I created this prop exclusively for my portfolio. My goal was to design a realistic but menacing version of a dead raven through costume extensions that were easy to take on and off and move around in.

The bird skull is made up of cardboard, painter’s tape, paper mache, acrylic paint, moss, and fabric. The base of the wings is made up of a dense cardboard, wood, and feathers. The bone portion of the wing was made up of EVA foam and acrylic paint.

The raven represents an individual’s fear of impending death. There is often a correlation between death and ravens in world lore and literature, and I wanted to show how an illusion of the mind could manifest itself as a physical monster.

I spent a lot of time studying bird anatomy and drawing sketches so that I could make the wings, bones, and skull appear realistic.

I began this process by measuring the circumference of my head, creating a base to fit, building the shape of the skull, and then layering it with paper mache. After the base was finished, I smoothed out the layers with equal parts glue to water. The bone portion of the wing was carved out of EVA foam and finished with acrylic paint. Some of the feathers I made with card stock and the others are real. I had two challenges with this project. The first was figuring out a way to layer the feathers in a visually pleasing way. The second was balancing the two sides of the wings so that they didn’t skew to one side. To counterbalance the weight of the full wing, I added some wood to the back brace.