# Fursuit heads made of clay? (New suit maker)



## Kiu (Apr 23, 2013)

I have a concept made for a new suit I'm making. I've made one before out of just foam: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/8545880/
I thought it was nice when I made it but I don't like looking at it now. I've looked more into fursuits and I'm sure I can make a better one now!

Ok, so I was wondering if fursuits could be made like animegao (those are the anime head masks), but with fur?

I have a bunch of foam so I can make it out of foam, but I consider clay too (I know it's heavy, but it's also really sturdy and holds it shape well).
I also want using a wig (or two I mean) for hair for more of the anime look. The fur hair I made before was a disaster even though I can make it better now because I've done it more recently. (I know the eyes in this one follow, but it was meant for another before I changed it to this one. I want stationary eyes; I already have a good plan for them so nothing is needed)







And I have another question. I want to make a full suit, but the character wears clothes. Does the fur make the clothes look lumpy underneath? 
Would it be ok to just make the legs arms and tail, and then have the dress on top?
this is the body: 





I am thinking that it might make the arms and legs look really big if there's no fur underneath, but could I add padding under the dress to make up for it, or is making a full suit the only option? I want to minimize the amount of fur I use, so if making a partial suit is a realistic option, I will gladly choose it. (If I make the partial, I will have the legs up to the waist-belt)
I know padding because I helped a friend making butt and leg padding for a fursuit.
(I like tiny feet, just a fun fact!)
I'm giving myself time as I need it for July.

I guess I'd also like a critique on the character design!

Thank you for your help in advanced!

-Kiu


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## Jaseface (Apr 23, 2013)

Well a partial is perfect for you if your character is always going to be wearing a dress but the part that worries me is if you make the head out of clay as you said in your post it will be heavy, but It would also be fragile and I'm not sure how well clay will be when it comes to how hot the head would get.  PS, I love the character design and I wish you the best of luck on this project.


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## Kiu (Apr 23, 2013)

Jaseface said:


> Well a partial is perfect for you if your character is always going to be wearing a dress but the part that worries me is if you make the head out of clay as you said in your post it will be heavy, but It would also be fragile and I'm not sure how well clay will be when it comes to how hot the head would get. PS, I love the character design and I wish you the best of luck on this project.



I figure I like fursuits more with clothes for more character.
Airdry clay is very sturdy so I'm not worried about it being fragile. The clay would be .25 inches thick. It's heavy but not too heavy. It also leaves a lot of room inside the head for air as opposed to foam.
But I don't think I'm experienced enough to try it. Maybe I should try with animegao first? Haha!

And thank you!


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## Jaseface (Apr 23, 2013)

Yeah mine when I'm done with it will be a fullsuit and I'm making an extra set of arm sleaves so I can have it be a partial to (Best of both worlds lol) and I know what you mean about having experience this one will be my first too.  If you start on bringing the character to life I would love to see pictures of your WIP.  I think I have to look into animegao cause I don't believe I have seen one before.


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## Kiu (Apr 23, 2013)

Jaseface said:


> Yeah mine when I'm done with it will be a fullsuit and I'm making an extra set of arm sleaves so I can have it be a partial to (Best of both worlds lol) and I know what you mean about having experience this one will be my first too.  If you start on bringing the character to life I would love to see pictures of your WIP.  I think I have to look into animegao cause I don't believe I have seen one before.


Oh maybe I should do something like that... I don't think I have enough fur for it! I've had this fur for I think three years now, time to put it to use.
I would love to take progress pictures! I was thinking about it and I think I'll just make this one out foam and save clay for the future since it's more expensive and I already have foam. :/

Oh! Here are some examples: http://25.media.tumblr.com/f51cb491049bd33d72df498bcca75b00/tumblr_mjsaggCtRX1qdgcawo1_500.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/8a68d0ed9a30f19913d25c48bf28d267/tumblr_mgheavDxrW1qdgcawo1_500.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/cad9242fca4f439d64155dfbf96fe4bf/tumblr_mgdd24zzsL1rjadpto4_1280.jpg


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## Jaseface (Apr 23, 2013)

Those masks are actually kind of cool.  I can't believe I haven't seen them before since a lot of my friends are huge anime fans.


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## DMAN14 (Apr 23, 2013)

Hmmm I would be worried about the weight, heat, and I dont know if it could get cracked. I have a bad vision of it cracking somehow while your wearing it and injure yourself. hmmmm if you decide to go through with it, I would love to know how it works out. I may look into making/getting a fursuit this summer.


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## Kiu (Apr 23, 2013)

Jaseface said:


> Those masks are actually kind of cool.  I can't believe I haven't seen them before since a lot of my friends are huge anime fans.


