Lord Of The Rings Elven Armor

Redbeard

Well-Known Member
Hey y'all.
I'm posting this on behalf of a member of my german propforum Die Propschmiede. He wanted to share his project here but couldn't register because it seems new registrations are suspended. Anyway here it goes:

Hi everybody, I´m a fan of LOTR and a beginner in props. I found a german propboard called www.propschmiede.de and I was so inspired, that I start my project “Elven Costume”.

In the “propschmiede” you can find my tutorial in german.

Basicly I used this sites to get Informations:
http://entropyhouse.com/penwiper/costumes/elftemplates.html
http://entropyhouse.com/penwiper/costumes/helmsdeep.html
There are chest-templates to print out. :eek:)

The second site that I used to get tricks and clever solutions was http://www.jedielfqueen.com/elvenwarriors/elvenwarriors.htm

The Start:

At first I printed the templates and cut this out from 2mm craft foam (sheets 30x45 cm and 46x92 cm). In Germany it called “Moosgummi” (Moosgum). I used “Pattex” (all-purpose glue) because its flexible like gum when its dry.

The wrist guard I taped on waterbottle and stick the second layer of ”Mossgummi”.



After this I lay on ornaments with “Moltofill Fugen Dicht”. This is actually for joints in walls. It stay flexible like silicon and you can paint on it.





I stick the chest armor so that it looks like several layers . But the chest stay thin an flexible.



For painting I used gold, dark brown, mars black and chromeoxygreen acryl color. I mixed for the first layer an dark color (gold + dark brown + mars black).







After drying I start with the second color layer, a gold-black mix. I dap it on with cosmetic / cotton pads because I prefer a used look and I called the style “swoard-washed“ or „ork-washed“.









Than I made the hip armor. I´m not good in inversly and symmatrical draw. So I used a fineliner and draw the ornaments on one side, dap on the line points with wet acryl colour and lay on the other armor side (turn around). So there symmetrical ornaments curves on both sides



On one side the leaves of the hip armor are elvish writing. I printed the elvish word for "Haldir" and "Lothlorien" from side http://www.jedielfqueen.com/elvenwarriors/...ing/writing.htm
on 240 gr/m² photopaper and cut out. I used thick points of glue, the word float 1mm over the surface from armor. After drying I paint the letter with Mod Podge and fill the gap between paper and armor.





And than, painting the two color layer. And here it is:



The elvish words





Here I put on the hip armor provisionally. Die hip armour does not enclose my backside, but its ok because there is the cape.





I think the hip armour is bald and needs more ornaments. I consider where I lay on more ornaments with “Molto Fugen Dicht”.

Now I wrote the webmaster of http://entropyhouse.com/penwiper/costumes/elftemplates.html to say thank you for your homepage and printable templates. 3 Days later I get an answer

***********************************************************************************
Hello.

Wow. Your armor looks amazing. I'm bookmarking your link for future updates to my page, and I just wish I read German. Your paint job is really impressive, and I love what you did with the Elvish writing as well. Excellent work - thank you for showing me.

Genevieve
*****************************************************************

Here you can find a picture from Genevieve. The photo"Gen aka Penwiper"
http://www.jedielfqueen.com/elvenwarriors/elvenwarriors.htm

Now I start with the cloak, vest, neck guard ,Â….

continuation follows then
 
Wow. That's some seriously impressive work.

I'm always impressed by what a little creativity and some fun foam can accomplish. ;)
 
Nice work. I like the paint job a lot. I know that tutorial well. I looked it over quite a few times before deciding to use thin plastic instead of foam for my second age armor. I needed something more rigid for the overlapping lames to hold their shape. I want to try the Helm's Deep armor some day.

elvenarmor_medium_1.jpg



~ GM
 
WOW. As one of the folks who has delved deeply into replicating this costume, I bow to the superb job done on the armor. I'm especially digging the embossing on the hip armor...VERY NICE. Definitely looking forward to seeing more progress pix. :D I handled the "soft parts" for our group of Helm's Deep elves....Redbeard, if your friend is interested here's a link:

http://www.crystalballcostumes.com/ThirdAgeArmor.html

General Mayhem, always drooling over your elf armor... :thumbsup
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Reactor drone @ Apr 22 2006, 09:31 PM) [snapback]1231420[/snapback]</div>
Funny,I used acrylic latex caulking to do the edges on my second age armour.

Great minds think alike :p
[/b]


I used a beading machine. Works like a charm.

;)
 
Nice.. The painting job is beautiful. Great aging...

