This is the part where it gets interesting. I was trying out foam props. I am fairly new to this and it takes a bit of getting used to.
I made paper patterns and then transferred it to EVA foam. After I coated the foam with a flexbond so it would seal it and I could paint over it. I used a combination of acrylic and airbrushing. It seems to work fine as-is and is pretty flexible.
Over all I can improve the way I do this over time. This was good for a first one!