Questions about making a Fursuit.

[Ceowolf]

Hey guys,

I've been wanting to make a fursuit for the longest time and I've kinda been putting it off because I don't know all too much about making one. I'm probably going to start partial and go with head, tail, and paws, then work my way to the suit later. So I was wondering if I could get some input on things like:

Wheres a good place to get fur? Foam? Other things I might need?

What tools I need to make a suit?

How do you make patterns on the fur?

Costs I'm looking at sinking into it?

Should I use reference pictures if I know what it looks like in my head? If so what kind?

What your opinion on following vs non following vs resin cast eyes are?

Good tutorials? (I have a few but moar is better :P)

Good place to get gear, like balaclava, under armor, etc?

How to go about teeth?

Techniques for a moving jaw?

Where should I start?


Hehe, sorry about the mass onslaught of questions but I would rather know the things I'm getting into before I'm buried in fur and not sure where to start. If you can answer any questions it would be greatly appreciated ^^

I may have more questions later but this is all I can think of atm.

[Roffo]

Well, like anywhere in a new hobby, lets start with...

Where should you start?

If you want to make your suit have good seems, I would recommend trying to learn how to make something else with sewing first. Animal hats are a good way to start. It gives experience on how to make your own patterns and fleece can be generally easy to sew. Faux Fur is generally really difficult to sew and can be really hard to sew on a cheap 150$ sewing machine. It is possible, but you'll want extra strong thread and probably an 18 gauge needle (or else the needle will constantly break).

Now once you learned about making good seams and patterns, you can probably go on to working on your fursuit. When I made my body suit, I waited a whole year until I even tried to make it.

What tools do you need?

You'll want a decent sewing machine with preferably 18 gauge needles and extra strong thread. I recommend extra strong because it will lower the chances of a seam breaking while in a fursuit. When you are ready to make seams, you'll want to have thumb pins or even safety pins. Safety pins work quite well.
Every now and then mistakes happen, so you'll want a decent seam ripper. It helps a lot.
Hot glue can be useful too. Some people prefer to glue paw pads to handpaws or claws together with hotglue.

Getting Fur and Foam?

Your first bet would be to try and look for local stores. Upholstery shops will sell you foam. Hard dense foam usually works - just try to look for the green or yellow stuff. Once you got your foam, head over to a Fabricland or other sewing store. This part is important, as you'll want to get fur that is good quality. Faux Fur is expensive, and can go up to 40$/meter. Look for fur that doesn't shed off, and make sure the lining doesn't rip. You'll want good quality fur that is soft and doesn't shed. You may have to order fur online (which is even more expensive). For fur, I go to interiormall.com but you may want to find a Canadian site.

How to make patterns on fur?

One way is to manually hand sew in the patterns into the body suit. If you do this you'll want at least 1 inch of extra space on the part that you are sewing into the bodysuit for a pattern. If you want a more realistic look, then try looking into air brushing. Airbrushing kits can be expensive, however.

Good places to get gear?

Try the dollarstores for a balaclava. I wouldn't know where to get under armour.

How to go about teeth?

This one is easy. Look for some FIMO at a local hobby store. Buy some white FIMO, and some gloss. Mould your teeth into the desired shape, then bake in the over (it will tell you at what temperature). Once they are finished baking, take out of the oven, wait a few minutes to cool off and then, using a paint brush, gloss the teeth. Wait about a day and then you have your teeth.

Costs: Oh boy.

Depends what you what. The higher the quality, the more expensive. I spent around 500$ on my bodysuit, tail, handpaws and feetpaws. My head was another 900$ (commissioned). The average fursuit can cost roughly in 300$+ if you shop local. When shopping for furs online, try to get a professional opinion before you buy them. Just remember, don't rush the suit, take your time if you are stuck and make it as perfect as it can be. I took me 1 year to complete my fursuit.

I hope that helps!

[Ceowolf]

Well, like anywhere in a new hobby, lets start with...

Thanks a bunch, gives me some things to think about. I have done a bit of sewing before but I should probably brush up on it again.

We have a Singer Stylist 533, dunno how good of a machine it is but I know singers are generally a good brand. We also have a bunch of sewing needles with numbers on them that I have no clue what they mean lol. I saw one labeled quilting needle, seemed pretty decent size :P

Claws are done the same as the teeth, in that case I could possibly design them that I could sew them on, in addition to glue. Seen allot of people have problems with claws falling off.

[Selkit]

Ceo;

I do strongly recommend finding a way to sew the claws on. I have two suits myself, and the one that the claws weren't sewn permanently in place on, has 9 out of its original 20. Wasn't designed so they can be sewn on, can't be modified to permit it. The other one where they were sewn in place has all 20 of its, and it was originally built in 2003. They're a little worn down in places from ground contact, but otherwise still solidly in place.

