Dark Souls 3 - Red Knight / Soul of Cinder (WIP)

[McKilligan]

So, it's been a while since my last big project, but I've started something new. I started brainstorming for the project earlier this year, when I started seeing the pre-release materials for DS3 with the red knight plastered all over them. I decided to start work on him before I learned that

Spoiler

he was actually the final boss, which came as a very pleasant suprise.

As for references, I'm aiming more towards the version presented on the game cover and the armor the player unlocks after beating the game rather than the Soul of Cinder himself, as there are a few small differences between the different iterations of the armor. For example, the player/cover armor features a thin tabard on the chest, while the Soul of Cinder (above) does not.

Anyway, I started work on it way back in early Feb/March and so far, I've finished the sculpt of the helmet and have made good progress on the cuirass, as well as making a ton of chainmail for various pieces (which haven't been assembled into something wearable yet - chainmail is a stupidly tedious process).

The helmet was built with a steel wire frame, which I then covered with super sculpey, baked and primed with black gesso. I don't think I would recommend this process - Sculpey is a finnicky material to work with when you need something this size, and is super soft so it has a tendency to 'sag' unless properly supported. If I had to do it again, I would probably make a much more comprehensive frame for the clay to adhere to. As it was, getting it into just the right shape was a huge challenge. At any rate, I'm very pleased with the final result, and it fits my head perfectly.

The armor is being cut from EVA foam sheets that I bought from a local art supply store (I live in Seoul), one is about 4mm thick, the other about 2mm, and fit together with hot glue. Eventually, I'll be using the same process as my Artorias suit - primed with woodglue, then a polyurethane resin.

Here's a brief progress log so far -

Skull/Helm
Skull/Helm 2
Early Cuirass 1
Early Cuirass Interior Closeup
Cuirass Front
Cuirass Front 2

There's still a tremendous amount of work to be done, but things are accelerating quite nicely now. I'm optimistic that I'll have the project ready to go by fall.

 

[Dralexa]

wow I like the layout of your chest. must have been fun trying to make templates for that

 

[Ikras]

Avoiding the spoiler for sure but the progress is looking great. Still not got round to playing the game but the artwork looks great and the job you've done on the helmet is amazing.

I know what you mean with the chainmail, it can be somewhat relaxing at times though if you can just get into the flow of it. That said... I don't envy you. Are you planning to use the same method as last time for attaching it all?

Looking forward to seeing how the progress continues.

 

[McKilligan]

wow I like the layout of your chest. must have been fun trying to make templates for that

Actually I'm a caveman when it comes to that stuff, I eyeball and custom fit everything piece by piece. If I plan thing out too far in advance, something inevitably doesn't fit right which means nothing else will fit right either, so I always just work by inches and degrees. You should see that giant pile of EVA scraps that just this part of the chest generated. Good thing the stuff is cheap.

Avoiding the spoiler for sure but the progress is looking great. Still not got round to playing the game but the artwork looks great and the job you've done on the helmet is amazing.

I know what you mean with the chainmail, it can be somewhat relaxing at times though if you can just get into the flow of it. That said... I don't envy you. Are you planning to use the same method as last time for attaching it all?

Looking forward to seeing how the progress continues.

Yeah, I definitely do enjoy making the mail, but it's the one part of the project that takes like x10 longer than any other part. I've already put in at least 2 dozen hours into the mail alone, and I'll probably need to do at least that many again to get it into a finished state.

Anyway, gonna be drunk off my butt at a 3-day barbecue party this weekend, so work it on a temporary hiatus!

 

[Dralexa]

with all your scraps you should put it inside a bean bag chair that's about the only way to recycle the bits