Making Foam Armor - Part 2

Shaping and Sealing the foam

If you are using  1/2 to 1 inch foam you may want to get a heat gun to form your foam. Since I was only using thin craft foam, I just used a blow dryer. For a woman's breast plate I used a glass ball, heating the foam and then stretching it over the ball. I shaped the knee pads over the ball as well, to give them a rounded shape.

  

 

I pinned the breast plate and the back plate to my dress form, and shaped it some more.

 

 

After it was shaped the way I wanted it, I sealed the foam. For the breast plate and back plate I wanted them to be harder, so I used a mixture of wood glue and gesso.

 

                    I felt they were a little plain, so I used some foam letters I had laying around.  By using
                      the F's on the breast plate, and L's on the knee pads  I make this cute design.

 

For everything else I used a mixture of wood glue, school glue, and mod podge.

 

                                                Foam Armor will be finished in Part 3

Making Foam Armor - Part 1

For this armor I started by covering my model in clear saran wrap then covering it with duck tape. I was just doing a quick armor.  I didn't want to waste the duck tape, so I used cheap packing tape instead.  It worked well, but it not as strong. After I got the shape of her body, I drew a sketch.  It was in the style of a gladiator design.

 

Then I traced the pattern onto the tape with a sharpie marker. I cut out the breast plate and back plate of the armor as well as shoulder pads and knee pads. I improvised the arm bracers, just using my
wrist and forearm measurements.

 

 

I placed them onto the craft foam, traced them out, and cut the different layers. I used two pieces of foam for the bases, I just felt that one was to thin.

 

Then I cut a thin strip for the decorative edge. Using hot glue, I attached them all together.

 

The next step well be in part 2.

The Beauty of Mushrooms

Just got back from camping with my family, it was wet and rained the whole time! Even with all that rain something very beautiful appeared.

                                  These amazing mushrooms were all over the campground.

 

We have been camping here since I was a little girl and I have never, before seen mushrooms like these. The vibrant orange's and yellows were just so beautiful.

 

 

 

Even the tiny mushrooms were so cute.

         Don't worry I would never ever eat a mushroom with out a knowing guide to help me.