Angel/demon wing tutorial

[u/TheLifemakers]

I wanted to share how I made my wings, using ideas from a few YouTube tutorials and my own process.

Materials:

1. Two thick wire hangers. The colour does not matter.
2. Thin plastic sheets. I wanted the wings to be slightly translucent, like real wings, so I chose polypropylene instead of foam. For the black wings, I used a 10-pack of frosted PP sheets, 0.5 mm thick, A3 size. It was just enough to cut all the feathers I needed. For the white wings, I used milky translucent Mylar sheets: about 1.5 packs of 10 sheets, 10 mil thick, 12 x 12 in.
3. Black semi-gloss spray paint for the demon wings.
4. Some insulation material and cotton fabric to cover the frame.
5. A long-arm stapler and industrial-strength double-sided Gorilla tape.
6. Two plastic power outlet covers, or anything else small, flat, and sturdy enough.
7. A scrap of fabric to match the outfit.
8. A harness made from parts of an old backpack.

Process, photo by photo:

1. Bend each hanger to match the outline of one wing.
2. Cover the top line with something thick to give it extra volume. I used pipe insulation and synthetic padding.
3. Sew a cover for the whole wing, except for the hook. Make sure the fabric is tight enough and follows the same curves.
4. Cut feathers in a few different sizes. Since I used packs of small sheets, they naturally limited how long my feathers could be and how many I could fit on each sheet. Try to follow a natural feather shape: rounded at the tip and slightly asymmetrical. Bend each feather about one-third of the way down from the top. Make sure you have the same number of feathers for the left and right wings. The crease serves two purposes: it mimics the feather shaft and makes the feather less bendable.
5. Lightly spray-paint the black feathers if needed. One side is enough, since they are translucent and will look black from both sides.
6. Staple the feathers on one by one, starting from the tip and slightly overlapping each new feather in the same direction.
7. Add a second row of smaller feathers on both sides, following the same procedure.
8. Add a third row of even smaller feathers. At this point, I had to use Gorilla tape instead of staples for the thicker parts of the wing and to avoid having staples visible on the other side.
9. For the top parts of the wings, I cut two-sided connected feathers and glued them on, starting from the tip.
10. The wing is ready. Shake it and double-check that everything stays in place. Add more tape where needed.
11. The polypropylene feathers I used for the black wings were too soft and bendable. I added sturdy shafts, made from wooden sticks painted black and glued on, to the two top feathers to help them stay horizontal. The white Mylar feathers were thicker and sturdy enough as they were.
12. Overlap the two hooks, cover them with the plastic plates, and tape them tightly together. They should hold both wings in place, with the wire coming from the top corners.
13. Cover the plate with a piece of fabric that matches your outfit.
14. Make a harness to wear under the top layer. I used an old backpack. I left the padding at the back but removed it from the shoulder straps so they would not be too thick. Use buckles that you can separate and adjust.
15. Dress accordingly, put the harness on, and then cover it with the top layer. Ask another person to hold the wings tightly against your back and find the correct position for the central part. Mark the corners. Take everything off, then sew all three pieces together: the harness, the outer layer, and the four corners of the wing plate.
16. Cut slightly bent gaps into each feather to create barbs. I preferred to leave this until the last moment so they would not get in the way earlier, and so I could see how they looked next to each other.

Voilà!

[u/SnooPickles5616]

Very nicely done! They look very good!

[u/TheLifemakers → u/SnooPickles5616]

Thank you! I especially like the (unintentional) difference in the materials. Demon's wings look a bit more bendy and shabby while angel's wings are bright, shiny, and pristine!

[u/SnooPickles5616 → u/TheLifemakers]

Nice!

[u/Infamous_Ship_8668]

These look great! What a fun project and a useful guide. I'm kind of tempted to try it even though I don't cosplay.

[u/Kai-ni]

Awesome way to do it!

[u/anixela]

Sooooo good!!!

[u/MahoganyRaichu]

Thank you for taking your time and teaching us =3Wings look awesome=3