DIY: Steven Universe/ Rose Quartz Shield Tutorial
Wow! I’ve had a lot of interest and asks about how Rose/Steven’s shield was made, so without any further ado - a tutorial!
A Clear Base (Search for party platters/bowls, plant trays, light shades, sky-light domes, local plexiglass dealers, OR I’ll be selling the blank base since I have a source with a discount - email me at [email protected] for a quote ($20 + shipping for blank base and no paint; $25 + shipping for base with transparent paint, center, spiral, and border painted; or $40 + shipping for base with all paint, gem, and strapping)
Turquoise spray paint (for the edging) - I used Design Master’s “Robin’s Egg” available here but is cheaper at Micheals’ stores (with or without a coupon)
Design Master’s Pinkolicious “Tint It” spray paint (for the background) - this paint will remain transparent even with multiple coats! It’s available here but is cheaper at Michaels’ stores (again, with or without a coupon)
Light Pink spray paint (for the spiral/vine) - I’m pretty sure I used Krylon’s Fairytale Pink “Paint and Primer” but I’m not sure whether it was the “Plastic Fusion” line or not. Any light pink spray paint should do, though.
Turquoise/Teal acrylic paint (for the border on the edging) - I used Americana brand Desert Turquoise and highly recommend it
Lighter pink acrylic paint (for the border on the spiral/vine and thorns and center of the “gem”) - I used FolkArt brand 438 Ballet Pink (but if you can get a similar shade in Americana brand, doooooo it)
Clear Vinyl or Backpack Strapping (for the straps) - I’ve used the vinyl and I’ve used the backpack strapping. Which you use is completely up to you but… I’ve started preferring the backpack strapping.
Masking tape or painter’s tape
X-Acto Knife (or other detail blade)
Permanent marker and pencil
Ruler and/or drawing compass (Optional)
Scrap paper or cardstock (any paper)
The Follow Materials are Only Needed if You Intend to Use PortadorX’s pepakura gem for the center, as I did!
Pink acrylic paint (for one side of the gem) - I used Americana brand Royal Fuchsia and it was great
Purple acrylic paint (for one side of the gem) - I used Americana brand Purple Pizzazz and again highly recommend it
Thin cardboard (for the gem) - I used boxes from cereal and granola bars. DO NOT USE CORRUGATED CARDBOARD.
Step 1: Wipe down your base with soap and water or rubbing alcohol to remove any finger prints, oils, or debris. This is super important for the tape to adhere properly.
Step 2: Taking your masking or painter’s tape, begin taping across the base from the center outwards. Don’t worry about the tape being straight but be very careful to have it all flat against the shield - no puckers or wrinkles. See Step 3 for an example picture.
Step 3: Start with the border and measure it evenly around the edge with a pencil or other light-colored pen. I did just around an inch as the border on a 16-inch shield and it looked pretty close to the screencaps. Then (if your base doesn’t have a hole in the center, use your ruler to determine the center and draw the spiral/roses and thorns. (I’m sorry I can’t give more tips on the drawing but I completely freehanded it. There are templates available online if you’re not comfortable freehanding.) Once you’re happy with the drawing, go over it with permanent marker.
***Special Tip*** Drawing compasses are fantastic for keeping the center centered. I simply taped a piece of cardboard on the inside to provide an axis point. Also, if you’re making mistakes as you draft the pattern on the shield, don’t rip the tape off or try to erase the pencil marks - just tear off another piece of tape and stick it over the mistake. You can see all the extra pieces of tape on the below picture >.< I
Step 4: Taking your X-Acto knife (or other detail blade), very carefully cut out the spiral/vine and center ONLY. Take your time on this one and make sure the remaining tape is still secure.
Step 5: Take your base outside and lightly spray a coat of Tint It Pinkolicious on the INSIDE of the shield. It’s very important to do it lightly because the Tint It is very thin and runs easily. Allow to dry 20 minutes between each coat. Repeat 3-5 times dependent on evenness and desired transparency. ***Please note*** The color does get darker with each coat.
