This was posted in my HyenaGirl account, but posting it in here in case some don't follow both accounts:

So we found a great piece of property. The limiting factors for finding property are what counties we can be in and if they're commutable to Crocuta's job. We are down to only 2 counties. We found a property in one county that we could put the sanctuary in (had a house and, well and county water plus flat clear area for enclosures), then the parcel went pending. The offer got pulled a month later because the buyers couldn't get financing. It's back up for grabs and we're racing against the current buyers. Who can get financing first? D:

Once we secure a property (not going to say it's this one, could be another one), then it's time to raise money to get enclosures. The sanctuary is required to have minimum double fencing to USDA standards. Our enclosures are going to have room for the hyenas to stretch their legs, so fencing costs are going to be super high. Here's what it boils down to:

13 hyenas
8 Enclosures (plus a secondary enclosure)
5 months to do this in.

We have 5 months to scramble this together.... D: We've already had to jump through hoops at the bank and funding to get the property still isn't secure.

How much do we need? It depends. Fencing materials alone (this does not include labor, delivery, etc) are around $40K Plus we'll need a concrete footing around the fencing. I could see if a company can donate materials by then, but we're running against the clock. We might not have our non-profit for a while and companies might not be willing to donate if you don't have the sure-fire nonprofit status.

Here's my plant of action:

Get property

Work on squiring non-profit status.

Make website that shows pictures of the hyenas future homes. Try to raise funds.... try to get fencing put up in a very short amount of time....

Some how acquire a truck that can haul an enclosed stock/horse trailer (has to be all enclosed and have A/C).

Go get hyenas in May.

I have a few ideas for fund raisers, they're long shots so the payout can be great, but the chances of it happening are small. I usually do good with long shots but there's 13 hyenas in the balance here.

Food and daily operating costs have already been negotiated. The upkeep for the hyenas will be very little. The enclosures are designed to be low-maintenance.

Right now I have 2 suits left in the Queue. Hoping to get the property down in Texas soon so I can start work on the Hyena Sanctuary.

I'll also be starting a different type of business, totally unrelated to furry, but it has a lot of potential for growth and if it does well, it will fully support the hyena sanctuary and create jobs for people who need them. Granted, this might take a few years.

With that being said, in the future, you'll probably see less new fursuits from me as I focus on a grander picture. Still considering doing a sanctuary benefit though. HMMMM. I'll need $$$ to build enclosures. Even if we build them, materials for 8 good-sized enclosures (which has to be double-fenced by law) are not cheap.

Free Bird (Lynrd Skynrd) is a great song in meaning and melody. Plus the guitar solo and drum combo is amazing reminds me a lot of Tool's Sober.

Inspired by Beetlecat

I recently changed my style of suits, so I will focus on the new style. Basically I make everything from scratch with the exception of Latex pads for the feet, which are made by Running Wolf Productions and the fur, which I buy. Nothing wrong with outsourcing as long as you give credit. Running Wolf Productions is much better as slushing latex than I am and they already have the molds, so it makes sense. Time is money and for the price they charge, it's not that much more for them to make the latex pads.

Heads:

I sometimes do heads first or last, depending. I slush cast it in either resin or soft 2 part foam in a mold that I made from a sculpture I made myself. Once the head is cast and out gassed, I (well, that's Crocuta's job right now) Dremel out where the eyes will go, cut off the flashing and drill out the nostrils.

Next I paint the eyes which I cast, and then I put them into the head and seal the backs of the eyes. Then I hinge the jaw. Once the epoxy resin is cured, Crocuta cuts out the jaws, aome marked areas on the head and sands some more areas down. Then I put in the teeth. Once the teeth are cured, I put in the silicone tongue, Finally I add resistance to the jaw so it can move. I wait until everything is added in, so the jaw is neither too tight or too loose (mostly it would be too loose).

If the head is cast foam, same process really but you use a razor blade instead of a Dremel (can't make nostril holes though). Now I made ears, but I will be changing what I made ears out of soon to a more durable material. Ears are flexivle right now.

Now I put in a balaclava (used to buy these, but I like my sewn ones, MUCH cooler) and adhere some padding. Now I can tape the head to be patterned. Cut out patterns, cut out fur. Hand sew fur together, so it's like a skin. Add adhesive to the resin head and slowly worth the fur over it. Now ad the ear fur. I like to hand sew the fur onto the ears and not use glue.

Trim/shave fur on head (which takes a couple of hours, I go slow). Sew a neck on (usually hand sew) then airbrush some details/ shading/ highlights.

Head is done now.

Hand paws are sewn by hand around the fingers and machine sewn down the arm. Some paws are entirely hand sewn. Add claws and silicone paw pads (which are cast earlier or later). I like to get all my body suit and hansewing done first.

