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Sunnybrook1 β Realistic Wing Tutorial - P.0
Published: 2013-03-06 13:33:32 +0000 UTC; Views: 101869; Favourites: 855; Downloads: 970
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Description
Some of you asked for it, so here it is - a list of the materials needed to follow my tutorial and make a full set of realistic costume wings.Click here for a transcription/text version of this list~
Part 0 - MATERIALS
YOU ARE HERE Part 0.5 - TOOLS
Part 1 - CONCEPT
Part 2 - FEATHERS
Part 3 - HARNESS
Part 4 - ASSEMBLY
Part 5 - COVERTS
Part 6 - ARM-COVER WIP
EXTRA -Β RESULTS : See what OTHER people have made following this tutorial~
Still working on the last part - post questions, suggestions, and encouragement below~
EDIT 05/19/2014: Made sure to add that 12 gauge wire is equivalent to hanger wire, as the latter is becoming harder to find in some areas.
EDIT 05/16/2017: Hot tip from TatianaDragonWhisper , if you find dog collars at your local dollar store you can harvest parachute buckles & D-rings from them for cheap!
Already finished your wings? Please fill out this questionnaire , I'd love to hear about it!
Wing Design/Tutorial Β© Sunnybrook1
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Comments: 164
Hey quick question! So about the feathers and the cardboard, from what ive seen, it looks lie you don't have any cardboard with the final product, like its see through ( at least for me) are we going to be putting the cut out cardboard in? Or do we not have to (sorry if this is a dumb question)
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The cut out cardboard in my design is only to test out he shape of the feathers & overall silhouette of a single wing quickly & easily (cheaper/faster than fabric).
Once the cardboard patterns are finished & to your liking, you use them to trace out & cut the feather shapes out of fabric (or felt, or silk, or paper, etc). 
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ahh ok thank you! Now i dont have to cute out pairs of cardboard each, that helps allot!
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*sees this and internally cries* QuQ my first mistake was not looking at comments before I began
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Is there something I can replace the parachute buckles with?
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Hmm, they are the most solid detachable attachments I've found so far. But if you find you don't need to remove the wings from the harness, you can omit them.
I included them because I wanted to be able to put on the harness easily on my own without outside assistance, then attach the wings to it. 
They're highly recommended, but not required. Also, if you don't need to detach them quickly, you could just use a simple buckle or plastic slide 
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Okay cool! Thanks
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Thank you so much for this tutorial!
I just bought a bunch of supplies yesterday for my first set and I just wanted to share some of the information.
For those living in Vancouver:
Most big dollar stores will have a pack of 12 coat hangers for $2 per pack I was also advised to ask a Drycleaner, although I never got around to asking them since I found them in the back of the first dollar store that I popped into.
Dressews Down town has the webbing for 99cents per metre. (I think it was the same for the elastic as well) They also have the buckles you can buy in bulk for under $1 each.
The bolts+Washers I got from Rona for like $3 in total
The alligator clips I got from Michaels for about $5 each. (It's very easy to find Michaels coupons online)
I wasn't able to find any of that nylon tubing though, (Mind you, I didnt look much) So instead I have made my harness all out of the webbing with adjustable buckles in the front. Instead of sewing it, I've used rivets. I hope they still work well
I don't know if I've gotten enough felt, but It's costed me maybe $20-$30 so far. (Again, all from Michaels)
Anyway, I have one brief question.
Are we allowed to do commissions for making these wings?
Also, why is paint advised instead of glue for the feathers?
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Commissions? Sure!
And why paint instead of glue? 
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So sorry if you've already answered this already but how heavy would you say these are? I'm making a costume that doesn't have much shoulder coverage so I'm trying to figure out a way to hide the harness or see if thinner straps would be viable.
Thanks in advance!
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3-4 lbs for my Raven wings (each), while my most recent one the Swan wing (bigger than my Raven set) hasn't been weighed yet, but definitely heavier.
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What is the base for the feathers made of? Cardboard? I tried but it seemed too heavy. Could it be simplified to thick poster board?
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Sorry for the belated reply - and yes, I've used posterboard for quick wings:
And the cardboard I use is for the initial pattern, not the wings themselves, because yes they ARE quite thick & heavy.
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It's ok, and thank you 
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Is this for making one or two wings
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awesomw tutorial! I might need this one day ^^
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what is the feathers made out of?
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That'll be the fabric (or felt)~Β
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What kind of fabrics do you recommend? A simple cotton? Lightweight synthetics?
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Fabric with absorbency is good - cotton, broadcloth, even felt, for example - so that the paint can soak into it & when it dries create a strong, flexible bond. The lightweight synthetics don't work well with the paint - they aren't very absorbent, so the bond ends up being weak & peels apart easily - BUT that's only because of the properties of the paint I use.
If you try using something that will stick to synthetic fabrics, like a type of glue, then they should work fine for you, and be somewhat lighter even. In fact Bushitaka makes his feathers with wallpaper paste and faux silk (I think) with great results, so it depends on the materials.
