Nary a Murmur of Dark…
Knight Artorias, one of the four Knights of Gwyn, was known for his unbending will of steel and unmatched skill with a great-sword. Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight, sought to eradicate the dark, and so tasked Artorias to hunt the Darkwraiths of New Londo. It was there Artorias discovered “abysswalking,” allowing him to traverse the Abyss in relative safety, and earning him the title, “Artorias the Abysswalker.” It was because of this ability Artorias was later sent by Gwyn to save the township of Oolacile from the clutches of Manus, Father of the Abyss.
While attempting to slay Manus, Knight Artorias sacrificed his protective great-shield to save his companion, Sif the Gray Wolf. Without his shield, Knight Artorias became utterly consumed by the Abyss—wholly corrupted by its darkness. Now, in his Abyss-tainted state, Artorias destroys anything in his path, ravaging foes with a crazed, brute strength.
“Without doubt, [Knight Artorias] will be swallowed by the Abyss,
overcome by its utter blackness.”
– Elizabeth, Guardian of Oolacile Sanctuary
What’s it Made Of?
My Artorias the Abysswalker cosplay is created using a wide variety of materials and techniques. Worbla’s Black Art is one of my favorite go-to materials. So, I used it to craft the breastplate, tassets, pauldrons, greaves, gauntlets, poleyns, sabatons, and bracers. Details were added to the breastplate and left pauldron with Apoxie Sculpt by hand. In order to give the Worbla pieces a corroded look, I made sporadic cuts, rough edges, and cracks using a heat tool. I added further texture to each piece with Bondo spot putty, applied sparingly with a gloved finger. Once this amalgum of techniques was cleaned up and coated with a black spray primer, they were hand painted with a custom silver-blue acryic mix of paints.
For easier movement, the cuisses are crafted from soft EVA foam, with a zipper closure and laces to affix them to the leggings worn beneath. The helmet was originally hand sculpted in clay, then molded, slush-cast, and adorned with two colors of wig wefts. The skirt uses approximately three thousand aluminum jump rings, woven by hand to form a full circle chain mail skirt. Rings were then sporadically removed and re-woven incorrectly to make the skirt appear tattered. A finish of acrylic paint was applied to the shiny aluminum rings to give a rusted, weather-worn look. Finally, to achieve a more intimidating height, heeled boots were covered in armor to appear flat. Additional heel lift was inserted in the shoe to increase my height to an overall 6’7″ (1.93m) including the helmet.
The Greatsword of Artorias is also a custom epoxy cast created by me. It measures 65″(1.65m) in length, and weighs approximately 5 pounds (2.2kg).
