Introduction: Homestuck Troll Horns

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About: I'm a huge Homestuck, but I'm into a lot of other stuff. Ill be glad to post cosplay tutorials, even though I'm a mere novice myself. If you have any suggestions, feel free to message me or send me an e-mail a…

Hey everyone. Today I'm gonna show you how to make cheap, simple, and decent Homestuck cosplay horns. I'll be using Terezi's to demonstrate, but this works with any horn. If you dont like the way I do it, feel free to use this for inspiration. The length of this project depends on the size of horns. Smaller horns (Karkat, Sollux, Terezi) take only 2-4 hours, while bigger horns (Tavros, Gamzee, Aradia) can take up to a day or two. Don't worry, most of the time is spent letting the clay dry. Lets get started.

Step 1: The Supplies

Here is what you need:

X Modeling Clay, preferably air dry, because it is a lot easier to use and is cheaper. I recommend Model Magic, but most air dry clay will work. EXCEPTION: I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. Do NOT use Crayola clay. I made this mistake, and still regret it. This is the WORST clay for this project.
X Dandelion, Orange, and Dark Orange Acrylic paints
X Paint Primer
X Sand Paper. Most grains will work. Nothing specific.
X Tin foil
X Popsicle Sticks
X A surface to work on
X Time 


Step 2: Drawing Board

So the first step to making beautiful cosplay horns is getting a really good idea on what you are trying to make. My advice is to go online and look at some pictures of the horns to get a solid image, then draw it on a piece of paper. This part is required. The drawing doesn't have to be perfect (as I clearly demonstrated...) as long as it gives you a pretty good idea at what you are shaping the horns into.

Step 3: Making the Base

This step can be really easy, or really hard. It depends again on your horn type. What you want to do is take your Popsicle stick, and wrap the tin foil around it in a smaller shape of the horn you are making. The tin foil not only provides a STRONG base, but gives you something to wrap the clay around a few steps from here.

Step 4: Snakes!

Here comes one of the more enjoyable parts of this tutorial. You need to take a chunk of clay and turn it into a long, thin strip, or snake, of clay. Simple enough. You are then going to wrap the strip around the tinfoil base.

Step 5: Shaping

Now that you are done with wrapping the clay, it should look like this. It may look messy now, but don't worry. It will look a Lot better once you shape it right. To do this, you simply use your hands to mold it into good shape. If you can, use the workplace (Desk, table) to roll and knead the horn into shape.

Step 6: Final Shaping Touches

Once you are done shaping, it should be somewhat smooth and decent looking. However, it is perfectly okay for it to still be bumpy and coarse. This will be fixed later with sandpaper. Now you simply let it dry out. 
PRO TIP: If you have more intricate horns (Vriska, Aradia, Eridan, ect.), or any horn, you can wet your fingers and smooth it out a little more. This not only prevents cracking, but also gives it better shape. [Note: You still have to sand.]
If the horns have small cracks after drying, which is normal, simply seal them up with a moist towel, or even your finger with some water. However, if they have larger cracks, fill them with superglue, or even more clay.

Step 7: Sanding

This step is pretty straight forward. Be careful not to sand TOO hard, or you might break the horns. However, don't worry about sanding too much. They need to be as smooth and bump free as possible.

Step 8: Priming

For this part, you need your primer. Spray on primers can be bought at most craft stores and are relatively inexpensive. Unfortunately, when I made this tutorial, all I had was drywall primer. This works too if you are in a pinch, but I recommend the spray stuff that is made for exactly this kind of project. If you spray it, you should go outside, or to an open area and lay down a tarp or newspaper. Make sure it is ventilated. If you are using paint on like me, all you need to do is apply it with a regular thick paintbrush.
PRO TIP: Wear raggedy clothes or a smock. This stuff doesn't come off. 

Step 9: Painting

For the paint, I suggest you use Dandelion, Light-ish orange/tangerine, and blood orange/scarlet acrylic paints. These are really cheap and can be found anywhere. What you want to do first is refer back to your reference picture so you have an idea of where the colors should start and stop. If you want you can very lightly mark on the horn where they should cut off, but that can be hard to paint over.
I would start with the yellow at the top, and work your way down to the bottom. It is okay if the color bleeds into the next slot. You can always paint over it. You should put at least 2-3 coats of each color. After that, just let it dry.
PRO TIP: If you want to give it a glossy, shiny finish, use a clear spray finish or some Mod Podge. This is highly optional, but works like a charm. This also protects the horns from color loss and scraping.

Step 10: Admire Your Horns!

All that is left to do now is slide the popsicle stick out (if possible) and voila! Your horns are complete! Believe me. If you put effort into yours, they will look amazing. Don't take mine as an example. I only made one for demonstrative purposes, and i didn't do it well. Yours should look MUCH better :) Don't forget to drop a like and follow me for more How To's. I will be posting another Instructable on how to attach and wear your horns, so stay tuned. Thanks!