Tips on making your own fursuits (old threads)

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Basically...you'd have to sew it all by hand...which means it will take even longer.

[juut]

I think it's safe to say it's almost no possible. There is just so incredibly much work in a fursuit that you'd be working on it for years and years if you have to do it all by hand.

Can't you buy a cheap second-hand sewing machine, or perhaps borrow one from a relative?

[Lacers]

I made a plain white fursuit for fun awhile back, but i just recently made a new sona who is mainly a white wolf but has some markings. I was gonna make the suit into her, but i dont know how to color the markings. and I have no airbrush. any suggestions? 

[WingedZephyr]

Sometimes markings can be sewn in just using a different color of fur material, but it depends on the kind of markings. You wouldn't want to do that with like, leopard spots, after all.

[og]

i do not now this is the place to tell  this  i need help whit my fursuit i do not now how to make a fursuit head and the body suit the fursuit i making
is a pokemon name leafon is my first time making one i have one but i buy it

[Ares the Ram]

Well, you can commision someone to buy it (pay someone else to make it for you), or just experiment. Im experimenting with making mine.

[Renamon]

I do commissions! I am also less expensive than most.

Anyway, coming from a cosplay background, the thing I have found is that you need to find someone who has made a fursuit before! I have seen some fursuit type characters done by people who have never worked with fur and have never researched fursuit construction, and they do not look as good as they could. These suits would not pass the test with fursuiters. I find that it helped that I had not only made cosplays before, but that I had been around fursuiters and furry cons before, so I knew how they were constructed. Also if you can, go to panels at a con dealing with fursuit construction.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: RESEARCH BEFORE YOU EVEN START LOOKING AT FUR!

You will want to go on the web and look at DA pages, youtube, furry pages, etc. to see how others have made them and get ideas. Google is your friend! Also if you are making a preexisting character then be sure to get lots of screen shots, official drawings, etc. as reference material (say a furry anime character).

There are things that will carry over to your project, but remember every fursuit is different and there is not one right way to do anything regarding a fursuit, so be creative. If something works for you, use it!

Also, be sure to integrate a fan system into the head! You will burn up inside the head if you do not have airflow! I use CPU cooling fans and Duracell 9V batteries!
And remember cheap fur is cheap fur. You may get lucky and get some fur that does not shed much even at a fabric store. I have found good fur at a fabric store before, so be sure to look. Just be sure to pull at the fur if you can and see if it just comes off in your hands (a few strands may, but it should not be very much), and also look at the general quality of whole, and if it looks good and the prince is good, then buy as much as you can afford. Meaning, if you can buy WAY WAY more than you need. Believe me, you will make mistakes or want to revise parts later and you will be thankful you have the extra fur!!! I have bought a whole bolt of fur so that I would have all I need!

REMEMBER: You will think that your first attempt at a fursuit basically sucks in many areas! Don't worry this is normal! You can go back and do things like revise an area that needs redoing! I have made several versions of, say, a head for a suit before I was OK with it.

[ZombiezuRFER]

Ello all again.
I decided I would definitely be making making a fur/scalesuit.  I'll be posting my progress both here and on my twitter, which is Zaktan Zanamu or just ZombiezuRFER. (not sure which, made it a while ago, only started it today.)  The suit will be for cons, some reviews on movies, and for a personal activity (troll slaying! )  Right now I'm brainstorming, but I have a few features that are difinitely decided on.

This list will be edited with each new feature
FEATURES:
Fans in head (of course)
Digitigrade
claws
scaly (of course)
vid cam headset (goes on over the head)
claws are black
my fursona's color scheme to the letter
tallness (OF COURSE!!!)
Moving mouth (of course!)
Some Special clothes for Raving that go on over the feet and gloves.
Modular: Head, Torso, Spine and tail, gloves, arms, feet, and claws (removable for bowling)

Well, thats all for now, except for this badly and quickly put together MS paint render of the head (the file name is even badlyhashedspino!) If only I could figure out why it wont appear in the preview...


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[Aoren Deringer]

Nice!
I always thought a scalie suit would look good with stainless-steel or blackened steel scales sewn into a kevlar frame. Unfortunately most people dont want to make their suits bulletproof     But other than that, I look forward to seeing it!

[ZombiezuRFER]

Ok, now I just need someone to help me get started with some links to tutorials or some in thread tutorials.
Question 1, what's a duct tape dummy and how do I make it?
2, what part of the suit should I start with? (suit is modular separated into legs and feet, torso, spine and tail, gloves, and head)
3, what materials should I use for the head?

[Toska]

Ok, now I just need someone to help me get started with some links to tutorials or some in thread tutorials.
Question 1, what's a duct tape dummy and how do I make it?
2, what part of the suit should I start with? (suit is modular separated into legs and feet, torso, spine and tail, gloves, and head)
3, what materials should I use for the head?

1. A duct tape dummy is a manequin made to the proportions of your own body, it allows you to work on you suit without having to take it on and off all the time.  just look up 'how to make a duct tape dummy' there are tons of tutorials out there.
2. I always start with the head
3. I use plastic canvas for the dome of the head and PVC foam board for the jaws because it doesn't flex when the jaw opens and closes like the canvas would, then you need upholstery foam to make up the bulk of the head
As for tutorials there are tons of them out there just start haivng a look around and you will find everything you need.
Hopw I helped a bit

[Toska]

You can use spray paint in place of an air brush like so
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4582518/
or you can just freehand it if they are larger markings. I picked up the trick from Beastcub years ago and she still uses this technique and so does Beetlecat as far as I am aware

[ZombiezuRFER]

Thanks for that... Now I go to get materials!  I guess the second part to work on is the spine and tail.

[WingedZephyr]

That's pretty cool, Toska. ^^

[Toska]

I forgot to post this as well
http://beetlecat.livejournal.com/188117.html
A tutorial on how to 'dye' fur with acrylic paint