Light Fury Transformation

Post #9: The Wig and a Wear Test!

Hi Everyone!
This week I created the wig and did a whole fitting test! In the past I've found myself trying on the entire costume for the first time the day of the convention, and that always created small issues here and there during the day. Now that I have learned better, I try and push myself to be able to do an ENTIRE costume fitting at LEAST a week before the convention. So, this week I pushed myself to finish all the items to a point where they can all be worn. The first thing I started with was the wig!

The wig I wanted to use for this cosplay was the Lindsay. This is one of my FAVORITE wigs from Arda and eventually I want one in every color! I chose silver because I think white would blend with the costume too much, and blue would be too strong. So silver is the next best choice, and will go with the metal pieces on the costume! Now, as a precursor for this part of the blog - I do not know much about wigs, and have never done a wig project this large before. So, come with me, a wee little beginner, and let’s conquer this wig!

Before starting this project, I have been watching a BUNCH of wig tutorials and videos on YouTube to get as much information as I could before approaching this project. Here are some of the first steps I did:

• Sprayed the wig down with conditioner (I used this spray constantly as I was styling the wig. It helps prevent tangling and makes the hair easier to work with)
• Finger-combed through the hair to smooth out any tangles

• Parted the hair into workable sections
• Plucked the hairline to make it a bit more realistic (even though it would be covered with the crown)
• Started to thin out the ends of the hair (THIS IS SO IMPORTANT)!

I am a wig noob, so I never knew why people thinned out hair, but I understand now! For longer hair, thinning out the ends of the hair helps it not become so tangled and also helps with the weight of the hair. I do not have any thinning shears, so I used scissors and a razor to thin out my wig. I just ran the razor/scissors down a section of hair and lightly cut small bits as I went down the section. Super easy, fun, relaxing, and satisfying to do. I cut off a good amount of hair, and when it was finished, I was able to throw the wig around more aggressively and not have to worry about it tangling. Now, that might not be a huge issue for some people, but as a drag queen, we are ALWAYS throwing our hair around!

Here are some photos of what the wig looked like after the thinning. It’s so much easier to manage, and looks more realistic too!

The next thing to do is add the horns and here is how I made them:

I first started by gluing pink foam together and carving out the horn shapes I wanted. The smaller horns are 2x2 wide and the larger horns are 3x3 wide.

Then I covered them in Thibra and added foam details to them. Now the most IMPORTANT thing I did was add the little dog key chain pieces to the bottom of each horn. These are the same key chain pieces I have been using throughout the entire project. Now, this may seem odd, but these will give me an anchor point to hand-stitch the horns into the wig! Before adding the horns, I primed and painted them.

Before attaching, I started playing around with the right spacing and placement of each piece. Here you can see me trying to find the right placement for the crown and horns. Once you find the right spot, you can start sewing everything in! I kept the hair parted on top, because it made it easier to get to the tracks when stitching.

Here, on the left, I am holding the horn into place before I start stitching. On the right, you can see what it looks like after I have stitched the horn in. Make sure you get these stitches really tight! The tighter the stitchings, the less the horns will wiggle and the less you will be able to see the attachment from far away. I put 4 small key chains on the bottoms of each horn, so that they were extra secure when sewn down. If you are doing this too, I would use no less than 3, or else the horns will wobble a lot!

Here is what the left side looked like after I finished! I was super pleased and just needed to match the right side!

Once I finished attaching the horns, I added some of the small key chains to the crown, and sewed that in as well! The crown is super helpful because it acts like a counterweight to the horns and really balances the wig.

To finish the wig off, I did some last bits of styling. I slicked back the top section of hair that was in the ponytail, and added some side braids with some of the metal chain maille. I felt like these additions would help it read more “warrior” like and complement the crown as well.

Here are some photos of the finished wig! I am super happy with the results and the fact that it’s so light! I can move around and dance in this wig without the worry of it falling off! I know it might be a simple style of wig, but I think it’s a pretty good beginners step for me, and I am proud of myself for that!

Anyway, onto the full costume wear test!

The wear test went GREAT! Everything fit properly, some things needs some extra reinforcement, but I am really pleased so far!

The biggest thing I am working on right now is the placement of the belt/skirt. In Zach’s original design, he has the belt/skirt on the hips; however, with the changes I have made to the design, I am not sure if I like it there anymore. In the photo on the left, I have placed the skirt/belt higher up and I think it works better. I find that it creates less lines on the body and lets the eyes focus more on the details of the armor. Whereas, the photo on the right, has some really interesting and fun lines around the hips, but it distracts too much from the rest of the armor.

What do you all think?

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