I know many people actually don't know about them. The animegao community is pretty small and most of the people in Japan have their own community so it's not easy to find people who know about them AND are into them. A lot of people find them creepy. :/

Do you know if it's customary to make a progress thread and follow through until the end? I have done it on another forum site about sculpting where it was normal, but I don't know about here since I rarely ever go here... ?


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## Kiu (Apr 23, 2013)

DMAN14 said:


> Hmmm I would be worried about the weight, heat, and I dont know if it could get cracked. I have a bad vision of it cracking somehow while your wearing it and injure yourself. hmmmm if you decide to go through with it, I would love to know how it works out. I may look into making/getting a fursuit this summer.



It's customary to make animegao masks with clay or paper mache, so it's a normal thing that shouldn't crack if it's made right. It just depends on the material you use and how thick you lay it on, that way it shouldn't be too heavy since it should only be about 1/4 in. thick.
I will definitely try clay eventually! I just don't think about this one now haha. But when I do I guess I'll have to post about it!


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## Jaseface (Apr 23, 2013)

Kiu said:


> I know many people actually don't know about them. The animegao community is pretty small and most of the people in Japan have their own community so it's not easy to find people who know about them AND are into them. A lot of people find them creepy. :/
> 
> Do you know if it's customary to make a progress thread and follow through until the end? I have done it on another forum site about sculpting where it was normal, but I don't know about here since I rarely ever go here... ?



I can see how people can find them to be creepy even though they look cool.  I'm not completely sure about the progress thread cause I know this forum has a thing about "Necroing" threads but if I'm correct its only if the poster who necro'd the thread doesn't add anything that is new or relevant to the thread.  So I would think a progress thread would be ok here since if you do add onto the thread its updates on the progress (I hope I typed that out to make sense lol its 2am here and my brain is not wanting to keep up) I would double check with a mod on that but from my understanding they should be ok.


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## Ozriel (Apr 23, 2013)

You are probably better off using Resin for both durability, sturdiness, and the fact it sin't as encumbersome as clay than clay, especially if you plan on adding fur or anything.


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## mirepoix (Apr 23, 2013)

Maaan, I just don't trust air dry clay and papier mache for an environment that is going to be as sweaty as a mask.  Resin is lightweight, sturdy and very sandable.  Clay is great for making an original sculpt, but I don't recommend it for a finished mask.  It would be very heavy, and if it cracks in half, you're SOL.  Check out RinRin's blog for some progress pictures on how she made her Iris mask.  She used polyester resin and fiberglass, which is what some car body panels and boats are made out of.  Unfortunately, MEKP catalyst and fiberglass are veeeery toxic, so you need to take a lot of safety precautions.  You can also use safer urethane resins like lots of fursuiters use, but it lacks the same sandability and strength of fiberglass resin.  It's pretty easy to use, though.  Check out this tutorial for how to use urethane resin and silicone.  (I personally prefer Smooth-Cast 65D because it is easier to slush around.)  I have tried both techniques (with a now outdated sculpt) and honestly, fiberglass is a pain in the patootie.  Urethane isn't as strong, but shit, it's not a boat hull, it's a costume mask.

HOWEVER, plenty of prop makers make things out of paper, then reinforce them with fiberglass.  This is how people make DIY Master Chief Cosplays.  I did a little googling and found this tutorial, but I am sure there are other, better ones.  If you want to skip the mold making process, you could try making it out of thin papier mache, then reinforcing it with fiberglass resin.  RinRin is doing some experimenting using these techniques, as you can see on her blog.

Buuuut you're covering it in fur, right?  You may not need the ultimate smoothness of a kigurumi mask.  Heck I bet foam would work just fine.

I think you should make it a fullsuit, so you don't look like a lolipop.  Buy clothes that are larger than you'd normally wear, then tailor them to fit you wearing the fursuit.

edit:  have you seen Tashiro Yu's tutorial?  http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9787706/  He uses clay, but I still dislike clay *pout*


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## Ozriel (Apr 23, 2013)

mirepoix said:


