The Furry Forums

Creative Arts and Media => Fursuiting and Cosplay => Topic started by: WingedZephyr on December 12, 2010, 10:38:53 PM

Title: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: WingedZephyr on December 12, 2010, 10:38:53 PM
Feel free to post tips, suggestions, methods, or tutorials on making your own fursuits and furry accessories here. ^_^ If you have any general questions about making a fursuit, you can post them here as well.

Old threads previously related to this topic can be found here (http://www.thefurryforum.com/forums/index.php?topic=9737.msg384182#msg384182).





As people post links to tutorials or helpful sites, the links will be compiled into a list below so you don't always have to sift through multiple pages of the thread to find them. The list will be updated as necessary.

Fursuit gloves tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtdP4hSCdl0&NR=1)
Livejournal fursuiting community (http://community.livejournal.com/fursuit/)
Coloring fur without an airbrush (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4582518/)
Dying fur with acrylic paint (http://beetlecat.livejournal.com/188117.html)
A variety of tutorials on furring, heads, paws, etc. (http://www.matrices.net/fursuiting.asp)
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Shannux on April 14, 2011, 11:28:11 AM
Hi, i was told by a user called White Wolf to post my question here so.....here it goes :3

I am new to the furry scene and i am wanting to make my own costume by hand........but that is where the problem starts :?.......i am not sure where to start on the costume. I understand that it is a good idea to get a character sketch done up to use as a blue print but after that i am a bit lost.

Could you possibly help with my problem :P

thnx for taking the time to read this.  :3
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Draekaar on April 15, 2011, 12:35:36 AM
I am new to the furry scene and i am wanting to make my own costume by hand........but that is where the problem starts :?.......i am not sure where to start on the costume. I understand that it is a good idea to get a character sketch done up to use as a blue print but after that i am a bit lost.

I can give you some tips.  first off, did you want a full suit or a partial suit?  that affects how you'll do the paws.  What you want to do then is make sure you have a good reference of the character.

The most important components of any suit are the head, tail, and handpaws.  what you want to do is make sure you have the handpaws and tail complete first, and then the head, because a head without hands or tail looks sillier than hands and tail without a head ;)  You will need a styrofoam head, and a fabric tape measure.  try to find a styrofoam head as close to the size of yours as possible :)

if you have more specific questions please feel free to ask.
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Shannux on April 15, 2011, 11:56:38 AM
thnx for getting to me quite quickly, i intend to make a full fursuit, i am currently working on my character design as we speak and hopefully it will turn out good (my drawings are reallllllllllly bad XD). I have a friend who is a cosplayer, and she says she can help me with stitching and such.
Oh ya one more thing, i had a look at the video for making the paws, do you recommend doing it that way, and also what kind of fabric should i be looking to get a hold.

once again thnx for your help :$
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Draekaar on April 15, 2011, 07:20:12 PM
thnx for getting to me quite quickly, i intend to make a full fursuit, i am currently working on my character design as we speak and hopefully it will turn out good (my drawings are reallllllllllly bad XD). I have a friend who is a cosplayer, and she says she can help me with stitching and such.
Oh ya one more thing, i had a look at the video for making the paws, do you recommend doing it that way, and also what kind of fabric should i be looking to get a hold.

once again thnx for your help :$

I have no idea what video you're referring to.  As for kinds of fabric, that really depends on the character.  any sort of furred character you should get fake fur for.  you can get either mink or shag as the two primary kinds of fake fur... mink is short pile fur, usually very smooth and about 1/2 inch high.  Shag is anything thats a little coarser, and between 1 and 4 inches long.  5 inches and up is considered extra long pile.

