OMG he is sooo flooofy.

XD That's because he needs a good shave. At least on parts of him. :3

He kinda looks cute like that.
but I guess that would be a bit much around the muzzle.

Yeahhhh. I'm probably going to start shaving him in a few minutes too, will post pics when I'm done. :3

Hi Erik,
Thanks for providing a photo of your mask before going through the shaving process. It seems the trend is to have masks that a are shaved, which tends to make the masks look the same. Perhaps the reason is to make the mask look less of a sheep dog and give more expression to the face. I typically do not shave my masks and really depend on the fabric length that I have. However, when building Corn Husky in 2010, I have used a vacuum hair-trimmer to incrementally reduce the 2" pile-length fur to a more appropriate length at various parts of the costume.

Good luck with the trimming. I will be curious to see how it turns out.
Cheers,
---> Wally

I shaved this one, but not completely; I almost always leave some areas unshaven. It was kind of necessary on the husky because it would've looked shapeless otherwise. (and been impossible to see out of the vents, to boot!)

I think a vacuum trimmer would be really helpful, especially as I dread trimming because it gets fur EVERYWHERE. XP

Thanks!

Hi Erik,
Thanks for your response. I have perused your "This looks terrible" photo. I think I know what direction you are going for, and so far it looks good. I cannot help you with air-brushing, since I have not done it.

The vacuum not only helped in limiting the fur mess, but also ensure that the fur length stays the same as the fur gets pulled up by the vacuum.

I completely understand in trying to get good vision, especially perspective vision. That is what I try to do, even to the extent to ensure that I can roller-blade or catch a ball in costume.

I can understand the frustrations in building a character. I too with every costume I built make the statement... "I cannot do this!" Be patient, keep your vision and be flexible to a variety of ideas.
Cheers,
---> Wally

Your words are very heartening. :) Unfortunately, with the limits of my technique and skill and equipment, this is probably the best I can do on this particular head at the moment. Really, all I can do is shrug, and do better next time.

I'm really trying to get some practice at the moment, since I'm hoping to work up to taking commissions. :\