Using clear plastic, this image shows my test piece before I decided to vacuum form the shoulder extensions in white.

Further testing with the white pieces

As I was unhappy with the styrene cage I had trailed, I have also tested Varaform mesh with resin and fibreglass tissue. In the end I vacuum formed 1mm thick styrene over a rounded block and cut strips from the already curved plastic. These were then attached together with dyclo.

Making the backpack

Using two gold belts, the wings will sit on a plate at the back and be secured across the body. I have used contact adhesive to temporarily hold the leather belts together at the back.

Main elements ready

After folding the felt back on itself around the edges, and securing the iside with black tape, these pieces are ready to use in the photoshoot.

Sealing the rough edges- black electical tape ?

Another issue with my felt lining is the rough edges produced by the cut felt and the subsequent fibres getting stuck in the paint finish. As shown here, I tried to seal these edged with black electrical tape whilst using acrylic paint to touch up areas where the contact adhesive had seeped over the edges. Still unsatisfied with this finish, I have decided to add additional felt along the edges, roll these back and secure them back on themselves.

Lineing the headband

My first attempt at covering the inside of my headpiece incorporated a band of plastizote foam to pad out the inside. Once the felt was secured over this with contact adhesive I then realised that I has cut the foam too thickly and that it would no longer fit onto the head. Therefor all of this lining had to be removed and done again.