Quantcast
Channel: How DO you make those Animal Costumes? (Fursuits)
Viewing all 3481 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Glue guns shorting out

April 14, 2014, 2:32 pm
$
0
0
So I was loving my new ad-tech glue gun... till last night after less than a year's use it went ZAP and tripped the circuit breaker leaving me in the dark as a plume of caustic black smoke drifted up from my now scorched gun which I promptly threw outside...

Granted all my glue guns have died this way but this one did not last long despite seeming like the best quality gun I have had (loved the fine metal tip, adjustable heat setting and removable cord)

What glue gun should I get next? What brands are more prone to shorting out? What brand is not going to go out on me in a ball of smoke, at least not for a good long time....
↧
Search

Could i get some crits and advice?

April 14, 2014, 3:53 pm
$
0
0
Hello Everyone,

its been ages since i posted up my first two heads but i finally have gotten around to finishing another 2, a lot of the improvements i made were from suggestions people gave me on here and while I'm just now starting my next full suit thought it might be a good time to  ask for some criticism and advice again. So if you all could....

http://s305.photobucket.com/user/natu806/library/fursuits%20gen%202 (i can try to get some non-worn pictures of them, these are all i had to hand)

the brown, cream and green partial is the latest but they where both sculpted at the same time. Construction is balaclava and foam base.

After my next suit i was thinking about taking on some low cost custom commissions for friends, would like to hear thoughts on that or if i should knock out a few more personals suits first.
↧
↧

Underwater mask?

April 14, 2014, 6:46 pm
$
0
0
So I recently stumbled across this website https://www.themertailor.com , and HOLY CARP are these things cool!
But of course, why stop at mermaids? With tails like this and a little ingenuity, one could come up with all kinds of underwater critter costumes! So I want to create a swimmable sea dragon costume using these kinds of tails.

Its a crazy idea, I know, but I'd love to try this over the summer!
So what do you guys think would be the best way to fabricate a mask that can be worn underwater?
I'm not so sure how resin would hold up, so I personally think a vaccumformed plastic base would be the way to go.
Would it be possible to either order a base from one of you lovely makers out there, or sculpt a base myself and see if I can get a local company to vaccumform the base for me?
↧

Beware: Etsy's Stylish Fabrics Store

April 15, 2014, 9:39 pm
$
0
0
This is the shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StylishFabric?ref=l2-shopheader-name

These are the furs I ordered:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/177833285/black-pile-luxury-shag-faux-fur-fabric?ref=shop_home_active_5
https://www.etsy.com/listing/178106864/white-pile-luxury-shag-faux-fur-fabric?ref=shop_home_active_3

Compare the store photos to this..



IMG_3016
IMG_3013
IMG_3012
IMG_3011



I just ordered the black fur and the white fur from Stylish Fabrics and it arrived today. The store photos look like a short version of DF fur and that's what I was expecting, a light and fluffy matte fur. The fur I received was a strange greasy-looking texture like they put Vaseline on their hands and rubbed the hairs together in clumps and it dried that way. It left a little residue on my hands after handling it during the photos.

Their black fur was matte with a small hint of shine in the light, yet their white was extremely shiny and looked medium gray in the light. I lifted up the hairs and I could see the backing underneath.

I'm returning them not only because of what I had mentioned above, but also because the cuts I received were mangled as if something heavy was left on them for a long time and crushed all the fur down. The white had mangled patches, but the black was so hideous that I couldn't tell which direction the fur was supposed to run. None of it was salvageable.

So, if you order from Stylish Fabrics, use caution. They have "a 7 day return policy, returns are subject to a 20% Restocking Fee upon receiving the fabrics. The buyer is responsible for return shipping."
↧

Rat tail?

April 16, 2014, 12:23 am
$
0
0
Hello everyone!

I've seen pictures of really good rat tails, some with rings and some just smooth. I'd kind of like a tail with soft ring segments; what is the best pattern to use for this? I can't wrap my mind around it.

Doodles are great if anyone has one.

