Ningguang from Genshin Impact – Gloves, Hair Ornaments, Shoes

Posted on by Amanda

We worked with December Wynn (on IG), supplying the Worbla’s Black Art for their Ningguang build, and the final look is amazing! They shared the process of how they built the costume, specifically the Gloves, Hair Ornaments, and Shoes – and we’ve collected them here to share with you!

Part One: Gloves

Materials:
  • 4-way black stretch material (or pre-assembled gloves),
  • Worbla’s Black Art,
  • contact cement,
  • superglue,
  • thread,
  • 4-way stretch gold material,
  • gold-toned filigrees.
Step 1:

Assemble a pair of gloves using a 4-way stretch material, or purchase a pre-assembled pair of gloves. (Worbla.com note: If you need a glove pattern, we’ve used McCalls 7397 ourselves to good result)

Step 2:

Create a paper pattern of the gold glove “attachments”.  Tip: label every piece of the pattern with the handedness of the glove and the finger.

Step 3:

Trace the paper pattern onto black Worbla and cut out all the pieces, making sure to mark each piece with its designated hand and finger. Tip: using a little spray adhesive on the paper pattern makes tracing much easier and accurate.

Step 4:

Cut out all the pieces using a pair of scissors or a craft knife. Using a heat gun will make cutting the pieces out a little easier, particularly along curves.

Step 5:

Once the pieces are cut out, use a heat gun to shape the pieces to your fingers. For this process, carefully heat the pieces and then shape them around your fingers. Do not touch any piece that is hot enough to burn or injure skin, and wearing heat resistant gloves during this process is recommended.

Step 6:

Pull out 4-way metallic stretch fabric. Cut the pieces that will go on the finger units, make sure to leave a lip or “seam allowance” around all edges of the fabric.

Step 7:

Using a glue of your choice, adhere the fabric pieces to the outside of the Worbla finger units. This step is not the permanent glue step, so any glue will suffice. My recommendation is spray adhesive.

Step 8:

Apply contact cement to the insides of the black Worbla pieces and the fabric lip on the pieces. Allow the contact cement to set, then fold the fabric lip under, adhering it to the underside of the finger units.

Step 9:

Put the glove base on and apply the finger units to the glove using superglue. Using standard thread and needle, reinforce the glue by tacking the corners of the units to the gloves.

Step 10:

Using a healthy collection of gold-toned filigrees, apply filigree decoratively to the tops of the fingers. The pieces can either be glued using small dots of superglue, or they can be stitched through the fabric cover. Cut the filigree pieces to fit comfortably on the finger units, and use pliers to gently bend the pieces to better fit the curves of the units.

 

 

Part 2:  Hair Ornaments

 

Materials:

  • Worbla’s Black Art
  • EVA foam,
  • jump rings,
  • spray primer,
  • black lacquer paint,
  • gold paint,
  • gold rhinestones
Step 1:

Pattern and cut an EVA foam base for the hair stick.

Step 2:

Cut two pieces of Worbla to cover the EVA base. Make sure these pieces are slightly larger than the base.

Step 3:

Sandwich the foam in-between the Worbla pieces. Using a heat gun, wrap the Worbla around the base so that the entire base is covered.

Step 4:

Decorate the ornaments using other Worbla cuts and texturing the Worbla using tools and continuous heat. If the ornament has any dangling attributes, insert a jump ring into heated Worbla and allow it to cool.

Step 5:

Once all detailing is complete, prime and sand the piece until desired smoothness. 

Step 6:

Spray paint the entire ornament gold and allow to dry entirely.

Step 7:

Mask off the parts of the ornament to remain gold and then spray paint the piece with black lacquer.

Step 8:

Using a heat gun, heat up a pile of black Worbla scraps to melt them together.

Step 9:

Roll the scraps together to create a Worbla snake, and then shape the snake into the desired shape.

Step 10:

If rhinestones are desired, heat the piece slightly and press the rhinestones down where desired to create a space where they will sit once the ornament is painted.

Step 11:

Use a wig head to create a comfortable shape for the ornament, laying it on the wig head and allowing it to harden.

Step 12:

Prime and sand the ornament as desired.

Step 13:

Spray paint the ornament gold.

Step 14:

Once the paint is fully dry, glue the rhinestones in place. If using E-6000 or resin glue, make sure to wear gloves, work in a well-ventilated area and wear a respirator.

 

 

Part 3: Shoes

 

Materials:

  • Pre-made black shoes,
  • Worbla’s Black Art,
  • primer spray,
  • gold spray paint,
  • clear lacquer,
  • strong adhesive (superglue, E-6000 or contact cement.)
Step 1:

Use paper to create a pattern for the shoe decorations. Trace the pattern on black Worbla 4 times and cut out the pieces with a sharp pair of scissors or craft knife.

Step 2:

Stack 2 pieces on top of each other and apply heat to fuse them together – because the shoe is a high contact area, doubling the worbla will help with the longevity of the piece.

