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Tips for making a realistic fursuit
13 years ago
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Commissions are currently: CLOSED
Quotes are currently: CLOSED ~Disclaimer: These are tips and tricks I use to make fursuits. They may be different than your methods. THERE IS NO 'RIGHT' WAY! Only the right way for you! Experiment, and find your way ^^~
This is going to be a work in progress forever! I'll add things to it many times, and I'm sure things will be left out and forgotten.
>Your head base should be the skull and musculature of your animal, nothing more and nothing less! Look at photos of skulls, taxidermy mannequins, and if you can find/stomach it, skinned photos of your species' heads. Pay special attention to the masseter (jaw) muscles. They are necessary to make that long, powerful muzzle work, and leaving them off your head makes your head look like an animal face tacked onto a human cranium.
>The eyes are the life of any suit. If you take your time and perfect ANYTHING on your head, please make it the eyes. Dead, lifeless eyes will ruin an otherwise nice suit.
> DF solid long hair/luxury shag/promo shag/etc are NOT good choices for realism. The texture is too fine, and will crimp up too quickly, making it sort of separate into clumps, which looks off on a realistic suit.
>I find it easier to paint the eye art onto a thick paper like bristol or cardstock and glue it to the acrylic domes with E6000 than painting directly onto the eye. I have a tutorial for that here.
>Use sulfur free clay with silicone! I use Jolly King Plasteline exclusively, and I've never had cure inhibition issues (I have heard Dragonskin doesn't like it though). If it's too warm to work with (it's flopping over or you can't quite get it smooth) pop that sucker in the fridge/freezer! My tongues wouldn't exist without this trick.
>When mixing colors into oogoo, always add the pigment to the silicone and fully mix before adding the starch. Oil paints are best, but resin pigments are good too, and it you have to use acrylics or india ink adjust your starch down by about half to compensate for the added moisture.
>When mixing resin, always mix thoroughly! Also, add your color to one side and mix thoroughly before combining to ensure an even distribution of color. Try to mix gently to avoid the addition of air bubbles!
>WEAR GLOVES WHEN MIXING/POURING/SLUSH CASTING RESIN. It has an exothermic reaction, and it will burn the shit out of you. I know this from personal experience.
>I only use E6000 for my gluing needs (except foam to foam, I use that and 3M Super 77 spray adhesive). No burns for me!
>Fur can be dyed with acrylic paints and water, but it's a pain in the ass and shouldn't be relied upon for large areas. If you absolutely have to do this, try to start with a color as close to the color you're going for as possible.
>In my testing, Createx airbrush paints were most wash-safe.
>Tails are three dimensional! Using just two pattern pieces will leave you having to adjust it with darts and/or gussets and may make hiding seams difficult. I have NEVER made a two-sided tail like this.
>Proportions, proportions, proportions! I know it's tough to hide human shapes, but putting big honking feet on a realistic suit, or ears two sizes too big/small, or having a big dome skull in the back will really throw off the look.
>I handsew EVERYTHING, even bodysuits. I feel I can hide seams a lot better this way. Always push your fur through the seam to the right side and pin before sewing any way. It's fur being trapped in the seams that makes them show, because that fur is then missing from the outside of the suit!
>To help with symmetry, use a mirror and/or photo editing software to flip the image you're looking at. Staring at the same view for hours/days/weeks/months will make the subtle asymmetries sort of blend in. Seeing the flip-side will draw your attention to the problem areas. Another method is taking a front on shot, dividing it in half down the muzzle, then making two composite images from flips of the same side of the face (two left half face and two right half face). It helps to see which side you want to adjust.
>Apoxie sculpt is smoothed with water. It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realize that >.>;; It also cures to the consistency of FREAKING DIAMOND, so be double careful to have things set right while they're curing! It can be sanded and tooled very well though.
That's enough for tonight I think! I'll add more when I can think of them X3 Feel free to prompt me!
This is going to be a work in progress forever! I'll add things to it many times, and I'm sure things will be left out and forgotten.
