Fem Kratos Cosplay Build

It is HIGH TIME I make another build tutorial so I am starting with none other than: FEM KRATOS!

I made this costume in under two weeks for Game On Expo 2018. Here is what I will cover in this tutorial...

• Fur/Pauldron Crafting
• Skirts/Belts Crafting & Modification
• Weapon/Axe Crafting
• Make Up Testing/Transformation

Here is what YOU will need to create this costume...

• TIME - This is necessary for all costume creations but it is REALLY needed for leather/pleather/vinyl.

• MATERIALS - I used quite a few, such as...
  • Leather / PU Leather / Vinyl
  • Sewing Notions
  • Twine
  • Grommets
  • Fur
  • Belts (purchasing is best but you can use leather to make your own)
  • Beads
  • Velcro / Magnets / Snaps
  • Thread (Jean thread is best for durability)
  • Leather Working Needles OR Larger Gage needles
  • Foam / ThermoPlastics
  • Paints (Acrylic & Spray)
  • Body Paint (Water, Cream and/or Alcohol)
  • Super Glue / Contact Cement / Kwik Seal

• TOOLS - Here are a few I recall using...
  • Heat Gun
  • Sewing Machine
  • Grommet Tool & Hammer
  • Dremel / Rotary Tool
  • Fabric Clips / Pins
  • Drawing Implement
  • Yard Stick / Ruler
  • Painting Tarp
  • Hot Glue Gun

• MONEY - Unless you have magic and can make materials/tools appear.

Let's get started!

Fur Shirt/Shrug

For this part of the costume I purchased a faux fur rug from Amazon for around $15. I draped the fur over a male dress form I have which is close in size to me but you could just drape it over your own body. I took the opposite corner and brought them together under the shoulder and over the bust. Once I had it pinned I hand stitched a little buckle into it. Next, I went to the back and trimmed the excess off so I would have a flap similar to Kratos's fur covering. Finally, I trimmed away some pieces for shaping and used a high powered vacuum to pull away any loose fur.

If you like this rug it can be bough here: http://a.co/d/4sJksyD

Pauldron

This took a fair bit of thought. I first considered using foam to craft this but realized I would have to remake it in 1-2 years time due to the climate I reside in. Next I thought about using pleather but determined it would not be rigid enough to bear the weight of the axe I intended to hang off of the back. Finally I settled on a combination of Vinyl, Leather and PU Leather (aka synthetic leather).

I create three rectangles using measurements from my mannequin but it would be easy enough to measure your own shoulder/bicep for length and height of these rectangles. I cut the rectangles out on the PU Leather; then I cut a duplicate out in Upholstery Vinyl. I cut the Upholstery Vinyl into long strips following a diagonal pattern. Once all the strips were cut I weaved them together and used Gorilla Hot Glue to tack down the edges before sewing.

Since PU Leather and Upholstery Vinyl are so thick I had to hand stitch the Vinyl bias to the edges of the pauldrons. I broke FOUR NEEDLES doing this so be sure to invest in heavy gauge needles for this project. For the "bias tape" I cut strips out and wrapped them around the edges of the pauldrons. Once all the hand stitching was done I used a spare Shoulder pad to puff up the top Pauldron layer; next I placed the second largest layer slightly under the first and tacked it into place with Super Glue Gel and hand stitching. The final layer (#3) was placed under the second where I repeated the attachment process.

Now that I had the Pauldron properly formed (the shoulder pad helped A LOT) I measured my bicep so I could add a strap for the third layer to wrap around my arm. The top portion of the pauldron had Leather glued to it on the front and back; these leather pieces were cut in squares and then rounded to match the U-like shape of Kratos's securements. I cut a slit in the middle of each leather piece so I could slide a Leather belt under the Pauldron. With the Leather belt in place I wrapped it around my upper torso and measured how much I needed to cut off the belt (it was a large men's leather belt).

Finally, I added bead work to the leather belt (to feminize it a bit as this is a Rule 63 Kratos) and my Pauldron was complete!

Spartan Skirt / Waist Leather

Kratos has two layers of "skirts" in God of War: A New Beginning. I started with the Spartan Skirt that is attached to a waist leather/corset sort of thing. I made a rhombus shape that fit my hips at the bottom and tapered up to my waist measurement at the top. I cut two of these and sewed them together (outside in) then left one side open so I could flip them inside out and finished up with a zigzag stitch for the hem. I used a PU Leather for this part of the skirt. Next I plotted the placement of silver grommets and added those using a Grommet tool (and hammer).

For the spartan straps I cut 24 strips of leather and glued them together until I only had 12 left (this was to stiffen the vinyl I was using). I cut and weathered the bottoms then used Angelus Leather Paint to change the Vinyl from brown to a deep red. Finally, I attached the strips in alternating levels using Gorilla Super Glue Gel.

