These photos are the result of another Ain't It Cool News contest. The point this time? To make a ringwraith (no using an action figure or other pre-made baddie), and then have it ride a pet. Well, needless to say, after losing the other contest (with honorable mention), my dander was up and I took the challenge seriously. The result? I won! So take a look at the pictures (and then some) that won a wraith!
The making took about 4 evenings. Click on the thumbnail for a larger picture.
Oh, incidentally, despite my name throwing people off, I am most definitely a SHE. Trust me, I checked.
I just noticed the other error and fixed it. Mea Culpa! (6/16/03)
Just the saddle, including one not too pleased ''volunteer'' named Peter. All the straps are adjustable. Made of brown paper stuck together with white craft glue, and painted with a dilute wash of black acrylic poster paint. The straps are grosgrain ribbon, and the stirrups and eye plate were made of wire covered in more brown paper. A brown paper shopping bag, some white glue, and some water are an easy, cheap, and un-messy alternative to papier-mache for small projects.
Mannequin pics, just to give you an idea. The plate armour on shins, knees, and arms was made separately, and sewn on afterwards. The frame was made of wire, again covered with brown paper, and then painted. The armour was also made of brown paper. The metallic sheen was achieved with some chrome paint I found in the basement, which was then dry brushed with some black acrylic to weather it.
Costume pics. I spent about $6 on fabric and ribbon, and I still have most of the fabric left. The most expensive bit was actually the ribbon for the saddle. Everything else was just lying around; the paint, the glue, the wire, the lanyard (and me with too much time on my hands).
I chose grey for the robe to heighten the contrast, as I knew that all black would not show up well in a photo. I didn't really need to split skirt the robe, but it drapes better this way. I hand stitched where necessary as it wasn't worth pulling out the sewing machine. The tops of the sleeves are slightly gathered since the fabric was heavy and wouldn't sit properly otherwise. The sides of the waist area were left open to facilitate dressing the mannequin.
The sword and knife are made of more brown paper and wire, painted. They can be removed from their hangers on the belt.
The two pictures of the cloak give an idea of how it achieves that all-enveloping eclipse of the figure. The front panels of the cloak are belted over the robe, while the back is free. Two small panels are added at the shoulder to ''cap'' the shoulders properly. But, really it is just a large rectangle with a couple of cuts strategically placed.
The last bit is the hood. I doubled the part that actually goes over the head as the fabric I used is extremely light-weight cotton, and light would otherwise shine through. The long straight edge is the front. The long bits hang down in front of the shoulders of the wraith, and the bulge hangs in back like a cape-let over the cloak. I pinned it with a twist of wire at the neck to secure it and also so it draped properly.
Dressing the mannequin was easy enough. Since it is based on a wire frame and all the armour is articulated, I could bend it slightly and not worry about damaging it. The pics above are in sequence. I had already dressed the mannequin once, but I took the costume off and re-dressed it to take these pics.
Unhappy cat named Emma trying to get away from the indignity and scrape off the wraith.
And no, he didn't mind once I had secured it so it wouldn't flop. He wandered around the yard contentedly, and even chased some hens. He still lets me walk right up to him, and even pick him up. So, no, he was NOT traumatized!
It arrived in the most enormous box. There was snow all over the ground and driveway, and the delivery guy tried walking up the driveway since he wasn't sure his van could make it. Luckily I was going down the driveway at the time, and was able to save him a long and laborous walk up the hill, as well as give him a ride back down. It's a gorgeous piece of sculpting, and helps make up for my cat damaging two of my other Sideshow Weta collectibles (stupid fat cat!)