Duct Tape Shenanigans and Charizard Cosplay Progress

I decided last week that I need a dress form if I am to be a proper cosplayer, but rather than spend the $100-$200 to get a plus size dress form (yes, I'm still a bit "curvy"... read: fat) I decided to try something I found on Pinterest and make my own out of duct tape. I realized at the final stage that I should have been taking process pictures, but it is a rather awkward experience so I suppose it was for the best. 

The process is fairly simple: Put on a shirt and pair of pants/shorts that you are willing to sacrifice to the cause, get 2-5 rolls of duct tape depending on your size, and find someone you trust a whole lot to wrap you in duct tape. Here is the tutorial that I used and found the most useful: http://offbeatbride.com/2010/11/duct-tape-dress-form 

And here is my result: 

It looks like a creepy, purple amputee and I still need to smooth out the form in a few places and seal the neck, but overall it worked pretty well. It probably won't be sturdy enough to build my wings on, but it will definitely make pattern-making a lot easier and more effective. I will be using this to create the tail piece for my Charizard gijinka cosplay. Speaking of which, I found the perfect shoes! 

Thank you little boys' dept of Walmart for trying to bring back the 80's! I also bought some polymer clay to sculpt claws that I will attach to the shoes with E600 adhesive. 

Last week I got the second wing wire structure shaped and covered with foam, so fabric comes next! I figured out the shape of the wings in the last post so I will get them cut out tonight and begin the process of attaching the fabric to the structure. I am going to use a hot glue gun to wrap the orange fabric around the frame and heat bond adhesive interfacing to attach the teal fabric to the inside of the wing. 

*** Stay tuned for more cosplay fun! ***