Thanks! :D

Edit: If anyone has a general rat tail pattern that would be neat. Sorry I wasn't so clear! ^^;
↧
↧

First Finished Foam Head

April 16, 2014, 10:18 am
$
0
0
This is my first finished foam head, I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself :) I would still like to hear some thoughts on it though. Someone already suggested to fill in the gaps between the ears and the brows, would that be a good idea? I'm also thinking I might have made the nose too big but I do want it to be toony and slightly stuffed once I get fabric on it.

tumblr_n43mvmdnVq1swua7ro3_250
tumblr_n43mvmdnVq1swua7ro4_250
tumblr_n43mvmdnVq1swua7ro2_250
tumblr_n43mvmdnVq1swua7ro1_1280
↧

First suit and intensive fur hunt …

April 16, 2014, 2:27 pm
$
0
0
Long time lurker, first time poster. And, naturally, I'm getting ready to start my first fursuit, a canine-demon partial that I should be able to turn into a fullsuit later on, if it turns out well enough.
The character's name is Vanity, and I need help finding colors –– particularly those grays! I need a light gray (NOT white) and a medium/dark gray (NOT black), both medium length. Thank you for any help, I really, really appreciate it!
Link to reference sheet: http://nebula-vomit.tumblr.com/image/82614263851
↧

Need help with eye design!

April 16, 2014, 5:31 pm
$
0
0
Hey there! I made a new LiveJournal account just to post this here but I've been a long time lurker xD I've looked through the memories and whilst it has been helpful I think I need more hands-on help.

Eyes have always been the most difficult part for me to get right on a suit. They are the soul of the character and present so much emotion.

I know HOW to make them, in several different ways. So the construction is not the problem... it's the shape and the style. Combined with eyebrows I always just end up with eyes that look creepy as hell. If I could pay someone to make me a cute pair of eyes I would.

Here's where I need some help, could someone redline me some eyes?
Using this photo: http://sta.sh/01gid39zqyz3 as a base, I'm wondering if you could just redline it with a simple pair of eyes that I could use as reference when making her.

Please keep in mind these eyes will be 3D follow me eyes, and I want them to be endearing :'D
I LOVE the look of these eyes if you need inspiration:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11016425/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13084821/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12399899/
It would also be awesome if the eyes could retain some of my art style http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12959566/ but goodness I know it's hard I'm sorry;;


Thank you so much for your help :'D

(the picture of the base is a little outdated, I've edited it some since then (for example the ears have been redone) but it still serves its purpose~ feel free to go out of line with the foam if necessary, foam can always be added and removed)
↧
Search

Mendel Swatches Help?

April 16, 2014, 7:49 pm
$
0
0
So I was trying to grab some swatches of different fur and fabrics from Mendels because i really wanna test them out for my next suit. However when I get to the page and fill everything out, theres a thing that says 'subject' at the bottom that must be filled out. I hate to ask if this has already been answered or if its a kind of dumb question, but I just can seem to figure it out ;__; Can anyone tell me what it is?
http://mendels.com/help.php?section=contactus&mode=update
↧
↧

Pokemon Fursuit Head: Redline and Con-Crit needed

April 17, 2014, 1:42 pm
$
0
0
Hello guys, I am in need of a bit of help.

I have made a fursuit head before, and now a friend of mine would like me to make him a Buizel fursuit. Right now I am working on the head; this is what I have so far....



What I would really like is advice on where to go next. I know it is pretty rough right now, and it's not perfectly symmetrical, but any help would be awesome. Please keep criticism constructive, Thanks!
(P.S. I apologize for the horrid picture quality).
↧

Constructive Criticism wanted: Toony cat head sculpt

April 17, 2014, 7:09 pm
$
0
0
Hey guys!  I want to make a new toony cat head.  Unfortunately, the subtractive sculpting process of foam fabrication is just lost on me.  I keep starting new kitty heads and scrapping them because they never look the way I want them to.  So I decided to try something new!  I was inspired by Media's foam headbase kits made in expanding foam (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12898356/) and Stuffed Panda's super cute resin toony blanks (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13185696/)


Material is WED clay, which I am head-over-heels in love with right now.  The nose is temporary, and the eyes are just placeholders.  Obligatory "oh crap I didn't notice how asymmetrical this thing was until I took the pictures" disclaimer!


002
003
006
Oof, she looks a little frowny from this angle, huh?
008
010
Aaahhh I just don't know if it looks cat-like enough right now.  What do you guys think?

