Hello and welcome to my first attempt at an Instructable, and second attempt at an EVA foam Halloween costume. Last year, I surprisingly succeeded in creating a medieval knight costume for my oldest son. This Halloween, I've had a request from my younger son for a Splatoon Inkling character costume. Specifically, a green version of the blue boy Inkling from Splatoon 1.

Neither of these would have happened without the many contributions, tips, and advice i found online. As payback, i offer you this...my Instructable.

Step 1: Tools & Materials

Tools:

glue gun
heat gun
sharp cutting tools; xacto knife
brushes

Materials:

2mm craft foam
9mm EVA foam (purchased as puzzle matt pieces at the local dollar store)
cardboard tube (approx. 2.5" OD x 1.5")
1/2" Chicago screws (x2)
small corner brace / L bracket
Dap Kwik Seal Kitchen & Bath Adhesive Caulk
Mod Podge
coloured permanent markers
acrylic craft paint
- green neon for main head piece and tentacle ponytails
- forest green for the larger spots on the top of the tentacles
- flesh tone for the ears and ear covers
- cream for underside of tentacle ponytails
- mint green (mixed cream, tropical green, turquoise)

Step 2: Wig's Main Body

With the help of Evil Ted's How To Make A Foam Helmet YouTube tutorials 1, 2, and 3 at:

I was able to create the wig's main body using 9mm EVA foam. Using online images of the Splatoon Inkling character for reference, along with a foam mannequin wig stand and my son's head (average 9 year old), I formed and shaped the main body of the head piece.

Step 3: Ponytails (Tentacles)

Pattern:

Draw a general pattern for the base (flat) portion of the tentacle ponytails. I referenced images online and sized it relative to the size/shape of the wig.
Transfer base pattern onto 9 mm EVA foam and cut to create two pieces.
Draw a larger version of the pattern (approximately 1.5 cm larger around) for the top (rounded) portion of the ponytails. Make a 2" cut from the tip along the mid-line. This cut will facilitate rounding and sealing the top portion of the ponytail to the flat piece.
Transfer top pattern onto 1 mm craft foam and cut to create two pieces.

Foam:

Tent the 1 mm craft foam over the 9 mm EVA foam and glue along the edge, creating a "3d" effect.
- If your 9 mm EVA foam is smooth on one side and rough on the other, cover the rough side leaving the smooth side exposed.
- It was easier to start on the straight end of the ponytail (base that will ultimately be glued to the body of the wig) and finishing at the rounded end.
As you glue, stuff and glue scrap 9 mm EVA foam inside the ponytail to support the 1 mm foam
Cut 2 rings, approximately 2" wide, for the tentacle suckers and glue to tentacle

Finishing Touches:

Using a heat gun, bend the tentacles slightly to give them a slight curve
Smooth edges removing excessive glue;

Step 4: Hair Spikes

There are four hair "spikes" along the neck hairline.

TOP Pattern:

Draw a pattern of an equilateral triangle. This will form the top part of the hair spike. Mine measured 4.5 cm per side.
Slightly round two sides of the triangle to create two curved edges.

BOTTOM Pattern:

Draw a rectangular pattern to form the bottom part of the hair spike.
- Longer sides of the rectangle will depend on how big you want your spikes. This edge will be tented over the straight edge of the equilateral triangle.
- Shorter sides of the rectangle will be the same length as your equilateral triangle.
  - Again mine was 4.5 cm.
Mark a point down from the centre of one of the longer sides. Mine was 18 mm from the edge, but this again will depend on your measurements.
Draw a curved a line from that point to the top corner.
This bottom piece was a bit tough to create a pattern for and i ultimately had to play around a bit with this to get it right.