> Maaan, I just don't trust air dry clay and papier mache for an environment that is going to be as sweaty as a mask.  Resin is lightweight, sturdy and very sandable.  Clay is great for making an original sculpt, but I don't recommend it for a finished mask.  It would be very heavy, and if it cracks in half, you're SOL.  Check out RinRin's blog for some progress pictures on how she made her Iris mask.  She used polyester resin and fiberglass, which is what some car body panels and boats are made out of.  Unfortunately, MEKP catalyst and fiberglass are veeeery toxic, so you need to take a lot of safety precautions.  You can also use safer urethane resins like lots of fursuiters use, but it lacks the same sandability and strength of fiberglass resin.  It's pretty easy to use, though.  Check out this tutorial for how to use urethane resin and silicone.  (I personally prefer Smooth-Cast 65D because it is easier to slush around.)  I have tried both techniques (with a now outdated sculpt) and honestly, fiberglass is a pain in the patootie.  Urethane isn't as strong, but shit, it's not a boat hull, it's a costume mask.
> 
> HOWEVER, plenty of prop makers make things out of paper, then reinforce them with fiberglass.  This is how people make DIY Master Chief Cosplays.  I did a little googling and found this tutorial, but I am sure there are other, better ones.  If you want to skip the mold making process, you could try making it out of thin papier mache, then reinforcing it with fiberglass resin.  RinRin is doing some experimenting using these techniques, as you can see on her blog.
> 
> ...




Most fursuit makers that I know of shy away from clay, with the exception of the mother-mold being made out of clay.

But once clay turns to bisque, it's heavy and you'll run into cracks once it gets in contact with moisture.


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## Kiu (Apr 23, 2013)

mirepoix said:


> Maaan, I just don't trust air dry clay and papier mache for an environment that is going to be as sweaty as a mask.



I would be covering the entire surface with a lacquer to make it waterproof. You know what? I forgot I have a container of polyurathane resin haha. It's really liquidy, though. How would I do it with resin if it sinks to the bottom? I rarely use it because it's just for resin copies of figures, but I never thought of using it for a head! Would it work like urathane resin? 

Your suggestion about buying cloths is implying that I would not make them but alter them? Or use bigger fitting clothes as a pattern? Just wondering. I make all my own costume clothing so I am confused there. I'll see if I have enough fur to make a full suit. But does it make the clothes lumpy and bumpy? If it does, is there any way to ensure smoothness? D:

I have seen that tutorial on pixiv a long time ago! I think that's what inspired me to make fursuits since I have always liked kemono drawings.


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## Dokid (Apr 23, 2013)

Kiu said:


> I would be covering the entire surface with a lacquer to make it waterproof. You know what? I forgot I have a container of polyurathane resin haha. It's really liquidy, though. How would I do it with resin if it sinks to the bottom? I rarely use it because it's just for resin copies of figures, but I never thought of using it for a head! Would it work like urathane resin?
> 
> Your suggestion about buying cloths is implying that I would not make them but alter them? Or use bigger fitting clothes as a pattern? Just wondering. I make all my own costume clothing so I am confused there. I'll see if I have enough fur to make a full suit. But does it make the clothes lumpy and bumpy? If it does, is there any way to ensure smoothness? D:
> 
> I have seen that tutorial on pixiv a long time ago! I think that's what inspired me to make fursuits since I have always liked kemono drawings.



Well clay will be much too brittle. Even the strong stuff. you'd be much better off using the clay for a mother mold like Ozriel said. That way you can then make a ton of copies and as many as you want. 

With resin you'll want to slowly turn the mask so that it coats the entire mold. Don't just pour and let it puddle at the bottom.

What you can do is make the fur more skin tight and use something like Mink instead of shag. This way it'll lay flatter and won't be as in the way with clothes. Try looking up that boob bear suit. As much as I hate that thing it still serves as a good example for a skin tight suit using faux fur.


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## Ozriel (Apr 23, 2013)

Like what Dokid said. Once you create a silicone mold from the mother mold, you'll have to slush it around to make sure it covers every bit of the mold form. Cure time depends on the resin. You can either use Smooth-On 65D or Smooth-on 325. If you want something easier to slush, use the former. 

Unless you are baking the clay in a kiln after glazing it, bisqueware is still brittle and subject to cracking once it comes in contact with moisture, both atmospheric and biological.


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## Kiu (Apr 23, 2013)

Like I said, if I would make it of clay (which doesn't seem like a probability now), it would be of air dry (stone powder) clay and covered with a lacquer to make it waterproof.
The resin I have has a really quick cure time of about 2 minutes. Does the resin stick to already cured resin? I imagine I may have to do a couple times if it's that quick and to get it around the entire head.
So would you suggest I could make a base head of clay, make a mold of plaster or something, and then line that with resin? How thick should the resin be for it to be most efficient? Thank you!
And skintight huh? I didn't think about it. Would it be ok to shave the fur or just make it neater by getting the short stuff? I don't think shaving it is a good idea, nevermind haha!


