Trinity Blood ~ Sister Noel Bor ~ Armor and Costume Tutorial

I am going to add everything I did to make Sister Noel Bor's Armor here because it won't fit on my free website.  Please feel free to ask any questions on how I made something.

MATERIALS:

1. Craft Foam ~ Red, Green and White
2. Elmer's School Glue/White Glue or Glue-All
3. X-acto Knife
4. Heat Gun or other Heat Source for shaping
5. Muslin or Crinkle Gauze
6. Rub N' Buff ~ Pewter or Silver
7. Flexible Fabric Glue
8. Polyurethane ~ Clear Gloss
9. Hot Glue Gun
10. Hot Glue Sticks
11. AMAZING Mold Putty
12. AMAZING Casting Resin
13. Paint Thinner or Mineral Spirits

STEP 1:  Making The Curved Arm Guard

 

• Cut a piece of Red Craft Foam that is 12" in length and 4" wide.

• Then cut a piece of Green Craft Foam with the same dimensions, but you will want to cut out the center of it leaving an edge of 5/8" left.  *NOTE* You may want to leave a 1/8" of foam at each end of it because when you fold the piece is gets shorter on the ends. (I made this mistake when I made mine and had to fill in the gaps with lots of white glue



• Then cut a piece of Red Craft Foam with the same dimensions 12" x 4"  Using a piece of paper or poster board make a pattern for the cross, trace it onto the foam and cut it out with an x-acto knife. *NOTE*You may want to leave a 1/16" of foam at each end of it because when you fold the piece is gets shorter on the ends.  Also make sure to make the center of the cross slightly longer than what I did because when you fold the piece it lengthens the center part of the cross.  If you forget you can fill in the area with hot glue and white glue.

• Now put the three pieces on top of each other with the Red plain piece on the bottom then the Red Piece with the Cross and then the Green Border piece on top.  Glue the pieces together with white glue making sure to cover the entire piece.  *Since you want to have a nice red cross, make sure you apply the white glue to the back side of the cross piece when you are gluing it down so you can't see any white glue on the finished product. Let dry completely.





• After the piece is dry you will need to heat form the piece to fit your arm.  I found a large bottle that was approx. the same size as my upper arm to shape the piece around.  You will need to use a heat gun or other heat source to get the foam hot.  Once the foam is heated up press the foam around the bottle until it cools.  Repeat as need until you are satified with the shape. *NOTE*  If you want you can burn the edges and make them smoother with a Soldering Iron.  This will help seal them, make them harder and even out the surface between layers.  I didn't do this when I made this armor because it was something I learned recently.  Be super careful of you use this method because you don't want to melt the foam too much.  Also, be careful not to over heat the foam with the Heat Gun because it will get too melty as well.

• Next you need to stabilize the piece with some fabric.  I used muslin and white glue.  Cut out a piece of Muslin that is slightly larger than the armor piece.  Completely paint the back of the piece with White Glue and then press the Muslin over it.  Try to press out any bubbles if you can.  Let it dry completely and then add another layer of the white glue.  Let dry.

• Cut off the excess pieces of muslin and make them even with the edges.  At this point if you find that you are unhappy with the edges of the armor you can take some time to fill it in with lots of white glue.  This takes awhile because you have to add several layers, but this is optional.  Let each layer dry completely befoer adding the next one.  You don't have to make it perfect if you don't want to.  The picture shows the piece drying upside down so the white glue doesn't drip.  It also lost a bit of it's shape, but that's ok.  It can be fixed later.

• Before you start to add color to the piece you need to seal it with a glue mixture. 
• Glue Mixture Recipe:
• 1/4 cup White Glue
• 1/4 cup Flexible Fabric Glue
• 1/2 Cup Water
• You will want to paint the surface of the armor with about 7 to 8 thin coats of glue mixture.  Make sure there are no bubbles because that will ruin the look of the armor and you want it to be nice and smooth.  Let each layer of glue dry completely before adding the next layer
• Once you have it sealed you will want to paint the back side just along the edge to cover anything that might be seen.  Don't cover the entire back with paint because you need to glue a piece of fabric back there.
• Now you will want to make the little round pieces that are on the corner of each part of the piece and attach them with Hot Glue.  I made mine with AMAZING Mold Putty and AMAZING Casting Resin.  Follow the instructions on the Mold Putty and Casting Resin.  I used a flat topped chapstick tub to get the shape and make the mold for the resin.  I don't have a picture of this but you will need to glue the pieces onto the corners of the armor with Hot Glue before you start the next step.  I included a picture of what it looks like when it is finished so you know what I mean.

• Now you can start coloring the front side of the armor using Pledge with Future Shine Woode Floor Finish and Rub N' Buff.  Apply the Rub N' Buff in small amounts with a circular motion using your finger tip.  Try to prevent streaking.  You can use a paint brush to get it into the smaller areas.  After it dries buff it with a cloth or paper towel.  Now paint it with a thin coat of Pledge Floor Finish.  Repeat until you get the desired effect.  Make sure to leave the red cross because you need to be able to see it. *NOTE* I had some trouble with the armor being a bit rough, so I would paint it with White Glue to smooth it out between coats.  I also wrapped the bottom of the piece of armor with some cloth to help it retain its shape.

 

• You will also want to weather the piece with some black paint in the edges and cracks.  I used a paint brush with some watered down black paint and wiped it away until I was satisfied with the appearance.  You can see some of the weathering on the above picture.
• When you are finished you can seal the piece with 2-3 thin coats of Polyurethane ~ Clear Gloss.  Paint the edges and the entire front side, including the red cross with the Polyurethane.  Be careful with this stuff because it is very runny.  Let it dry completely between coats.  Clean your brushes with Mineral Spirits or Paint Thinner.  *Don't use any water with the Polyurethane.
• When you are finished the armor should look something like this, but without the red fabric backing.  That is the next step.

That's all for now.  I will be updating this with more later....