From the bench to reality... the Immortal Iron Fist.
It's not hard to believe that Iron Fist has always been one of my favorite characters as I've studied martial arts for over 20 years.
So when Sandford Greene started drawing him ... I loved the look and knew I wanted to cosplay it. Greene is a phenomenal artist no matter whom he draws.
First I worked on the jumpsuit. Though the Greene IF is colored charcoal, I decided to go with green. I wanted it to look more substantial than spandex, as if a real martial artist could take care of business in it - so I chose a heavier, matte ponte fabric. It's a pretty forgiving material when it comes to cutting and sewing, which is another plus.
The collar has both plastic and batting inserted inside of it, but snaps in the back in three places so you can get in and out of it easily.
I was kind of under a crunch, so I used a simple running stitch for most of it, but I really wish I could have used an invisible stitch to make it look more polished.
Next I wanted to tackle the boots. I found a great pair of tabi sneakers that looked similar enough to Greene's design but also added a little more martial arts flair.
I did a light sanding all over the leather, then used Angelus leather paint to match the suit colors, followed by Angelus acrylic finisher.
I kept thinking about how I could give this costume some kind of prop that would make his fist glow. After some failed attempts with LEDs and transparent worbla, it hit me - sculpt and cast a fist and put the LEDs inside.
It was just crazy enough to work.
One of the first videos I made of it working. The LED's are an 8-function kind you can buy just about anywhere these days, and can be turned on/off or changed using a remote control.
Had to repair the LEDs at one point due to sweat, but it was easily done.
Once it was all done I couldn't wait to wear it somewhere... so I wore it to breakfast. Pardon the mask. It's a cheap one that I covered in yellow velvet flocking fibers.
Next I wore it to a store opening with my buddy Nick's Red Hood.
Then to Comicpalooza...
Face off: Iron Fist versus Iron Man
No actual harm was done to Pikachu.
I upgraded the helmet with a buy from Etsy. I added the glowing eyes which really made it pop.
That helped me win a costume contest at a local exotic car club here in Houston.
Hit a store opening with my best buddy Nick.
Mixed it up with a karate gi at DragonCon this year. Goku had no chance.
Lots of fun to make. Even more fun to wear. Hope y'all enjoyed.
It's not hard to believe that Iron Fist has always been one of my favorite characters as I've studied martial arts for over 20 years.
So when Sandford Greene started drawing him ... I loved the look and knew I wanted to cosplay it. Greene is a phenomenal artist no matter whom he draws.
First I worked on the jumpsuit. Though the Greene IF is colored charcoal, I decided to go with green. I wanted it to look more substantial than spandex, as if a real martial artist could take care of business in it - so I chose a heavier, matte ponte fabric. It's a pretty forgiving material when it comes to cutting and sewing, which is another plus.
The collar has both plastic and batting inserted inside of it, but snaps in the back in three places so you can get in and out of it easily.
I was kind of under a crunch, so I used a simple running stitch for most of it, but I really wish I could have used an invisible stitch to make it look more polished.
Next I wanted to tackle the boots. I found a great pair of tabi sneakers that looked similar enough to Greene's design but also added a little more martial arts flair.
I did a light sanding all over the leather, then used Angelus leather paint to match the suit colors, followed by Angelus acrylic finisher.
I kept thinking about how I could give this costume some kind of prop that would make his fist glow. After some failed attempts with LEDs and transparent worbla, it hit me - sculpt and cast a fist and put the LEDs inside.
It was just crazy enough to work.
One of the first videos I made of it working. The LED's are an 8-function kind you can buy just about anywhere these days, and can be turned on/off or changed using a remote control.
Had to repair the LEDs at one point due to sweat, but it was easily done.
Once it was all done I couldn't wait to wear it somewhere... so I wore it to breakfast. Pardon the mask. It's a cheap one that I covered in yellow velvet flocking fibers.
Next I wore it to a store opening with my buddy Nick's Red Hood.
Then to Comicpalooza...
Face off: Iron Fist versus Iron Man
No actual harm was done to Pikachu.
I upgraded the helmet with a buy from Etsy. I added the glowing eyes which really made it pop.
That helped me win a costume contest at a local exotic car club here in Houston.
Hit a store opening with my best buddy Nick.
Mixed it up with a karate gi at DragonCon this year. Goku had no chance.
Lots of fun to make. Even more fun to wear. Hope y'all enjoyed.
