Costumes, ahoy!

I thought it might be nice to post some "how-to's" of the costumes I've been working on lately. So, here goes! I shall now attempt to explain how I made Sheik's Lyre. (A side note, I have changed my blog design in honor of C.S. Lewis' book "Perelandra".)

First, you start with a wooden base. I used a 5-ply board which was light-weight, but

also sturdy.

Now the strings are attached. I just used elastic from my local fabric store. I would recommend elastic over string, because it's easy to pluck, but won't lose it's tightness or bend the wood.

Now comes a fun and messy part, applying the goop to give the harp it's shape. I used paper mache clay, it was easy to work with and quite sturdy, once it's dry.

Here's what it looks like once it's completely covered. Pretty cool looking, but still quite bumpy. We'll get rid of that. :)

Once you've applied the clay to both sides, (and let it dry properly) it's time to cover your harp with joint compound. (Aka, dry-wall mud.)

Now it's covered with dry-wall and sanded so it's uber-smooth!

Now comes my favorite part, painting it!

There, the harp is done! ..and although it may not play music, it looks sweet.