it really depends on your character.  Have a look at the topic for where to get fur, explore the furs available on the various sites and if you see something you like, email the company and ask about getting a sample.  Most sites will give you samples for free if you ask nicely enough, though some do have a $1ish charge per patch.  It is HIGHLY recommended that you get samples of every fur you are interested in before purchasing them, that was you have something physical to compare to, and you can best decide what you are going to get.
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: cardboardhybrid on April 26, 2011, 09:57:50 PM
Is there any good tutorials on making feet paws?
Im trying to make some, but i cant find the simplest way to make the toony big paws X3
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Draekaar on April 27, 2011, 01:52:54 AM
Is there any good tutorials on making feet paws?
Im trying to make some, but i cant find the simplest way to make the toony big paws X3

http://www.matrices.net/digitigrade.asp
http://www.matrices.net/footpaws.asp

and for the heck of it, complete tutorials on the main site http://www.matrices.net/fursuiting.asp

there are of course many other tuts out there, but this was just the easiest one i could think of.
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: LyrilaFox on June 14, 2011, 01:08:22 AM
okay, this is more of 'i need suggestions,
i'm thrying to make a tail, and would like suggestions on which way you would recommend on making it, i have not a really big budget, and am prone to spend without thinking XD
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Draekaar on June 14, 2011, 02:31:33 AM
okay, this is more of 'i need suggestions,
i'm thrying to make a tail, and would like suggestions on which way you would recommend on making it, i have not a really big budget, and am prone to spend without thinking XD

Plan.  Design the tail 100% the way you want it to look, and how big you want it to be so you know exactly what amount of fur you need.  Usually, one yard is wayyyyyyyyy more than enough, and that's the smallest amount you can get online.  I like to get a bit of cheap cloth and draw out a profile of the tail on that, but make it half the expected circumference instead of the desired diameter... in other words draw out the template before you cut any fur, and then you should in theory be able to make the perfect tail ^^
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: LyrilaFox on June 14, 2011, 02:40:05 AM
Thanks :) that zounds like it will help quite a bit
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Namivyn on June 17, 2011, 12:38:45 AM
Anyone know any ways to make a semi-realistic wolf head with poly foam? Nothing cartoonish and it's a quad head  :) Also, I'm making blacok, almond-shaped eyes like with the Japanese style for wolves/dogs(ex: Amaterasu from Okami)
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Vine Tabris on October 22, 2011, 05:01:42 AM
I'm gonna go ahead and ask this here; I wanted to make some small horns to wear as hair clips (trying to avoid the headband scenario, but if it's unavoidable I'll use it), anyone have any materials they would suggest? I was thinking about making a pair out of clay so that I could use a mold and make casts, but I've never made a mold before, so I don't know what to use to make the mold nor the cast. Anyone have experience on the subject?
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Thagrahn on November 14, 2011, 05:11:20 AM
I've been thinking about doing a partial fursuit based on a lynx, but I want the paws to look animal like without taking away my ability to hold something in my hand.


I also need a decent template for the paws.


I'm still trying to decide if it's worth the trouble to make my own paws and digigrade legs for my first run at doing the suit.
I already know that it is best for the head to be made by the person who will be wearing the fursuit, but that is mostly to make sure it fits and looks right on the person.
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Erick1448 on November 25, 2011, 08:46:22 PM
hey just wondering didn't anyone ever think of building a built in pen to the glove of their fur suit. because it seems like it would be useful. you could use the claw on the pointer finger as the pen and build a patch to hold the tube of ink the only tricky part is making it so you can replace to tube of ink and attach the ink directly to the pointer finger claw. if anyone has successfully done this or is inspired by my idea let me know.
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Draekaar on November 26, 2011, 02:34:53 AM
hey just wondering didn't anyone ever think of building a built in pen to the glove of their fur suit. because it seems like it would be useful. you could use the claw on the pointer finger as the pen and build a patch to hold the tube of ink the only tricky part is making it so you can replace to tube of ink and attach the ink directly to the pointer finger claw. if anyone has successfully done this or is inspired by my idea let me know.


a pen tube could easily break, and then you'd have a pile of ink everywhere.  also how would you cap it to prevent it from drying up?


I really don't think it would be worth doing, considering writing with your fingertip with pen would be quite difficult to get the right pressure.
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Rehv on April 22, 2012, 04:31:10 AM
I'm having a horrible time with making my fursuit ears.  All I have left is to fur it and I've done two sets of ears and they both looked horrible! I want them to look good and am wondering if there are any good ear tutorials on how to make and attach the ears to a resin based head.  Any help will be GREATLY appreciated!
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Vixie on February 13, 2013, 05:34:17 AM
I'm gonna go ahead and ask this here; I wanted to make some small horns to wear as hair clips (trying to avoid the headband scenario, but if it's unavoidable I'll use it), anyone have any materials they would suggest? I was thinking about making a pair out of clay so that I could use a mold and make casts, but I've never made a mold before, so I don't know what to use to make the mold nor the cast. Anyone have experience on the subject?

