Okay, I’ll include more of a tutorial later, but here are the basics on each item. (A few require paint, just so you know, I used regular paint and metallic acrylic paint) Click through the slides to see process pictures! ༻Pipe༺ Materials: Air dry clay, but actual clay, and 12 inch dowel, regular clear glue, twine, regular paint Roll the clay into a smooth ball and carve out the center and make it into what looks like a tiny teacup shape. You can also just make this look like the end of a pipe. Google “hobbit pipe” for more inspiration. Now is the time to carve or add decorations to the clay part. Next, twist the dowel and insert it into one of the walls of the cup. Then cover it on both the inside and outside of the cup as you wish. See photos for reference. The inside of the cup should be as smooth as you can make it and the dowel shouldn’t stick out into the inside of the cup. Prop up the dowel on something so that it is at your preferred height and let dry. When it’s dry, check for any cracks (guarantee there will be some) and fill the cracks with glue (or crafting gel). When it’s dry, paint it. Feel free to mix colors to get the right shade. When the paint is finished drying, put a lot of glue on a small section near the bottom of the connection between the “cup” and the dowel. Wrap with twine. Let dry, and you’re done! ༻Dagger༺ Materials: 8 by 11 inch cardstock paper, foam piece, air dry actual clay, 12 inch THIN dowel, tape Can I include a tutorial on this later? This took me several days to make, and it’s still not finished yet. The basics: think of a sword like a kabob. That’s all I have to say. Also it’s only held together by tape. ༻Sheath༺ Materials: Black or brown E.V.A. foam (aka regular foam), regular clear glue This ones easy! The length should be a bit longer than your blade and about and inch or so wider than your blade width. Fold in half and glue around the edges, you can use heavy rocks or books to hold it in place, since you probably don’t have clamps. (*sigh* I don’t have drying racks, either.) Then make a loop out of more foam, it should be wide enough for whatever belt you are wearing with it, and a bit wider. When the loop and the main sheath dry, then glue the loop onto the top-back of the sheath and you’re done! ༻Hobbit/elf ear tips༺ Materials: Tape, foundation, regular clear glue or gel Can’t make custom resin prosthetics? No problem. Search up “sticky tape ears” or “elf tape ears” or something like that on YouTube or a search browser and there are some good video examples, since it’s hard to explain in text format. It take a few tries to get, but once you get that triangular shape, you should be fine. Adjust the size to fit the tip of your ear proportionately. Remember, these are tips, so it’s not really wrapped on your ear. Take a slim long-ish piece of tape and put it on the back of your tape ear tips. This will hold it onto the back of your ear. Fill the tape on the inside with a bit of foundation and make sure it is against the sides with a toothpick. Prop up the tips and fill them with glue or gel. This will make them hold their shape and be solid, as well as keep the foundation in place. Let dry. Now you have the perfect easy elf/hobbit ears! Place the tips a bit further back in your ear for a hobbit look. ༻Leaf of Lorien༺ Materials: Air dry actual clay, metallic acrylic paint in; turquoise blue; green; silver, rounded twist ties Look up images online and draw out a leaf shape similar to mine. It should be about the size of your thumb. Tab on little pieces of clay on top of your drawing and make sure it fits all the edges. When the shape is completed, use a safety pin or toothpick (preferably the pin) to create the veins. Let dry. When it’s dry, paint a coat of green over it. After that coat dries, paint a light coat of turquoise. Paint your twist ties silver. When all the paint is dry, begin to bend the twist ties into the shape. Use google images for reference. Glue the twist ties onto the leaf and let dry. Glue a safety pin onto the back of the broach and you’re ready to put it on your cloak! Remember to comment, like and subscribe. Yes, lol, this is a hand and ear reveal. I didn’t want to, as you can see, and I almost considered blocking out the hands, too, but then thought about the ears.
