~ 2022 ~
Skills:
- Leatherworking-
- 3D Printing -
- Foam Sculpting -
- Thermoplastic Sculpting -
- Painting -
- Sewing -
- Patternmaking -
Creating the King of the North’s armor from Game of Thrones was the most daunting leatherworking project I have ever embarked on. I felt that the leather armor in the later seasons of the show was the most interesting. I enjoyed how much it related to the traditional Stark look from the beginning of the series.
The leather outer armor was composed of three layers. The inner layer was wool cut to the correct size, and the outer later was made from two cowhide leather sides. Between the two layers, pieces of wood and thick veg tanned leather (cut to the same size) were placed to create the rectangle pattern. The middle layer helped keep the shape of the wet-molded leather and provide a substantial thickness for rivets.
After all the sections of the armor were wet molded and glued, the tedious task of punching holes and riveting was to begin. This took almost a dozen hours between my lovely girlfriend and I, and many more rivets than I originally anticipated. The sections were then hand-stitched together, and strapping was applied to hold it to my body.
The gauntlets and boot-covers were made of the same leather the armor was made of. I made patters for both from scratch and applied similar methods as I did to the armor to create the same look. The quilted long-line doublet was made from a pattern made from scratch by myself and is one of the hottest things I have worn, making it much more suitable for Winterfell than the 90-degree days in the Colorado summer.
The most time demanding part of this costume experience was the hair. I chose a year prior (when I finished watching Game of Thrones) to start growing my hair out to eventually dress up as Jon Snow. I found the process to be cumbersome, but I looked like a baseball player from the 80s when I wore a hat, which was quite enjoyable. I am thankful for my work for not judging me for looking shaggy in the office. I ended up cutting it all off the day after photos were taken, but part of me misses it every day.
Future Plans:
The king needs his sword...
... and a cape.
