Sea Goddess - How to make the tentacles and fins

I got a lot of questions on how I made the tentacles in my hair and the fins on my arms. And they were surprisingly easy to make. 

Photo by Nils Katla Photography 

Let's start with tentacles. 

I wanted to be able to curl and shape them as I pleased when they were done, so the core is wire. 

Then I twined wadding around and rolled it in plastic wrap (the "clingy" kind)

Then I gave it a couple of coats with liquid latex.

"All my suckers are cheerios"

Yes, I used cheerios for the suckers. I don't know if this is a solution that will last for ages, but for short term tentacle they worked magnificently. I dipped one and one cheerio in latex and attached it to the tentacle. Since latex bond very well to itself there was no need for glue. Then I covered the cheerio completely with latex and let it dry. Remember to powder latex or it will stick to itself when you curl the tentacles. You can powder with transparent powder (expensive) baby powder, potato flour or even regular flour if that is all you have. (Baby powder/talcum is preferred though)

Painting

Acrylic paint have a tendency to flake from latex, so I used grease based body paint (same as for the rest of my face) and added details with acrylic paint after. Again, remember to use several colors for detailing or it will look flat and boring. I like to use at least three colors for everything I do. 

This is the same tentacle; the wire makes it good and flexible

When done with painting I like to seal it with transparent powder, the expensive stuff this time to not dull the colors. And finish off with fixing spray. This will also give them a glossy look. And the paint won't rub off. 

They are attached to my hair using bobby pins. 

The fins

I am really pleased with how these turned out (my favorite part of the costume). And they are also simple to make. 

The spikes are cardboard and between is thin paper (matpapir på norsk). 

After glued together I covered it all with liquid latex

Then attached to the arm with spirit gum. The edges are feathered out using more latex and paper towels. 

Same procedure regarding the painting, grease paint, acrylic detailing and fixing spray. 

After the makeup is in place I added shimmer makeup to my arms and shoulders. This also take some attention away from any mistakes you might have made when applying it. 

The white dots also reoccur through every element of my costume (arms, face, ears, staff etc.)

And last - the ears
Thin paper with "hot glue gun" glue.

Adding latex

Testing

I took the fins off and painted them before gluing them back on on application day. Much easier to get all the details. Same color as with the arm fins and tentacles. 

Be careful not to glue you hair. The fin is just glued with spirit gum on top of my own ear and the edge is blended out with more latex. 

Another tip is to cover the edge with strands of your hair. 

The tiara
And here at the very end I want to include a few photos on how the tiara was made. Small pieces of cardboard are glued to a wire that is covered in masking tape. The entire piece was painted gold and weathered. Lightweight and cheap. 

Photo by Nils Katla

I hope this helped a bit and that you will be creative and try to make something yourself. I would love to see what you are making, perhaps send me an email. And as always, if you have any questions just ask, I love to answer.