Making Of Karlach #3 (Patreon)

Here's the last and final part of my Karlach making process!

Subject for the next #makingof post will be the skin (armsocks, body, LEDs), as well as the tail and maybe a new wig!

We almost had the clothes finished in the last post. So here are the final steps of the top. To finalize the closures on the back, I added a zipper that I bought here. It was hard to find a 5-8cm black zipper that's detachable :) To hide a zipper, I sew (and weathered) a part that looked the same as this back section to overlap the zipper part. It's closed with velcro.

Then, the knee cover thingy :) I did a quick and rough oattern sketch on paper to figure out the size and proportions. Then, transfered it onto foam and painted it (with simple acrylics). I glued parts of the red straps that I made before onto it (again using contact glue) and weathered the thing. Only a strap to the back and more rivets missing and that's it already :)

Next up is dyeing the tights I had! I first bought three pairs, one for the legs, one for the tail and one for the top. Depending on how much see through they are, you might need two for the top. I bought these tights, but will choose another brand (this one) and redo it later. This brand is good too for US citizens. Make sure you use polyester dye, most fabric dye out there is for natural materials. I mostly love and use Rit Dye or IDye Poly. I only put the tights in there for a few seconds. If you wet them first before dyeing, you get a more even result. I didn't do that by choice so that there would be some texture to the color afterwards (since Karlach's skin is pretty uneven). 

Make sure you use hot water and to wash them after with some mild detergent :) And don't be afraid of the color, it's wuite different when it's wet.

Let's make the tail next! For the tail, I used a wire base so that I can adjust the shape later :) Around that, I sew some volume fleece (?) by hand, adding more layers going upwards. I also marked the rough shape on the tights to sew together, just like a sock for the tail.

I added some extra pieces to the uneven parts so that it'd be as smooth as possible :) Then I sew the sock and put the tail in xD Thankfully it fit perfectly on the first try.

Then I sew an elastic band (from my local fabric store) to it and made a hole into my leather pants where the tail can later go through.

Last but not least, I taped my tail tip to it, added more fleece to even it out, painted it with acrylics and covered the ugly parts with a weathered leather band that matches the top :)

Then, I added some more fancy to the boots with embroidery thread :)

...And finally making the top! I only did this quickly for the first round of photos and will redo it later (adding a second layer and taking more time with the airbrush). I cut a small hole into where the head goes and covered/sealed the edges with latex milk (so that it won't fray or run and still stay flexible). I put it on my mannequin and airbrushed the details and tattoos on. You can also use acrylics or eyeshadow. The colors I mixed are acrylics with airbrush thinner. Lastly, I glued the vents on with regular superglue :) Btw, I'll put in simple bra pads to cheat on some muscles ;)

This step here is not yet finished. I wanted to add some lights for the engine. I used these LEDs and added another battery holder/switch to it that's small, using a soldering iron. (Make sure to use protective gear if you do this!) I'll experiment further with some crystal art Worbla because like this, the light isn't evenly distributed. We'll see how that goes :)

Last, I painted some nails to glue on the gloves :) I used foam clay to make them stick to the ground and for easier painting. The gloves haven't arrived yet, but they'll be dyed too and that's it! Maybe I can do a littel part 4 of this series with all the things I'll redo.