# How to make a fursuit head without using foam?



## Alari (Feb 16, 2018)

I never really considered myself a furry, but suddenly, I want a fursuit? HMMM.

Anyway, I was watching videos on how to make a fursuit head, and it occurred to me that it's very difficult not to find one made out of foam.
The only reason this bothers me is that I don't like how cartoonishly large heads tend to be. I'm a bit of a stickler to realism.

I was considering to make one using resin, plaster, plastic, or air clay, but I'd like see what anyone else has to say about these materials first.
Someone on another forum told me that resin would be heavy, which I don't doubt, and I'm sure these materials are easily broken too.

Just want some fresh ideas.

Thanks~!


----------



## Yvvki (Feb 16, 2018)

The point of the foam is that it's light. You can also shape it how you would like. 
So it does not have to be cartoony at all.


----------



## Alari (Feb 16, 2018)

I'm aware that it doesn't have to be cartoony. The foam just adds a lot of extra fluff that kind of inflates the size. If I had a material that could take up about a quarter of an inch instead of 1-2 inches, I think that would suit me better.

Get it. Suit me. Lmao
pun not intended haha


----------



## Pompadork (Feb 16, 2018)

Resin fursuit heads definitely exist! Personally I have no idea how they hold up against foam heads but a lot of times they're used for more realistic heads. Not saying you couldn't use it for a cartoony one but they seem to look best for more sleek and sculpted animals.


----------



## Yvvki (Feb 16, 2018)

you might want to check this out then. I think this is what you were looking for.


----------



## Skakuna (Feb 17, 2018)

I know 3 techniques of making the heads: first if, of course, using foam. On its own or combined with balaclava. Second is using plastic mesh, however you still need pieces of foam if you don't want it to look... well... pointy. And the third one is 3D printing the base.
What NOT to use: cardboard (it's paper, when you sweat it gets ruined and your head 'melts away'), sponges (those will soak much faster than foam and it won't only be horribly smelly very fast but also the black mold will appear and that equals throwing the whole head away), styrofoam (too fragile), paper mache (same as cardboard, but also very fragile).


----------



## Kellan Meig'h (Feb 17, 2018)

Cardboard, moulage, paper mache, air clay or any clay for that matter and plaster of any kind are all a big NO! Foam, resin, fiberglass (if you have the skills), wire screen mesh and plastic mesh are acceptable materials.

If you really wanted it to be light, you would use an epoxy fiberglass composite. You would need negative molds and a place to work with a butt-load of ventilation. The only way to go lighter still is to use a three-layer sandwich of carbon fiber material.


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 18, 2018)

ok I'm not a fursuit maker but I have experience with materials, and resin is going to be less lightweight and probably hotter than a foam base head, especially if you plan to fur it.
you could possibly use some kind of fabric mesh to make a head that's more "skintight" and more realistically proportioned, I think that's what I would do if I was making a fursuit. (I also don't like toony suits)
so that would be more like making a human-sized mask and then just adding animal features on top of that.

maybe there might be tutorials for that kind of style under keywords like "special effects", since more realistic style is more associated with movie special effects rather than the furry fandom, most furries seem to prefer the cartoon mascot style.

it also depends on what species you're trying to make.
For a wolf, dog, or other long snouted animal you will need some kind of "base" like in the videos Yvvki linked. However personally if i was making a cat or short-snouted animal, i probably wouldn't have much of a "base" and the mask would be way more lightweight.


----------



## Kellan Meig'h (Feb 21, 2018)

Inkblooded said:


> ok I'm not a fursuit maker but I have experience with materials, and resin is going to be less lightweight and probably hotter than a foam base head, especially if you plan to fur it.


If you think it would be heavy, then you've never worked with lightweight 'glass cloth and epoxy. Three layers of 3/4 oz Hobbico model aircraft cloth (my favorite), the middle lamination at 45 degrees to the others, makes for a very sturdy and lightweight structure. Thin strips of balsa or model aircraft plywood can be used for reinforcement, too. Also, by making the head 'shell' in epoxy-glass, you can ventilate the crap out of it. If done right, it will be ultra light weight. You can also add fans where your really want them, not where the foam dictated the fans have to live. When you fur the head, you can cut ventilation 'holes' in the fur over the opening in the shell, making additional air flow through the head.

Trust me, foam is hotter than hell. Especially the "Bucket Head" method of construction. There is zilch for air flow, unless you put a fan in the muzzle and if the muzzle is foam, you can't put much of a fan in there, size-wise. Version 0.0 (zero point zero) of the Old Warhorse was foam. No air flow at all. No Bueno. Version 1.0 was three layer epoxy-glass underskull and version 2.0 may very well be two layers of 1/2 oz carbon fiber & epoxy, vac-bagged & cured at a partner's shop. I just have to build the positive buck out of casting stone and cure it to drive out the moisture first. Should end up weighing about 4 to 5 oz for the bare shell with the jaw articulated.


----------

