SPIDER GWEN Build (Pic Heavy)

[HendoArt]

Edit: **SPIDER-GWEN FINISHED!!!**

SPIDER-GWEN​

Hi everyone, this is my first post and first time working with pretty much all of these materials. I've decided to do a Spider-Gwen suit because let’s face it, she’s awesome.

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I’m going to use this thread to track my progress and share costs/process, so sorry if it’s annoyingly long! Please let me know if I’m sharing any information I shouldn’t be! I am also very open to any criticism and advice! I’m trying to get this done in time for Wonder Con on Easter. TJack seems to have a waitlist going on, so I decided to make everything myself in the interest of time and $$$.

[SIZE=+2]THE SUIT[/SIZE]​

I purchased the suit file from Or Hadar for $35. It’s a great file, but I had to tweak it to size 5’0” body (Default is 5’9). I had never used CS6 Photoshop before, so I spent a lot of time reviewing other RPF threads and watching youtube videos. Here are the dummy steps:

1. Add one guide across the face and one across the belt line. Go to View --> New Guide.

1. Measure the distance between both guides. (If you right click the Eyedropper Tool, you will see a Ruler tool.) Measurements show up at the top. The default is about 29”, which fits someone size 5’9” to 6’0”.
2. Measure what this distance (tape measure is $1 at Michaels) on you, from between your eyes down to your belt. Remember not to look down while measuring!
3. Resize the image until this ruler distance matches yours. Do this by going to Image à Image Size and fiddling with the Document Size inches until you get it right. It should be linked to height, so you only have to adjust one parameter.
4. Making it bigger or smaller will adjust the Canvas Size. Make sure that you haven’t exceeded the yard limitations when sending it to print. I had to reorient the positioning of everything to make it fit to Fabric On Demand’s 58” limit; Gwen has a wider file because the hood takes up extra room.
5. I also have very long fingers and very tiny palms for my size, so I stretched out the fingers, which you can do with the Free Transform tool.

I modified the bust to drop down a bit and added some muscle shading to the neck/collar bone. Once satisfied, started ordering from Fabric On Demand.

1. I ordered two swatches. At $5 each, I highly recommend this! One was for a color test and the other was to test my glove size.
2. Once I got my swatches, I tweaked the white part of my file to be brighter, then I placed my order
3. I called after to let someone know what changes I wanted made, based on the swatches. They are CRAZY AWESOME. She asked me to send her a picture of the swatches via email, then we talked about what I needed help with. I basically needed the hexagonal pattern on the black to show up better, and the shadows on the white part to show up less green. She took note of everything and said she’s forward the picture as well.

While I’m waiting to get my print, I decided to work on the faceshell and lenses

THE FACESHELL ($25)

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Materials (Pictured)
I downloaded Pepakura Designer 3 and picked up Gimpee’s faceshell pepakura file.
http://www.therpf.com/f78/spiderman-face-shell-pepakura-file-foam-version-jfcustom-pdf-added-211099/
- Cardboard (cereal box): $3
- Masking Tape: $2
- Dry Dex (quart): $6.50
- Sanding block: $3
- Sanding paper (400grt): $3.50
- Modge Podge (16oz. Matte): $7
TOTAL: $25



Building
1. I taped the paper onto a cereal box and cut out the pieces. Honestly, if you are using cardboard, You don’t really need to cut out all those tabs. I basically left one or two on each side just to add structure, but doing all those tabs would have been a pain in the a*s and probably made it look a little bulky.

2. One thing I recommend is bending the folds around a hard surface instead of with your fingers. It's cleaner, faster, and your thumb won't go numb, lol.

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3. Once it was about the shape I wanted, I covered the whole thing in a layer of masking tape to add a bit of stability



4. Spackled and sanded. Stretched my fabric swatch across the mask to see if the shape was right. Added spackle to fix the flat brow, make the nose higher/wider, and add a sharper chin.
5. Sanded, then sealed with glue!






Still gotta drill holes, but nearly finished!

[SIZE=+2]THE FRAMES ($22) & LENSES ($7-$20)[/SIZE]​

The basic materials for the frames (you can make at least 6) are:

Sculpey (8oz.): $7.50
Neodymium Magnets (20): $10.00
Epoxy Quick Set: $4.50
TOTAL: $22.00

1. Roll out frames with sculpey uniformly and bake at 275
2. Create setting for magnets, score the magnets, and glue them in with two-part epoxy
3. Line magnets up with faceshell and create settings in faceshell; coat in glue for stability




There are lots of options for the lenses:

One-way Perforated Vinyl: $19.00
Acetate Sheets: You can just find this free anywhere, like a sheet protector or binder
Splatter Screen (2): $8.00
Reflective Vinyl: $7.00

1. Use the frame template to cut out acetate sheet and whatever other medium you choose. These are one-way perforated vinyl, super easy to see out of!
2. Don't use hot glue to attach the lenses, since it might damage the magnetism. I will use the epoxy.

 

[FirstPick]

The faceshell is fantastic. Shape looks perfect.
I made my own faceshell also and this looks like a much better idea.

 

[IndridColdx]

I recommend you get lenses from some of the makers here and spray paint them purple.

 

[TJackFx]

TJack seems to have a waitlist going on

Not sure who gave you that impression, but I normally ship out all orders within a week of payment. I don't normally have any waitlists.

