I am making enough of a suit of armor to get the idea across- it is made of craft foam and that rubbery mesh that you put under carpets to keep them from slipping.
I have been spray painting the crowns and armor. The foam doesn’t accept the paint very well, but the places where I used the dimensional paint are beautiful- shiny and metalic. If I did it again I think I would spread a thin coat of sealer onto the foam before doing anything else. For now I am just going to appeciate the differences in visual texture between the very shiny and the dull gold and silver areas.