accordion folding.
After crumpling, tear the tissue sheets into smaller pieces. You don't want really tiny pieces as you would for paper mache; you want larger pieces about four or five inches wide and at least long enough to wrap around the branch. A little longer than that is better.
2. Apply some Modpodge (white glue should also work here, but Modpodge is stronger) to a section of the branch. Overlap the Modpodge a little with previously-textured sections to ensure no spots are missed.
3. Apply the end of one piece of tissue to the spot, and use your Modpodge-dipped brush to gently apply the tissue, wrapping it around the branch and brushing in the same direction as the wrinkles, as much as you can help it. You want the wrinkles to remain in-tact; don't pull the tissue taught or do anything else to discourage wrinkling.
4. After ensuring the piece is covered in Modpodge, continue down the rest of the piece in the same manner, overlapping sheets of tissue slightly (or a lot) as you go. Fill in spots that seem thin or unconvincing.
Eventually, you'll have a lovely, textured piece. This method covers many flaws and lumps. My branches were lumpy and had all different textures because of the fiberglass, glue, and what have you, but the wrinkled tissue gave it a uniform texture.
Be sure to let everything dry completely (I recommend overnight at least) before attempting to paint it. I applied a coat or two of primer, and then brown spray paint. I'm not quite done with the painting (it's a bit boring and needs touchups, etc.), but you can see from the first photo that it's already pretty convincing.
Happy texturing!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
I'm Not Dead! Plus DesignMaster Paints on Faux Greenery
Indeed, I am alive, aliiiiive! Last year, all I really did was work. Lots of long days and overtime. It was entirely worth it, but now I am not working, so I have time to costume again! Horraaaay.
I had to paint some faux leaves for my current costume (what could it beee?), which I'm hoping to debut at PAX East.
I used some spray paint called DesignMaster (that's the brand). It's available in all the major craft stores.
This is a great paint for painting stuff like these leaves that needs a bit of a flexible finish. The colour goes on in a very fine mist, making it easy to blend and layer the colours. This was perfect for the leaves, which needed to be golden, with some brown and orange undertones.
These started out dark green.
I had never used this product or painted "silk" flowers or leaves before, so I ended up wasting maybe two cans of paint because of it. But now, I think I have it down. Don't be like me! Here are some tips for use:
- If you are completely recolouring the item, like I was, seal it first with two (or even three) light coats of the Super Surface Sealer by the same brand. This will keep the item from absorbing too much paint. This was my big mistake.
- To achieve the multi-toned look I got, I would start with a light coat of brown, followed by orange, then yellow (probably two coats of yellow).
- This product WILL drip and run, like any spray paint, if you hold the can too close or spray for too long in one spot. The best look and coverage was achieved with building up several light coats from about ten inches away. This is especially important if you are blending colours.
Finally, these paints are about $8 in the store, so utilize your store coupons! They are well worth it for this kind of project, though. The flexible finish and fine mist are great.
Happy painting!
I had to paint some faux leaves for my current costume (what could it beee?), which I'm hoping to debut at PAX East.
I used some spray paint called DesignMaster (that's the brand). It's available in all the major craft stores.
This is a great paint for painting stuff like these leaves that needs a bit of a flexible finish. The colour goes on in a very fine mist, making it easy to blend and layer the colours. This was perfect for the leaves, which needed to be golden, with some brown and orange undertones.
These started out dark green.
I had never used this product or painted "silk" flowers or leaves before, so I ended up wasting maybe two cans of paint because of it. But now, I think I have it down. Don't be like me! Here are some tips for use:
- If you are completely recolouring the item, like I was, seal it first with two (or even three) light coats of the Super Surface Sealer by the same brand. This will keep the item from absorbing too much paint. This was my big mistake.
- To achieve the multi-toned look I got, I would start with a light coat of brown, followed by orange, then yellow (probably two coats of yellow).
- This product WILL drip and run, like any spray paint, if you hold the can too close or spray for too long in one spot. The best look and coverage was achieved with building up several light coats from about ten inches away. This is especially important if you are blending colours.
Finally, these paints are about $8 in the store, so utilize your store coupons! They are well worth it for this kind of project, though. The flexible finish and fine mist are great.
Happy painting!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Photoshoot: Deathsmiles in Salem!
The shots from our Deathsmiles photoshoot in Salem, MA are finally out! I'm extremely pleased with how they came out. It was so fun to wear these costumes in Salem - it IS Halloweentown, especially in October!
IndieNate did the photos, and he was really fun to work with :3 There are a lot more photos where this came from! The full set from the shoot is on his Flickr page here:
You should check out his other photos while you're there!
Costume credits:
- I made my own Casper costume, wings, and scissors, as well as Windia's sword.
- YummyGamorah made her own Windia costume and wings, Rosa's costume, and styled my wig bangs for me :3
- HoneyB made her own Rosa wings and fairy in the cage, as well as assisting with numerous parts of her own costume, including the ruffles and chains!
I can't wait to do something like this again! It was so much fun ^_^
New Site Layout, Again
I didn't really care for the dynamic layout (without spending a lot of time fiddling around), so I chose a different static layout. Clean and simple ^_^
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