To weather the dark leather waist skirt I used a sanding stone and moved in circles across the fabric.

Nordic Stitched Skirt

For the "over skirt" protective I used Pleather & Brown Fabric. I cut the base shape out for both then cut up the pleather in various patterns (I also used leather scraps). I stitched the largest pleather pieces to the brown fabric first then slowly added more pieces. I used a tight zigzag stitch and a needle meant for Jeans. This went fairly fast as it is meant to look haphazardly placed.

Belts & Pouches

The belts were sourced from a thrift store. I used larger belts so I could cut them down and resize them for myself. This added nice weathering to the ends and allowed me play with positioning. The overskirt is attached to the lowest belt via Super Glue on one side and velcro on the other.

For the pouches I followed THIS TUTORIAL. I attached the ash pouch with fabric twine and the butt pouch slid onto the top leather belt. I embellished the belts with twine and painted weathering.

Ice Axe

I enjoy making props but this axe...this dang axe. There were so MANY little pieces and I STILL have some painting details to add but here is the bulk of what you'll need to do...

I started with 3 mm Sintra as my base. I measured the axe so it would fit in my largest suitcase (this is important for traveling). I free handed the handle onto Sintra however, you could print out a version of the axe using any printer that blows up images to large sizes. I used a Utility Knife/Blade to carefully cut out my Sintra pattern and lightly sanded the edges with loose sand paper.

Next, I used Anti-Fatigue Floor Mats (essentially 6 mm closed cell foam) and duplicated the pattern using my Sintra handle as a template. I sanded the foam and Sintra then glued the rough sides of the foam to the Sintra. Basically, I sandwiched the Sintra between 2 pieces of foam. Once that was done I took some 4 mm EVA Foam (purchased from TNT Cosplay Supply) and free handed the axe blade. I cut two of these then used them as a pattern to cut two pieces of Worbla (a self adhering ThermoPlastic). The worbla was cut a bit larger so I could sandwich the axe foam in between.

I heat formed the Worbla (using a Heat Gun) over the axe blade (which I laid over the handle) and pressed everything together until the Worbla seams were fused shut. I cut any excess Worbla off (don't throw these away, Worbla is reusable) and moved on to detailing the foam.

For foam details I took a Dremel and carved the sides, top, bottom, front and back of the handle. I smoothed out the Worbla edges (they can get sharp) and used a sanding bit to dig deep grooves into the handle. When I finished my first pass with the Dremel I discovered the seam of the Sintra and Floor Mat was VERY obvious. So I grabbed some Kwik Seal (yes, the plumbing silicone) and slathered it onto the sides of my handle; then I let it set for 12 hours.

When I came back the Kwik Seal was hard enough to sand. I did my second pass of sanding, added a bit more Kwik Seal for wood detail (to bevel and raise the sides of the handle) and my work with sanding was complete!

Now it was time to paint...er, no it wasn't. Now I had to SEAL it all with 2 coats of Wood Glue. I do this to ensure any loose foam is glued in place AND to create a smooth surface for painting. With the Wood Glue set I used Plasti-Dip in black as a base coat and proceeded to hand paint the prop with acrylic paints.

For the Runes I used small shower rings (tiny ones) and pre-made glass gems.

For the Axe holder I used Worbla's KobraCast Art (provided by Cosplay Supplies) and created a U shaped holder to mimic the World Serpent's tail and head. I attached this holder to the back of my Pauldron used spare PU Leather and Gorilla Super Glue Gel.

Finally, I sealed my axe using a Plasti-Dip Metalizer for the blade and Matte Sealer for the handle; then I tested the weight of my axe on my holder and all was well!

Ok...I have done A LOT of written description in this tutorial so here is a break: a VIDEO!

Here are some items you will need...

• White Body Makeup (I used Mehron Clown White)
• Translucent Setting Powder
• Red Body Makeup (I used Mehron Paradise AQ Red)
• Contour Palette
• Black Eye Liner
• Black Eye Shadow
• Mehron Scar Wax and setting liquid
• Make Up Brushes / Sponges
• Water
• Reference Image of Kratos

This was the test run for me. At the end of the video I make some comments on changes which I executed during my first time wearing the costume as a whole.

Here is the complete look!

There are some bough items that I altered and/or wore as is on this costume along with some items I did not cover...

• Bracers - Made from scrap leather and foam. I intend to redo them so I will add them to this tutorial in the future.
• Maroon shirt - I opted to cover my breasts and stomach with a shirt. Why cover my stomach? I live in a VERY hot climate and heat + leather is supremely unpleasant.
• Black Leggings - Erm, not much to say. Just $3 leggings.
• Leather boots - Purchased from a Goodwill and folded/style to fit closer to Kratos.

If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments. For more tutorials visit my profile OR check out my website: www.thermocosplay.com

Good luck and happy crafting!