Part II – Brute
This tutorial isn’t so detailed cause I was in a hurry and took only a few photos. And it’s much easier, in my opinion. Anyway, this scheme will help you to craft many interesting characters.
Materials:
• Eva Foam (from 3 to 10 mm)
• Plasticine
• Papier-mache
• Knitwear
• Pringles can
• Latex
• PVC
• PVA glue
• Foam rubber
• Gauze, cotton, wipes
• Wire
• Cocktail tubes
• Fittings
Body
This time I’ll begin with body, not the head. I took my old tights as a base for it. Fortunately, me and my client have quite similar proportions.
Flaws: palms and feet were uncovered, so, while wearing a costume, my client had to paint his hand and feet every time. Also he had to hide junctions with bandage that doesn’t exist in original costume or invent painted sox and glove. The second flaw is a zipper on the back. So I had to replace it on the front part of the costume. The zipper will be hidden by armor and junction to head.
I put my tights on a scotch tape dummy. For making Grant I used two parts of two different people but this time just strictly to my client figure. It’s possible to make it out of two parts as well. As a temporary head I used a bold Kryolan idol. I made a scotch tape hand models and put them into sleeves.
For a fighting hand cut your tights and make inclusion with a fabric similar to tights. Use any frame and fix it with latex in several layers. I had foam rubber that I could leave in costume but I took it out for some reason , don’t know why.
Now the funkiest part begins. We made body relief, cause aerographic painting would be flat and boring. Mark basic scars with marker. It’s possible to put one layer of latex to some parts of the body. Further we need cotton, wipe, latex and PVA glue. First, preparations. Divide wipes into fibers then tear them into middle-size pieces (too small will be uncomfortable to tear up). Then tear cotton, mix PVA glue and latex in fifty-fifty (remember to economize latex). Moisten fingers with this mixture, take cotton, twist it and stick on latex on the contour of the wound. Hide junctions with wipe pieces. So we have got such cheep and spectacular wounds.
The same way we make reliefs on legs and the fighting hand. That’s what I was getting during the process. Unfortunately, on the photo the relief is not clear, so I highlighted it with black paintings.
Except wounds, Brute’s body is covered with pimples, warts and other asperities. I didn’t stuck with blotches at all. I shaped some different forms out of clay, covered them with soap foam to make easier separating latex from glue, covered each “pattern” with three layers of latex. Then I moved them onto the body, stuck them with latex and hid edges with latex again. Groups of pimples look the best, I think. Processing body is finished and we start an unpleasant part.
Head
Unfortunately, my dummy almost had no neck, so I made it with scotch tape. But I didn’t expect that it would lower under the weight, so it was extremely uncomfortable. Anyway, I made a wretched head of plasticine. I could make it of scotch tape and garbage but my way was easier.
Then the most difficult part begins. Everything else is easy at all. The head is made of Eva foam and foam rubber, and it looks like a cabbage. I called it many ways while I was trying to fit the size. There is no detailed instruction cause I just cut, pined and fixed papier-mache many times. When it hardened I formed Eva foam and fixed papier-mache again.
Brute’s head looks like a deflated soccer ball. But considering that normal man doesn’t have a hole in his head, I had to enlarge the size of crafted head. There are two strings inside like in a bonnet that constrict two parts of the head.
Now sew in a fabric that hides a face. I took a thin snakeskin knit. It has a good-looking texture and my client will look through it easily. All right, it was a remaining part of my old cosplay.
After sewing in we start working with detailed elaboration and latex. First – connection of the head and body. Teeth, lip and eye I made of foam rubber. By the way, teeth were made of small cubes constricted with threads. Now covering the surface with two or three layers of latex and gauze. Remember dusting every layer with latex after drying. That’s what we get:
The lip and the fabric hide zipper on the front part of the tights. So we finish making the head. Now we can try it on. Attention, it’s not my client on the photo, it was made before making detailed elaboration of the head and body.
Detailed elaboration
Before crafted parts let me speak two words about painting and nails on the body.
Before painting I made blanks of future nails on the body. I twisted a wire into “E” letter, put it through tights and put cocktail tubes on a wire. To avoid lying down of construction I fixed the base with cotton and covered it with a thick layer of latex and PVA.
Aerography was made by Naga Zmeyuka. We’ve chosen dark green color. In the game Brute is dark grey or dark green.
Coming back to nails on the body, without taking in the account the ones on the fighting hand. There are three nails and one of them is straight-through. This one must be leg-shape turned under trousers.