>Your head base should be the skull and musculature of your animal, nothing more and nothing less! Look at photos of skulls, taxidermy mannequins, and if you can find/stomach it, skinned photos of your species' heads. Pay special attention to the masseter (jaw) muscles. They are necessary to make that long, powerful muzzle work, and leaving them off your head makes your head look like an animal face tacked onto a human cranium.
>The eyes are the life of any suit. If you take your time and perfect ANYTHING on your head, please make it the eyes. Dead, lifeless eyes will ruin an otherwise nice suit.
> DF solid long hair/luxury shag/promo shag/etc are NOT good choices for realism. The texture is too fine, and will crimp up too quickly, making it sort of separate into clumps, which looks off on a realistic suit.
>I find it easier to paint the eye art onto a thick paper like bristol or cardstock and glue it to the acrylic domes with E6000 than painting directly onto the eye. I have a tutorial for that here.
>Use sulfur free clay with silicone! I use Jolly King Plasteline exclusively, and I've never had cure inhibition issues (I have heard Dragonskin doesn't like it though). If it's too warm to work with (it's flopping over or you can't quite get it smooth) pop that sucker in the fridge/freezer! My tongues wouldn't exist without this trick.
>When mixing colors into oogoo, always add the pigment to the silicone and fully mix before adding the starch. Oil paints are best, but resin pigments are good too, and it you have to use acrylics or india ink adjust your starch down by about half to compensate for the added moisture.
>When mixing resin, always mix thoroughly! Also, add your color to one side and mix thoroughly before combining to ensure an even distribution of color. Try to mix gently to avoid the addition of air bubbles!
>WEAR GLOVES WHEN MIXING/POURING/SLUSH CASTING RESIN. It has an exothermic reaction, and it will burn the shit out of you. I know this from personal experience.
>I only use E6000 for my gluing needs (except foam to foam, I use that and 3M Super 77 spray adhesive). No burns for me!
>Fur can be dyed with acrylic paints and water, but it's a pain in the ass and shouldn't be relied upon for large areas. If you absolutely have to do this, try to start with a color as close to the color you're going for as possible.
>In my testing, Createx airbrush paints were most wash-safe.
>Tails are three dimensional! Using just two pattern pieces will leave you having to adjust it with darts and/or gussets and may make hiding seams difficult. I have NEVER made a two-sided tail like this.
>Proportions, proportions, proportions! I know it's tough to hide human shapes, but putting big honking feet on a realistic suit, or ears two sizes too big/small, or having a big dome skull in the back will really throw off the look.
>I handsew EVERYTHING, even bodysuits. I feel I can hide seams a lot better this way. Always push your fur through the seam to the right side and pin before sewing any way. It's fur being trapped in the seams that makes them show, because that fur is then missing from the outside of the suit!
>To help with symmetry, use a mirror and/or photo editing software to flip the image you're looking at. Staring at the same view for hours/days/weeks/months will make the subtle asymmetries sort of blend in. Seeing the flip-side will draw your attention to the problem areas. Another method is taking a front on shot, dividing it in half down the muzzle, then making two composite images from flips of the same side of the face (two left half face and two right half face). It helps to see which side you want to adjust.
>Apoxie sculpt is smoothed with water. It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realize that >.>;; It also cures to the consistency of FREAKING DIAMOND, so be double careful to have things set right while they're curing! It can be sanded and tooled very well though.
That's enough for tonight I think! I'll add more when I can think of them X3 Feel free to prompt me!
Click here! ---> Check out my Monster Manual! <--- Click here!
MONSTER LIST OF TUTORIALS AND TIPS
WWW.MORDRUDESMONSTERS.COM
http://www.furaffinity.net/full/7193928/
Because there's literally no orange fur out there that's in the ranges you mentioned..
For the record, though, this is why I don't personally take projects with unnatural colors, the fur choices are severely limited and I'm not willing to compromise on my work.
Might have to get a swatch on that rust cubby fur
Thanking you heaps =)
I am so happy I found your tutorials here!!