They called her Thorin’Ella. Practically everybody in Middle-Earth knew her. Some people said she’d gone crazy after Smaug had attacked Erebor and had appropriated both the dwarves’ mountain and their treasure, others said that she’d disappeared without a trace. The truth was, nobody really knew for sure. She was just known as the Lady of the Lonely Mountain.

The sun raised high, and it was so bright that she was unable to sleep. The drifting memory of the mountain standing tall and everything so silent crossed her mind. She’d heard a lot about Thorin King under the Mountain leading the Company of dwarves who aim to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon. Her only wish was to join them on their journey.

Suddenly she heard a noise that she knew didn’t belong there. Something stirred inside of her as she listened for movement and saw a silhouette flashing by. They had been following her… Is there any last chance for her to escape?

THE STORY

With the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug knocking on the door, I was soooo thrilled to film a video on how to draw Thorin Oakenshield that I actually came up with this other idea of creating my own “hobbit” story and shooting a short trailer. I find that world fascinating and wanted to know how it would feel to be a part of it, to feel like a true dwarf. In my story I created a female equivalent of Thorin, ’cause you know, I’m a girl and I was supposed to play the heroine in the trailer. 

I spent more than a week preparing the costume, weapons, and make-up for this project. We had only one day to film the video because it was the last warm sunny day of the season and I spent 4 days editing the final result! It was a very last-minute project, so I wasn’t able to publish all content (the making of the costume especially ) on time for Halloween.

However, if you’re a big fan of the LOTR or the Hobbit franchise you might want to recreate the costume for your next Halloween or themed party!

THE SWORD “ORCRIST”

What would be Thorin without his sword Orcrist? I tried to find a sword similar to Orcrist at the Halloween and toys department, but then I found this old decorative sword at my grandma’s storage. My father used an angle grinder to cut off both sides of the guard to give it a flat cross shape. He also smoothed down any rusty spots on the blade.

TIP #1: LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES

If your grandparents don’t collect cold weapons, you can search online for dupes. In case you prefer the crafty nature of Halloween, get a plastic sword that doesn’t have too many ornaments on it or you can even use a wooden stick and finish it up by following the steps below.

I decided to use air-drying clay and sculpting tools to create the guard. According to the description of the sword, the guard is shaped like a dragon’s claw with the sword’s name inscribed on it. First I took some clay and placed it on the grip and started shaping the guard.

I used sculpting tools and water to form a claw and smooth the surface.  I tried to get a shape that is proportional to the length and width of the blade.

Once I’ve finished sculpting the claw I cut it in half so it’d be easier to narrow it down and add the second layer of clay. Then I placed them back in the grip and smoothed any rough edges.

TIP #2: WORK IN PIECES

If I had to make the sword again, I would create both sides of the guard separately and then attach them to each other around the blade. It saves a lot of time, work, and energy.

To make the sculpting process easier, you can print out a picture of the guard, place it under a transparent surface and work over it as a template. Here are some ideas for surfaces:

• transparent plastic board
• glass surfaces or glass out of the picture frame
• wax or parchment paper

The grip is made of a dragon tooth so it wasn’t very difficult to shape it into form and carve grooves into it. For the irregular shape of the grip I just squeezed it in my hand. So you may say, Thorin ‘Ella got quite ergonomic sword. 😀 Because of the bulk of clay I left the sword to dry for several days. Once the clay was dry I used rough sandpaper to smooth it down.

The best way to color the grip is to use acrylic paint. On the one hand, you can apply the color without diluting it with water; on the other hand, the color becomes water-resistant when dry. I used yellow ocher, burnt sienna, and black shades to color it.

Before spraying the guard I took some masking tape and wrapped it around the grip and the blade to protect them from the paint. And that’s it! I know that my sword doesn’t look perfect but it has cloven many orcs! :))

ARM BRACERS

Thorin has plain leather fingerless gloves with decorative leather arm bracers on top. The bracers can be made with anything from cardboard to craft foam, leather fabric or felt. For my version of the bracers I used some old leather clothing I had at home.

TIP #3: USE TEMPLATES

Here you can download the template for the bracers. I transferred the pattern to the leather fabric using a soft white pencil and cut it out.

The bracers contain two pieces: the one protecting the lower arm and the second one for the protection of the top of the hand. You’ll have to work on them separately and attach them to each other later on.

