Add-On Designs
These are designs that can be added to silicone headpieces. The designs are painted on the silicone during the casting process and they will be permanent. When you select these options, we can work together to determine the best placement, color, size and pattern to match your ideas. I may not be able to match every idea perfectly because the curve of the lekku can cause issues and silicone is not paint. It's a thick, sticky, temperamental goo that requires several layers for each color and takes hours to cure, but the final results are most definitely worth the time and effort!
HOW TO TELL ME YOUR DESIGN PLANS:
When you check out, click the "ADD A NOTE TO YOUR ORDER" button. You can briefly describe your design ideas in that box, and I will contact you for more details when I am ready to work on your headpiece. Please let me know what email address you want me to use when I contact you. It would really help if you have a sketch of your idea so you can show me what you have in mind! (You cannot attach pictures to the checkout page notes, but we can share them via email.)
"WHAT IF I'M NOT SURE OF WHICH OPTION TO SELECT?"
If you aren't certain which options to select, just send me a message and I will work with you to get everything figured out!
A NOTE ABOUT AIRBRUSHING:
In order to airbrush silicone, I have to thin it with naphtha. This solvent is toxic and flammable, and airbrushing throws an awful lot of it into the air so I can NOT airbrush indoors. I have a screen-sided paint tent which gives me ventilation and keeps flying bugs out of the silicone, but it does not control wind, humidity, or temperatures. I have to wait for calm days with low humidity and a temperature the silicone can tolerate in order to airbrush, so there will be occasional delays when I cannot airbrush due to the weather. At these times I will work on other orders and get back to the airbrushing as soon as the weather allows. Also, because the silicone is thinned A LOT in order to be sprayable, it means that I have to paint many layers in order to build up the color. Each layer adds a bit more overspray to the surrounding areas, so there will always be some overspray visible around the painted designs. I think it adds to the natural look, but if you don't like to see overspray then you might not like airbrushed designs!
NO SHIPPING CHARGES:
Because the designs on this page are not physical items that can be shipped to you, Shopify will not charge a shipping fee when they are added to your cart.
SOMETIMES WE NEED A DO-OVER:
Every now and then a design doesn't come out quite the way that we are aiming for. When this happens, I am happy to re-do a headpiece to make any adjustments that are needed. But after I've spent hours and a fair amount of money creating the first headpiece, I can't afford to just toss it out if a customer decides that the blue isn't dark enough or they really wish the pink went a bit further up the right side. Sometimes I can make adjustments to the original headpiece, but most of the time I need to start over. When this happens, the easiest way to recoup my losses on the first headpiece is to put it on my store as a "Ready to Ship" headpiece. Please keep this in mind if you are making what you want to be a "one of a kind, nobody else can look like me!" type design. I do my best to match design sketches, but silicone is a very challenging product to work with and it doesn't always behave the way we want it to!
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FRECKLES:
Freckles: $10
I can add small hand-painted freckles to any area of the lekku. The color and placement are up to you! Freckles on the top curve of the lekku tend to look the most natural, since that's where the sun would hit the most. These freckles are applied with a paint brush, and they have solid edges that tend to stand out more than tapped freckles.
Tapped Freckles: $15
I can "tap" each freckle a few times with my finger as I paint them to blend the pigment. It takes a lot longer to paint the freckles this way, but it creates a more natural freckle look. Tapped freckles have an uneven color and they tend to fade out at the edges.
Airbrushed Speckles: $15
By adjusting the thickness of the silicone mix, the pressure of the air flow, and adding a special tip to my airbrush, I can spray a "speckled" freckle effect onto lekku. This spatter technique is temperamental and doesn't always make the pattern I was hoping to get, but it is interesting! Most of the time the spattered dots look tiny and aren't really visible unless you look closely. Other times they come out larger, and I can never tell what it's going to do until I start spraying the silicone. Please keep in mind that airbrushed speckles often don't show up as well as hand painted freckles. There must be a strong contrast in colors for the speckles to be visible. (ie. Medium blue speckles on light blue lekku won't show up. Dark blue speckles against light blue lekku will be more visible.) Yellow, white, orange, and green will not work for speckles - those pigments are too transparent.
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SPOTS:
Half-Lekku Airbrushed Spots: $25
This option is for airbrushed spots that cover the top curve of the lekku. The airbrush will create soft-edge, natural looking spots and there will be paint overspray in the area between the spots.
Full-Lekku Airbrushed Spots for MEDIUM Lekku: $35
Full-Lekku Airbrushed Spots for LONG and NUMA Lekku: $45
This option is for airbrushed spots that cover the majority of a headpiece. The airbrush will create soft-edge, natural looking spots and there will be paint overspray in the area between the spots.
Half-Lekku Hand Painted Spots: $25
This option is for hand-painted spots that cover the top curve of the lekku. The spots will have hard edges and do occasionally show slight signs of brushstrokes.
Full-Lekku Hand Painted Spots for MEDIUM Lekku: $35
Full-Lekku Hand Painted Spots for LONG and NUMA Lekku: $45
This option is for hand-painted spots that are applied with a paint brush over the majority of the lekku length. The spots will have hard edges and do occasionally show slight signs of brushstrokes.
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STRIPES:
Airbrushed Stripes for MEDIUM Lekku: $35
Airbrushed Stripes for LONG and NUMA Lekku: $45
Stripes applied with an airbrush will have fuzzy edges and will appear to be a natural part of the lekku coloration. This is best for a tiger stripe look.
