Wolf Partial Head WIP (image heavy)

[Daakshi]

Random update. I have made a pipe as a prop for Manfred, until I can buy an actual bubble pipe. It also looks like a marshmallow, unfortunately.

[Daakshi]

Bought fur valuing 130$ for 66$! I love sales. I got enough fur to make a cat partial for my boyfriend too! I ordered resin claws from Monoyasha for the hands and feetpaws. Can't wait for them to come in the mail!

[Daakshi]

Photos of Manny with neck attached and nose painted and attached!






Why hello thar!

[Giri]

You've done an absolutely excellent job! He looks great!

Go sales go!

Super exicited for your work now ^^

[Daakshi]

All righty, finally finished the eyes. Installation was a bit difficult, as was handpainting the irises. (if anyone knows of a good way to seal acrylic paint onto plastic so that it does not chip off I would be very grateful)







Excuse the funny looking neck, he looks better when I am standing.

[Dinsu]

Clear spray paint or acrylic sealer can help. You can also buy acrylic that is made for painting on plastic.
Make sure you prime the surface properly.. Just washing it well with Dawn first and then rubbing alcohol works sometimes. Obviously buying a plastic primer would be the more expensive and fancy route. xD
Mod podge is a secret weapon I try on most surfaces with mixed results.

Good luck! (: You should be posting this here -> http://community.livejournal.com/fursuit/
You'll get a lot of feedback and get to show off.

[Daakshi]

Okay, after a long hiatus, Manfred now has a foot! I will be finishing up his second foot tonight!


disregard the armband. I was modeling the foot with my hand inside.




TOES!

[Daakshi]

I've finally gotten my claws in! So Manfred has two clawed feet and one clawed handpaw. I just have to sew up the other handpaw. Pictures will be up soon.

[Lady Serpent]

RE: sealing the eyes:  You can also just use regular liquid glue; the white kind that dries clear and ends up waterproof.  As long as you get a nice, even coat down, it will hold forever and gives a nice gloss effect, too.

Great progress so far!  I dig the cuff above the foot. 

I would suggest attempting to trim the fur on the face (and even between the toes, if you're keen to experiment), to give some variety.  It pulls the character together by creating something a bit more 'natural'.  Shortening the fur on the nose and around the eyes can be a good place to start.

Of course, you can certainly leave it all the same length if you like the effect.

Fantastic job on the nose, and the mouth area as well.  Great job all around; looking forward to seeing how the rest of it comes out.

Keep the pictures coming; 
-Lady Serpent

[Daakshi]

Thanks! the cuff is actually mine for normal wear actually. I like how he's shaggy, I would shave him, but i have absolutely no idea how, and I don't have the money to buy clippers, so I'd have to use scissors... I finished the paws today, but I am not happy with the size of the pawpads, so I am in the process of ripping them off and cutting them smaller. He has one white paw (just the underside) and one grey paw. I also redid the eyes to try and do a follow effect. I have much better vision out of them now, which with wonky eyes like me, I need all the sight I can get.

I will just post the links to the pictures, so that I don't use up a crazy amount of space.

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff488/Rachel_Marsan/P2161870.jpg
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff488/Rachel_Marsan/P2161867.jpg
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff488/Rachel_Marsan/P2161868.jpg
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff488/Rachel_Marsan/P2161866.jpg
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff488/Rachel_Marsan/P2161865.jpg

EDIT: I finished redoing the pawpads.

Right paw:

Left paw:

[Lady Serpent]

I actually quite like the size of the pawpads on the hands in the previous shots.  They don't look bad now, either.  The one thing you had really going for you in the first set was that great, natural shape.  They still look fine now, but they're much more rounded and thus lose that 'natural' feel.  It's very clear that you took the time to do a good job on this.

The claws look great, as do the toes.  Very nice job in making the toes separate from each other.  It adds a lot of effect to shape the feet in that way.

I notice there's no thumbpads.  That's an interesting choice; did you prefer the four-pad look to give it a more animal-like appearance?