Feet are machine sewn from a pattern based off of the person's shoe size. I carve out toes. I like fur and pads on the bottom of my feet since you feel more and the foot is more flexible (I like walking on my toes in suit). Sandals can always be made/worm if you want to go outside if the area looks gross. Pads are put in before furring and claws are after. My older/toony style of feet were made much differently. New realistic feet are based off of socks or neoprene booties, old feet were based off of shoes.

Tail. Machine sew on a pattern. I make all my patterns for the tails on a individual basis out of cardboard so I can throw it away when I'm done. No two tails are alike. If there are spots, well, we hand sew those.

Body suits: I used to make it based off of a muslin pattern I would sew to fit the body, however I'm going to be trying a different way (again, needing a DTD). I hand sew my zippers as it tends to hide the seam better. I also hand sew any complex markings that is too hard to do on my machine. Any padding is made out of reticulated type of foam and it is sewn into the fursuit. Airbrush done if needed after body suit is finished.

Well that's how I make a fursuit. Usually i make the body suit and hands first. Or I'll sculpt the head first if I need to sculpt a head. Pigments in paint are custom blended from carbon based pigments and I blend my own silicone colors from different mineral pigments. Not much different than mixing pain colors.

Time to start posting new suits! Weee. Also going to be raising prices very soon. Starting price for a realistic suit is going to be $1650 (cost of materials and time have gone up quite a bit). Still at a lower price, but it takes me 35-40 hours to make the head alone.

This is an often misinformed subject. The only product I recommend to spray in your fursuit head to keep it smelling fresh and be bacteria-free is vodka in a spray bottle. I do no recommend Fabreeze, Lysol, Enbac, etc. These are all dangerous to keep in a close environment close to your head. You're not suppose to breathe any of these in or have them come in contact with your eyes or indirectly ingest them. Endbac is indeed used in hospitals, but according to Johnson Wax, they are to be used on non-porous surfaces or hard porous surfaces, none of which you are to in hale.

Vodka is inexpensive and more safer to use next to your head than any of these products. It's a natural disinfectant. The alcohol quickly evaporates and is safe if you breathe it in. Alcohol in hand sanitizer is loads more toxic actually (different type). Vodka has been proven to reduce skin breakouts too as it astringents and tightens your pours.

If you're too young to buy vodka then buy some white vinegar I guess,

So, outside for the fur of the head, I use Armor All interior spray to condition the fur and help keep it stain-resistant. Just spray on very lightly and brush in with a slicker. When it dries, lightly brush again and your fur will be soft and shiny once more. On the inside, spray with vodka.

To the Asylum that is! I now have adspace on the Delusions from A Padded Cell Blog. The owner,  AsylumCat was looking for a fursuit builder who was not shy, but rather outspoken that they make adult themed fursuits. I'm a risk taker, so why not take the plunge? His blog is already has a target audience. Now that I've committed myself to the Asylum, I decided to start branding my suits under a "studio name" (even though the suits are made in the living room) and have a logo. Logos are cool, I'll be able to do a lot with it.

Will there be drama? Probably. Will people think this is outlandish and disgusting at the same time?Yes. Does this bother me? No. I like the idea of being in the same category as the adult sex toy industry. Something I always had in the back of my mind of since I was 18. Many people already do adult things in their animal costumes they spent thousands on. It makes sense, if you're spending this much money on a luxury item that can drastically alter your outwardly appearance to make yourself attractive and give you more self-confidence than any amount of therapy would, of course you want to have sex in it.

HG

Edited on February 24th, 2012 to reflect quality of work and cost of materials. It takes me much longer to make a realistic suit than it does a toony suit, even if I'm casting the head. If it takes me 20 hours to make a toony suit head, it takes me 35-40 for a realistic head (just to give you guys an idea). I am only doing commissions for heads. full fursuits, partials and body sutis. Prices given are for basic 1-3 colors, no spots, stripes or other distinct/complex markings Markings are charged by a per-case basis, according to the concept art. Prices include your choice of eye: glass, 3D/follow me, or toony 2D plastic. Moving or static jaw is also included in the price.

Listed prices DO NOT include shipping. Shipping is based on your location and courier. We are proud to be one of the few (if only) fursuit studios FedEx certified to ship fragile materials.

For TOONY SUITS:

Heads: $450+

Partials (head, hands feet, tail): $700+

Partials sans feet: $600+

Full Suits (G rated, murry/yiffy): $1200+

Body Suit (murry or not): $500+


For REALISTIC SUITS:

Heads: $550+

Partials (head, hands, feet, tail): $1000

Full Suits (G rated or yiffster option): $1650

Body Suit (G rated or murr purr): $650



Murrsuits/body suits can come with an attached sheath or a hidden zipper. Optional sheath shorts can be made ($30+) to go with suits that have a hidden zipper. This allows the client to be able to use one body suit for all occasions, tame or naughty.