Hey guys! I haven't posted in a long while, BUT I recently finished this guy and I wanted to share. I'm super proud of him, and while he has his imperfections I can't be happier with him!
![majora01]( "majora01")
I was tossing around the idea of a Majora's Mask-inspired fursuit for a while, but once I heard the remake announcement, I couldn't contain my excitement and I got started on Majora! (Original name, I know! haha) To start, let me show some images of my reference.
I wanted to create markings that are highly recognizable as Majora's Mask, but also allowing some inspiration and minor changes to the design, to accommodate the change to a different, 3D shape; in this case, a jackal fursuit head. There are some minor differences, like the white outline of the green on the cheeks, and black stripes in the purple on the forehead, and I took some liberty with the design on the back of the head, since the original Majora's Mask is a front-only mask. I had to make some REALLY TINY pieces in order to make this mask a success; I don't have access to my airbrush, or any space to set it up.
![wip01]( "wip01")
Every separate color you see is its own fur yardage, and I spent probably a week solid just hand-sewing every seam. Here's a size reference for some of the pieces.
The duct tape pieces in the photo were taken from the muzzle, and to compare a mechanical pencil and some pins. The little dots were the black pieces on the muzzle, and they took about a half hour each to hand sew. @.@ I used the blue tailor's chalk (upper right corner) to trace around the pieces, and cut them out with the fingernail scissors also seen in the image. I used the chalk area as seam allowance, since the chalk is approximately 2/8" thick.
(Fingernail scissors are really great for intricate cutting - you can 'insert' the tip under the backing, and cut your piece out without touching the pile. It's how I did Rigby's spots as well.)
I incorporated 3D eyes, with the idea of an added creepy effect. His eyes are painted with fluorescent paints which make them POP in low light. I also used the front of his ears as the top 'horns/spikes' with a black interior to bring more attention to them. The spikes on his cheeks are just cone-shaped pieces of fur, stuffed with polyfil, and I sewed in an interfacing as a seal so the stuffing didn't migrate. My clippers dulled about 30% of the way into shaving him, and I had to resort to scissor work. A good bit of him is choppy and uneven... however once I'm able to get my clippers sharpened I'll be able to go over him and smooth him out.
He's lined with a cotton-type lining, similar to what Matrices uses. His mouth has a fleece lining with a fleece tongue, and his teeth are excess DVC claws I had, cut, painted, and re-purposed for teeth. The nose is a resin cast of my own sculpt that I had painted. The furs I used on him are all Luxury Shag, with the exception of the ear fluff and his neck, both are Monkey Shag.
Here's a back-view of the forehead and back.
Making him was an exceptionally fun and interesting experience, and opens up new types of projects for my future - I want to try and create other images with intricate sewing work, and it gives me a better idea of what character designs are and aren't possible. I hope to have a fullsuit of this guy sometime in 2015 (maybe Anthrocon?), when I'll come back and share the design for his body. :D
The nose, teeth, and eyes are all paper placeholders. His ears don't need a foam base just yet since I plan to have a posable wire frame for them.