Foam:

Transfer TOP pattern to 9 mm EVA foam and cut out four of these shapes.
Transfer BOTTOM pattern to 1 mm craft foam and cut out four of these shapes.
Heat the TOP 9 mm foam piece with a heat gun and form around a cylindrical object to create a U shape at the straight edge, and bend up at the tip. Do this for all four pieces.
- I wore heavy duty work gloves and was able to form the piece by wrapping the straight edge around my finger
Tent the 1 mm craft foam over the 9 mm EVA foam and glue along the edge, creating a "3d" effect.

Step 5: Ears

The ear section consists of two parts: an ear cover, to conceal the human ear, and the inkling ear.

Ear Cover:

This took a bit of trial and error, adjusting the size to effectively conceal my son's ear.
For the most part, I started the pattern by following the lines of the ear slot of the wig and extending down further to allow for a fold
- My ear cover measured approximately 11 cm long and 8.5 cm wide (before folding)
- Give yourself extra material under the wig to attach the cover to the wig
Trace pattern on to 1 mm craft foam and cut;
Make a 2 cm cut at the centre of the bottom to facilitate a fold to form a curve

Note: I cut and glued two pieces per side to make it more sturdy, but that's just personal preference. I also had to shim one of the ear covers using scrap EVA foam in order to make a tighter fit to cover the ear properly.

Inkling Ear:

Draw a general pattern for the front part of the ear; this will be on a 9 mm EVA foam. Mine measured approximately 8.5 cm long by just under 6 cm high.
Draw a larger version of the pattern (approximately 2 cm larger around) for the back (tented) portion of the ear; this will be cut from 1 mm craft foam.
Make a round cut at the tip of the 1 mm craft foam to facilitate tenting over the tip of the ear.
Using a heat gun, bend and mold the front ear piece (9 mm EVA foam) into a slight curved shape desired.
Tent the back ear piece (1 mm craft foam) over the shaped 9 mm foam, using pins to hold in place
Glue the 1 mm foam to the 9 mm EVA foam.
Glue scrap pieces of foam inside the ear to support the 1 mm craft foam; i used 1 mm foam at the opening to assist with gluing the ears to the ear covers later.

Note: When creating the pattern / cuts for the ear, keep left and right perspectives in mind as you will want to cover the rough part of the EVA foam leaving the smooth side exposed.

Step 6: Hairband

The hairband will not only serve a decorative purpose, but it will also help support the two standing tentacle ponytails.

I found thick, 2.5" diameter (OD), cardboard tubing that offered enough space to stack both ponytails inside and cut off a 1.5" piece.
Glue two small corner brace L brackets along the base of the inside of the tube. These brackets will be used to secure the headband to the main head piece with Chicago screws, so be mindful of:
- bracket placement - ensure that the base of the bracket conforms to the shape of the top of the wig. I had to bend the brackets slightly to touch the head piece evenly.
- screw holes - ensure that the Chicago screws fit into the holes of the bracket. I had to drill my holes a bit larger.
cut a rectangular piece of 1mm craft foam measuring approximately 3" x 9" (enough to wrap around the cardboard tube) and create your desired pattern
- i used coloured Sharpie pens and created a design similar to that of my reference images
carefully wrap and glue the 1mm foam to the cardboard tube, making small cuts along the way to prevent fold lines and bubbles
to finish it off, i brushed this piece, inside and out, two coats of Mod Podge to seal it and give it a protective coating

Step 7: Surface Prep and Paint

Following techniques of Bill from Punished Props Academy, i filled in gaps, seams, and imperfections on all the pieces using Dap Kwik Seal.

I then applied two coats of Mod Podge to all pieces in order to seal the foam and provide a solid base for painting.

I used acrylic craft paint from the local dollar store. Although it was economical, i think i sacrificed a bit of quality for price and had to apply several coats on the bigger pieces.

Step 8: Putting It All Together

After attaching the headband with the two Chicago screws via the corner brace L brackets, i glued the ponytail tentacles in place. I had to do some touch ups after putting everything together, but in the end my son was happy.

Thank you for checking this out! Any photos, comments and/or feedback appreciated!

And now for the Ink Tank ...