Step 3:

Apply heat and do any desired carving to the soft surface of the pieces, using a carving tool.

 

Step 4:

Using the shoes as a base, apply heat to the pieces and shape them over the shoes to make them lay flat against the surface of the shoe.

Step 5:

Prime the pieces with a spray primer, and then sand as necessary to create a smooth surface.

Step 6:

Apply a layer of gold spray paint and allow to dry fully. Finish with a layer of clear spray lacquer.

Step 7:

Using a strong adhesive, glue the Worbla pieces to the shoe base.

 

 

And there you go! Thanks again to December Wynn for sharing their work with us!  

Removeable Armored Shoe Covers (Layered)

Posted on by Amanda

Using Worbla to Make Sturdy and Removable Cosplay Boots!

 

By Maker Fishmeal (also on YouTube and Facebook)

I like to use Worbla for my boots since it provides structure and stability on a piece of armor that has to withstand wear and tear. I also always make my boot armor removable so that I can wear my comfiest pair of boots! Here’s how I do it:

Pattern
Your first step is to pattern! For this project, I began with my basic boot armor pattern (which you can make yourself using the saran wrap and tape method). Building from there, I refined the shapes and did some additional saran wrap and taping to emulate the reference. Of course, all patterning is done on the actual shoes I’ll be wearing with the costume.

Foamsmith
Using your pattern, cut your pieces from 2mm foam and then contact cement them into shape. Using a rotary tool, round down the edges and sand the seams to get a cleaner Worbla application.

Worbla smith
Cut pieces of Worbla (I used Worbla’s Black Art for my project since it has a smooth texture) slightly larger than your foamsmithed pieces. Heat the Worbla and form it to your pieces. Fold the excess material to the underside of the foam to create clean edges.

Perfect the Worbla
You can reheat the Worbla to perfect your application (pop out dents, round edges etc.). You can also use a rotary tool to clean seams. Make sure that you shape your pieces to fit the contours of the shoes you’ll be wearing under the armor!

Seal
Use a foam brush to apply wood glue to the Worbla. The smoother your application the easier your smoothing and sanding will be later – you can tell from my drips that I didn’t do a great job…

Perfect your finish
Alternate sanding and filler primer until you’re happy with the surface of your armor. To correct my sloppy sealing I used sandpaper grits from 60 up to 400.

Paint and top coat
Paint to your taste! In this case I used rattle cans for color and Rust-Oleum Universal High-gloss Clear for the top coat, but acrylics, Mod Podge, airbrushing, etc. all work perfectly.

Strap
This step can be tricky – it’s time to strap your armor so that you can either put the armor on after you put on your shoes or put your shoes on your feet after the armor’s on the boots. I chose the latter, and used a combination of purse snaps, elastic, and Velcro to connect all of the pieces. I like to use elastic on my boots so that there’s flexibility to allow for comfortable walking.

And with that, you’re done! I use this strategy for almost every armor cosplay I make. I love that I can walk on them at a con or shoot and not worry about wearing through soft foam. Thank you for reading – I can’t wait to see what you make!

Armored Shoe Cover Tutorial [Camilla from Fire Emblem]

Posted on by Amanda

Need to make armor for your shoes? AllieCat Cosplay created this tutorial in partnership with Cosplaysupplies showing how she created her armored shoes in her Camilla build. It’s a straightforward process that you can do easily with eva foam and Worbla. Take a look at the steps below!

 

How to Make Camilla’s Armored Shoe Covers

Step 1: Start with a comfortable shoe.
Cover the shoe with plastic wrap (cling film) and then tape to mark your pattern onto.

Step 2: Pattern
Using a marker, draw out your details, then carefully cut your pattern apart. Transfer pattern pieces to 2mm foam, creating a ½ inch lip to connect pieces together.

Step 3: Shape
Cover shoe with towel and heat shape 2mm foam pieces to the curvature of the shoe, then glue foam armor pieces together at the ½ inch lip.

Step 4: Worbla
Heat Black Worbla and cover the armor pieces completely. Press your layer details in with a sculpting tool and trim the excess. Use Worbla scraps to create rivet details.

Step 5: Attaching
Use 2 inch wide elastic and glue to the bottom of the armor near the arch of the foot. This will be the strap to keep the armor on. 

Step 6: Paint!
Prime the Black Worbla with 4-5 layers of wood glue, then paint and seal. (Worbla.com note: you can also use other methods for priming, check out our guide here!)

And you’re done!

Thanks to AllieCat Cosplay for this tutorial! Photo credit for the last image goes to Lafeetz Photography.

Cia Costume from Hyrule Warriors

Posted on by Amanda

Termina Cosplay documented the process of creating her Cia costume, and shared it with us. Take a look at how she achieved this character’s iconic look!

