Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Synchronicity Hatsune Miku Staff. . .Sort of

Hello everyone. ^w^ Well here's a tutorial for Synch Miku's staff. I've been able to find only one online and it was priced just over $90 and I decided not to spend that much money on one item where as I can buy a whole Cosplay from Taobao for the same amount or less. I love Taobao, the only catch is that the website is in Chinese. They do have really good bargains on cosplays and such. Example: my Synchronicity Len cosplay, I bought it off of Taobao for $40. The only things it didn't come with were the shoes, wig, sword, and bass cleft necklace. Wow, I got sidetracked. Hehe. . . ^^; So here's the tutorial now!

STEP 1: Finding a reference pic. Here's a couple that I found a while ago:




STEP 2: Now you must gather your materials. This is a very super cheap way to make the staff so please bear with it or find one off line.
  • The cardboard rolls from paper towels or toilet paper (paper towels are better because they're smaller than toilet paper rolls)
  • Metallic Gold or Silver paint (liquid or spray, I don't think it matters)
  • A sponge brush (if you choose to use liquid paint)
  • Masking tape
  • Newspaper or any other paper
  • A small bowl with a water/flour mixture (this mixture should look like a paste)
  • Thin sturdy wire (optional)
  • Short piece of thicker copper wire
  • Thick Cardboard/Foam (this is for the top of the staff)
  • A Sharpie
  • Scissors
  • A knife with a small blade

STEP 3: Take your cardboard rolls and tape them end to end with the masking tape. The height should be a few inches above the top of your head. Then set it aside for later.

STEP 4: Take your thick cardboard/foam and trace your design on it. I used this foam-like stuff that came in a boxed package, it's very thick and cuts easily. When you have your design drawn out on your cardboard or foam cut it out. I recommend that you use the scissors for the outer and the knife for the triangles.

STEP 5: Then take the main part of your staff, the short piece of wire, and the masking tape. Place the neck of the top part of the staff into the hole at the top then take your wire and poke it through both the cardboard/foam and the top cardboard tube. Then bend the ends so that they are parallel the the staff itself. Then wrap the ends in two layers of masking tape. Set it aside for later use.

STEP 6: Take your paper mâché that you've mixed in a small bowl and your paper. Cut the paper into one inch strips, then one by one dip the strips into the paper mâché and then place it onto the staff. Do this in sections then let them dry completely before moving to another section. If you do more than one strip tall section then your staff will bend because of the weight and wetness of the cardboard. To also help the staff dry straight you can spread out newspaper on the floor or your kitchen table then lay your wet staff across the paper so that you don't get any of the sticky paper mâché all over whatever you're us ring as a platform. Also, to make your staff stronger add more layers evenly across your staff.

STEP 7: Now it's time to make the six wire rings that hang on the two spirals at the top of the staff. You can make them as big or small as you want. I would suggest that you make them proportionate to your staff top. All you have to do is take your wire and cut pieces that are the size that you want. Then curl the pieces to make circles. Repeat for all of the rings.

STEP 8: When your whole staff has been covered, including the top decorative part, and you have your six rings made. It's time to break out the paint!!! XD I would suggest spray paint for the bulk of the staff then use the liquid paint for getting where you couldn't with the spray. Just make sure that your colors are really close to the same color or it'll look weird. Let your staff dry somewhere where no one will bother it. After it's dry you might want to put on another coat or two so that you can't see any of the newsprint through the paint. You can also paint your rings if you want too.

Well there you go! A Synchronicity Hatsune Miku staff. It's not the best way to make her staff but I guess it'll do for that convention in short notice or whatever. I guess you could make a better one out of wood, but this tutorial is for people that want a simple and easy tutorial. I hope you enjoy! ^_^ I will try to post pics for all steps but for the meantime this is all I have. ^_^;

Synchronicity Hatsune Miku Shoes

Hey everyone! Here's a super duper easy tutorial for Synch Miku's shoes that I can't seem to find anywhere online. There's probably a dozen or so different ways to make her shoes but this is the method that I will be posting. :)

STEP 1: Reference Pic!



STEP 2: Gathering materials:
  • A pair of black low heeled shoes/boots (1 inch at the most)
  • Teal ribbon (get the color to be as close to the rest of the cosplay as possible)
  • Hot glue gun + glue
  • Velcro (optional)
  • Flexible measuring tape
  • Scissors
  • Paint, brush, and sealant (optional)
STEP 3: Take your measuring tape and shoes. First put your shoes on, then have someone help you measure out the amount of ribbon you need. Your measuring tape should wrap around your calf twice so the two ribbons make two X's in front. Then wrap it around again so it encircles your calf again, this will be the top where you tie your ribbons. Make sure to leave extra ribbon so that you're able to tie it in a bow.

STEP 4: The ribbon will be attached to the shoe's heel so that when you put it on it will be a bit under your foot as you can see in the pic above. All together you'll be using (approx.) 2 spools of ribbon maybe a little less depending on how thick your legs are. When you've finished measuring cut the ribbon and mark where the middle is.

STEP 5: Heat up your hot glue gun and glue the middle of the ribbon to the back of the heel just under your own heel. When it's glued put on the shoe, lace it up, and tie it. Make adjustments as needed. :) Repeat for the other shoe. 

And there you go! A pair of Synchronicity Hatsune Miku shoes! :D The colored bottom of the shoe is optional. To do that get some teal paint and paint the bottoms of your shoes then seal them so that the paint doesn't wear away or chip. :) Thanx for being awesome and reading this post! Please spread the word about my blog!