Then process Eva foam pieces with a building dryer and put each piece on the tips of the wire. Thread tubes through the hand and make Eva foam nail-heads. Fix everything with a hot glue. For safety it’s better to cover nails with papier-mache. Remember using wipes instead of newspaper. When it dries cover nails with a black “Sonet” priming. Paint with silver paintings and add some blood. Now body is completed.
Crafting of armor
It’s time to have fun! Take 4 mm dense and 3 and 5 mm soft Eva foam and make different sized slabs. Also we need many long slabs for the frame. Remember making rough shears, scratches and dents. Connect all the slabs with a hot glue. When you’ll form a basic shape I advise you to shape it to figure. But don’t make it too feminine, cause Brute is a man, although without genitals.
Hook small slabs, make a strap on the shoulders. Now, fastening. I decided to act brutally and use screws and bolts instead of rubbers, hook-and-loop fasteners or smth. Some of them have connecting mission, some are just decorations. As the result we have a compound system. Soft Eva foam is uncomfortable cause it rips, but 4 mm Eva foam fixed everything safely.
Processing armor with PVA. In ideal you’d rather cover it with Plasti Dip but I don’t have it. Then I covered armor with black priming “Sonet” using brash highlighting cavities that I can’t paint with aerosol. I will tell about total painting later.
Crafting the backsword
Who has mania of grand-scale projects? Who’s backsword is two times larger than needs? Yes, mine… But wise man said, there is no too big backsword, and I agree.
Funny, but all the monsters of “Amnezia” have left fighting hands cause it will be comfortable for righty cosplayers. But on the festival I was worried that I slipped up a hand. Perhaps, it was a stress…
Originally, the junction between hand and backsword is thinner but we can’t cut cosplayer’s hand, right? That’s a rhetorical question. By the way, the enlarged size of weapon visually reduce this junction.
Buy tasty Pringles chips for multifunctional can. Eat all the chips and take the can. Cut the bottom, make a proper size and compress it lightly. The accurate edge of spout will be the entrance for your hand. Put the can away.
Make backsword’s pattern and cut out two similar details from 10 mm Eva foam. Process it with a building dryer. Glue them with a hot glue. Carve backsword’s sides out of thin Eva foam. Closer to the hand we can put some thick Eva pieces inside backsword to fix it tighter. Connect Pringles can with backsword and fix the last edge. Spread all the seams with acrylic sealant. Cut the blade with a knife, leave rough scraps. The more the better.
Use PVC for making decorative item in front of junction, put a small piece of thick Eva between PVC and Eva foam in both sides to make the volume. Screw some helixes as decorations. Cover everything with “Sonet” priming or with Plasti Dip, if you have. Complete! I forgot the nails, so I will finish them later.
Painting the craft
Me and my friend painted armor and backsword in basic color outside. I don’t advice you to use “Magic Line” aero-paintings. They smell too long! Before we finished painting, the craft was staying outside for three days, and after it was smelling anyway.
Start with black paintings. I used universal black priming “Sonet” again. Paint all the junctions and cavities thoroughly, trying to paint under details. It must be painted everywhere. As a result we make visual shadows and recesses. Also we can paint edges of each slab so we can see clearly each of them.
Now the most responsible moment! Our main weapon is a stiff brush “Shetina”, silver painting, some water and palette or any surface that you can pinch paintings on. “Dry brush” method doesn’t need any water almost. Take as few as possible paintings on the brush and “scrap” it widely from the edge to the center. The widely the longer your pattern will be. It reminds me Adobe Photoshop’s filter “Wind”. The same way we process all the edges. On the deep cavities, on contrary, we paint from the cavity to outside. Nails’ and screws’ heads are worth to be painted silver. The whole process is long but pleasant. You can use different shadows of grey as you want. Also you can add some light spots on the armor and the backsword.
The final detailing is brown painting. Here you can use any brush. I used squirrel fur. The new instruments are rag and sponge. Damp brush abundantly, cause paintings must reach even the smallest fractures. Paint all seams, grinding brown paintings with a rag to fill all the cavities, scratches and other junctions. We can use different colors.
Brute’s backsword is covered with dried blood. Take sponge, damp, put a little of paintings on it and rub up on the blade.
In the end take a rough pile, dip into water and paintings and splash on costume. I used the same brown and red paintings.
I know many other painting tricks but we don’t need all of them. It turned quite good. But you can use many other ways.
Now put the costume on cosplayer and enjoy the result. Except missing nail on weapon, I’m satisfied. The most important thing is that I managed to make Brute quickly, with high quality and without losing the last temper.
I liked making both monsters and I’d love to have more such projects. I hope these two tutorials will help you to make wonderful costumes. Thanks for your attention!
The author is Aris. https://vk.com/aris_cosplayer
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