Each of those pieces has a solid layer and a decorative layer on top. That means you’ll need at least two layers of fabric for each bracer. If you want the inner part of the bracer to be also covered in the same material, you’ll need even a third one.

You can sew all pieces together to an arm bracer, which would be the best way, but as I was running out of time I used a hot glue gun. The leather was quite thin so I added cardboard between the inner and outer layers to get more stiffness for my bracers. While you add the decorative design, make sure that all edges are glued down.

You can attach both pieces by sewing them together or use a hole punch and add pins, studs or rivets. The best and easiest way to fasten and remove an arm bracer is to use leather stripes and belt buckles for closure. I punched holes in the bracers and laced them up with a leather band. I took a pair of old gloves and cut off the fingers. That’s it!

 

OUTWEAR

The basic pieces of my costume came from my closet. I used an old black leather jacket and a faux fur vest. For the bottom, I had a pair of black suede pants and some leg warmers. You can use anything that is black, brown or grey. You can use a cardigan or a sweater instead of the leather jacket and buy some faux fur leftovers from the fabric store to create the fur collar and leg warmers.

 

THORIN ‘S TUNIC

For the tunic, you’ll need an old oversized t-shirt, some acrylic paint, and metallic chains, studs, beads, buttons, and pins.

To make the shirt look worn and dirty I used black and brown acrylic paint and a sponge to apply it. Once the paint is dry you can attach any ornaments like chains, studs, etc. by sewing them to the fabric or gluing them down.

TIP #4: REUSE OLD STUFF

If you have old belts, shoes, or bags with metal ornaments, don’t throw them away. I like to collect all metal pieces from worn-out clothing and accessories. You can never know!

 

MAKEUP & HAIR

I didn’t really want to go crazy with the makeup. I applied a foundation with a matte finish and contoured my face to achieve stronger features for the look. For the eye makeup, I used a few natural shades of brown and beige.

Apply a shimmery brown eye shadow all over the upper lid and in the outer third of the lower eyelid. Take a shimmery beige-golden pigment or eye shadow and apply it in the center of your lid. Blend it gently into the brown. For the eye socket you can take any soft brown shade with a matte finish. As you blend it go all the way into the inner corner of the eye and slightly down the nose. For the highlight on the brow bone take a matte beige eye shadow to blend any harsh lines. White or nude colored eyeliner in the waterline will make your eyes appear brighter and larger. I decided to make stronger eyebrows and set them with eyebrow gel. A nude rosy lipstick and we’re ready!

It is interesting that hairdressers need several hours to give Richard Armitage a full and kind of messy mane of hair as Thorin. I just have to wake up in the morning and I actually see Thorin in the mirror, well maybe without the beard.

For the filming of the trailer I clipped in my hair extensions and curled my hair to achieve the natural ” Thorin waves”. For this hairstyle you’ll need two braids above your ears and another two from behind your ears.

First, take a strand of hair right above your ear and make a braid on each side of your head.  You can leave the braids hanging on either sides or secure them at the back of your head with an elastic band.

Then section two more pieces of hair from behind of your ears and braid each of them. Once you’ve finished the braids, use a bobby pin to add some beads at the bottom end of your braids.

If you want to see me going through the whole process of creating the look from A to Z, check out this video:

 

BEHIND THE SCENES

The preparation for the video and the actual day of shooting were a lot of fun.  There is a drawing tutorial on how to draw fur, leather and armor based on Thorin’s costume in the movie. And you’ll also have the chance to sneak a peek of the making of the video with some bloopers of the complete series inspired by the Hobbit.

Now I know that not everyone has an old sword in their grandma’s storage, but you can use what you can find. Any piece of metal or wood even can be transformed into a masterpiece. Get your hands on some clay, a little bit of paint and add some imagination.

Every piece of the costume can be changed with what you have or with whatever you want to use. You can use more layers of clothes, or less. The vest can be furrier, the hair can be wilder. Be creative, use your imagination.

This can be the perfect Halloween costume for you. You will have fun making the costume and be original. And just imagine how amazed everyone will be when they see how awesome you look.

Of course, if you ever have a question for me to rock on Fashion ARTventures. Just hit “reply” to this email and let it rip.
Thanks again for supporting me and I’ll talk with you soon!