Trimming fur can seem overwhelming if you've never done it, but it's really quite easy.  Just taking small amounts down with scissors in strategic areas, such as along the margins of the long part of the nose, or off the edges of the muzzle, can really add a lot of effect and make the face look more realistic.  (Gives you some depth to the fur, so it's not all appearing one length.  The ears and hand/footpaws seem to be quite fine the way they are.  Maybe also a tiny trimming between the eyes, just so that you can see them a bit more clearly when viewing the head straight on, could be beneficial.

Looks great so far.  Have you done a tail, as well?

Cheers;
-Sephren

[Daakshi]

Yeah, I decided to keep with the four pawpads in order to feel more natural. The only reason I rounded out the pawpads, is that I could not bend my fingers... Vinyl isn't very flexible. >.< I have trimmed the hand and feet paws to round out the toes, which helps a lot. The tail is the thing I have been putting off till last... I have to hand sew everything (I don't have access to a sewing machine) I wanted to keep the part with the most sewing till last, so I could work on it off and on whenever I feel like. One question though, is a foam core viable? I don't really have enough stuffing to stuff a full tail...

[bloodredruby]

Foam could work for a tail, but how you manipulate it will determine the flexability of your tail.

If you want a stiffer, more static tail, use the foam as a solid core and stitch the fur to fit very closely to the foam core.

If you want a tail that is slightly more...well, limp, but has good movement, tear or cut the foam into small pieces and use it as stuffing, making sure you stuff the tail loosely so that it can still swing and move freely.

[Lady Serpent]

Yep.  And to add to Ruby's advice, if you're cutting/ripping the foam, don't pack it in too tightly or you'll end up with the same 'stiff and solid' effect as a whole foam core.  Just loose packing should be fine.  It'll still be heavier overall than stuffing, but as long as you make the belt attachment a strong and tight one, you shouln't have a durability problem.

I generally also seal my (multiple) seams on a belt attachment strip with epoxy to make sure they never come apart.  Hot glue works fine, as well.

Cheers;
-Lady Serpent

[Daakshi]

When wearing Manfred's head, I have noticed that it gets REALLY hot inside... Like within a couple minutes I can't breathe. So... I cut his jaw open and gave him some gums (I don't have anything to make teeth or a tongue yet) and he now has a semi-moving jaw! It actually closes when I open my mouth... >< Ah well. I'm not prepared to completely tear him apart to make the jaw movement any better.

Now i can breathe and possibly drink. (if I had a super long straw or something)

I am also kicking myself for making indoor only slipper feet... Now I have to make a shoe based pair too... And I've almost run out of fur. ><

[bloodredruby]

You don't necessarily have to make a whole new pair of feet. You do have a couple of options.

First, you can make yourself a pair of sandals for your indoor feet. If you make them right, you don't even really notice them, they are removeable, and they protect your indoor feet when you are outside.

The other option is to make a pair of oversized "shoes" that are totally separate from your main feet. These can look great, especially with a partial that is meant to be worn with your normal clothing. Pick a shoe style you like, say, converse or runners, and build your "shoes" to look like them, with outdoor bottoms. They are made in much the same style as making feet, however, they are (generally) not as complicated to create, and are much less expensive, because you don't need fur to make them. Also, because they are over-sized, it looks like you have them over top of fur suit feet.

[Daakshi]

Turns out I had enough fur for outdoor feet! And a tail! I made my tail short, because otherwise it would drag on the stairs. >.<

So Manfred consists of:
A head
Handpaws with long sleeves
Short tail
Indoor feet
Outdoor feet

Full set:
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff488/Rachel_Marsan/P2271892.jpg

Tail, two views:
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff488/Rachel_Marsan/P2241890.jpg
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff488/Rachel_Marsan/P2241889.jpg

New outdoor feet:
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff488/Rachel_Marsan/P2231888-1.jpg

I will post a picture of Manfred's new teeth and tongue soon.

[Lady Serpent]

That's looking really good, Daakshi.  I love what you've done with the toe colouration.  Such a tiny little tail!  Seems to work well, though.  Makes your butt look cute. 

Nice job getting the fur all facing in the right direction.

Thanks for posting pics;
-Sephren