Question: I've got this sculpted so that the chin of the mask comes underneath the chin of the wearer.  Will that be uncomfortable?  I'm never really sure how close to the neck masks should come...

This is how I'm thinking I'll make the mold.  It might be fun to include the forehead padding right in there, but we'll see.  I'll have to be extra careful I don't catch any undercuts in the second fiberglass mold.  The clay layer might end up being thicker than 1/2" thick; I can always hollow it out a little bit.

Edit: I think the initial outer fiberglass layer should be in two parts.  I don't know how easy it would be to get the plug out of there, even if I liberally lube it up with mold release.
foam mask idea

I'm totally down with comments like "Mirepoix there's no way in hell that's gonna work" if you have 'em.  I could always do a silicone mold and cast this in resin instead, but I was hoping to make something squishy and comfortable.
↧

Eye + Fan Wiring + A Fur Question

April 17, 2014, 7:57 pm
$
0
0
Hey guys! I've posted here a couple times but I mostly just lurk ahah.
I have some questions about wiring and attaching a fan and LEDs to a foam base, and a questing about the quality of CRs Crafts seal fur

I'm working on a partial of this furby:

This is the ref I drew up:
140405b
And for reference, here are some pics of the base (not done, but I ran out of hot glue):

More here

Because the toy's eyes are light up screens I would like to illuminate the eyes with LEDs, and while I'm at it add in a fan to the beak.

The main reason I started writing this is I'm not sure how to go about hiding battery packs. I picked up a small pack with a switch that holds two AAs perfect for powering the eyes, and I figured I could hide that in the hair poof. However, the beak is too small to hide a 9V (That should be enough to power the fan, as the beak is already so open), and I'm not sure how to go about hiding the pack + switch. It will probably be worn with an already made body so I want to keep it somewhere on the head, maybe in a pouch in the neck somewhere if its not too visible?

Also, attaching the fan to foam (or fleece, as I'll be lining the beak), how to do it? I'd be worried just hot gluing it would be too weak and it could rip out of the soft foam. Same for the LEDS, though as they will be tucked under the eyelid I figure hot glue would be enough. Is there a way to make it removable? When I tried putting in into the beak it was visible when i tilted the head back, would it just be better to go without? The foam is right now built to be off the face with as best ventilation as I could get (learned my mistake with my last suit), though I'm not sure how well that will stay after furring.

As for fur, what is the quality like for this seal fur? Does it shave well? I know Super Seal is common but I'm not sure how good regular seal is. It was requested I use this fur to match an already made black + white bodysuit, and as I'm already ordering through them I thought it could work for her faceplate + tail. I was going to order some sets of their swatches until I realized with shipping it was ~$15 (gotta love shipping to Canada), and I figure I could just ask here, as I'm not searching for a specific shade of orange. The other option is I still have the better part of a yard of orange minky, and while I know it would work for the tail I'm not sure how I could go about using it for the face and keeping it looking nice (it does love to wrinkle). Maybe by gluing a layer of batting over that part of the foam first?

Oh on more thing, a good way to black out the mouth? I made the lining with pink lycra which I realize now is a mistake, it will be clearly visible against the black inside the beak. Should I cut a large mouth hole in the balaclava and then back it with some black mesh (like what)? Or just rip out the balaclava and make a new one from black lycra?

Whoah I didn't mean to write that much oops sorry.
↧

Noivern troubles again.

April 18, 2014, 1:25 pm
$
0
0
Hey guys!

So once more I've kind of run into a few snags here and there as far as finishing up this fursuit goes. I've only got three problems right now and they have to do with building and making the wings,tail, and fur collar work.


First of all here's a reference sheet of what I'm making.
Sugimori_Noivern_BW
First of all the wings-
I've had a hard time trying to find a tutorial for exactly the kind of wings I need to make. I need them to be boned like a lot of back wings but on the arms like avian wings.I would also really like to be able to use the claws and move them. I bought six gorgeous skinny raptor claws from DreamVisions that I would like to use for this as well.If someone could link me to a tutorial or draw a diagram for me or something I would be really thankful.

