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TwoToned-Jester — Homestuck Troll Horns Tutorial 1/4
Published: 2012-02-20 23:24:21 +0000 UTC; Views: 52194; Favourites: 810; Downloads: 527
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PART TWO: [link]PART THREE: [link]
PART FOUR: [link]
Because I've gotten so many requests, I\'m crossposting this from my tumblr to here to help people out!
Disclaimer: I'm not at all saying that this is the only way to make horns. Far from it. This is merely what I\'ve found works, and what I construct all of my horns out of.
Materials Needed:
Styrofoam [Enough to make four or so cutouts of your horns. I used blocks/sheets from hobby lobby, because they weren't the pill type of styrofoam and could be sanded easily]
Crayola Model Magic [It's light and can be sanded pretty smooth if you put some time into it]
Tagboard [Or some other stiff paper big enough to draw a template on]
Exactoblade with extra replacement blades [If you have a better way of carving foam, by all means use that! I've just found that the exactoblade that I use gives me a lot of control over how the base shape of my horns turns out]
Spackling [Model Magic has the unfortunate problem of cracking sometimes, and so a sandable spackling allows you to fill in those deep cracks pretty easily. You should be able to find it at your local hardware store, or walmart or something]
Modge Podge [Not only does this help fill in little cracks on the horns before you paint, it also is used to give the horns a final glaze at the end to make them slightly more durable. It is shiny though, so if you want matte horns, go off and find a matte base.]
White Gesso [Found in art supply stores, this is a base used for acrylic paints that will even out your horns before you actually paint them. In addition, if you used colored model magic, it'll make them a clean white before you paint.]
Acrylic Paint [Now I don't remember off of the top of my head which brand I use, but I generally grab a yellow base, two oranges, and a red. I stick to Americana because I'm a poor college student, but I'm sure any work!]
Hot Glue/Hot Glue Gun [In case of any mishaps, and also to make sure your horns have depth and aren't totally flat]
Toothpicks [Once again, in case of mishaps. Will be explained later on]
Paintbrushes [Gotta have something to paint with]
Sandpaper [I used three different grits, a coarse 60, a medium 100, and a fine 150. Believe me, all three are nice to have!]
Headband/Clips/Support for the horns [Smaller horns can be mounted on headbands, sewn into wigs, and attached to clips, but Summoner\'s horns required intensive hardware to hold up]
Reference pictures [I can't stress this enough! Don't try to make the horns from memory, even if they seem simple! It just gets you super frustrated and can lead to bad results. Canon pictures from the comic are your best bet, but if you don't have many refs from the comic (ie, if you're doing an ancestor), fanart can help too.]
Sharpies [Or some type of permanent marker, just to mark things off]
Pins [You only need a few, depending on the size of your template]
Time [Making horns takes time. The clay doesn't dry quick, the sanding takes a lot of time and busy work, and it can get very tempting to just rush through to get done. Resist that urge, because the more time you put into your horns, the better they generally look]
Homestuck is copyright Andrew Hussie, as always
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Comments: 60
yo o3o i just stumbled into the homestuck section of dA in search of some horn solutions.
do you do comissions , and if not , could you reccomend someone who you think does a great job? your work is fantastic , but i myself am quite incapable of creating props O~O
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What styrofoam you use I bought one...but it crumbles to easy.
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I tend not to use polymer, just because I've found it to be heavy and prone to cracking, but a good alternative is paperclay! It's very light and sandable.
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Is there a subsitute for model magic? They don't make it anymore...
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Ah dear, I just saw the news, that's quite a dent in a lot of homestuck cosplayers days. I also use paper clay for horns, and it works quite well, so that could be a viable alternative, though it is a bit more pricey.
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First of all, I just want to say that I've absolutely loved following this tutorial. It's my first time making troll horns (or any sort of prop, really), and it's been super easy to follow. Kudos!
A question, though: I've made some Condesce horns (~2' tall), and was wondering how you would recommend mounting them. I've been considering nails through a headband, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about it to make them steady, as most of the tutorials I've come across have been for horns that are much, much smaller. Thanks in advance!
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I do not think that nails through the headband works well for such huge horns, but due to the size and angle of condesce horns, I think yes, you are going to need something run up through the center of them, though I'd say it'd probably have to be at least six inches into them, in order to make sure that they're stable. I'd be far more worried about them pitching forward, in all honesty, which is what I've heard from fellow cosplayers that cosplay that character. I think if you can get some sort of stability to a headband where you can have straps around the back of your head, as well as the forehead (if at all possible, if your wig will allow it!), that might also help.
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so do you recommend styrofoam over model magic? because I already made my feferi horns out of model magic and everyone is telling me not to finish them, should I remake them?
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Um, you can probably finish them, but they'll be a little weaker structurally speaking, and I don't know if they'll last as long, in the long run. You might have to replace them at a later date. I made my first horns out of just a wire base and model magic, and I think they lasted a grand total of two cons before they broke everywhere, ahaha.
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This is seriously the best tutorial I've seen anywhere.