Step 6: After you’ve gotten the desired color and transparency on the inside and it has fully dried, turn it over (tape side up) and lightly spray a coat of the lighter pink on the spiral and vines. With the Krylon I used, it only took 2 coats to coat it. Allow each to dry thoroughly! ***Please note*** I didn’t tape off the center hole on mine because I figured any splashback would be hidden by the non-transparent center. It was so that worked for me. Dependent on how domed your base is, you may or may not have to tape of any hole in the middle to keep from getting paint vapor on the transparent side.
Step 7: Repeat Step 4, but with the edge. Take your detail knife and gently cut the tape and remove from the edge only. Then take your scrap paper and gently tape it over the center and spiral so it will be protected. Make sure not to tape over the paint itself unless you’re using fragile painter’s tape and the paint has had several days to dry!
Step 8: Spray-paint the edge, tape side up. If you use Design Masters Robin’s Egg as I did, be patient - it was pretty runny and I had to do multiple coats very, very lightly to keep it from running and dripping.
Step 9: Remove the scrap paper and repeat Step 4 with the thorns. With your detail knife, gently cut the tape and remove each thorn individually. Get your light pink and teal acrylic paints. Where the tape stops on the edge, lightly paint a teal border. Where the tape stops on the spiral/vines, lightly paint a light pink border on each side of the vine. Where you cut out the thorns, paint inside the tape cut-out. This will take a couple of coats but it’s worth it. Take your time - this was the slowest part of the whole build for me.
Step 10: Gently - VERY GENTLY - remove the tape from the face of the shield. Tough up any edges with acrylic paint as needed.
Step 11: Print PortadorX’s sapphire pepakura gem (the color will not matter) and adhere to any thin, non corrugated cardboard. Cut and glue to assemble. ***Please note*** I flattened the bottem of PortadorX’s pattern so it would sit flush against the shield.
Step 12: Paint the center of the gem the same light pink as the thorns on the shield. Paint one facet of the gem with your standard acrylic pink. Paint another facet with the purple acrylic. For the third facet, mix the pink and purple together and paint. This should take a couple of coats for each facet. I got this inspiration from an optical illusions gem painting tutorial here.
Step 13: Once the gem is dry, give it several coats of clear, glossy spray paint. Yes, the shield will get the same spray-paint later, but the gem needs extra to keep it from looking like paper and cardboard.
Step 14: Glue the gem to the center and allow to dry thoroughly. (I used hot glue and gorilla glue)
Step 15: Lightly spray the shield (inside and out) with the glossy coat spray paint. Allow to dry super thoroughly - I’m serious. Gloss coat is unforgiving it it’s touched when still tacky.
Step 16: Take the vinyl or backpack strapping and determine how you want to hold the shield (in your hand, on your arm, etc) and measure appropriate length needed to hold or wear the shield. Cut the material into the relative straps. Whether or not you want to “hem” vinyl is up to you - I didn’t worry about it for my sewing machine’s sake. After the straps are cut, take the strapping and put a little bit of both the hot glue and the Gorilla Glue onto the inside of the shield - TRY to keep it under the border or center if you can so that they won’t be visible from the outside. Again, allow the glue to dry thoroughly. I use the combo of Gorilla Glue and hot glue because the hot glue holds it on while the Gorilla Glue cures.
Step 17: Have fun with your brand new shield!
Again, if you want to purchase the blank base, a base with the base paint (transparent, spiral, and border), or the finished shield, please contact me at [email protected]. I do rush orders but I do not have an Etsy or Ebay shop because I’m doing on-demand production and I want to keep overhead low (no listing fees) so that I don’t have to charge more for the shield (Pricing is currently $20 + shipping for blank base and no paint; $25 + shipping for base with transparent paint, center, spiral, and border painted; or $40 + shipping for base with all paint, gem, and strapping) . If you want to verify I’m a real person, I can also be found on Facebook at Kintsugi Cosplay.
Thank you for all the interest and support! If anything in the tutorial is unclear, please let me know or send me an ask! I’m happy to help!
izzy806
dededos
discoholicmusic
