Darts

Hey guys,

I've been working on my Haku costume for AX, and haven't really been getting close to what I want with the head :/ I've done two full "drafts" of the head with two different from-scratch patterns, and neither look even remotely good when I put them on the reinforced baseball cap I'm using as a base.

Then I realized that I'm an idiot and I should have made a tape pattern of the baseball cap in the first place!

So, with the help of Matrices' amazing tutorials (THANK YOU) and the Memories/tagged entries here, I managed to make the world's ugliest tape pattern (I learned a lesson - never use whatever random, off-brand duct tape you find in the garage). I also stuck on a piece of Mystery Foam Padding that I found in my closet so I'd have some structure for the muzzle area when I made the pattern.

My question is about darts and flattening out the tape pattern. I've never really used darts before, and I'm still a bit unfamiliar with their magic. When flattening out the pattern, should I use a bunch of small darts, or just a few larger ones? Where should I put the darts? Should I cut the darts out of the tape itself to make the pattern piece lay flat?



((Note: This is more of a costume than a fursuit, and the head is going to be built onto a baseball cap that will just sit on my head. The head is more of a plushie than a mask, so that's why it's super-simple in shape, and I don't need eyeholes.))

Here's one side of the pattern. This shows the area where it curves around in front of the nose/muzzle area.



Here's the head top gusset. I really don't know where to put darts - a few of them along the curved sides? :/



A full view of the pattern piece for the side of the head.



And here's a closeup of the curve of the muzzle area seen in the first pic - I drew a "test dart" onto there - is that correct? Should it be narrower?



I'm also making a tail that will have a flexible-foam taxidermy form as its base - should I use darts on that pattern as well so the fur part of the tail can curve into different shapes when I bend/curve the taxidermy form, so the fur won't look so lumpy? :/



Thank you for any help/advice :}