I mean, I can't really say it any other way. I'm at the modge podge step, so *thumbs up* everything is looking great so far. Thanks for sharing your methods and technique ^_^.
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Thank you, thank you so much. This will help me so much.
Now excuse me while I see if I have any styrofoam lying around...
(btw that poter in the background that says caution...I have the same one! 
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I made my Nepeta horns with your tutorial! Thank you so much! I love how light weight they are!
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Oh goSh! I'm happy to hear they turned out well!
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for me in case of cracks I dip it on water and rub the cracks until they're gone
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I was trying to go to sleep when I started thinking about cosplaying as a troll for Halloween. I'm doing Kurloz
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This is a very great tutorial, im making myself a sollux cosplay (and a karkat for my LAZY friend) for Halloween
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thats exactly what i was going to do just now (only without the haloween part)
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:U I have always just used light-weight modeling clay, molded them, and painted them.
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I've done that as well in the past, but I've had one too many mishaps with such horns breaking or cracking without support in 'em.
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Really?
I never get rough with them. Kinda paranoid.
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Aha, yeah. I've seen far too many clay horns fall and shatter due to outside influence, not anything that the cosplayer's done on their own. I'm fond of paperclay for more detailed horns, but always with a more firm core.
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I'm making Nepeta horns and I went to Michael's the other day to get some supplies together so I could get started. But I couldn't find any sheets of styrofoam, instead I found a couple of small styrofoam cones that I could carve instead, do you think these could work?
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Oh of course! You just have to be careful with how you carve, but I'm sure it'll work fantastically!
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I thought so! Thanks >u<
Your tutorial is so helpful
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I hope your horns turn out well!
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Thanks!
this is my first time cosplaying >3<
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may i ask... and its probably a stupid question... but why coat them in clay? is it for strength, or is it just to fill holes and make them smoother?
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For appearance! If you use normal foam with no coat, it won't take paint and even if you do get paint to stick, your horns are going to be porous and generally just look pretty rough and splotchy. I definitely don't recommend not covering the foam at all.
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ok cool. i was planning on coating them, i just didnt want to go and buy air-dry clay. probably gonna use a homemade paper mache pulp/clay stuff. using as little money as possible while still looking good. :3
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um.. how would you make Aradia horns?
I am making all of the horns for my cosplay group and I honestly have no idea how I would make those. It was pretty easy to make templates for the rest but i am kind of confused about how i would go about hers.
If I were using model magic I could have maybe used wire and tin foil for a base, but i cant find any in my area. instead i am using drywall mud because we are finishing our basement and there is Alot left over.
Do you have any idea if i could some how make a base out of a few pieces of foam? id rather use that than tinfoil if possible since it would be lighter.(and also tinfoil kindof hates me and cuts me every time i use it)
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Hrm.........drywall mud might be too heavy for Aradia's horns, given how big they are, but I'd say if you'd like to use a foam base, you probably actually want to carve the horns out of a foam block. Wire and foil is actually better for Aradia horns because of their shape, but I can see your concerns about the stability.
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Hot Glue... A cosplayer's best friend!![link] 
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Well ignore those links? Hahah Don't know why they showed up...
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Would it be all right to use paper mache instead of the clay?
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I've tried paper mache a few times, and I'm absolutely horrid with it, but if it's a medium you feel you can make work, I'd say try it? I don't think you'll be able to get as flat a surface, so I'd maybe try to make a test version first, just in case.
Happy horn making!
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I'm planning on using this tutorial to make nepeta horns and I was curious... how would I attach the horns to clips???
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What type of clips are you thinking of using? I've seen people use hotglue to good effect, but you could also wire the clips to the horns as well if you need to.
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Since the horns are small- I was thinking that I might be able to use some wire and just attach some standard barrette clips
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I'd say go for it! Best of luck!
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Hi! i have a quick question, this seems like a perfect way to make Tavros horns, but im not wearing a wig. Now I saw in a previous comment you answered something like this, but due to the fact I have not started making the horns yet, and i do not know how much they weigh, I am unsure whether or not I would be able to just hot glue them onto a headband, or if i should drill a nail through the horn and headband and set it in place. If i have to do the latter, i'd also like to know if drilling through the horn would break it in some way, or any advice on how to go about this. I would love a response as soon as possible because i intend to make these for a convention later this month
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Hi there! I'm always a fan of both glue and nails, because it's a bit more stable, but I'd be more worried about the headband breaking. If you can, I'd use a softer plastic headband and your nail should go through fine. If you place your horns right, they shouldn't break at all (each of my summoner horns has five nails in it!). I just hammered the nail directly into the foam instead of predrilling it as well.
I hope your horns go well!
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thank you so much! i just got started shaping the Styrofoam today 
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I usually cover the ends of the horns and then just chip it away a little bit to drill into the styrofoam!
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omg!!! youre so helpful, and im about to apply the clay, how thick should the layer be? half inch? an inch? sorry for asking so many questions XD its just i have limited materials and i cant start over
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Ahaha, I usually do about half an inch or a little more? It's always better to do more because you can sand it off, rather than too little.
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thank you!~~ ill monitor my progress and upload pics :3
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