So excited! I'm getting concept art from  kettle!

Now, I want to preface this by saying, I wasn't planning on really -ever- buying art from someone else. I mean, why waste money on something i could essentially do myself?

Buuuut...then I saw the deal Kettle was offering on the LJ Fursuitauctions page: a turnaround concept sheet with the paws, feet, and tail in individual reference AND matching color swatches of faux fur for everything! And for quite a steal! So, I gave her my email and she contacted me. She was so nice about it. I told her I had a vague concept, but no previous character art done. Would that be okay if I gave her a few reference pictures of fruit bats and a description? And she said it would be fine! She even liked my idea.

So far she's been really awesome, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with. I told her I wasn't really that picky about what she does outside of xyz criterion. If this goes really well, I may be doing business with her again in the future.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/612537.....08/5590839241/

Chest piece is missing spots. Spots on one arm need to be finished...as I belatedly realized (an hour ago) that I made two right arms and the left one needs more spots on the other side now. And then I think I'm done. Of course. If anything is amiss, I will be willing to fix it after Keida gets a look at it in person.

Update on the fursuit!

Status: Almost Complete. I have to finish sewing spots on. I'd really like to get an airbrush to do this stuff in the future though. The spots look okay, but not the best that they could. Also it is taking me forever to sew each individual spot on. Oh well. I have yet to complete the chest piece and the right arm, but otherwise I'm very close to being done. Yay!

:) Pictures will come later - Probably on Sunday. I should be done by then.

So, as you might know, I went home this weekend to spend time with my family. While there, I got a crap ton done on Keida's Svelle suit. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me so the majority of the progress is undocumented. :(

BUT I DO HAVE AN UPDATE PHOTO(s)!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/612537.....n/photostream/

The eyes are not finished, so they look creepy. Everything is unspotted as I have started to handsew that on tonight. And some elastic around the armbands. And to cover up the seams at the arms. And the hair.

Um, yeah. PROGRESS.

So I have been working on Kieda's head and I have some good news and some bad news. Nothing serious, but annoying annoying none the less.

Good news, head is completely sculpted; bad news, I don't have a camera back here at home.
Good news, the jaw now springs back into place; bad news, the underside of the jaw may be too weak.
Good news, the eyes have been fixed; bad news, the eyelids are back at campus.
Good news, I'm at the stage where I can start putting on the fur; bad news, due to my doubt the jaw, I might have to put that off; bad news, if I cant start putting the fur on the jaw, I'm not sure I can begin the chest piece with weekend.
Good news, I should be able to finish the arms and tail this weekend.

I also do not have internet access (I am telling my BF what to type on his computer back at campus) so I will not be able to give any other updates until Monday when I return. I will be sure to fill you all in on the progress I made over the weekend as soon as I can.

(dictated by Vorpal)

I know have Keida's head for her memorial character Svelle!

I am super excited as I am already planning on how to deconstruct and then reconstruct the head.

UPDATE: [x] means completed so far.
Stages:

[x]Remove fur
[x]Remove eyes
[x]Remove upper skull
[x]Carve away forehead
[x]Lower the back of the skull
[ ]Reattach top of the skull
[ ]Remove jaw
[ ]Push jaw back approx 1"
[ ]Reattach jaw
[x]Add extra foam over nose for easier slope
[x]Remove eyelids from eyes
[x]Reshape area around eyes for more natural shape
[ ]Redo spots with fur fabric
[ ]Brush out fur for softer consistency
[ ]Reapply (and finish) spotted fur over ALL of the head
[ ]Attach eyes
[ ]Create chest piece
[ ]Redo "finished" arm
[ ]Create other arm
[ ]Create Tail

And this must all be done by two Wed. from now so she can wear it to FCN!

Now how's that for a first fursuitting job?

*fingers crossed* Hope this goes well - and fast! But I know that I am doing a super favor for a friend, and I will get a good reference and good pictures if it goes as well as I hope.

