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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Princess Leia Leia's Ceremonial gown from ANH

Discussion in 'Costuming and Props' started by Amidala_wannabe, Apr 5, 2002.

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  1. Taeriel

    Taeriel Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2003
    Here are some photos of my necklace. At the end of it all, I was fairly happy with the resin-cast approach. At one point I debated attempting cold metal casting (mixing metallic powder into the outer layers of the resin for coloring), but decided to go with plain resin and silver spray paint for this version. Thanks to everyone for the advice and encouragement last fall!
     
  2. fairyprincess

    fairyprincess Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 2007
    Wow! Your necklace looks lovely!

    Mine is so bad! I am not artistic in that domain!

    But, spray leather paint has not rubbed off the Sculply and it has been four months since I made it!
     
  3. Obi-Dawn Kenobi

    Obi-Dawn Kenobi Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    It's gorgeous Taeriel!
     
  4. Taeriel

    Taeriel Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2003
    Thanks! Believe me, I am not artistic in that domain either - it took many, many, many sculpting versions, and some other resin versions, before I got this one.

    It's great to hear that your leather spray paint hasn't had a problem on sculpy! Based on what Neimhaille said last fall, then either the gloss sealer was able to protect the underlaying sculpy, or maybe the propellent in the leather spray paint is different in some way? (Thanks for the explanation on the sculpy-paint problem, Neimhaille, and for the informational link! All very good to know.)

    I found along the way that even with resin, not all spray paints work well. I was originally using Plastikote metallic spray paint last year, and it made for a gorgeous liquid-silver appearance. However, it turned out to have exactly the same tacky-drying problems as most spray paints on sculpy! This was ironic, in a depressing way, since I'd originally started on the resin casting to get away from the paint problem. It seemed at first that if I let the pieces dry long enough (few weeks) that they were headed towards fully drying, but in the end they were still slightly tacky and furthermore the appearance turned slightly mottled. I tried a variety of underlaying primers (in case it was a primer incompatability), cleaning the resin with a special cleaning solution to remove any mold release residue, and a few other things, but no luck. At the end, it turned out to be something about the paint itself, I think. Based on a suggestion from kay_dee, I switched to Krylon silver paint, and that seemed to solve the issue.
     
  5. Sister_Sola

    Sister_Sola Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2002
    Taeriel, your necklace is stunning! Excellent work, that looks just fantastic!
     
  6. starfire-phoenix

    starfire-phoenix Jedi Knight star 5

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    Jan 2, 2004
    Absolutely gorgeous necklace! Fantastic work there :)
     
  7. LeiaYT1300

    LeiaYT1300 Jedi Youngling star 3

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    Mar 7, 2002
    That's a fantastic creation - absolutely brilliant! :D
     
  8. Last_Chael

    Last_Chael Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2006
    Wow! That looks incredible! Well done!
     
  9. lavagrrrl

    lavagrrrl Jedi Padawan star 4

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    May 16, 2002
    You made a gorgeous necklace! All your hard work paid off. :)
     
  10. Taeriel

    Taeriel Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Feb 9, 2003
    Thanks, everyone. :) I wore the necklace at Wondercon a few weeks ago, and this was the first time I'd worn it all day long as opposed to for an hour or two. At the end of the day, the thing I was most happy with was that no silver paint had rubbed off on my neck! (Earlier versions 1, 2 and 3 suffered that fate.)
     
  11. kay_dee

    kay_dee Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2002
    Oh, I'm glad you posted photos of your finished necklace Alison! It is one of the best sculpts I've seen... and you did it without even looking at the *real* necklace in person. You did it all based on photos. I know it was a TON of frustration and work but the results are well worth it :)
     
  12. Taeriel

    Taeriel Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2003
    95% of the pictures I looked at were the ones on your website, kay_dee, so a huge thanks to you for providing such a great resource for the rest of us! It really helped to have pictures of the necklace from so many angles. :)

    In a way, I think it's good that I did this before I saw the real version in person. If I had seen it before I had my pieces all done, I probably would have been tempted to redo the sculpt to make it closer!
     
  13. ShadaErsari

    ShadaErsari Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 17, 2003
    Taeriel, I just have to add a comment regarding your necklace. It seriously is a phenominal work of are, and you do have sculpting skills! I can appreciate the time and effort that you put into this. I just made an attempt to work with Fimo clay this week, and it was difficult to achieve the shapes and designs I saw in my mind! I don't know how people do it. I guess just trial and error? :)
     
  14. Taeriel

    Taeriel Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2003
    Yep, lots and lots and lots of trial and error, for me at least! ;) You really hit the nail on the head with that - I too found it challenging to translate what I saw in my head (or in the pictures) into what came out in the clay. If you have time and are inclined, just keep trying different sculpts and approaches till you get something you're happy with. I first started working on it a couple of years ago. Some of my sculpts never made it past the raw sculpy stage, some were baked but discarded, some were resin-cast, and a few made it to full necklace versions but had other problems. Lots of trial and error! I really admire the people here who have been able to get great necklaces on a shorter timeline.
     
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