Finished a partial suit commission a couple days ago :D I'd like to show a little bit of the process behind it, as well as the finished photos.
All my fursuit commissions start off with concept art. Even if the customer has a ref sheet, I always make my own, it really helps me figure out how I'm going to make it, and it shows the customer exactly what I have in mind, so everyone is on the same page. And I'll admit it, I just really love doing ref sheets! ^^
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Here is the concept art I created based on images she had of her character.
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We started with the tail, I patterned it and my partner sewed it up. The curve is part of the pattern, there's no sort of armature or anything inside, it's filled with new soft stuffing.
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The paw gloves were next. Also handsewn by my partner, these sport sewn-in markings and squishy latex pads and claws. I only do soft claws now, they're way more resilient than rigid claws, and not sharp at all. There's two elastic bands that run behind the wearer's back to keep the arms up, which makes them really easy to wear, no bunching up or falling down or anything.
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Some early foam WIPs I sent to the customer.
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Foamed head with my usual style of foam on a headliner hood. I am thinking about double-layering the headliner next time, maybe experiment on it with a personal suit first.
I always get asked about the blue foam- that's a closed cell foam sold in the form of camping mats at Wal*Mart for about $6 each. I like the closed cell foam because you can make large ears like that without having them sag. It's also a really lightweight foam, which makes it useful for lots of other things , too.
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WIP furring picture. The lines in the ears are to provide a ridged, bat-like texture. The nose is Plastidip-covered foam, so it's squishable!
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Shaved and glued, trimmed up real nice.
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With bangs and ready for eyes- made a construction paper test eye while I was waiting for supplies to come in. Waiting for shipments when you're that close to finishing a project is just the worst!
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WIP of the feet. I think I made a little breakthrough in foot-making, it was always a horrible annoying process in the past, but now I think I've found my groove, and I took enough notes/measurements to replicate these. Maybe one day I would be able to cast the toes in cold foam or something, but I don't mind carving them out for now.
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Finished foot photos I turned into a little advertisement. I love my method of being able to put your shoes inside, but of course this means the feet have to be a minimum size for it to work. Folks that want more slender feet from me can order slipper-style feet instead.
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Finished head photos! Since I've had a couple people asking, no, the eyes' schlera don't change color, they're solid black. ^_^;
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Some closeup detail shots of various parts. The stud earrings are store-bought, and the rings are just O-rings from the hardware store. Love 'em for earrings, they are the perfect size!
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Got some photos taken today in the morning sunlight. ^^ I am the model. I think it looks pretty good all together!
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Some more partial photos. The suit's going to its owner this coming week. I hope she wears it a lot and enjoys it :D
Some areas I know could use a little work are finishing details, especially inside the mask. It's comfy, but looks a little "ugly" inside, so I'd like to improve that for next time. The foot size is fine for most people, but for small folks like myself and my customer, they could be smaller, I think. That might be hard, because of course it has to fit a shoe. Other than those two little things that bother me, I am happy with the work I've done here, and I am really proud how far I've come.
Next up on my list are a dalmatian and a badger. I'll be sure and show you guys those when they're done!
If you'd like to see more of the costumes we've made, check us out at FA, DA, or Tumblr!
Thanks for lookin ^^
All my fursuit commissions start off with concept art. Even if the customer has a ref sheet, I always make my own, it really helps me figure out how I'm going to make it, and it shows the customer exactly what I have in mind, so everyone is on the same page. And I'll admit it, I just really love doing ref sheets! ^^
Here is the concept art I created based on images she had of her character.
We started with the tail, I patterned it and my partner sewed it up. The curve is part of the pattern, there's no sort of armature or anything inside, it's filled with new soft stuffing.
The paw gloves were next. Also handsewn by my partner, these sport sewn-in markings and squishy latex pads and claws. I only do soft claws now, they're way more resilient than rigid claws, and not sharp at all. There's two elastic bands that run behind the wearer's back to keep the arms up, which makes them really easy to wear, no bunching up or falling down or anything.
Some early foam WIPs I sent to the customer.
Foamed head with my usual style of foam on a headliner hood. I am thinking about double-layering the headliner next time, maybe experiment on it with a personal suit first.
I always get asked about the blue foam- that's a closed cell foam sold in the form of camping mats at Wal*Mart for about $6 each. I like the closed cell foam because you can make large ears like that without having them sag. It's also a really lightweight foam, which makes it useful for lots of other things , too.
WIP furring picture. The lines in the ears are to provide a ridged, bat-like texture. The nose is Plastidip-covered foam, so it's squishable!
Shaved and glued, trimmed up real nice.
With bangs and ready for eyes- made a construction paper test eye while I was waiting for supplies to come in. Waiting for shipments when you're that close to finishing a project is just the worst!
WIP of the feet. I think I made a little breakthrough in foot-making, it was always a horrible annoying process in the past, but now I think I've found my groove, and I took enough notes/measurements to replicate these. Maybe one day I would be able to cast the toes in cold foam or something, but I don't mind carving them out for now.
Finished foot photos I turned into a little advertisement. I love my method of being able to put your shoes inside, but of course this means the feet have to be a minimum size for it to work. Folks that want more slender feet from me can order slipper-style feet instead.
Finished head photos! Since I've had a couple people asking, no, the eyes' schlera don't change color, they're solid black. ^_^;
Some closeup detail shots of various parts. The stud earrings are store-bought, and the rings are just O-rings from the hardware store. Love 'em for earrings, they are the perfect size!
Got some photos taken today in the morning sunlight. ^^ I am the model. I think it looks pretty good all together!
Some more partial photos. The suit's going to its owner this coming week. I hope she wears it a lot and enjoys it :D
Some areas I know could use a little work are finishing details, especially inside the mask. It's comfy, but looks a little "ugly" inside, so I'd like to improve that for next time. The foot size is fine for most people, but for small folks like myself and my customer, they could be smaller, I think. That might be hard, because of course it has to fit a shoe. Other than those two little things that bother me, I am happy with the work I've done here, and I am really proud how far I've come.
Next up on my list are a dalmatian and a badger. I'll be sure and show you guys those when they're done!
If you'd like to see more of the costumes we've made, check us out at FA, DA, or Tumblr!
Thanks for lookin ^^