Deep Dive | A Cosplay Duet

Paperclay is an air hardening material that can be molded, sculpted and shaped. After drying, it can be carved and sanded. It's non-toxic, lightweight and sticks to most materials other than your hands. Paperclay is a great materials for building details on top of prop bases. As an example, we can look at the head/helmet of summon Zalera from Final Fantasy XII.

Before building, it's always great to start by creating a pattern. For Zalera's head/helmet we'll start off my drawing a skull shape from the profile side on a piece of craft foam. By folding the craft foam in half, we can cut both sides of the helmet to be identical, but we want to leave a hole for the face.

Using a wire mesh or individual wires, we can create a base for the face. It's easy to attach the wire to the craft foam by poking holes. For a movable jaw, we can use the same method by creating a wire hinge on each side.

And now it's time for the paperclay! Cover the craft foam base with paperclay and smooth it out by adding a little bit of water to the paperclay when it starts to dry. Using clay tools or a toothpick, designs can be carved into the helmet to add expressions and depth to the face. Let it dry overnight.

Note: When paperclay dries, the moisture in the paperclay evaporates so it may shrink a little. If it does shrink you can add a little more paperclay to build on top.

After it dries, the paperclay can be sanded for a smooth finish. Then, add a couple of layers of gesso to harden the paperclay. Wait a couple of hours between coats to let the gesso dry properly. The gesso will seal out moisture and make the helmet nice a durable for a convention.

Note: It's very important to coat the paperclay with gesso to make sure it's durable and won't crack.

Paperclay can come in a variety of colors, but most commonly it will be a slightly off-white color. Since we're making a skull helmet for Zalera, we'll want to give the skull a bit more depth by adding some color as a natural skull would have. This can be done by watering down some black and brown acrylic paint and painting the skull.

Once you're done, you can seal the helmet, paperclay, gesso and all with clear sealant. This will help keep the paperclay over time.

As a last touch, we'll want to cover the eyeholes with either plexiglass or another clear plastic piece, such as a soda bottle. If using plexiglass, we can bend the piece by boiling in water, and for a soda bottle, just cut out the appropriate sized piece with scissors. Both plexiglass and soda bottle pieces can be covered with automotive tinting film so the wearer can see out, but others can't see in. The mouth and nosehole is covered with breathable, stretchy black fabric.

Check for any last details, and we're done!

All cosplays and props belong to Dark and Ven of Deep Dive Cosplay. All original characters, character designs, and other concepts belong to their respectful owners.

	Before building, it's always great to start by creating a pattern. For Zalera's head/helmet we'll start off my drawing a skull shape from the profile side on a piece of craft foam. By folding the craft foam in half, we can cut both sides of the helmet to be identical, but we want to leave a hole for the face.
	Using a wire mesh or individual wires, we can create a base for the face. It's easy to attach the wire to the craft foam by poking holes. For a movable jaw, we can use the same method by creating a wire hinge on each side.
	And now it's time for the paperclay! Cover the craft foam base with paperclay and smooth it out by adding a little bit of water to the paperclay when it starts to dry. Using clay tools or a toothpick, designs can be carved into the helmet to add expressions and depth to the face. Let it dry overnight. Note: When paperclay dries, the moisture in the paperclay evaporates so it may shrink a little. If it does shrink you can add a little more paperclay to build on top.
	After it dries, the paperclay can be sanded for a smooth finish. Then, add a couple of layers of gesso to harden the paperclay. Wait a couple of hours between coats to let the gesso dry properly. The gesso will seal out moisture and make the helmet nice a durable for a convention. Note: It's very important to coat the paperclay with gesso to make sure it's durable and won't crack.
	Paperclay can come in a variety of colors, but most commonly it will be a slightly off-white color. Since we're making a skull helmet for Zalera, we'll want to give the skull a bit more depth by adding some color as a natural skull would have. This can be done by watering down some black and brown acrylic paint and painting the skull.
	Once you're done, you can seal the helmet, paperclay, gesso and all with clear sealant. This will help keep the paperclay over time. As a last touch, we'll want to cover the eyeholes with either plexiglass or another clear plastic piece, such as a soda bottle. If using plexiglass, we can bend the piece by boiling in water, and for a soda bottle, just cut out the appropriate sized piece with scissors. Both plexiglass and soda bottle pieces can be covered with automotive tinting film so the wearer can see out, but others can't see in. The mouth and nosehole is covered with breathable, stretchy black fabric. Check for any last details, and we're done!