ACParadise Forums

I was wondering what people have done in the past when they have made costumes that have large jewels on them (bigger than you can get in rhinestone form). Some examples are:

Fuu from Magic Knights Rayearth (what I am working on right now):


or Princess Peach (the previous brooch I made for her broke and was too heavy):



I was thinking that if I could find a shapeable material that I could make into a hollow dome and then spray-paint, that would work best. It just needs to be paintable and not too heavy.

Thanks!!!

I havn't actually had to deal with giant gems but I would suggest using model magic its really light so you don't even need it to be hollow. Then it sands easy so once you get it smooth put on a coat or 2 of primer. Finally I would get some paint that sha a shine to it in the color you like if not then paint it the right color and add a few coats of gloss. As for what paint spraypaint works great but acrylic is good too.

I always used pingpong balls, balls of that kind and plastic eggs, use expensive paints to give a deep gem look.

If you get some sculpey and shape it into the shape you need then make a mold out of wet-dry clay then pour casting resin in the mold you can make really nice gems.

Katasha had a really great idea for her Peach costume: she used an oval-shaped soap container and one of those wooden zero's that you put up on the side of your house, and she just painted those and I think glued them together.

And for the gems on Fuu, why not find a few of those Christmas ball-ornaments and cut them in half?

I made my Jewel on my peach outfit from a Soap mold. I found them on ebay in the right size and shape, and I painted the inside with glass paint, then ontop of that I put a more solid blue. I then glued the mold to a "Zero" the kinda one you buy for your address' outside your house.




And for my Daisy Costume I found these round "memory holders" they come apart into two parts and are clear, they come in a bunch of sizes. I took half of one and again used a glass paint to paint the inside, and glued it to a piece of poster board we cut out into the shape we needed.



Edit: LOL you beat me to it sweetie, your so funny.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Life-of-the-Party-M ... dZViewItem
Like this.

wowo that is amazing i never would have thought of that...

Thanks everyone for all your great ideas! I think I will definately be able to come up with something from this thread.

Clear plastic ornaments that open make good "big gems" as demonstrated wonderfully by Katasha. They come in circles, ovals, and hearts, and when you paint them on the inside, they stay shiny & protected on the outside.

One more thing to consider is a plastic ball like those used in ball pits on kids' playgrounds. They're a soft plastic that can be cut easily with an X-acto knife. Unfortunately, they're not metallic or gem-like in their coloring. They're just a decent shape. Ping pong balls are also easy to cut and make good "giant beads" too.