Please keep the photos coming, I can't wait to see it all together on you. No pressure though - I know how long this takes to put together. :confused

Guri aka Jedielfqueen
 
Hey, Thanks a lot for your feedback.

I have in the meantime I have found imitation leather in red-brown. So I sew the finger guards. The finger guard will be sew with the wrist guards. Before I invert the finger guards I warmed the imitation leather with a hair dryer. At the finger guard crest I make short distance between the needle pass. Otherwise the seam is inexactly and the leather make little waves out the seam.





The helm is nearly finished. But I´m not happy with the result. I had trouble with the helm templates, so I improvise. Not 100% elvish but see here some picture from the steps.

At first I stick the helm parts together on an head of glas.


At saturday I found art flowers edging in a tinker market. So I think its perfect for the floral ornaments on the Elven helms.





And here it is with colour.





It is to look how art-forged ornament. So I closed small cuts and gaps with ModPodge. Than it looks more realistically.





The next part was the pin, that sit on the chest armor. I found picture in the internet and print and cut they out in 3 Diameter (2,5; 3; 3,5 cm). Than I see what is the best size (3 cm)



I cut a plate from a cover of a fruitdrink.



Than I stick the print on the plate –> dry -> paint with a very aqueous mixture (black + gold) -> dry -> covered with thinly ModPodge. The surface was not smooth.

Than cut an semi-circle out from the chest armor and stick the pin. Backside I stick a stripe of foam craft.

The leatherwork:

I took the imitation leather and make a sketch for the ornament seams on the back. For the symmetric curves I used remainder of foarm craft.



When I was ready … tada. – surprise . - mistake in reasoning. I need the lines on the frontside. I taped the leather on my windows by sunny weather und draw on the frontside.





Than I take some clothes-peg and sew the ornament seams – a wonderfull sport ;o)



After this I cut the edges. Before I donÂ’t know how the leather shift because the 10 ornament seams. Now I missing something to hold the leather and the chest armor together on the back.





Than I sew leather-stripes on the wrist guards. At first I try to stick to. But this is not the best way. I took linen thread and paint it over with colour. At the end leather-stripe came a Buckle.



The same again with the shoulder bells.



The next is neck guard. I choose an old sweater as layer. On the sweater I stick many little leather plates. The sweater has an v-collar, but I change it to a high collar.







Some days later Â…

Now I make some hole in the leather guard. I sew 16 litte pieces of wood in the leather to strengthen. So it can´t tear.



No the leather armor hold together at back.

Than I take the sweater und cut out an piece at the back. The sweater is now closely, when I sew it togther. With the piece I make the high collar for the neck guard.

It followed the great hardcore-stick. I hope I´m not addicted for Pattex glue. I stick very many little leather plate on the sweater. But at first I cut the leather plates out.





After 2 day dry I painted with colour-mix (gold+metallic copper + dark terracotta).



For the collar conclusion I paint a leather-stripe in dark brown -> dry -> sew it





continuation follows again
 
Superb job on this set.
I always found this set to be so Art Deco in it's look and you've done a great job on ornamentation and painting.
:thumbsup
 
... & the beat goes on

After a long time, now here my little update. I had a creativ time out. I have holidays and time pimp my prop - yo :p

Cloak: at frist I cut a semi-circle out of stretch-velvet. This was the basic form for the cloak. But the cloak was to short. So I sew long stripes to extend. I´m not shure, to make the cloak to old-used look.



Than I cut the velvet in the middle of the upper edge. And parallel right and left to the upper edge. So I´ve got velvet-stripe on both sides. These stripes were sew together. From the rest of velvet I make the hood an sew it on ne neck of the cloak.



On the shoulder I sew little metal-hooks. But as underlayer I used some little plates of imitation leather because the velvet is thin. On the hooks will be fasten the shoulder bells.


Long time I think how I fasten the shoulder bells and the wrist guards. Than I choose hooks and sew them on the imitation leather stripes.



After that I found a solution to keep together the back of the chest armor. -> a thin rubber band. The band was sew an on the chest. Now it must be colored.



Than I cut my sweat shirt because the tighten is to difficult. So I cut the arms and a broad strip. The broad strip is my basic belt for the mail skirt an the hips armor.



Admitted, this were some “little building sites”. But it takes his time to found a practical solution.

I was so addicted and put the costume parts together. Look here.







At the end, the same story. I look in future. I think about the shoes. I imagine some boots there sew with velvet,satin,Â…

continuation follows again ...

And dont forgotten, look to our german prop board " Die Propschmiede"
 
This thread is more than 3 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top