I was invited to the premiere of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones since the director, Harald Zwart is Norwegian.
So me and my fellow cosplay friends got to stand on the red carpet together with Hollywood celebrities like Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Even the Norwegian princess Märtha told me I looked "horrible".
And for my demon costume I needed horns, and I didn't want to use too much time on it due to other projects that needed my attention.
Photo: db.no
So the tinfoil/papermache method it is!
Start off by shaping tinfoil info you desired shape. I also have a core of foam, but that is mainly because I was running out of tinfoil.
And then cover them with masking tape.
Now it is time to add strips of paper dipped in glue and water. I used "all purpose" glue like this.
And covered it like this:
When they are all covered, add another layer of only glue on top. This smoothens out the surface. I have only one layer of newspaper on my horns.
Then you add some details. People have asked if they should use paper clay to make the horns. Sure, you will get much better detailing an possibilities, but they will also be very heavy. Try and find out what works best for you.
I used my trusted glue gun to make the ridges (which are much more visible on the second picture below).
And then I primed it with Gesso to even out the surface even more.
And now paint!
I decided on a total color palette of red and black for my demon, so I will feather out red color on the tips of the horns. For this I used a bright red and a black acrylic paint with a sponge (ordinary makeup sponge) and dabbed color on from the tip and in.
Last I painted over a clear coat to get that glossy finish. Trim the edges.
If I had more time I would have made horns that you glue to directly to your forehead, that looks to amazing (but I have other plans for my forehead, wait and see). So I will use the headband way. Attach the horns with tape to my headband and arrange my hair so it doesn't show.
With tape
Hiding the tape
And styling my hair, which was not easy since I have a side cut and needed to hide the head band.
And finished
The angry brow was made with gelatin and I got to use the mold made by the very talented Karin Olava Effects
Wow, thanks a lot for this! I need to make horns for a cosplay in the future and this tutorial is super helpful and easy to understand.
SvarSlettHey, glad to help. And glad you found it easy to follow. More tutorials on the way
SlettSweet! I love your stuff, not gonne make horns, but the part with gluegun! i hadnt even thought about using it to add details to stuff. Thanks ^^
SvarSlettGlad some of my ideas might come in handy. I will continue to try out new methodes :)
SlettThis was perfectly what i needed. Thanks so much!! could you do one with horns that go on your forehead though???
SvarSlettthis is awesome! do you think it would work for homestuck horns?
SvarSlettYes, I think it could work very well for most types of homestuck horns :) GL
SlettThis is so cool, but how would you attach them without the headband, I have short hair and have one side cut shorter than the other and I don't think I could hide a headband
SvarSlettI have tried to glue on "crocodile clip" to the horns and then attaching them direclty ro my hair. The difficult part is to make the hang at the right hight and not look crocked. Also they had a tendensy to slide off a bit. Headband is still the best way imo. Maybe you could use a wig ;)
SlettI think hot gluing each individual horn to two clips each would work. I think putting the clips in a V formation when gluing would work.
SvarSlettHave a question how could this work for a guy? I'm going to be making the horns for my husband. He is going to be a minatour for halloween.
SvarSlettHow would you attach them to your forehead?
SvarSlettI would have made a gelatin piece as a base for the horns. That way I could glue the horns to the gelatin and the gelatin to my forehead. But you could also glue then om using mastix/spirit gum/pros aide and blending/securing edges with latex :)
SlettThis has been a great help: I've modified the design onto a masquerade ball mask and it's looking fantastic! Thank you :)
SvarSlettGlad to be at help and aweseome that you could use it for a a masquerade ball :D
SlettThese look great and I'm impressed at how much you got out of items from around the home!
SvarSlettThank you :D
SlettThese are fabulous! I'm a very (VERY) latecomer to the prop making party, so this is and the possibilities for other applications for tin foil and maché is all new and exciting to me. Glad to have discovered this on Pinterest. Thank you for sharing!
SvarSlettI'll try this tutorial today! Thank you for showing how you did it! ;)
SvarSlettWhen you say "add another layer of just glue", do you mean paint on a layer of glue, or strips of paper in just glue?
SvarSlettAnother layer of only glue (wood glue) to smooth out the surface
SlettDid you cut the horns apart at the end?
SvarSlettThe horns were always two separate pieces. (I only hold them close together in the first photos) And then they were permanently attached to the headband in the end :)
SlettHey from Texas, thank you so much for this awesome simple tutorial!!! I can not wait to do this with my daughter :)
SvarSlettI am so glad you liked it. Good luck with making horn with y our daughter :D
Slett