• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Spandex Simplified
  • About Us
  • Tutorials
    • Table of Contents
    • Design Tutorials
    • Patterning Tutorials
    • Sewing Tutorials
  • Resources
  • Book Store
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Tutorials
    • Table of Contents
    • Design Tutorials
    • Patterning Tutorials
    • Sewing Tutorials
  • Resources
  • Book Store
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
×

Maleficent Staff Tutorial

Published: Sep 16, 2021

Note: This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.

Maleficent Staff Tutorial

Originally published on Celebration Generation on October 8, 2014. Updated and moved over to this blog on 9/16/2021

Two photos of a Maleficent cosplayer. Burgundy text overlay says how I made that: Maleficent's staff.

If you're interested in cosplaying Maleficent - or just making the costume, you'll need to know How to Make Maleficent's Staff. Here's how!

Remember the Maleficent Costume I made for one of my two Convergence masquerade entries this year?

It's since become our MOST asked about costume, with an insane amount of emails about it.

It was a huge project, my first collaborative masquerade entry, and - I'm SO proud to say! - is apparently the most accurate one out there!

I've since sold it to a lovely woman in Florida, who will be putting it to good use.

However, the nightmare that shipping was for the staff, as well as the high ticket price on the costume?

I don't think I'll be making any more of these. SO... let's teach YOU how to make some of the pieces! (See also: How to Make Maleficent's Horned Headpiece!)

Just want to see more photos of the costume? Check out our Facebook Page album for it!

Today, let's look at making the iconic staff...

A photo taken over the shoulder of a Maleficent cosplayer. She is looking at the top of her staff, and her reflection is visible in the gazing ball.

How to Make Maleficent's Staff

You will need:

Heavy paper or newspaper
Small bucket or container for water that you don't mind ruining
Several 4" rolls of plaster bandages
3" garden gazing ball*
Vaseline
¾" - 1" diameter wooden dowel**
Acrylic paints in dark browns, blacks, and grey
Variety of paint brushes
Clear polyurethane varnish
Paper towels and/or toilet paper

* We ordered the "rainbow" one from here, a sthey weren't available on Amazon at the time.

** Length will depend on the height of the person it's for - ours was around 5'.

A hand holds up a glass gazing ball. It looks like a brightly coloured oil slick, purple with blues and yellows.

The gazing ball.


Sculpting a Maleficent Staff

First, cover your work surface and the flood in front of it with heavy paper - The plaster can get EVERYWHERE. I like rosin paper for this.

Fill your small bucket with warm water, and cut your plaster tape into manageable lengths - a foot or two, depending on how comfortable you are with it.

A long, wide dowel, scissors, plaster bandages, and a bowl of water on a work surface lined with pink rosin paper.

Generously coat your gazing ball with vaseline, set aside (but close at hand!).

Starting at what will be the bottom end of the staff, use the plaster tape to sculpt directly onto the dowel.

One piece at a time, dip a strip of plaster into water, bunch it up lengthwise (to make a long, narrow piece), and apply it to the dowel.

I wind pieces up almost the entire length of it, smoothing with water as I go - you want to get rid of the "mesh" look.

The wooden dowel is covered in plaster bandages. It has all been molded to look like twisted wood.

Once I've got the initial bunched pieces applied, I'll go over it with un-bunched pieces, smoothing and sculpting as I go. The goal is to make it look like a gnarled tree branch.

Working quickly and carefully, make three bunched up pieces into long "fingers, attach at roughly equal distances around the top end of the staff.

Secure with more un-bunched plaster, around the dowel.

Position the greased-up gazing ball at the top of the dowel, form the 4 "fingers" up and around the ball.

Add a few smaller "fingers" of plaster to connect the original 4 “fingers”, and create more of a branched-off design.

Allow staff to dry completely, usually overnight.

The top half of Maleficent's staff, unpainted. Ut's white, looks like twisted wood, and is topped with the gazing ball. The ball is held in by tendrils of molded plaster to look like twisted wood.

Painting Maleficent’s Staff

Paint the staff all over with 2 coats of a dark brown acrylic paint.

Be very careful when painting up around the gazing ball, and be sure all plaster is hidden by paint. Allow to dry completely.

Using a toothpick or pointed sculpting tool, carefully scrape away any plaster splatter on the gazing ball, and clean up the edges of the "branches" that encase it.

The Maleficent staff has been painted dark browns to look like wood.

Touch up any newly exposed plaster with more of the dark brown acrylic paint.

Once dark brown paint has dried, use a smallish paintbrush and black paint to paint "shadows" in all of the ruts, etc.

Take a look at movie screencaps for an idea of how much black there should be (it was a VERY dark staff!). Allow to dry fully.

Use a grey acrylic paint SPARINGLY to paint some highlights on the high points of the staff. Allow to fully dry.

Once you're happy with the paint job on your staff, use a soft brush to coat the entire staff (plaster only, not the gazing ball) with polyurethane varnish.

Allow to dry completely, paint a second coat on, and once again allow to dry completely.

Use small pieces of paper towel or toilet paper to GENTLY AND CAREFULLY polish off any remaining vaseline on the gazing ball... and, you're done!

The Maleficent staff has been painted dark browns to look like wood.

More Cosplay Posts

Looking for more Cosplay tutorials and posts? Here are a few for you:

Cosplay Photography Tips
Katniss Wedding Gown Wings
How I Made the Maleficent Costume
How I Made the MCU Hela Costume
How to Add a Sole to Boot Covers
How to Make Basic Spandex Gloves
How to Make Fancy Spandex Gloves
How to Make Maleficent's Headpiece
How to Make Spandex Boot Covers
Poured Latex Smaug Top
Thranduil Crown Tutorial
Triceracop Costume
Weeping Angel Costume Tutorial

Share the Love!

