Lapis Lazuli Mirror Tutorial!
Do you want a snazzy mirror to use as a cosplay prop? I did, and I’m going to share how I made it in hopes that it’ll help people out!
A gem (tutorial on how to make a resin one will be up later)
Model Air (This is an air dry clay I got at joann, it was easy to paint, and sanded really well. Feel free to use a similar product!)
Acrylic paints in blues, purples, and greys (varies by brand)
Small piece of insulation foam, 1/2 in thick
1. Print out a full size picture of the mirror. This will tell you what diameter mirror to buy, as well as help with sculpting and painting.
2.Trace out the base of the mirror onto the insulation foam, and cut it out. I used a knife specifically used for styrofoam, which I would reccomend. Always cut it out a little larger than you need it, so that you can sand it and not end up with a too small mirror.
3. Make the shape of the handle. It is much easier to shape it, wait for it to dry (or bake it at 350 for 30 min, depending on thickness), and glue it to the foam than to try to get it to stick while sculpting.
4. Trace the shape of the round mirror onto the front and back of the foam, so when adding clay there is enough room for the mirror. I forgot this when I made mine, which added an extra hour of sanding :/
5.Start shaping the clay onto the foam. This is the most finnicky part, but making a basic shape, glueing it on, and then adding details works best. With this clay, you can always add more and wait for it to dry. After getting it as smooth as possible and as close to the canon shape as you want, let it completely dry before sanding it.
6. Sand the mirror, making sure the two sides look the same.
7. It’s time to paint! I used a light blue for the base of the mirror, and then added grey to paint the handle. I mixed in an even darker grey to add the teardrop shapes. I mixed a light purple and pink for the very edge. You will need many coats of paint on the raw edges of the insulation foam to get it to look smooth. You could also do this with modge podge.
8. Coat the whole thing in modge podge, or another shiny top coat. I only used one coat.
9.Cut out the green cardstock the same size as your round mirror. You could add the ligher edge with a different color for more detail. Glue that to the center of the mirror. Take some air dry clay, and flatten a small amount. Place your gem on top of it, and cut around it to get a white edge. Wait for that to dry.
10. Cut the round mirror part of your full sized printout out. Mark where the lines touch the edge of the mirror with sharpie, then connect your lines to get the criss crossed pattern. This will smudge, so be careful, or seal it.
11. Glue your mirror to the base, and your gem with the white outline to the cardstock, and you’re done!
I hope this helps, and if you need any more details, photos, or just have a question, feel free to ask!
