Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2 (PIC HEAVY - COMPLETE)

Hey everyone, how's it going?

In early April I completed my first serious costume. Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed in time for a Greek convention nearby. However I found out about the competition they were hosting very late, and as such I had barely two weeks to finish around 50% of the work. As a result, though it came out very nice overall, it's wasn't accurate. Moreover, I had originally designed it to be merely based on Ezio, NOT a replica costume. It sort of morphed into that later in the game, as it were.

You can find that build over here: Old Ezio. (It's completed.)


Anyway I therefore decided that I would remake my outfit, but this time make is accurate as I possibly can. From the outset. So, with that in mind, I began my second major build. Ezio version 2. I've been posting lots of progress work and updates on my facebook page (www.facebook.com/thanatosindustries), but I decided it was about time I also posted some updates here on the RPF for all you fine people.


EDIT: Finished the build! More pics at the end.






In any case, let's get to it. I don't know if i'll be able to post everything I've done so far today, but we'll see. In any case I'll keep updating this with my progress.

This is the goal:




I'll start with the armor, because out of everything, that's probably the closest to completion.





THE VAMBRACE

The vambrace was one of the more recent builds, but it's completely finished, so I'll start with that. Here's the final result:






To make the vambrace I first drew up some patterns. On paper, testing it on my arm, back to paper, etc. until I had all the pieces ready.





I put the four pieces on top of each other there so I could have an idea of the final proportions. At the back there it gets extremely thick, with 4 layers of leather. 3mm vegetable-tanned oiled cowhide for the second and fourth layers (from the bottom) and 2mm for the other two layers.


Once I had my pieces ready I began to carve the designs on them. First I marked out the pattern on the leather with a stylus, and then I cut out all the lines with a swivel knife. Once the lines were ready I used a beveler to stamp out the design and tool the leather.






The one side there took me over an hour to carve and tool.


When I finished the two side designs, I also carved out the front Assassin logo:





I dyed all the pieces brown and began to hand-stitch them together, starting the with upper two layers.





Then I prepared the cloth section, stitching the design into a piece of red fabric.





And I glued it onto leather piece and then had a friend of mine stitch it around for me (my sewing machine can't handle leather as thick and tough as this, and machines specifically suited for stitching leather cost over 700$).





I stitched the layers together





And then did the same with the bottom layer. I made the fabric detail parts, and then I glued/stitched it to the leather. Once I did that I was able to stitch the almost zipper-like pattern the vambrace has down the sides:





The it was time to paint! Needless to say, this step took forever.





Once the painting was done everything was ready to be put together. By which I mean I would attach everything with an extremely overly-complex strap system. I don't have any pictures of this stage, because I was so intent on trying to figure out what the hell was going on with those straps I completely forgot to take pictures. But here's the finished strap system. It like starts from one side, loops are multiple times, connects to another strap which itself loops around and then attaches to the other side.... anyway. It's complicated. We'll leave it at that.






Next I'll talk about the spaulders. Specifically the left shoulder, since the right one isn't finished yet.

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2

Beautiful tooling. I love the way the textures all work together to make such a beautifully detailed whole.

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2

For the left spaulder I decided I'd use what I'd made for the previous costume and just add the small shoulder piece. So, using it as a base, I drew up the pattern and began cutting out the pieces.





Again I used the swivel knife to carve out the designs, and you can see it in the pictures below. I used a beveler to tool the leather and a burnisher for all the edges, to make them smooth.






Here are all three pieces carved, tooled, and ready for dying. The top piece is light because I used a different, thinner cowhide leather. And it wasn't oiled; the oil darkens the leather.






I dyed all three pieces and then painted them, using a tiny paintbrush and a bottle of silver leather paint. Once I finished painting, I lightly brushed the pieces with orange dye to dull the color and blend it in a little bit.






Then I sewed the three main panels to each other and also added the details:





Then I did the same thing as I did with the vambrace. I made the cloth design and glued/stitched it to a leather piece underneath.


In order to hide how it would attach to the bottom spaulder, I decided to use snaps. Again to completely hide everything I attached them to the bottom layer and then glued and hand stitched the bottom layer to the upper three layers. I attached snaps to the spaulder as well, and the whole thing was complete.





I don't seem to have pictures of the final piece, though. Anyway, you get the idea. There's basically silver stitching all along the edge of the brown panels. It fits perfectly on the spaulder, and I can easily take it off if needed.