Secondly the tail-

I was really wanting to do something like this http://rarsuit.livejournal.com/44876.html with the tail I'm making so it would be nice and flowly and not strangely stiff but I have a limited budget currently and not enough time to work with PVC and I don't have the time to buy some delrin rod so I was wondering if the method of stringing together pool noodles would work for a big dragon tail like that? Maybe by using larger foam circles instead of a pool noodle and stringing them together? I know I'm not going to get the same kind of movement as I would with that but at least a decent amount would be nice.

And finally the collar-

I cannot figure out for the life of me how to get this collar to work. I wanted it to fall in a v-shape on the chest and the back and stick up in the back and then stuff it so it would nice and fluffy and just use some kind of snap or velcro to take it on and off since I wouldn't be able to squeeze it on. But I'm not sure if that shape is going to work quite right so I wanted to get an professional opinion on it before I ruin the small bit of fur I have.
↧
↧

A Neat Video!

April 18, 2014, 7:02 pm
$
0
0
I'm not sure if anyone could potentially make use of this, but it looked really cool and informative!




If you wanted to make some seriously realistic heads, this might be a neat option if you could manage it!
↧

Fursuit Tail Hole: Prevent from stretching?

April 18, 2014, 10:43 pm
$
0
0
Hello!

So I assumed something that didn't quite work out when I tried it.
I hot glued some pleather (fake leather, like plastic material that's texture) around the interior of the circle. Heat caused the hot glue to come right off, and it all came off....

Is there a sewing method for around the hole, to prevent the hole from stretching? Is there tutorials to show this? Please point me to them.

Or is there some other methods? Please show me! <3 <3
↧
Search

15% off Fabric.com Easter sale.

April 20, 2014, 12:08 pm
$
0
0
Fabric.com is having a 15% off sale on select fabrics in the colors Pink, White, black and striped.

Sale ends February 21st at midnight (4/21/2014 12PM EST).

*Cross-posted to FursuitAuctions*
↧

Bird Hands?

April 20, 2014, 12:37 pm
$
0
0
I've got a fairly good idea of how to make regular faux-fur arm sleeves and hands, but I'm interested in figuring out how to do a more slender style or arms and hands for a bird. I found a couple of great examples of kinda what I'm looking to do here and here, or even a set like these that have scales on them, but I can't find any tips on how to make them. Would I just use a stretchier thin material like spandex or fleece?

In addition, if I used plastic or resin claws on the fingers, how would I keep the claw bases from deforming the finger tips where they are attached? I know the bases can be bulky, and would probably show as a big lump under the fabric sitting right on top of my fingers. 
↧
↧

Stretch knit fabric help

April 20, 2014, 4:56 pm
$
0
0
Ok, I apologize because this is actually more of a cosplay question, but I personally don't belong to any cosplay communities and google isn't really turning up anything useful. I'm hoping maybe someone here has used stretch knit before for scaly or bird suits and will have an idea?
I'm sewing a fitted tunic that has a large open back. I can't leave it open because it causes the edges of the back to gape and the whole shirt loses shape. The only solution I could come up with was to sew in a flesh-tone stretch knit fabric to fill in the gap while keeping the bare skin look. I've never worked with stretch knit before though, just fur and fleece. =\
Basically the problem is I don't know if I should stretch the fabric a little bit before sewing it in so when it's on it has a bit of pull to keep it taut as I need it, or if sewing it the exact size of the hole will be enough to keep it together. Anyone have any tips for sewing stretch knit? I should probably also mention that I will be hand-sewing this piece in with a zig-zag stitch, because the rest of the tunic is already assembled.
↧

Article 0

April 20, 2014, 6:27 pm
$
0
0
Hello! Im in the process of making my second head, and I could use some help (:

20140420_211317
20140420_211437
20140420_211455
20140420_211237

What I noticed is I think the muzzle is slightly lopsided but idk. Also, the eye brows...should I bulk em up more before shaping?
I havent started shaping yet and I want to have others opinions vefore I start (: Any redlines would be great and greatly appreciated. Im going to a malamute or a husky here (:
↧

who else sells monkey shag?

April 21, 2014, 3:06 pm
$
0
0
DF does not have any in black, they are the only place I know of that carries this four inch long fur...
↧
Viewing all 3481 articles
Browse latest View live
Search