I suggest buying test materials in small batches - a half-yard of fabric & small container of glue - and making a test feather to see if they work well together. 
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I am looking to make these for the Labyrinth Masquerade in LA this year, hopefully going as a "Queen of the Ravens" in white. Am hoping to work in a different rig system though, so I can have a completely backless dress.....but we shall see what happens.
...I also have to remember to start my dress early and buy a thousand white feathers....
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Hi, these wings are really amazing -Β thank s a lot for the tutorial. I decided to generate some for my hornbill carneval costume. I'm wondering whether you ever tried to use wall paper paste instead of paint to glue the feather parts together? I bought some felt for the wings and have lot's of wall paper paste left as I used this to generate my papier mΓ’chΓ©e hornbill head. In principle it is much cheaper than paint, but I'm not sure whether it will stick the fabric as good together.
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in fact; you only need the glue-component of the paint. The colorants and (mineral) fillers inside the paint just add to the weight. I used something called 'wall glue' ready made out of a bucket, and is stronger then wallpaper glue. I tried different types of sticky-stuff, of which epoxy, wood-glue and paint. this waterbased wall glue works best, and your tools and hands can be washed clean afterwards
Felt can be used, although i prefer thin layers of textile. that makes it possible to glue the shaft between the layers. A single feather may appear weak, but assembled together with the other feathers, the wing as a whole will be tough and rigid. the polyester textile is also smoother then felt, which makes it more suitable for folding wings
succes!
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Ah, I haven't but another wing-maker Bushitaka uses wall-paper past to great effect. 
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Thanks a lot for the answer. I did some testing with wall paper paste, normal glue and painting. In fact, nothing was really satisfying - maybe because of the texture of the felt? So I used double-sided adhesive tape to fix the wire on the felt (and the two sites on each other) and then sewed the two sites together - afterwards I trimmed it and right no I have 19 nice hornbill feathers (so only one wing so far)... I think they look fine, but if it really works I can tell you later. I'm not sure whether they will be a bit heavy... even though I used quite thin felt, carneval might become a workout for me this year!
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Any pictures of the one wing you'd be willing to post?
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Hey, I'm 5.3 in height, and I want this kind of wingΒ modthesims.info/d/309880 (that's the best picture I can find) and I would like the wing to be 10-12"... How much cardboard would I need?
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Hmm, well if the cardboard is only for your pattern enough to block out a single wing is fine, and how much depends on how true to the reference you stay. The feathers shown there are narrow and many, and look to be the size of large real feathers, but if you size up the feathers you make & stick to the general silhouette, a tall refrigerator-box amount of cardboard should be fine.
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I'm fixing to start on a pair, gonna see if I can go for a different control scheme. Wish me luck.
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wow, these look amazing! I REALLY WANT TO MAKE THEM.
Probably way out of my meager capabilities. I wish I was as skilled as you are!
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If I didn't think it would look creepy, insulting, idiotic, or any other negative perplexity....I believe I would kiss you and tell you how awesome you are for this guide and manual.
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Aww, thanks~ 
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Sorry for the delay O.O anyways no no questions yet. I still have to get the money up to get the stuff XD But I have your page saved in my toolbar XD
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What would you recomend wire hangers or a spool of wire? I'm kind of on a budget so wire hangers are cheaper, but I feel that regular wire would be easier and more effective.
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Either work just fine, honestly - though I feel the spool of fresh unused wire is higher quality, so if you can afford it go for it. On a budget, use hanger wires~
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I have found that I only needed about 5 1/2 yards of broadcloth, not the ELEVEN yards it mentioned. Now I have about 6 yards of muslin I will never use... Other than that, this tutorial is helping me make a brilliant pair of bald eagle wings! Β
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Oh, really? 
Can't wait to see your results!
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Maybe... Idk. Β I'll find someway of using it eventually, whether it's a mess-mat or tail feathers. Β
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Thank you so much for sharing your wings! I hope to be able to make a set of wings for a parade I will be in in September of this year.
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You are most welcome, and I'd love to see what you come up with!
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Thank you so much! sorry for the delay, I've been having a lot of issues to take care of and haven't been on DA.
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Hello, I am using your tutorial to possibly create a single wing for an English final. The project needs to include a visual pertaining to the book we read, since I read a book about fallen angels I decided to create a pair of wings. Since I decided this I got sick and was unable to work on the project for several days. Now, being short on time I will only create one, my question, with its long winded explanation, is, is this material list for one wing or a pair?
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It's for a pair.
If you are only doing one you can cut your materiel amounts in half.Β I recommend making them out of posterboard & hot-gluing them to the metal shafts, if you can get away with that, since it's quickest to compile - good luck!
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Thank you so much for this tutorial, I ended up with a B+ on the project because I Β was sick and my writing part kinda sucked but in the visual category I got a 4 out of 4
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