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## mirepoix (Apr 24, 2013)

What resin do you have?  I use Smooth Cast 65D, and I watch my resin until it has juuuuust cured, then immediately throw the next layer in.  Beetlecat did a slushing tutorial here, and one of my heroes did a terrible tutorial here.  I think that a mold of just plaster would be difficult to get the resin out of, especially in places like the mouth, or anywhere with undercuts.  Rebound 25, a platinum cure silicone from Smooth-On is suuuper great (I just used some today!)  The Qarrezel tutorial I posted earlier is exactly the technique that I follow.  What's great about silicone is that almost nothing sticks to it, so you don't necessarily need mold release.  It's floppy, so you can gently peel it away from your resin without damaging it.

On my earlier comment about clothing, I was kindof talking out of my butt there, you do whatever you want to do.  What I think i was tryin' to say is wear clothes that fit the fursuit, not necessarily the human underneath.  At cons, you see all the time poofy arms popping out of tiny t-shirt sleeves, or huge stompy feet at the end of skinny jeans.  It really breaks the illusion.

Edit:  Have you joined the Kigurumi Cosplay Society forums?  I just lurk there to feed my addiction to tutorials.  (I... I love tutorials ;__  I think you'll find some relevant information there.


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## Kiu (Apr 24, 2013)

mirepoix said:


> What resin do you have?  I use Smooth Cast 65D, and I watch my resin until it has juuuuust cured, then immediately throw the next layer in.  Beetlecat did a slushing tutorial here, and one of my heroes did a terrible tutorial here.  I think that a mold of just plaster would be difficult to get the resin out of, especially in places like the mouth, or anywhere with undercuts.  Rebound 25, a platinum cure silicone from Smooth-On is suuuper great (I just used some today!)  The Qarrezel tutorial I posted earlier is exactly the technique that I follow.  What's great about silicone is that almost nothing sticks to it, so you don't necessarily need mold release.  It's floppy, so you can gently peel it away from your resin without damaging it.
> 
> On my earlier comment about clothing, I was kindof talking out of my butt there, you do whatever you want to do.  What I think i was tryin' to say is wear clothes that fit the fursuit, not necessarily the human underneath.  At cons, you see all the time poofy arms popping out of tiny t-shirt sleeves, or huge stompy feet at the end of skinny jeans.  It really breaks the illusion.
> 
> Edit:  Have you joined the Kigurumi Cosplay Society forums?  I just lurk there to feed my addiction to tutorials.  (I... I love tutorials ;__  I think you'll find some relevant information there.



Thanks for the tutorials!! I enjoyed Volpin's (and love Daft Punk so even better).
The resin I use is specialty resins. From reviews and what I've worked with, it's very good, and it's also really cheap. It's not that I don't have money, but I share an account with my sister and she doesn't want me wasting so much money on a single project. Especially if it's experimental like this. (Once I get a job I'll have more to spend on what I like!)
Ok so let's see... I might want to make more heads if this works out well with the base, but I don't want to be spending a lot for a silicone mold (because it would be big, and it does cost a lot of money), so I would rather just make a waste mold break it when I'm finished. I read that using vaseline as a mold release agent works with resin, but it's not the easiest to fully clean off. That doesn't cause a problem for me as the resin is underneath anyway and it won't affect painting since there will be none. I have a half gallon bottle of silicone already, but I am only using it for figurines.

Oh I understand. <: I guess I might just make the full suit and then have the clothes on top. I have seen those and that is what I try to avoid. (although the feet part wouldn't apply because I make tiny feet haha!)

yes, I've joined the site a while ago! I forgot about it completely! When I did go on, I just looked at the gallery. I have to visit it more now, thank you for reminding me!


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## Teal (Apr 24, 2013)

Hey OP is this the look you're going for? [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip08JT6iUR0&feature=share&list=UU__S2LkEJ8cPvOUEWVbAd5Q[/yt] ....um, can you guys see the video?


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## Kiu (Apr 24, 2013)

Teal said:


> Hey OP is this the look you're going for? [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip08JT6iUR0&feature=share&list=UU__S2LkEJ8cPvOUEWVbAd5Q[/yt] ....um, can you guys see the video?


 I can't see it on the post but I got the link from the quote! And I am a fan of Rady's heads. Something similar to that yes, but without the moving jaw!

Also I decided to chicken out on the clay/resin/whatever thing and just make it out of foam. I guess I'll save that for my later one when I have more money to put towards it. >: (I have another one planned for a while, so I have design worked.)


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## Teal (Apr 24, 2013)

Stupid coding. How about this OP?


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## Kiu (Apr 24, 2013)

Teal said:


> Stupid coding. How about this OP?



Yes similar to that in a way!! I like the kemono style and it's what I hope to achieve from this .


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