[Ceowolf]

Ceo;

I do strongly recommend finding a way to sew the claws on. I have two suits myself, and the one that the claws weren't sewn permanently in place on, has 9 out of its original 20. Wasn't designed so they can be sewn on, can't be modified to permit it. The other one where they were sewn in place has all 20 of its, and it was originally built in 2003. They're a little worn down in places from ground contact, but otherwise still solidly in place.

If you don't mind me asking, how were the claws that were sewn in shaped? That is if you know :P

[Selkit]

They had a flat base and a flare to the base that was pushed into slits in the paw material from inside. They were then secured in place through holes drilled through the sides of the claw, directly to the material, through a small blob of glue; They were pressure-fit, glued, and then sewn through the glue while it was still wet. My only complaint is they are slightly uncomfortable to push on, as they're quite rigid and put a wall of hard plastic right against my fingertips. Otherwise they've stood up to quite a load of use.

[Ceowolf]

They had a flat base and a flare to the base that was pushed into slits in the paw material from inside. They were then secured in place through holes drilled through the sides of the claw, directly to the material, through a small blob of glue; They were pressure-fit, glued, and then sewn through the glue while it was still wet. My only complaint is they are slightly uncomfortable to push on, as they're quite rigid and put a wall of hard plastic right against my fingertips. Otherwise they've stood up to quite a load of use.

Cool, sounds similar to what I was thinking, and good to know about the ends of the fingers. Maybe I'll make them a lil longer and add a little cushion on the ends or something.

[Naq Ryba]

Basically everything Roffo said. 


I'm not sure if you've been to Live Journal or not but there is a huge fursuit making group on there.  They have links to lots of places that sell all the different materials online.  And the Memories section contains a ton of tutorials and good information. 

here's the link: 
http://fursuit.livejournal.com/profile
http://fursuit.livejournal.com/


What your opinion on following vs non following vs resin cast eyes are?
Some people will tell you that the following eyes are creepy but I like them myself.   I think they give the head more life.  I guess its just a matter of personal preference.  I've never used resin eyes before but I've seen a lot of good looking suits with them.

Should I use reference pictures if I know what it looks like in my head? If so what kind?
A reference picture really helps if you can get one though its not absolutely necessary,  If you can get one its good to have a front, back and side view of the character.

Techniques for a moving jaw?
The balaclava method with elastic straps seems to be the most widely used method, which is the way I've been doing it. (Good example here: http://www.matrices.net/balaclava.asp ).  Some other good tutorials on her page too.   
If the head is made out of a stiff or rigid material you could use a hing at the back of the jaw with a spring or piece of elastic to pull it closed.   
(might be able to find some good examples of that on the live journal page.) 

Hope this helps. 

[Ceowolf]

Hope this helps. 

Wow, lots of stuff here :3 Thanks for the link I'm sure this will come in handy. ^^

[Apoxon]

it looks like you've already got a pile of input there, Ceo, but i'll throw my hand into the bag, from personal experience as a builder. (granted, i've only built four heads and one and a half bodies)

Wheres a good place to get fur? Foam? Other things I might need?

for fur, personally, i order it online now.

locally, fabricland is great, if you have a fabricland card, and are willing to sacrifice your first born child. dressew (downtown vancouver) has an AMAZING selection of fabric. they have an entire WALL of it. and i think they've added more. most of it is natural fur colours. most of it is between 30 and 50$/meter. but you only need one arm and leg for sewing, so you could sacrifice those, if you want. it'd mean you need less fur, too.

online, places like
http://www.mendels.com/fur2.shtml
http://www.distinctivefabric.com/category.php?cat=LONGFUR
http://www.fabric.com/apparel-fashion-fabric-faux-fur-fabric-faux-fur-luxury-shag-fabric.aspx

ideally, ship somewhere in the USA. there are several freight companies in Blaine (just the other side of the boarder) that will accept packages and usually charge between 2 and 5$ to pick them up.

to give you an idea, i just bought 23 yards of faux fur, at around 20$/yard, and shipping was 50$. comparably, shipping to canada is well over double that price. however, that same faux fur is some of the highest quality i've seen, EASILY comparable to dressew or fabricland's best. they also have a much better selection when it comes to unnatural fur colours (eg. pink, blue, green, orange, etc)

What tools I need to make a suit?

the suit? GOOD scissors or an exacto knife with LOTS of blades, outlining chalk (it won't perma-dye your fabric, or bleed through and dye the fur on the other side), a good sewing machine (unfortunately i'm not familiar with your exact model. i have a janome and it works fine), sewing needles for faux fur and tougher fabrics, PINS (you will stab yourself. repeatedly. your own spit is the best thing to use to get rid of blood stains. srysly. this will come in handy),

depending on if you want to make a 'ductape dummy' you will also need ductape and a painters' jumper... or clothes you're perfectly happy with destroying. i'm not terribly familiar with ductape dummies, but there are several tutorials out there that are quite competent. you may also consider getting an old pair of clothes that fit you decently, taping them together and then cutting them along their seams, to get the pattern you want. just remember to make a seam allowance on ALL SIDES you plan on sewing together, or your suit will not fit.