Will be posting a "stop motion" vid of progress when I start (prob. Thursday, so I can work on it all this weekend).

Just as a warning: the majority of my posts on this site will PROBABLY be about fursuits I am doing and cons/furmeets I attend. It may get redundant. Or it might just be super amazing.

That being said, let's talk about fursuits. I am really excited because I have a few new projects that I am working on.

Project 1: Character concept and fursuit design.

I really want to become THE go-to artist for mythical and unusual characters. Of course, I really want to create wolves, dogs, dragons, foxes, felines, etc. too. But I really want to be known for doing amazing semi-realistic unusual species.

For example, my fursona is now a Frumious Bandersnatch named Aspen. Because of Lewis Carroll's vague description of the bandersnatch, I was able to create my own design based off of my interpretation of his words. I used a few other sources for ideas.

My mate is going to be a Qi'Lin/Chi'Lin/Chinese Unicorn. I am extremely excited about the idea. For this design, I have used various designs from ancient artists, stone statues, and a few modern renderings to get the image I want. Of course, I also included some of the things he wanted (such as a full mane) into the design as well.

Some other designs I'm currently toying with: Jabberwocky, Cheshire Cat (not that unusual, I know), El Chupacabra, Loch Ness Monster, and Chimera (traditional). I also would like to do an Okapi eventually.

Project 2: Creating a set of hooves for my mate(?) and paws for myself.

While I have the foam for the project, today we will be going to the store to get material for the bases of the feet and fur to cover it all. I will also be looking at the prices of suggested material for hooves, claws, and pawpads. Unfortunately, I will be unable to fully start this project until next weekend when I can go pick up the foam from my mom's house. Sadface.

It will be something to add to my new furry-oriented portfolio though.

Project 3: Creating a pair of digitigrade legs for my mate.

With the foam left over from Project 1 (yes, with capitalization), I plan to craft a part of digitigrade partials. I am using my mate as the form for this project since I feel it will be easier to try it first on someone else than on myself.

Something to add to my portfolio also.

Project 4: Fixing, furring, and detailing head.

This is the project I'm most excited about. One of my friends got ripped off by another artist. She paid the girl to create a partial for her. She wanted everything completed except for the feet. What she got instead was a half finished head that is nothing at all like she wanted and a box full of materials sent to her.

I have offered to rework the foam and finish everything for free. It will be a good experience for me to learn how to work on heads and a good deal for her, instead of hiring someone else to fix it. Also, if I do it right, she can give me a good review and I can get some pictures for my portfolio.

.....SPEAKING OF PORTFOLIO, I have an awesome idea for something involving my portfolio, but I need to run it by my university fur group - BSU Furs - first. *dances in excitement* I can't wait!

Hello everyone!

My name is Vorpal, and my current fursona is a Frumious Bandersnatch who is named Aspen. I AM new(ish) to the furry fandom. So, please bear with with me for a while.

About me: While I am new to the furry fandom as a whole, I became interested in anthropomorphic art about 6 or 7 years ago. Since then, I've had several anthro characters work their way into my stories. I do write; although, not very much as of late. Instead, I spend a lot of my time working on my art. I do sculpture, textiles, and drawing.

For the last month, I have been lurking around Livejournal furry sites. My username is Vorpal_Tree, but I haven't written anything yet. I mostly hang around the fursuit community (How Do You Make Those Animal Costumes?), picking up tips for when I start to work on my own suit. I am hoping that my ability as a sculptor and a seamstress will translate well into creating fursuits. Who knows, maybe one day in the future, you will be buying a fursuit from me!

My motivation for joining this site: I would just like to make a few friends, I think. That's my main motivation for joining. Although, I do hope to gain some more knowledge about the fandom as a whole. My university DOES have a fur club. I haven't been yet (this evening will be my first meeting!), but I hope to connect with a few people there too. I'd love for this whole experience to be a really awesome thing!

-Until next time