Inspired by this post? Be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @OverlordMarie - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

Also, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, and subscribe to my Youtube Channel and free monthly email, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense.

Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

A Maleficent cosplayer, holding her stuff. She is pictured against a green background.

A photo taken over the shoulder of a Maleficent cosplayer. She is looking at the top of her staff, and her reflection is visible in the gazing ball.
Print

How to Make Maleficent's Staff

If you're interested in cosplaying Maleficent - or just making the costume, you'll need to know How to Make Maleficent's Staff. Here's how!
Prep Time15 mins
Active Time3 hrs
Drying Time2 d
Total Time2 d 3 hrs 15 mins
Keyword: Disney Cosplay, Maleficent, Maleficent Cosplay, Maleficent Costume, Maleficent Halloween Costume, Maleficent Staff, Maleficent's Staff
Yield: 1 Staff
Cost: 20

Equipment

  • Small bucket or container for water that you don't mind ruining
  • Variety of paint brushes

Materials

  • Heavy paper or newspaper
  • Several 4" rolls of plaster tape
  • 3" garden gazing ball*
  • Vaseline
  • ¾" - 1" diameter wooden dowel**
  • Acrylic paints in dark browns, black, and grey
  • Clear polyurethane varnish
  • Paper towels and/or toilet paper

Instructions

  • First, cover your work surface and the flood in front of it with heavy paper. The plaster can get EVERYWHERE.
  • Fill your small bucket with warm water, and cut your plaster tape into manageable lengths - a foot or two, depending on how comfortable you are with it.
  • Generously coat your gazing ball with vaseline, set aside (but close at hand!).
  • Starting at what will be the bottom end of the staff, use the plaster tape to sculpt directly onto the dowel. One piece at a time, dip a strip of plaster into water, bunch it up lengthwise (to make a long, narrow piece), and apply it to the dowel. I wind pieces up almost the entire length of it, smoothing as I go - you want to get rid of the "mesh" look.
  • Once I've got the initial bunched pieces applied, I'll go over it with un-bunched pieces, smoothing and sculpting as I go. The goal is to make it look like a gnarled tree branch.
  • Working quickly and carefully, make three bunched up pieces into long "fingers, attach at roughly equal distances around the top end of the staff. Secure with more un-bunched plaster, around the dowel.
  • Position the greased up gazing ball at the top of the dowel, form the 4 "fingers" up and around the ball. Add a few smaller "fingers" to connect and create more of a branched-off design.
  • Allow staff to dry completely, usually overnight.
  • Paint the staff all over with 2 coats of a dark brown acrylic paint. Be very careful when painting up around the gazing ball, and be sure all plaster is hidden by paint. Allow to dry completely.
  • Using a toothpick or pointed sculpting tool, carefully scrape away any plaster spaltter on the gazing ball, and clean up the edges of the "branches" that encase it. Touch up any newly exposed plaster with more of the dark brown acrylic paint.
  • Once dark brown paint has dried, use a smallish paint brush and black paint to paint "shadows" in all of the ruts, etc. Take a look at movie screen caps for an idea of how much black there should be (it was a VERY dark staff!). Allow to dry fully.
  • Use a grey acrylic paint SPARINGLY to paint some highlights on the high points of the staff. Allow to fully dry.
  • Once you're happy with the paint job on your staff, use a soft brush to coat the entire staff (plaster only, not the gazing ball) with polyurethane varnish. Allow to dry completely, paint a second coat on, and once again allow to dry completely.
  • Use small pieces of paper towel or toilet paper to GENTLY AND CAREFULLY polish off any remaining vaseline on the gazing ball... and, you're done!

Related posts:

A person dressed as a weeping angel statue in a park.Weeping Angel Costume A man in a police uniform and oversized triceratops helmet - Triceracop Cosplay.Triceracop Costume A plastic replica of a Thranduil crown - from The Hobbit -painted to look realistically like wooden twigs. Small branches of red plastic leaves are woven among the branches.Thranduil Crown Tutorial A close up view of a cosplayer dressed as Maleficent.Maleficent's Headpiece
« Weeping Angel Costume
Maleficent's Headpiece »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

WELCOME TO OUR (UPCOMING) BLOG!

A front view and rear view of a spandex dress, pink with black lines.

I've been sewing spandex for 30 years, and have written 6 books about it. Now I'm going to blog EVERYTHING!

More about me →



PARDON THE CONSTRUCTION...


You've stumbled upon a blog that has not officially launched yet!
Please excuse the lack of content, as we work to build something awesome.

Join us on Social Media

Facebook logo, a white F on a blue background. Instagram icon - a stylized white camera image on blue background. Pinterest Logo - White on red background.
Twitter logo - a white stylized bird icon on an aqua background. YouTube logo - a red stylized icon.


HOW TO APPLIQUE SPANDEX


Front and back views of a beautiful figure skating dress. The lower part of the dress is black, turning into a flame design going up to the shoulders.Ever wonder how spandex costumers sew such intricate details, using pieces of different spandex?
Click the pic to learn how!

META

Site Admin

Logout

Entries Feed

Comments Feed


Most Recent Posts

  • Types of Stretch Fabric
  • How to Make Figure Skating Skirts
  • Padded Applique
  • How to Apply Elastic

We'd love to have you subscribe to our newsletter!

Footer

About

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact

Newsletter

  • Sign Up

    for emails and updates

Our Other Blogs

  • Autism Rants
  • Beyond Flour
  • Celebration Generation
  • Low Carb Hoser

Note: This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites. While I’ll only ever link to items that I, personally, wholeheartedly recommend, I do need to put that disclosure out there!

Copyright © 2020 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more