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Fursuit Builder of the Month: Adorable Foxie
14 years ago
Nota Bene: I didn't see the 4000 characters rule and for now I have to put this interview on FA, sorry about this!
May 2011
Hello furries! For the very first Fursuit Builder of the Month, I caught up with Clarissa St. Clair of Adorable Foxie and asked some questions about her business. This article is the first of many “Fursuit Builder of the Month” pieces that I plan to do.
First provide a brief description of your history in the furry fandom.
Like most members of the furry fandom, I've always enjoyed 'animal stories' and cartoons, but I never knew there was a community out there just for all that! I first got involved with the furry fandom in the mid-90's, when a friend introduced me to the Redwall book series. I loved them, and I wanted more! I joined Redwall-based role-playing groups (on AOL, and Redwall MUCK), and my friends and I would illustrate our role playing sessions. This led to our posting them on furry-related art sites, where we met other people that also made up characters and stories. Eventually it progressed to local furry get-togethers and attending conventions. At my first convention, Anthrocon 2002, I fell in love with all of the costumes and just had to start making my own!
When did you build your first costume and what was it?
My mom and I have always worked together to come up with fun costumes for Halloween, so I am no stranger to costume-building. As far as my first fursuit goes, it was a black fox named "Blackout" - creative, I know. I built the costume over the course of 2002-2003, and I had her ready to go for Anthrocon 2003!
How many fursuits have you been paid to build in total?
To date, I've been commissioned for about twelve or thirteen, with a couple of those still currently in the works. In addition to that, I've also sold all personal costumes I've made except for two, bringing the total of costumes sold up to eighteen. I didn't take on any commissions until about 2008, which is when I began to dabble in building a costume for a local friend, to be able to tweak it and make fixes as necessary before taking commissions full-time.
What is your construction method of choice for for head building and why?
My method of choice is an all-foam construction, with a balaclava (head-sock) liner. To me, this is the most comfortable method to use, and it looks well-finished. I started out building my first few costumes with plastic mesh or even on a bike helmet, but these heads seemed to take too long, risked damage to the costume (because mesh doesn't bounce back, while foam does) or to the wearer (yay pokey bits!) but in the end, foam seemed the way to go for me. In my opinion, this method of construction allows me to work the quickest without sacrificing quality, comfort or detail.
What is your average price range?
Currently, my prices range from about $350-$500 for a head, $500-$800 for a partial, and $950-$1200 for a full suit, including the cost of shipping. The final price all depends on many things, like character markings, and finishing details like claws or paw pads, etc. My prices are currently a little on the low side as I build up my commission portfolio, so they are subject to change in the future.
Who was your character favorite to build?
I would have to say, it's a toss-up. I really love how Kenai Kitty came out, he's a serval with a TON of hand-sewn markings. The detail came out great! It took me about two months, working full time start-to-finish to put it all together, but the results were worth it. My other favorite character was Kiera Dracorex; her owner provided some fantastic reference to work from, and the color scheme was unique and fun.
In all honesty, though, each new costume I build tends to come out on top as being "my new favorite," because I am able to watch my skills as a builder progress, and each one comes out better than the last in some way!
What makes you unique as a builder and why should people choose you?
Since I am still trying to find my groove for doing this work full-time, I put 100% of my focus on the current project at hand, and nothing else, so each full costume gets my undivided attention while I am working on it. I don't crank out multiple costumes at a time, assembly-line style. I also tend to share photos of my works in progress on my Facebook and Twitter pages, and listen to feedback provided by not only the customer, but also people that watch my progress on social media sites, or even my friends and my husband when I'll ask them, "What can I change?" I highly value the feedback of people that have already purchased work from me, change things that they recommend changing, and constantly work to better myself as a costume builder.
So, while some costumes may take a little more time to be made, rest assured that I am doing my absolute best to provide you with a top-notch product in the end. If there are changes or adjustments that need to be made after delivery, I'm more than willing to work with the customer to be able to ensure their costume comes out on top as far as aesthetics, comfort, and durability are concerned. I'd much rather provide a well-made costume that will last for years to come, than to cut corners just to meet a deadline. I still have some of my early costumes from 2005-2006 running around out there, going strong, and that durability is something I strive for with each new costume I make.
http://www.adorablefoxie.com/
Answers posted with the permission of Carissa St. Clair.
