Amanita

I'll have to check the tools to get the exact number, but I used a couple of Tandy's matting tools that had a sort of crosshatched pattern. They were just recently discontinued, so I am glad I got mine when I did!

Ok, that helps:) And it's a pretty good idea, I'd never heard it before!

If I go through my sewing patterns I should be able to find a doublet or vest pattern, either men's or women's. I'll have to remember to buy some cheap fabric to make mockup pattern pieces from. I'm going to get a friend to help with making a duct tape dress form to work over as well, which should make things easier. I've actually got some other pics of this thing that show it being segmented- I like the segments- those make it easier to position pieces on oddly shaped parts of the hide, so there's less waste of those odd pieces. I'm aiming for a professional looking costume, so I want to stick with my leather- foil covered cardboard would just make the cosplay outfit look like a grade school art project, not in keeping with the fabric parts I already have made, which look pretty slick.

Thanks! I do confess that I had a picture of the screen-worn prop to work with that showed the fine details of the tooling. However, I've taken that experience and am using it to add visual interest to other cosplay pieces I'm working on.

So I want to make a leather breastplate similar in style to this: http://www.medievalcollectibles.com/popup.aspx?src=/images/product/large/mci-2701_2_.png I like the overall shape of this, but want an art deco skyscraper-ish look, instead of celtic. I've got some of Tandy's domed rivets to use, to suggest the rivets they used to use when building skyscrapers. However, I'm a bit lost. One, I'm female, plus sized. Short of breast cups (which I do NOT want), how best would I do something like this to fit a female chest? Also, would I have to wet the leather to form it? One person told me that I would have to wet form it, and bake it! Is that overkill? Now, the armor is going to be used for cosplay, but I don't want it to be completely flimsy- I have a side of 9 oz leather I plan to use for the main body, and some lighter stuff for the straps. Do I need to harden it? If so, what method is best for larger pieces like the top of the breastplate? If anyone's curious, I'm doing a costume that depicts an avatar of the Empire State Building, hence the Art Deco and rivets:)

I do have some pics of me in the costume, but I'm kind of disappointed in how it came out- the makeup was a serious rush job, and I had to substitute a store bought shirt, because I didn't have time to make my own long sleeved blouse. I'll have to put the whole thing back together again sometime, and do a better job of the makeup. I also plan to redo the skirt if I can find pleated fabric in the right color.

Very nice! I would love to know more about how you made the scabbard, what tools you used to stamp it, and what you used for paint!

Very nice! I love the eye of horus design, and the piece itself is quite a clever idea. It reminds me of armor, in a way.

Awesome, thanks!

I think I can find the Folk art ones at my local art supply store, where can I find the Angelus ones?

I do a lot of my leatherwork for costuming/cosplay, so that means using a lot of metallic finish. Trouble is, what I've been able to find so far mostly sucks. Tandy's cova colors are nice, but their metallics just don't give me the look I want. I tried some stuff from the art supply store, and it didn't even stay on the leather when I flexed it a bit. Good thing I tested it on scrap first! So does anyone have any suggestions for metallic finishes that will work on leather, and look better than the cova colors?

Very nice! I like the rounder too! In regards to the suggested kit patterns, my local Tandy manager said it best- "Those are for people who don't know what they want". Although I do have to admit, I like one of the included knotwork designs that comes with one of their tablet kits. I've also got some books with tooling patterns and designs in them, but I use those for inspiration, not as strict dictates which can never be altered, changed, or played around with.

Hi, I'm Amanita and I've been doing leathercraft for a little over 3 years now. I got started on leatherwork, because of my interest in costuming and cosplay. Let's face it- custom belts and pouches are expensive, to say nothing of more intricate projects. And I thought leathercraft would be cool to learn anyhow. Let's just say that my first trip to Tandy ended up costing me more than I thought it was going to, and I've been doing it ever since. Maybe not as much as I'd like, but I've made some pieces for myself, and sold a few to others, including the proprietress of a local goth store. And I've definitely gotten better since my first (Not too shabby, actually!) attempts at tooling. I'm looking to start making leather armor, as well as finally getting up the nerve to try embossing and moulding the stuff. And on the cosplay forum I'm active on, I've been encouraging others to consider working with leather, as opposed to faking everything with upholstery vinyl and craft foam. (Don't get me wrong, I've seen some awesome Mass Effect and Halo armor done with EVA foam, but when you're trying to replicate a breastplate from "Gladiator", upholstery vinyl layered over thin sheets of craft foam isn't going to cut it for anything beyond a cheap halloween costume)

Here's a leather apron I made for a cosplay outfit I've been working on- Shaak Ti, one of Star Wars's Jedi masters. For those unfamiliar with the character, she was an alien Jedi who didn't wear the order's regular uniform, opting for a unique ensemble. Part of that ensemble was a leather apron known as a "Togruta sash". (Togruta being the name of her species) I decided to replicate this prop/costume piece, and based my own version on an incredibly detailed photo found in the book "Dressing a Galaxy", which is all about the costumes of Star Wars. The pattern was partially drawn by hand, and adjusted on the computer to get the precise scaling effect (The design gets smaller and narrower from bottom to top). In total, from the time I started cutting with a swivel knife, it took about 50 hours to do this piece, between the tooling, and the hand dying and painting which followed. Here's the pics, taken from start to finish: Unfortunately the camera flash made the last two pics look a lot more orange than they actually are- in reality, the lightest colored areas are more of a darkish tan than anything, and the dark orange parts are more of a rust. FYI- I actually used Tandy's Saddle tan antiqueing gel to achieve the rust colored areas, I just painted it straight onto the bare leather, then rubbed off any excess. It worked very well.

Yes, that helmet is amazing! What did you use for the gold paint? I'm still looking for good metallic leather finish that won't take a ton of coats to get an even finish, and still end up looking lousy. Tandy's cova colors are pretty nice for the most part, but their metallics just aren't cutting it for me.