for the head...
foam, scissors you don't mind getting dull, a cheap electric knife, and whatever you plan to build it on. that is... a balaclava base, bucket base, mesh base, etc. i personally have used mesh bases, and am experimenting with something a little different, this time around. it is still the same principle, however. but each style will require a different technique.

depending on the base, you may want to consider things like plastic bolts, yarn/heavy duty thread, a small (40-50mm) computer fan to wire up for a cooling system (it's very easy. as in... i figured it out with a picture, and i'm nooot the greatest with things like that)

How do you make patterns on the fur?

tape. tape is your friend. but not ductape. unless it's for a ductape dummy. personally, i use scotch brand masking tape. the yellowish beige stuff. it doesn't rip off your foam when you're done. i do know other suit makers will wrap their heads in cling-wrap first, but i'm impatient and that's a little too much for me.

so... you buy a roll or two of tape, and COVER your head with tape. i mean cover it. you don't want to see any foam. you probably want more than one layer of tape overtop. it needs to stick well to itself, too. if your tape keeps peeling back, it's not going to work well for what you need.

make sure to cover every part of your head that's going to have faux fur, fleece, or fabric of any kind on it. leave the inside as is/no tape.

next, get a sharpie and draw out the colour pattern of your character onto the tape. draw out the direction you want the fur to go, as well.

after you've got all your markings done, cut the tape off and use it as a pattern for your face. there is a more in depth tutorial for this here: http://www.matrices.net/furring.asp

honestly, Matrices (and Matrices.net) is probably the MOST HELPFUL fursuit construction site i've ever seen.

Costs I'm looking at sinking into it?

depending on where you get your foam and fur, probably between 3-400$ for a full-suit, and 1-150$ for a partial.

Should I use reference pictures if I know what it looks like in my head? If so what kind?

yes. you don't need terribly many, but enough to remind yourself in case you get lost. while you're foaming, sometimes things start looking the same.
i would say a face-on shot, and a side shot are sufficient.

do keep in mind your head is 3D. it should look like the character from all angles, not just 'top down' or 'from the side'.

What your opinion on following vs non following vs resin cast eyes are?

personally, i dislike resin eyes. but that's because i prefer a more cartoony, less taxidermy look. you don't need to do following eyes, either. a lot of suits have regular old cartoon-ish eyes. following eyes are difficult to get right. resin eyes will mean you need to do 'tear duct' vision, as you cannot see through resin.

Good tutorials? (I have a few but moar is better)

Matrices.net
http://fursuit.tanidareal.com/
http://fursuit.livejournal.com/

Good place to get gear, like balaclava, under armor, etc?

under armor can be bought at walmart for fairly cheap (15$/piece), and balaclavas are easily made. EASILY made. if you're not sure about making one, there are several local furs who make and sell them.

How to go about teeth?

the number of teeth depends on how realistic/cartoony you want your character, i would say. same with sharpness. personally, i use fimo/sculpey/primo for making my teeth, and then coat them with a good brand of clear nail polish. clear nail polish is your friend.

this is also what i use for my claws.

i do not sew my claws in, either, and have had my handpaws for a year and a half without losing any. before i baked them, i scored the backs of the claws (scratched little lines in them), and then afterwards, i used shoe glue to glue them down. i did the same for my feet-claws, which have also held on wonderfully (i also put in an inner foil core for my toe-claws, since i knew they would get more wear and tear on them, and i wanted to give them extra strength so they wouldn't break). to give you an idea of how strong the shoe-glue is... i was at a con this year and as i was coming out of an elevator one of my feet-claws got caught in the space between the doors and the floor. it was so caught that i stumbled, and rather than rip off my claw, the fur, or the foam, it BROKE the end off my claw. and that's with a foil inner core.

Techniques for a moving jaw?

there's the hinged technique, or the balaclava with elastics technique. there's also 'the cut through the foam too far' technique. i'm not well versed in the latter-two. hinges work alright for me. http://fursuit.livejournal.com/tag/moving%20jaw should have some helpful hints.

Where should I start?

personally... i just dove right in. definitely start with the head, though; it's the hardest part, but it's what really makes or breaks a suit.

Other little tips...

make sure your head can fit comfortably into the suit without struggling or pulling too much- it's not comfortable otherwise, and you won't want to wear it as often

be sure your eyes are close enough together that you won't come out of your suit wall-eyed. that is, you should be able to see through both, fairly well. not one, or the other. this is more of a comfort thing, as well.

suiting gets HOT. holy mother it gets hot. you will be warm. very warm. if you dislike being hot, or sweating, suiting is not for you.

use a low-temperature hot glue gun. or you will burn your fingers. and it hurts. lots. i can't tell you how many times i've had hot glue blisters. low temperature guns are between 3 and 7$ at walmart. your fingers will thank you.