- - - Updated - - -

Jessica Young said:

Beautiful tooling. I love the way the textures all work together to make such a beautifully detailed whole.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much, Jessica Young! It took me a long time, and I'm still learning, but I'm quite proud of the result.

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2

Whenever I see this, I want to learn to work with leather...

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2

kialna said:

Whenever I see this, I want to learn to work with leather...

Click to expand...

Go for it! Leather is awesome

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2

RIGHT SHOULDER BELL


I haven't finished the second shoulder bell yet, but here's the progress so far. It started off much the same was as the previous shoulder, except it's bigger.


First I drew up some patterns. (That's my brother lazily reading in the second picture).





Once I cut all three parts out I traced the design on the leather, cut it out with the swivel knife, and then beveled all the lines to create the raised points. Only one piece is dyed here, but eventually I dyed them all.







Here are all three pieces together, fully carved:





I stitched them all together, and then slowly built up the detail lines by stitching a thin piece of leather around the carved areas.





Then I painted it.





A test fit:





During the week I'll stitch the fabric trim and sew everything together, and then I'll work on the strap. (The strap underneath the shoulder in the above picture is actually from the previous armor piece. It's just resting on it now.)

That's about what I have armor-wise at the moment. Next post I'll talk about the pouches!

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2

This is amazing attention to detail.

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2

As before your leatherwork and attention to detail is amazing.
I thought your last costume was of of the best i've ever seen ( not just AC but just costumes, I like the worn look style it's right up my alley)
So I am extremely curious to see how this one is gonna turn out.

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2

mistymills said:

This is amazing attention to detail.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much, Mistymills I'm trying, particularly for this costume, to be as accurate as possible.

mathew said:

As before your leatherwork and attention to detail is amazing.
I thought your last costume was of of the best i've ever seen ( not just AC but just costumes, I like the worn look style it's right up my alley)
So I am extremely curious to see how this one is gonna turn out.

Click to expand...

Thank you! The worn look style is, for me, one of the most important parts of the costume. It's a crucial last step that goes from making it look like a costume, fresh out of the factory, to clothing. Something that's been lived in. I am, too! I'm about halfway through it with lots of work to do, but it's coming along nicely so far.

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2

POUCHES



Okay, so on to the pouches! I'm really very happy with how these came out. Especially the third pouch. I'll tell you why farther down. Before I discuss method, here they are finished so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about:





In the background you can kind of see the old version I made.


Here's a side-by-side shot of the first two pouches. Almost no comparison, in quality and level of detail.





First Pouch (Center Pouch):



The first pouch I made was the center pouch. I decided I would use the molded base, since there was no silver rim, and then sew on the upper layers.





Once it was dry I removed it from the mold. This is essentially going to be the base of the pouch. To this will be stitched a backplate, which will fold over and all form the flap.





Next I cut, dyed, and painted the piece that sits on top.





And I stitched it to the molded pouch piece (after I had also dyed it). To stitch thick leather, obviously you can't use a regular sewing machine, but neither can you simply pierce the leather with your needle as if you were stitching fabric. Instead, you have to use an awl to punch holes into the leather first before you can stitch it.





Next I cut out a piece for the buckle and stitched that on as well:




For the backplate I cut out the piece and then tooled the edges so I could paint them silver.





I didn't bother dying the edge because that'll be cut off once I stitch the two pieces together and trim the excess. Next I riveted the belt loops in the back. They don't have snaps, so they will be threaded through the belt. This also makes them more stable.





I glued the edges down, punched holes all around and stitched them together, and then I trimmed off the excess leather on sides and burnished the edges to give it a nice, clean edge.



I've reached the photo max, so I'll continue in the next post.

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2


Second Pouch (Bullet Pouch):


For the second pouch I decided to go for a different construction method. Instead of forming it with a mold, as I did for the previous version, I decided I would instead stitch it on both sides, which would make more sense. Especially since there's that silver line all around. Plus in the reference it looks like it's been stitched. It has that feel.


So first I cut out the pieces and dyed them. Then I stitched the decorative lines on the front of the pouch.





Next I stitched the front panel onto the side piece.





And I burnished the edge:





After that I pretty much followed the same steps as in the previous pouch. I attached the belt loop to the back panel, sewed it all together, and then attached the ring in front. I also put a hidden snap, however, so that the pouch doesn't just hang slightly open, but instead close securely.

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2


Third Pouch (Probably the poison pouch):


For the third and final pouch, I decided I'd do something special. To really make it look fantastic both inside and out, I decide to line it with pigskin. So first I cut out the pieces on the cowhide. Then I beveled the edges. Beveling the edges essentially means cutting off the top (or bottom) edge at a roughly 45 degree angle so that so that it starts becoming round. Then you can easily burnish the edge.