May 2011
Hello furries! For the very first Fursuit Builder of the Month, I caught up with Clarissa St. Clair of Adorable Foxie and asked some questions about her business. This article is the first of many “Fursuit Builder of the Month” pieces that I plan to do.
First provide a brief description of your history in the furry fandom.
Like most members of the furry fandom, I've always enjoyed 'animal stories' and cartoons, but I never knew there was a community out there just for all that! I first got involved with the furry fandom in the mid-90's, when a friend introduced me to the Redwall book series. I loved them, and I wanted more! I joined Redwall-based role-playing groups (on AOL, and Redwall MUCK), and my friends and I would illustrate our role playing sessions. This led to our posting them on furry-related art sites, where we met other people that also made up characters and stories. Eventually it progressed to local furry get-togethers and attending conventions. At my first convention, Anthrocon 2002, I fell in love with all of the costumes and just had to start making my own!
When did you build your first costume and what was it?
My mom and I have always worked together to come up with fun costumes for Halloween, so I am no stranger to costume-building. As far as my first fursuit goes, it was a black fox named "Blackout" - creative, I know. I built the costume over the course of 2002-2003, and I had her ready to go for Anthrocon 2003!
How many fursuits have you been paid to build in total?
To date, I've been commissioned for about twelve or thirteen, with a couple of those still currently in the works. In addition to that, I've also sold all personal costumes I've made except for two, bringing the total of costumes sold up to eighteen. I didn't take on any commissions until about 2008, which is when I began to dabble in building a costume for a local friend, to be able to tweak it and make fixes as necessary before taking commissions full-time.
What is your construction method of choice for for head building and why?
My method of choice is an all-foam construction, with a balaclava (head-sock) liner. To me, this is the most comfortable method to use, and it looks well-finished. I started out building my first few costumes with plastic mesh or even on a bike helmet, but these heads seemed to take too long, risked damage to the costume (because mesh doesn't bounce back, while foam does) or to the wearer (yay pokey bits!) but in the end, foam seemed the way to go for me. In my opinion, this method of construction allows me to work the quickest without sacrificing quality, comfort or detail.
What is your average price range?
Currently, my prices range from about $350-$500 for a head, $500-$800 for a partial, and $950-$1200 for a full suit, including the cost of shipping. The final price all depends on many things, like character markings, and finishing details like claws or paw pads, etc. My prices are currently a little on the low side as I build up my commission portfolio, so they are subject to change in the future.
Who was your character favorite to build?
I would have to say, it's a toss-up. I really love how Kenai Kitty came out, he's a serval with a TON of hand-sewn markings. The detail came out great! It took me about two months, working full time start-to-finish to put it all together, but the results were worth it. My other favorite character was Kiera Dracorex; her owner provided some fantastic reference to work from, and the color scheme was unique and fun.
In all honesty, though, each new costume I build tends to come out on top as being "my new favorite," because I am able to watch my skills as a builder progress, and each one comes out better than the last in some way!
What makes you unique as a builder and why should people choose you?
Since I am still trying to find my groove for doing this work full-time, I put 100% of my focus on the current project at hand, and nothing else, so each full costume gets my undivided attention while I am working on it. I don't crank out multiple costumes at a time, assembly-line style. I also tend to share photos of my works in progress on my Facebook and Twitter pages, and listen to feedback provided by not only the customer, but also people that watch my progress on social media sites, or even my friends and my husband when I'll ask them, "What can I change?" I highly value the feedback of people that have already purchased work from me, change things that they recommend changing, and constantly work to better myself as a costume builder.
So, while some costumes may take a little more time to be made, rest assured that I am doing my absolute best to provide you with a top-notch product in the end. If there are changes or adjustments that need to be made after delivery, I'm more than willing to work with the customer to be able to ensure their costume comes out on top as far as aesthetics, comfort, and durability are concerned. I'd much rather provide a well-made costume that will last for years to come, than to cut corners just to meet a deadline. I still have some of my early costumes from 2005-2006 running around out there, going strong, and that durability is something I strive for with each new costume I make.
http://www.adorablefoxie.com/
Answers posted with the permission of Carissa St. Clair.
CrssaFox
~crssafox
Hooray! Thanks for interviewing me!
