"Nature’s Sentinel" is a fully hand-crafted tree guardian costume designed to embody an ancient forest protector. This high-fantasy armor set is based off of character art by Neil Richards, a concept artist for the online game Runescape. It blends natural forms with arcane energy, combining heavily textured bark-like plating with glowing veins of magical light only obtained from magical trees. The silhouette is bold and statuesque, with layered elements that mimic gnarled wood, mossy growths, and twisted roots, invoking the look of a living tree spirit drawn from myth and legend.

Creation started with dividing each aspect of the design into consumable sections, then planning and patterning the designs, connections of attachment and brainstorming the circuitry of the internal led system. Patterning and thermoforming the basic shapes of the primary structural substrate used flat EVA foam optimized both mechanical resilience and ergonomic fit. Foam clay was subsequently hand-applied and sculpted to achieve complex bark-like surface textures and dynamic organic contours. Strategic LED integration brought life to the glowing blue channels, simulating the presence of magic coursing through the costume. The 500+ individually addressable LEDS were animated through the use of an arduino and powered by a simple portable phone charger encapsulated inside the neck of the costume.

Natural detailing such as moss, vines, and twine was incorporated and painting was achieved through a multi-stage process combining hand-painting, dry brushing, and airbrushing techniques to build up layers of rich browns, greens, and subtle iridescent highlights.