Melisandre’s Necklace | Game of Thrones Cosplay

Melisandre necklace

I am a colossal squid of excitement tonight! I have finally finished my necklace for my upcoming Melisandre cosplay!

This is a simple piece that has taken months to finish due to a severe respiratory infection lasting three weeks. I was experimenting with aerosol Plasti-dip as a primer for craft foam and using gold spray paint as my primary finish. Working on the necklace was impossible while I was ill and still very difficult afterwards, even while working outside, as my lungs are still compromised.

I eventually switched to glue as my primer and used Rub n’ Buff and acyrilic paints to finish the piece. Part of me wishes that I had made silicone molds and formed this necklace out of resin for a more realistic look, but I do love how lightweight this piece is.

Melisandre necklace closeup

What I learned:

  • I may try Plasti-dip again with a larger piece, as I know many Halo cosplayers that swear by it, but for smaller pieces I will stick to glue.
  • I will never ever use aerosol paints or Plasti-dip inside ever again, even in a well ventilated space. Which means no aerosols in the winter! Lame.
  • Rub N’ Buff is the stuff of legends. I hated the gold spray paint finish until I added a little Rub N’ Buff with my finger. The wax texture smoothed out the foam and made it look more realistic. I must now go find every color they make.
  • Emery boards, the cheap sandpaper nail files, are amazing for sanding down small edges. I bought a gigantic pack that will last me a long time from the Dollar Tree.

Lady Melisandre, also referred to as The Red Woman, is a priestess of The Lord of Light in the fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire and hit HBO series Game of Thrones. If you are not familiar with her by now then you must be avoiding this series on purpose, as it is absolutely everywhere. I’ve been a longtime fan of the books but a late adopter of the TV series due to my lack of cable. Melisandre is always interesting but I did not obsess over her character until watching Carice Van Houten’s performance.

Weather willing I should be able to take photos of the complete costume tomorrow!

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