 
I tis very easy get some fimo clay what color you like  you can use bobby pins if your hair is og enough basically shape the  clay to whatever shap you want then poke what yoou what to use to put it in your threw unless you pla on elastic you woudl just poke a hole big enough to squeez your elestic threw  befoe you bk e you r clay if yoou wnat to use bobby pin or baretts you athc the horn to it before baking
 
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Lord_of_Fortune on June 07, 2013, 03:00:33 AM
Does anyone know or heard of someone who makes wolf masks out of high impact plastic. I have decided to make a minimal fur suit  for my airsofting and paintballing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: AuraliaBrink on June 30, 2013, 08:52:58 AM
I'm gonna go ahead and ask this here; I wanted to make some small horns to wear as hair clips (trying to avoid the headband scenario, but if it's unavoidable I'll use it), anyone have any materials they would suggest? I was thinking about making a pair out of clay so that I could use a mold and make casts, but I've never made a mold before, so I don't know what to use to make the mold nor the cast. Anyone have experience on the subject?
This is a really late reply, but just in case anyone needs it at a later date, the best way to make light weight horns (that I've come across) is to cut a horn slightly smaller than when you want out of styrofoam.  After that, you take the styrofoam mold and cover it in air dry paper clay (commonly called doll clay).  After dry, sand to desired texture and paint.
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: ZaraRaEchidna on August 17, 2013, 04:27:27 PM
I am going to make my first fursuit head (golden retriever puppy) tomorrow using the tutorial on matrices.net (http://www.matrices.net/foam.asp). I would like some tips. Can anyone help?
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: ZaraRaEchidna on November 11, 2013, 07:24:05 PM
What is the best way to make a bodysuit?
the fur I want is this - http://www.textileexpressfabrics.co.uk/epages/BT3246.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/BT3246/Products/%22ES011%20Lime%22 (http://www.textileexpressfabrics.co.uk/epages/BT3246.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/BT3246/Products/%22ES011%20Lime%22)

best being easiest ... u v u thank you
Title: Re: resin mask or foam base?
Post by: korosu_seishin on June 10, 2014, 02:09:15 AM
i was wondering if it would be cheaper to make a resin fursuit mask or a foam base. i know foam would be easier but the resin look so cool and more realistic X3
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Quoth The Raven on July 04, 2015, 08:54:12 PM
I'm having a horrible time with making my fursuit ears.  All I have left is to fur it and I've done two sets of ears and they both looked horrible! I want them to look good and am wondering if there are any good ear tutorials on how to make and attach the ears to a resin based head.  Any help will be GREATLY appreciated!




Have you got any images? I would love to help but I don't know what breed they are or what they look like!
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: MustardHusky on March 12, 2016, 07:46:29 AM
My mum is planning on making a few fursuit commissions in order to gain some money. she has materials, but we'd like to know how to make the head and such (she has years of experience in textiles). Are there any tutorials on how to do fursuit heads (preferably toony ones with follow-me eyes)?
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: dvdog on March 13, 2016, 12:06:31 PM
It's probably going to be a few years until I get a fursuit but I have some questions about it. How much on average does it cost for a well made costom fursuit and what are the best sites to look on for them?
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Nori on March 13, 2016, 04:13:05 PM
I'm not sure who has answered questions or not, but I've helped out a few people on making fursuits (I'm in the process of drafting my second one now) So... if anyone wants to ask, feel free to PM me :)
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: guest22811 on June 27, 2016, 03:40:03 PM
Strange question.

How do you guys make eyebrows?
I'm not including it in the furring process.
Heck, I don't even think eyebrows look good on my fursona ;P
Title: Re: Tips on making your own fursuits
Post by: Cosmox Vire on September 13, 2017, 01:44:02 AM
Okay, I'm try to make at least a partial if not full feline suit on a budget. Anyone have any tips or tricks I can try out?
P.s: I'm going for the more toony style