Accessories Foam clay and doll armor/props

I think I've seen one done out of worbla before, but it was offsite. I haven't been able to utilize either foam clay or epoxy yet (in fact, I try to steer clear of too much stuff that cures like stone, because it adds weight like crazy to the doll). My guy's WIP armor is currently being made out of scrap leather panels, which maaaaay have the same workflow as working with craft foam. Would you be interested to see pics of that?

 

I have seen cosplayers working with foam clay. Very interesting stuff, seems to be pretty lightweight (a big advantage to Apoxie).

Myself, I have zero experience with it, as I did not yet see a reason to purchase a bucket (I saw it packed in buckets). Soft and easy to shape.

I have made some doll armour. I tried cardstock (fail, just looks good, but does not hold up very well), and craft foam (even the thin stuff somehow looks too bulky). Right now I am trying 3D-printing. And I am making a medieval, Gothic armour out of aluminium (paused right now due to real life interruptions).

 

@redcat Here you go! What I am making for my doll is based on samurai armor; definitely not the type you're aiming for, but this may be a good reference. He can handle the thickness of the leather (which is probably as thick as craft foam) because he's on the 70cm scale. Watch out for smaller dolls though, because things could bulk up pretty quickly.


Names 04 by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr

 

I have some foam clay. Do you plan to back it with something? For doll armor I would be worried about brittleness on its own. I've mostly used the stuff for details on top of foam sheets, not by itself.

 

I'm also planning to make a set of armor out of foam
My thought was to use craft foam (I have 1mm foam sheets) as a base, layered for proper thickness if needed, and use foam clay for detailing (spikes, ridges, etc.). I'm just spamming cosplay tutorials and trying to work out how to scale it down.

I found this cosplay video tutorial specific to working with foam clay.
Looks like you can get it to be quite flexible if you coat it with a flexible primer (timestamp 3:00)



Looking forward to seeing your project

 

@redcat so apparently mine is 2 mm (just checked) but 1 mm exists on the internet! XD

 

I have just experimented with foam clay and glad I checked here - I want to make ballet slippers so perhaps 1mm foam sheet and use the foam clay for details? Is the foam and foam clay safe for resin? I was thinking of making the slippers on the feet....

 

I saw on Facebook someone that used foam clay as a wig base. I think the head was covered in plastic film/plastic wrap before applying the clay. I would think as long as you wrap the feet in plastic you should be fine making slippers.....or are you making them not removable?

 

Have you considered paper clay? It is very light weight and easy to shape.

 

I like the foam clay because of its flexibilty @tinyseams; and yes I want them to be removable @skyealloway. I might practice on easier feet first - the ballerina feet are going to be difficult to even cover in plastic with their big curves!