Either way, great job on the shell

 

[HendoArt]

Ooh I might try to get some then! Just worried now that they won't fit my makeshift faceshell

 

[TJackFx]

My shell may end up being too big for you if you are only 5'.

I have a few frame options you could look at painting for your costume. Take a look at my threads and see if you like any of the styles. I'm sure you canmake them work with that shell, lots of costumers have made their own shells and used my frames. It's only the domed asm2 style that won't work for your shell.

 

[Mystery]

The shell looks great :thumbsup

 

[HendoArt]

My shell may end up being too big for you if you are only 5'.

I have a few frame options you could look at painting for your costume. Take a look at my threads and see if you like any of the styles. I'm sure you canmake them work with that shell, lots of costumers have made their own shells and used my frames. It's only the domed asm2 style that won't work for your shell.

Okay, took me forever to read your whole lens thread but I didn't want to ask a question you had already answered lol Glad you don't have a waitlist, I must have confused it with your Shell+Lens runs or the waitlist associated with Halloween? I dont know, these threads confuse me sometimes.

Yeah I think I will do some mock up lenses with the Sculpey first to decide how to go about painting them. If I decide to splatter on the lens frame I will probably go with your Last Stand ones since they're thicker, if not I might try the smaller TASM2 ones (assuming there is an un-domed version of that)? Either way, I will figure it out with my crummy materials before wasting trial and error on yours! expect a PM from me around mid-March

 

[deadspider3]

okay!, just an idea i'm throwing out here but, maybe to make the suit more like the comic you might want to just use the spandex as the lens already since you can usually see through it, since these suits are usually skintight anyway. so if you do that than in the comic it kinda looks like a splatered pattern you might want to make a template of how large you want the eye to be than paint around it using fabric paint... just an idea. :rolleyes

 

[HendoArt]

okay!, just an idea i'm throwing out here but, maybe to make the suit more like the comic you might want to just use the spandex as the lens already since you can usually see through it, since these suits are usually skintight anyway. so if you do that than in the comic it kinda looks like a splatered pattern you might want to make a template of how large you want the eye to be than paint around it using fabric paint... just an idea. :rolleyes

I might try that too. I squished everything on my print to make room for an extra mask so I could try that method. My only worry is that since it's white, I really need a faceshell underneath, and am not sure I will be able to see through the lycra with the extra distance from the shell to my eyes. I def agree that the lenses should probably be fabric looking; TJack appears to have a material for that: (Post #43) on http://www.therpf.com/f75/spiderman...ustom-179568/index2.html?highlight=tjack+lens

Gonna do a lot of experimenting, and what you suggested will def be something I try

 

[HendoArt]

Update: Spackling the Faceshell​

I used DryDex spackling on top of the masking tape. I used a spoon to apply it on the inside and a frosting knife for the outside. I didn't expect it to be so pink, but it helps a lot in telling if it's dry. I found out that I didn't tape on a few strips quite tightly enough, so when the spackle made it damp, it wrinkled a bit. Not a big deal, but I had to cover those two areas a little more. Tape tightly!

It's also crazy easy to sand! It took about 3 hours to dry. This is just the first layer so I sanded pretty loosely. Waiting for the second layer to dry. I added more spackling around the eyes since I'd like to drill a little there for the magnets.

 

[meowz0r]

Looks good! I did used the same method to make my faceshell from Gimpee's file.

I found that the spackling will become "pink" again if it gets moist or water is splashed on it. I suggest painting over the spackle so it won't turn pink and to avoid breathing in any of the dust that might fall off.

 

[IndridColdx]

Looks great

 

[HendoArt]

Looks good! I did used the same method to make my faceshell from Gimpee's file.

I found that the spackling will become "pink" again if it gets moist or water is splashed on it. I suggest painting over the spackle so it won't turn pink and to avoid breathing in any of the dust that might fall off.

I realized later that I should have been wearing a mask when my cat jumped into the dust residue and puffed it all into my face. Lesson learned.

I think I am going with Modge Podge as a means of sealing it, didn't realize it was capable of turning back to pink!

Has anyone tried drilling holes into this stuff for breathing/ventilation? I'm also kind of worried that people will be able to see the holes since the mask is white...

 

[FirstPick]

Don't worry about making it smooth in the areas where the mast won't be tight. The forhead, nose and chin should be very smooth. The cheeks, temples and mouth don't need to be.

 

[SpideyQueue]

Solid looking process so far! Subbed and looking forward to seeing the finished product .
Tip for the sanding, use a decently fine grade of sand paper. It helps when you're trying to finesse the final look of it 300 should do it!

 

[HendoArt]

Thanks for the tips all!

 

[realspideyguy]

Awesome looking work! Sheesh!

 

[HendoArt]

Update: Sanded the second layer (this time with a mask!) and evaluated final shape. ​

1. This time around, I actually sanded everything down so I could see what the final shape was. For the eyes, I wrapped sandpaper around a marker. For the eye corners, I folded the paper in half and got up in there.



2. I had a hard time looking at the plaster and seeing the shape (the stoke marks messed with my eyes). I picked up a swatch I had printed from fabric on demand, stretched it across my mask, and binder clipped it. This helped a LOT. I decided that I needed a more prominent brow, the nose should be a little higher and wider, and the chin should be a little sharper (all areas that FirstPick mentioned are important, funny enough).



3. Just pictures of the patches I added. Should be done with sanding tomorrow night and be able to seal!

 

[Daftpunk]

And at the end will it look like this: