Cosplay prop - ICO Queen's Sword (part 1)
So I'm making my first venture into cosplay prop/weapon making... and why start with something simple when you can jump right in at the awesome end and make an elaborately shaped five-and-a-half-foot sword?
So this was the state of my loungeroom floor for a week or so while I tried to get the whole thing drawn up. I got some nice reference pictures for the handle (well, the version from Shadow of the Colossus anyway) but I don't have a printer so I had to use MS Paint to draw a grid over the pictures and copy them out by hand at the right scale.
The finished paper template, and a first attempt at the runes on the blade. I put together the entire pattern from screenshots and I thought I had it in the right scale, but it turned out quite a bit too short. So in the end I had to stretch the runes out quite a bit, and eventually 'cheated' by shortening the blade about 5cm as well. Not that you'd ever notice at that length...
The next task was creating a cardboard test run to see if it all fitted together well. After I took the photo I also added the chain that attaches to the end of the handle - I'll be making that out of wood too, since you can't get plastic chain big enough, and metal chain - though it would be a useful counterweight - is likely to get it banned from Manifest...
Starting to cut out the outline. I haven't done any woodworking previously, so I'm getting lots of help (and shed space!) from my dad. I'm doing all the actual cutting out myself, though, which is nice.
End of first day's cutting-out work, and I have a blade and a few layers of handle. Still lots to do though...
I'll try to keep this updated. And maybe get around to posting photos from the actual cosplay photoshoot this time.
So this was the state of my loungeroom floor for a week or so while I tried to get the whole thing drawn up. I got some nice reference pictures for the handle (well, the version from Shadow of the Colossus anyway) but I don't have a printer so I had to use MS Paint to draw a grid over the pictures and copy them out by hand at the right scale.
The finished paper template, and a first attempt at the runes on the blade. I put together the entire pattern from screenshots and I thought I had it in the right scale, but it turned out quite a bit too short. So in the end I had to stretch the runes out quite a bit, and eventually 'cheated' by shortening the blade about 5cm as well. Not that you'd ever notice at that length...
The next task was creating a cardboard test run to see if it all fitted together well. After I took the photo I also added the chain that attaches to the end of the handle - I'll be making that out of wood too, since you can't get plastic chain big enough, and metal chain - though it would be a useful counterweight - is likely to get it banned from Manifest...
Starting to cut out the outline. I haven't done any woodworking previously, so I'm getting lots of help (and shed space!) from my dad. I'm doing all the actual cutting out myself, though, which is nice.
End of first day's cutting-out work, and I have a blade and a few layers of handle. Still lots to do though...
I'll try to keep this updated. And maybe get around to posting photos from the actual cosplay photoshoot this time.