How "would you" go about telling a noob to make a JS wig?

[Mojo Turbo]

The wiki gets lots of questions from fellahs trying to make the good ol Jack Wig.

What is a good starter?
What are good dreads?
Who makes a good one?
Should I buy a junkie one this year and upgrade later.

To be true, the wig is a beast. No matter what movie you are doing - but as some have said - what your "head" looks like can't be skimped over.

What say you? What is your advice to a noob just starting out? How would you advise someone to make/ purchase the dreads?

[BroadSword]

I would say...check out the wig tutorial page on JSC! I was poised to do my own wig after watching UDM's tutorials, but a good deal popped up for a used wig (thanks Risu!) and after calculating the cost of materials and time vs the asking price, I just bought the completed wig. I really think the tutorials are really good though and can get you pretty far down the road.

[capt.J.j.sparrow]

Don't go cheap.....big mistake. You'll spend nearly double your money.... If you have to save for the better build. Or save for one by a respectable builder like Yordeem.

[Maui512]

What they said

Here's a few more tips from someone who has sailed those waters before:

1. Gather all the reference pictures you think you will need, then gather some more. It really sucks to come to a standstill because you don't have a pic from the angle you need.

2. Ultimately human hair is the way to go, it washes up nicely when necessary, looks and feels real because it is. If you can't afford it at first don't sweat it, buy what you can and work on upgrading as time and funds allow.

3. eBay is your friend. I found my human hair wig there for under $50 along with some real dreads that some guy had just cut off. A little coloring and hand stitching finished it off.

4. There are many good tutorials in written and video format. Study them several times BEFORE you begin work. Know where you're going before you start out.

5. Gather and organize your tools and materials then find a place to work with enough room to spread out.

6. Beads and trinkets, what can I say There are many vendors with widely varying quality and price. I went the make-your-own route because I wasn't satisfied with what was available at the time. Much more better goods available now though

[Lawrence252]

Probably one of the most important things for me is always reference the original. I see people all the time using other people wigs, costumes, props etc... as their own reference. Which may be fine for some, but you are relying on somebody else's interpretation of it and you could make your one look like theirs when you could have made it look like the original.

Lawrence

[Sponsored content]