Hand Painted Stripes for MEDIUM Lekku: $35
Hand Painted Stripes for LONG and NUMA Lekku: $45
I can add solid color stripes with hard edges by painting the stripes with a brush. The stripes can be painted to have a straight, clean edge, or a rougher textured edge depending on the look you wish to achieve.
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COLOR GRADATIONS:
Single Color Gradation: $15
This option is for adding a second color to a headpiece with a soft airbrushed transition between one color and the next. The gradation can be on any area of the headpiece. I have found that putting the second color on the tips of the lekku tends to work the best. Because gradations are airbrushed the color will not be as saturated as hand painted silicone, so sometimes a hint of the main lekku color will show through and decrease the intensity of the airbrushed color.
Two Color Gradation: $25
This option is for a three-color ombre effect which goes from the main color of the lekku to a second color, and then a third. I can airbrush a soft transition between each of the colors.
Three Color Gradation $30
This option is for a four-color ombre effect which goes from the main color of the lekku to a second color, then a third, and a fourth color at the tips of the lekku. I can airbrush a soft transition between each of the colors.
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TATTOOS:
I have purchased a large collection of stencils and vector art which may be used as tattoo designs. The designs can be used as-is or they can be modified to create a unique look. If you wish to supply your own design for the tattoos, we can definitely do that, too! If you wish to use a design that you found online, I will need to know that you have permission from the artist to use their work. Otherwise, we can use the design as "inspiration" and come up with an original design for your lekku. While random pattern tattoos can be placed anywhere on a headpiece, for designs that need to be recognizable it is best to place the tattoo on an area with large surface area and less curvature such as the top of the lekku. (Please Note: Due to the cone shape of lekku and the temperamental qualities of silicone, stencils do NOT work well on lekku... but I have become adept at using them as a starting point for the work, and then hand painting the designs to get a pretty close match!)
Pattern Band: $15
A stripe tattoo with a pattern (swirls, tribal design, etc) can be added around the lekku, similar to a tribal tattoo that goes around a person's arm. The width of the stripe can vary depending on the pattern, from 1 to 2 inches wide on one lekku.
Small Simple Tattoo: $15
This option is for a simple tattoo that is 5 inches or smaller on one lekku.
Small Complex Tattoo: $25
This option is for complex tattoos that have a very intricate design and/or multiple colors that is 5 inches or smaller on one lekku.
Medium Simple Tattoo: $25
This option is for a simple tattoo that is between 5 and 10 inches on one lekku.
Medium Complex Tattoo: $35
This option is for complex tattoos that have a very intricate design and/or multiple colors that is between 5 and 10 inches on one lekku.
Large Simple Tattoo for MEDIUM Lekku: $40
Large Simple Tattoo for LONG and NUMA Lekku: $50
This option is for a simple tattoo that covers a large area of the lekku, and it can go on BOTH lekku. This option is limited to tattoos with broad designs that don't require extra hours of fine detail work. (Please use this option for SWTOR tattoos.)
Large Complex Tattoo for MEDIUM Lekku: $55
Large Complex Tattoo for LONG and NUMA Lekku: $65
This option is for large tattoo patterns that will take me a lot of hours to paint. Very complicated designs, lots of fine detail work, or anything that might make me panic a little bit when I see your sketched out design! This option is for designs that go on both lekku. (Please use this option for designs that have intricate complexity and a lot of fine detail work like Darth Talon's tattoos.)
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UV REACTIVE DESIGNS:
I can add UV reactive pigments to the silicone to make patterns that glow under black lights. Most appear to be regular painted patterns in normal daylight, but they really pop under black lights. So far I have successfully made good UV reactive patterns in teal blue, green, pink, orange, and magenta. I had little success with yellow, purple, darker blue, and white. I also have a clear UV pigment that can be added to any color of silicone. It is invisible in daylight, and glows blue under blacklights. It does not stay in place, however... it soaks into the surrounding areas of the silicone and makes a blurry edge to the lines I paint with it. Within a few days it becomes difficult to see the pattern that was originally painted. I've had a lot of requests for 'invisible' tattoos that don't show up in normal light, but glow under blacklights, but so far this design idea has been troublesome and doesn't work well. There are limits to what the silicone and pigments can do!
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PRICE ADJUSTMENTS:
Change a Medium Length Headpiece to a Longer Style: $10
I occasionally get requests to change a medium length headpiece to a long or Numa style headpiece sometime after their lekku were purchased. The longer styles cost an additional $10 for the extra time and supplies, so I'm adding this item to my store to make it easy for folks to pay the additional $10 if they want to change the style of their lekku.
Price Adjustments for Lekku Designs: $1 to $50
From time to time someone will order a simple design for their lekku, and then change their mind later and ask me to paint something more complex. (For example, they paid for half-lekku spots and then decide they'd rather have full-lekku spots with freckles scattered between them.) We've had to find creative ways to pay for the extra fees, so I'm hoping this will make things easier in the future!
Price Adjustment $1
Price Adjustment: $5
Price Adjustment: $10
Price Adjustment: $15
Price Adjustment: $20
Price Adjustment: $25
Price Adjustment: $30
Price Adjustment: $40
Price Adjustment: $50
