"Sorry, but I'm a genius magician ^_~" -Yamuraiha
Hi everyone! It's time to show you guys a sort of tutorial on the staff I made for my Yamuraiha cosplay. This was the first staff I have ever made and the biggest prop I've ever made. I messed up a lot on it, but that only means I learned a lot from making those mistakes. I am here to give you guys some tips on how to go about making a prop like this. You might see that my staff does not break down into two parts (because I messed up on that part) so it makes transportation a little difficult. I am planning on remaking this staff at some point, so I will have a better tutorial for a two piece staff later on. Because this staff has such an organic shape, it is a rather easy beginner project. Anyway, to the tutorial!!
Materials Used
- Reference pictures
- Large piece(s) of cardboard or poster board
- Writing utensil
- Box cutter
- 2 8" Styrofoam half orbs (they are sold by halves)
- Wooden dowel/stick/PVC pipe (for support)
- 2 cans of expandable foam
- Carving knife
- 1-2 rolls of masking tape
- Newspaper
- Paper Mache glue (I make this out of water, Elmer's glue, and cornstarch)
- Fast Mache (or plaster)
- Sandpaper
- 1-2 bottles of woodglue
- 1 can of pink spray paint
- Sealing spray
Tutorial
1. Find a whole bunch of reference pictures to help you decided on the shape of the staff. I used the photo below because Yamura's staff changes a lot from episode to episode, and frame to frame. This is the shape I liked the most, and the one I wanted to create.
