Progress, progress, progress!
Big focus for the past week: Leg armour and test swatching with a new material.
Starting off the leg build required some patterning and creation of a base to slide up my leg to my thigh. Since the design of the character’s armour has a solid cuff covering the thigh, it was easy enough to realistically follow.
Then it was time to put the creative thinking caps on. The thigh armour needed texture. After much perusing and testing, the final decision went to covering the whole thing in fishnet and sealing the edges in. The texture was absolutely perfect.
Once it was all sealed in, some of the detail work was added. Spike-y, right? And very durable. Not only is the BlackArts heated and adhered to itself, but the backing is also coated with Goop. Goop is an awesome adhesive and a regular find in my workshop, specifically the Goop Plumbing which is designed to adhere primarily to plastics.
On to my boot armour. The design contains some intricately locked and layered panels. But all in all, they look fantastic with the thigh armour. Still to be done is the knee guard and some hip armor that will have garters to permanently hang the thighs in the correct place.
As far as testing out something else new, I had read about an interesting option for adhering craft foam to fabric: liquid latex. Because viscosity of the latex is so thin, it instantly seeps into the fabric, creating a permanent layer which dries relatively quickly. This, paired with another layer of latex on the foam, creates a skin-tight adhesive which is safe to use on skin and completely flexible, allowing the fabric to stretch in every direction capable. Needless to say, the test was a success.
We’re getting into the home stretch and we’re half way through my journey to MAGFest. I look forward to showing you so much more as this build continues and there’s still more in store, like a brand new technique I’ve never even attempted.
J. Tanooki is a Contributor for AllYourBaseOnline.com. She has been a lover of cosplay for over 10 years and regularly works on new and exciting cosplay projects. She actively posts about her cosplay plans, progress, and random shenanigans on her Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram. Her opinion is her own.
