Wear one of the items you already have when you go shopping. This ways you can match the colors at the store. Look for hoodies to give you that green cover on your head. Consider wearing tights and a leotard. If you choose to do this, match the leotard to your shell color. Look for green mittens to cover your hands. You can also use green body paint for your hands if you can’t find green mittens.
Face paint can be found at a costume shop or hobby shop. If Halloween is coming up, you may also be able to find it available in the seasonal section of your local pharmacy. [2] X Research source
If you are making a shell out of a roasting pan, get a disposable aluminum roasting pan. These can be found in grocery stores and Dollar Stores/Pound Shops etc in the baking section. Look for a pan with an oval shape which has a pattern stamped into the bottom for catching grease, which looks similar to the pattern on a shell. These are usually used for roasting large birds like turkeys. [3] X Research source Choose your paint. You will want some dark brown and dark green spray paint. If you choose to make some color accents on your shell, you can also pick up some water-based acrylics and big paint brushes at your local hobby shop. [4] X Research source Purchase some painters tape. This is available at a hobby shop or hardware store. You want to get some which is thin and will fit in the molded lines of the pan, about 3/4 inch wide. [5] X Research source Pick up some wide brown ribbon. You may be able to find this in the stationery section of your local Target or Walmart. You can also get ribbon at a hobby shop or fabric store. This is going to be used to strap the shell to your back. Opt for a ribbon which is strong and will be comfortable on your shoulders. If you choose to make your shell out of felt, you will need some dark green and light green felt along with a few other items. Make sure you purchase enough dark green felt to create an oval which will cover your back, as well as another oval 3 inches (7. 6 cm) larger than the first. You will need half as much light green felt. Get a glue gun and glue sticks. This method requires a sewing machine and you will want to get dark green thread if you don’t already have some. Purchase a large bag of stuffing. Thicker stuffing used for stuffed animals is a better choice then a softer pillow stuffing. Find one or two large pieces of cardboard. You will need a surface large enough to create an oval large enough to cover your back. You may want two ovals of the same size to reinforce the base of your shell. Pick up some wide dark green ribbon to match your dark green felt. You may be able to find this in the stationary section of your local Target or Walmart. You can also get ribbon at a hobby shop or fabric store. This is going to be used to strap the shell to your back. Opt for a ribbon which is strong and will be comfortable on your shoulders.
If the lip on the pan is really large, fold it over into the inside of the pan to reduce the squared corners. Avoid cutting this section, which could leave sharp edges. Push out from the inside of the pan to round out the bends in the roasting pan until the sides look more rounded like a turtle shell.
Use a drill to make these holes if you have one. The pan can also be punctured with other sharp tools like scissors or a screwdriver.
If your tape is too wide for the crevices, cut it to fit.
For even more texture, use a large paint brush and green acrylic paint to dry brush on the green color. Squeeze the paint onto a palette and apply a small amount of paint to the brush without using any water. Lightly brush the green over the brown spray paint using cross strokes.
In order to get the straps the correct length, it is best to have a friend hold the shell in place on your back before you tie knots in the bottom of the ribbons. Pull the ribbons tight until the shell feels secure on your back, then tie knots in both ribbons to complete the shoulder straps.
It is useful to keep one edge of the oval on the edge of the felt to make it easier to cut from the felt. Make sure you are saving enough felt to create a second, larger oval.
Measure three inches from the edge of the cardboard oval and move around the cardboard drawing dots on the felt three inches from the edge of the cardboard all the way around the oval. Connect the dots with a pencil to draw an oval three inches larger than the original oval Using fabric scissors, carefully cut this oval out of the dark green felt.
Place the slits in the bottom of the oval about one inch closer together than the slits on the top in order to create a cinching effect near the waist to keep the shell more secure on your back. Pinch the felt between your thumb and forefinger where you are going to create the slit in order to cut within the fabric as opposed to starting from the edge.
Place the oval over the cardboard to completely cover the back of your shell. Glue the small part of the ribbon to the cardboard to create the top of the straps. Attach the small felt oval to the cardboard using hot glue around the edges. Start at the top and working your way down. Stop before you reach the bottom of the oval. Attach the bottom of the straps to the cardboard before gluing the rest of the oval onto the cardboard. It is helpful to place the shell on your back at this point to get the appropriate length for your straps before gluing them. Finish gluing the rest of the oval over the cardboard base.
Cut 5 hexagons out of the lighter green felt. The top and bottom lines should be longer than the other lines creating the triangular points on the sides. Cut two of these hexagons in half. Make enough small squares to cover the entire edge of the shell, leaving space between each tile to let the dark green felt show through the space between the squares. Cut 6 of the four-sided shapes which will cover the top and the bottom of the shell. These shapes will create the scales filling the top and the bottom of the shell between the hexagonal scales. They should have one short side for the bottom, then two sides splaying out at a diagonal and a rounded top.
Leaving enough space to allow the dark green felt to make lines between the scales, glue one hexagon above the center one, and the other hexagon below the center one.
It is helpful to place the squares all the way around the shell before gluing them to make sure that you have enough space to fit them all completely within the edges. If you don’t have enough space when you complete your circle, you may need to cut one of the squares to fit the space available. Finish at the bottom of the shell.
A green hoodie is a good option to cover your head in green. You can also try skull cap hat. You may opt for green tights and a brown leotard to match your shell.
Apply a full layer of green face paint to cover your face, neck and ears. Cover your skin in green a little past the collar of your shirt to make sure you’re skin color won’t show when your shirt shifts as you move. If you didn’t find green mittens, you will also want to paint your hands. If you choose not to completely cover your skin in green, you can opt to just do some green highlights like eyeshadow.
