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Step 7Headpiece: base and additional bits
The head area breaks down like this - a long wig underneath, the headpiece sections worn on top like a helmet, with another wig over top for the spiky sections of hair. I wanted an easy-to-fluff wig for the top, so I chose a "Tina Punky" style. However, the rest of his hair is super long and straight, so I had to use a second wig in a different style.
The base for the headpiece is a purchased item, which is actually a base for making headpieces; it's basically a plastic skull cap. The only place I've found it to be available is from The Feather Place. I sketched some placement lines on mine and cut away bits I did not need and wouldn't be able to hide. Most of the back of the plastic cap will be covered by the top wig.
I used a hat block I happened to have for most of the early patterning because it was closer in size to my head than a wig head. Be careful whenever you're using foam wig heads to do anything - they're not the same size or shape as a real head and you risk having things come out too small. So always do a lot of test-fittings.
The horns needed to be removable for transport, so they slot into the headpiece. The other elements are mostly permanently attached to the headpiece. Because different things were different colors and materials, they were all made separately and then assembled. It's hard to describe the different pieces, since the headpiece was done in so many sections, but I'll give it a shot.
"Petal" piece: The largest section of the headpiece was made from a material called Fuzzform, which is a sort of thermoplastic fabric. No other material could take all the complex curves I needed it to. It feels like a very heavy felt; when you heat it, it shrinks and hardens (more so the more heat is applied). The resulting piece is stiff, but still flexible. Unfortunately, it also looks like felt; the best solution I tested was to cover it with thin layer of Magic Smooth. I reinforced the piece by sewing wire to it so that I could apply Magic Smooth resin coating over the surface without the piece distorting too much.
"Tiara" sections: The front pieces which sit down over the forehead are made with the Wonderflex technique I describe in the section about the boot caps. The very center piece which holds the gem also has Magic Sculpt resin clay on it.
Wing bits: The "wing" like sections to either side of the tall horns were also done in Fuzzform with Magic Smooth applied to the top like the petal section. All of the "metal" sections for the headpiece had a multi-step coloring process done on them so that the color changes slightly depending on the angle, but this doesn't photograph very well.
Back piece: The headpiece has a back section which wraps around. I have no images of the back of Orlouge's head, save for one very pixelly instance in the game, so this was a bit of a guess. It attaches to the base using magnets hidden under the wig. This piece was also done with the Wonderflex and hot glue method.
Beading: The beading is pretty simple and you can read lots about ways to bead; it's an assortment of glass beads and some Swarovski crystals on beading wire.
Flowers: The headpiece also has a number of flowers attached to it, which are just fake flowers from various places, hand-sewn onto clips so they can attach to the wig. One of the flowers was originally plain white and I custom colored it with watercolors; others have sequins and beads sewn on for interest.
The base for the headpiece is a purchased item, which is actually a base for making headpieces; it's basically a plastic skull cap. The only place I've found it to be available is from The Feather Place. I sketched some placement lines on mine and cut away bits I did not need and wouldn't be able to hide. Most of the back of the plastic cap will be covered by the top wig.
I used a hat block I happened to have for most of the early patterning because it was closer in size to my head than a wig head. Be careful whenever you're using foam wig heads to do anything - they're not the same size or shape as a real head and you risk having things come out too small. So always do a lot of test-fittings.
The horns needed to be removable for transport, so they slot into the headpiece. The other elements are mostly permanently attached to the headpiece. Because different things were different colors and materials, they were all made separately and then assembled. It's hard to describe the different pieces, since the headpiece was done in so many sections, but I'll give it a shot.
"Petal" piece: The largest section of the headpiece was made from a material called Fuzzform, which is a sort of thermoplastic fabric. No other material could take all the complex curves I needed it to. It feels like a very heavy felt; when you heat it, it shrinks and hardens (more so the more heat is applied). The resulting piece is stiff, but still flexible. Unfortunately, it also looks like felt; the best solution I tested was to cover it with thin layer of Magic Smooth. I reinforced the piece by sewing wire to it so that I could apply Magic Smooth resin coating over the surface without the piece distorting too much.
"Tiara" sections: The front pieces which sit down over the forehead are made with the Wonderflex technique I describe in the section about the boot caps. The very center piece which holds the gem also has Magic Sculpt resin clay on it.
Wing bits: The "wing" like sections to either side of the tall horns were also done in Fuzzform with Magic Smooth applied to the top like the petal section. All of the "metal" sections for the headpiece had a multi-step coloring process done on them so that the color changes slightly depending on the angle, but this doesn't photograph very well.
Back piece: The headpiece has a back section which wraps around. I have no images of the back of Orlouge's head, save for one very pixelly instance in the game, so this was a bit of a guess. It attaches to the base using magnets hidden under the wig. This piece was also done with the Wonderflex and hot glue method.
Beading: The beading is pretty simple and you can read lots about ways to bead; it's an assortment of glass beads and some Swarovski crystals on beading wire.
Flowers: The headpiece also has a number of flowers attached to it, which are just fake flowers from various places, hand-sewn onto clips so they can attach to the wig. One of the flowers was originally plain white and I custom colored it with watercolors; others have sequins and beads sewn on for interest.
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