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Published: 2012-02-20 23:30:10 +0000 UTC; Views: 28043; Favourites: 417; Downloads: 336
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PART ONE: [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
Related content
Comments: 25
YtFantasy [2016-05-05 17:30:52 +0000 UTC]
Wonderful cosplay ! May I ask you how you keep those horns on your head without them falling off ?
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
RealityBurns [2012-12-27 22:56:42 +0000 UTC]
I just found this tutorial and all, and I have everything to make the horns, but I noticed that my styrofoam is a bit thin and even two pieces isn't even an inch long, so I was wondering how many pieces I should use to make my base think enough. I would really like to know kind of soon because I'm going to a meetup as Eridan, who I'm making the horns for, on the 19th of January. thanks so much for making the tutorial though it's really helpful and I wouldn't have a clue how to make the horns otherwise.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
TwoToned-Jester In reply to RealityBurns [2012-12-28 03:41:09 +0000 UTC]
Hm...it's always easier to sand horns down than to try to bulk them up later, so I'd err on the side of caution and use maybe three or four layers? I'm not sure how thick your materials are, but I'd go for that just to make sure that you'd be alright.
I hope they go well for you!
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RealityBurns In reply to TwoToned-Jester [2012-12-28 04:51:17 +0000 UTC]
Thanks for the help, I used four layers and they're turning out well as of now.
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mix-tape-bang [2012-10-27 06:48:03 +0000 UTC]
Hey, I've never used Model Magic, could you tell me; about how long does it take to dry?
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TwoToned-Jester In reply to mix-tape-bang [2012-10-27 22:56:27 +0000 UTC]
It depends on the horns! I've waited as little as twelve hours for smaller horns (Though your millage may vary), but in general I try to wait at least seventy two hours for it to dry before working with it. Depending on how thick you apply it, it can take more or less time.
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mix-tape-bang In reply to TwoToned-Jester [2012-10-31 08:22:26 +0000 UTC]
Awesome! Thank you.
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Klepha [2012-10-27 01:03:15 +0000 UTC]
Would it be possible to use a hair dryer to speed up the drying process?
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TwoToned-Jester In reply to Klepha [2012-10-27 03:27:54 +0000 UTC]
I've done it once or twice, with mixed results. I think it's always good to try though!
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bumbly-bee-phee [2012-09-29 15:19:12 +0000 UTC]
I read that you used the headpiece of a welder's mask for your horns.
Would you mind explaining how that worked exactly? :3
I'm making a new pair of Tavros horns for a con in November and I'd like to know the most efficient and reliable way of attaching them, and this method seems pretty great. I am wearing a wig so putting it underneath shouldn't be a problem c:
Thanks for your time, heheh!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
TwoToned-Jester In reply to bumbly-bee-phee [2012-09-30 10:22:56 +0000 UTC]
Might I ask what type of wig you're using? I don't know if such a method would work well if it's not a wig that has hair covering the entire head, due to how bulky (and very obvious) the headpiece is.
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bumbly-bee-phee In reply to TwoToned-Jester [2012-10-01 08:27:13 +0000 UTC]
Yep! My wig covers my whole head, with hair all over. I'm trimming down the sides, however.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
TwoToned-Jester In reply to bumbly-bee-phee [2012-10-01 18:24:39 +0000 UTC]
It might work then! It's a very bulky piece of equipment, unfortunately, so it might actually make your wig not sit flat. I'm able to hide the bumps with the side hawks on my wig, but I'm not sure how well it'd work with the shaved sides....hrm. I do know a lot of people have used thin wire headbands for Tavros' horns, because if the horns are light enough it tends to work out, and be pretty invisible.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
bumbly-bee-phee In reply to TwoToned-Jester [2012-10-04 10:10:26 +0000 UTC]
Thanks! I'll keep this in mind and hopefully try it out when my wig gets here.
Otherwise I might try the screwed-onto-the-headband method thing.
Thanks for your help, hahaha
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
TwoToned-Jester In reply to bumbly-bee-phee [2012-10-04 17:33:45 +0000 UTC]
I hope it goes well for you!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
jadeflower99 [2012-09-15 02:44:02 +0000 UTC]
If you didn't have model magic, would the paint stay on the styrofoam after it was sanded?
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TwoToned-Jester In reply to jadeflower99 [2012-09-15 07:41:56 +0000 UTC]
Not well, no, if at all. The purpose of the model magic is to give the horns an even texture, as styrofoam is very porous. Without it, you're going to get a very uneven horn that's nearly impossible to paint, due to all the tiny holes in it.
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Misaki2008 [2012-07-27 05:01:31 +0000 UTC]
How long does it take for the Molding Magic to dry?
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TwoToned-Jester In reply to Misaki2008 [2012-07-27 06:20:10 +0000 UTC]
I usually give it up to three days, just to make sure it's all dry. Your millage may vary depending on how big your horns are.
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Misaki2008 In reply to TwoToned-Jester [2012-07-27 07:04:43 +0000 UTC]
ah okay. thank you ^^ great tutorial btw
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maicookierulz [2012-06-06 16:35:58 +0000 UTC]
please please PLEASE answer this...i need SOOOOO much help. i made grand highblood horns using this tutorial and also rufio horns....theyre not as big as yours yet they fall!!!! what do i do i need so much help and im leaving in a day to go to a con!!! please please PLEAAAASE HELP!
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TwoToned-Jester In reply to maicookierulz [2012-06-07 01:52:29 +0000 UTC]
Oh my what are you using to keep them up, if I might ask?
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maicookierulz In reply to TwoToned-Jester [2012-06-07 16:11:47 +0000 UTC]
a head band but they arernt working....i also need help with my grand highblood horns too....we might just be going as human stuck ancestors i worked hard on the outfits....we are using them. (i wish i got on sooner to check this ;_
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
TwoToned-Jester In reply to maicookierulz [2012-06-07 22:38:37 +0000 UTC]
I actually found that headbands don't work at all for horns of that size, so I have an entire headpiece from an old welder's mask that I have attached under my wig. A headband simply isn't strong enough to support Summoner horns. I wish you the best of luck!
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