I like making headdresses but sometimes they can be a little bit tricky. The main problem is the weight, if your headdress is too heavy it will fall and you will be uncomfortable. That is why I chose lightweight materials to make a dragon headdress for my Yui Hongo cosplay.
How I made Yui Hongo’s dragon headdress
As usual, you will start drawing the patterns in paper, don’t be afraid to test several shapes and sizes so they fit your head. You don’t want something too small nor too big that breaks balance with your head.
For the ears, cut the pattern in fabric. Then, add fabric glue to the borders to stop the fabric from frailing.
With wire create the base of your ears. If you fold the wire on itself and secure it together with tape, it won’t move. To embellish it all, hide the wire under 2mm foam. You can see on the right how the foam looks after applying heat with the heatgun. Shape it with your hands and be careful not tu burn yourself. I explain more in my introduction to craf foam for cosplay tutorial.
After you draw your pattern in 10mm foam or plastazote you can start crafting the 3D shape. Use a knife to shape the horns and give them volume. Make sure you round your corners to give it a natural look.
To reinforce the headdress, after gluing it with hotglue, add a piece of foam to the back if necessary. To finish, use acrylic paints and beads to decorate it. I used pearlescent paint to make it look shiny.
The result
And this is how it looks with the rest of the dress. Remember that I wrote full Cosplay Notes on how I made Yui Hongo. She was one of my favourite characters in Fushigi Yuugi. Did you ever read the manga?