Photo by Vordigon Photography
Photo by Vordigon Photography

Cia was my most in-depth and complex costume to date! It all started when I first laid eyes on Cia’s official artwork. I instantly fell in love with her design. It was dark, seductive and unrestrained- a winning combination in my book!

To start off with, we’ll look at the armor-ish metally bits. I made them with the same techniques I make all my armor with, craft foam and Worbla! First, I make a pattern for pieces by drawing them out on paper, then I transfer the patterns onto craft foam, cut them out, and cover with Worbla. Most details are made either with foam before the Worbla is added or afterwards with just more Worbla.


For the details on the mask, I made a pattern by covering the mask with masking tape, drawing on the details, and transferring the pattern to a single sheet of Worbla.

mask-collage
Sometimes I use Apoxie Sculpt for the details instead!

Next we move onto the shoes. If you want to see detailed tutorial on how I made them look on my Facebook page. Basically, I altered a pair of heels by patterning out craft foam details and glueing them on. I used fabric glue to attach everything, and coated them with Mod Podge to seal them, and painted with acrylic paints.

To make the hat, I started by making a base out of craft foam and foam board. Then I filled the points I formed out of foam board with expanding foam and let it cure. Once cure, I carved out their shapes.
hat-collage

I also made the metal looking parts out of craft foam, EVA foam, and Worbla. Like always, I started with a paper pattern, transferred to foam, and then covered with Worba. The filigree details on the sides were cut from a double layer thick piece of Worbla.
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To put everything together, I covered the hat shape with fabric, and attached the Worbla pieces on with neodymium magnets. I wanted to be able to take the hat apart so I could prime and paint it easily, and magnets worked perfectly for this! I used magnets to hold on almost all of my armor pieces, including the belts!
hat-2-collage


To prime my armor, I used a spray primer, and I didn’t bother to try and smooth it. The Worbla texture didn’t bother me at all for this project, so I left it. As for paint, used metallic spray paints to give it a base color and I weathered with acrylic paints. Last, I added in gems that I cast from resin.
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The fabric parts of the costume were definitely the hardest for me. The project was way over my skill level when I started, and I ended up hating my first attempt at the bodysuit. Eventually though, I leveled up enough to where I was able to make something I was ok with. I used an existing bodysuit pattern and altered it to look like Cia’s costume. I used gold stretch vinyl to make the trim and the stripes, and I had to hand sew each stripe on individually to the bodysuit.
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The cape was actually dyed to the white/purple gradient for me by a friend, and I simply made a rectanglular shape with the fabric and attached it with magnets to the inside of the pauldron. I also made the feathers on the pauldron detachable by glueing them to a piece of Worbla and attaching the Worbla with velcro.

Lastly, I added LEDs to the inside of the mask to make the eyes glow red. I really don’t know much about LED work, and I had help installing and wiring the LEDs together. There are three red LED’s that shine down into each of the eye holes. To make the red translucent piece that sits over the eye hole, I actually used resin! I cast a very thin piece, formed it to take the shape of the inside of the mask before it fully cured, and attached it to the inside of the mask with Worbla.

Now here’s a look at some more of the finished pieces!

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Photo by Vordigon Photography
Photo by Vordigon Photography

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Thanks again to Termina Cosplay for sharing this build with us!

Transparent ‘glass’ shoes!

Posted on by Amanda

Team Paraluna Cosplay  used Worbla’s TranspArt and resin to make glass slippers for their Cinderella costume. They detailed the process below!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  1. a pair of shoes (to pattern from)
  2. saran wrap / cling film
  3. painter’s tape
  4. clear resin (and hardener)
  5. optional: Resin tints

1. PATTERN:
Then wrap the shoe in cling film and then cover it with painter’s tape. You can then draw your patterns directly on the shoe! After you do that, carefully cut out the pattern. Pictured above is a pattern for both the sides of the shoe and sole, and the smaller part is the heel.

2. SHAPING:
Slowly start heating the TranspArt around the shoe. Be very careful, it will get hot and melty! If you want to smooth it out, the best way is to press a damp cloth to the hot TranspArt. That way you can smooth it out without burning your fingers. :) Work your way around the nose of the shoe, over the sides to the back. Put on the heel separately. You can fuse the Transpa Art seams together by heating them up until it looks like jelly, and then firmly pressing the edges together with your damp cloth. Continue until you’ve got the entire shoe covered.

2b. REMOVE:
Trim the excess edges and then remove the TranspArt from the shoe and close the back seam by fusing the edges. Your outer layer is now done :D

3. RESIN:
Then it’s time to fill the heel with resin. Normal resin will cure transparant, but I decided to add some tints to my resin to get a blue gradient and make it look extra fancy ;) Slush some resin through the base of the shoe and along the sides as well to strengthen it.

4. FINISHING UP:
Insert some gel pads for extra comfort aaaaaandd…… DONE!!

(It’s worth adding that Team Paraluna say they’re comfortable enough to wear for photos and walk in, but they wouldn’t suggest them as actual long term con shoes.)