Hey, look! It's mini-Ezio!


Once the pieces were cut and beveled I dyed them and began to punch the holes for stitching. In order to accurately mark the spaces between each hole, I used a stitching wheel to mark where the holes will be before I cut them. Mine leaves the holes way too close, so I actually only punch every other hole.





Then I cut out all the pigskin lining pieces.





Here's a little bit on an artsy shot, with some of the tools in the frame as well.





Alrighty. So since I'm going to line it with pigskin, I decided to put the belt loops on first so that the rivets won't show.



The third picture is sort of a test to make sure it fits.


Once the rivets were in place I glued the lining to the pouch exterior pieces, and punched holes through the lining as well. I also stitched the detailing.





Then I stitched the front piece to the side piece:





Then I stitched the final two pieces together. Hand stitching takes forever...





You can see how nice the lining looks on the inside. Pigskin is often found as chrome-tanned leather. Chrome-tanned leather is used for clothing, usually. It's softer, more pliable, and it has some stretch to it. So when you line cowskin with pigskin, you end up with a very comfortable, soft interior, that's easily cleaned.





I burnished the edges, painted them, silver, added the ring/snap combo and it's all finished!





I guess next I'll start posting my progress with the fabric parts of the costume. It's still in WIP mode though, and I have nothing finished as yet.

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2 (PIC HEAVY)

ROBE

So I'll also post my progress on the robe so far. It's not completed yet, and I still have a lot to do. But here's what I've accomplished so far.


I made the ten main pieces that form the bottom of the inner tunic.

View attachment 370626View attachment 370627


Here are the finished pieces (not including the two middle front panels, I forgot to take a picture of those):







For the sleeves I sewed strips of black and tan fabric together in alternating patterns. Then I cut out the sleeves and stitched them together.






As far as the jacket is concerned, I've essentially only worked on the chest/back pieces, and the butt flap. I know it sounds weird, but I mean the bottom edge of the jacket that hangs over the back

Here's a reference, for, well... reference.




Abdominal jacket region:





Front:





Back:

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2 (PIC HEAVY)

ROBE (Continued)

Here's the lower bottom edge of the tunic:



Pattern:





All the pieces:





Stitching them together with the piping. I hid all the stitches by sewing the pieces folded over, so that when I unfolded it and ironed it flat nothing shows. You can see this in the third picture.





The front piece:





In the back it looks all weird up and you can see the folds and everything. So I made it double layered! I sewed the right sides facing, and then folded it out and ironed it flat.






I left the top edge unfinished because I'll take care of that when I sew this to the jacket.

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2 (PIC HEAVY)

I am simply blown away by your skill, motivation, and perceverence! The patience, dedication to quality, and attention to detail that is evident in each and every piece in this costume is both humbling and awe inspiring!

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2 (PIC HEAVY)

omooney said:

I am simply blown away by your skill, motivation, and perceverence! The patience, dedication to quality, and attention to detail that is evident in each and every piece in this costume is both humbling and awe inspiring!

Click to expand...

Thank so very much, Omooney! I try my hardest

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2 (PIC HEAVY)

that is some AMAZING detail work my man, just plain AWESOME

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2 (PIC HEAVY)

Il Princerino said:

that is some AMAZING detail work my man, just plain AWESOME

Click to expand...

Thank you so much, Il Princerino!

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2 (PIC HEAVY)

So I have some more progress for you guys today.


I worked on the shoulder pieces and the front jacket flaps. Unfortunately, though, I ran out of piping again so I have to go down town and get some tomorrow. In any case, I'm really happy with how the pieces look.


Shoulder pieces (there will be seven on either side, like the reference):




The front flap (I was only able to finish one today, but I'm very pleased with the result. I've sewn everything inside-out, so when you flip it properly again no stitches are visible whatsoever. I'm very proud of that.):




Here it is with the buttplate to get an idea. I'm really considering whether or not to rip open the buttplate and add the double piping to the edge like I did with the front piece... I mean it would be more accurate, but I kind of like it better without the silver..




That's where we stand now Hopefully I'll have more updates soon!

Re: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Ezio Auditore - Version 2 (PIC HEAVY)

I also worked on the cape today. Pleased with how it's turning out. I like the red underneath more than the gray, like I did on my last version.






Here they are on the mannequin. The robes you see are from my old suit. Only the left spaulder will be used for this new version.