# Demon Dog WIP Chronicles



## Chaos_Costumes (Apr 29, 2013)

I would like to consolidate here my progress with the Demon Dog suit I've been working on. 
I will graciously accept any critiques and opinions, and am not easily offended. 

The suit will be made out of a Worbla "skull" (Potentially glowing) Resin Eyes, Stretch Velvet, Yarn-Tail, and Ears, and 2 inch pile faux fur. 

Here is the concept sketch:










*****PHOTO ALBUM HERE OF FINISHED COSTUME*****


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## Chaos_Costumes (Apr 29, 2013)

This is the head form I am building in lieu of Clay for me to form the Worbla upon. Jaw set from Ebay, and a taxidermy tongue. 






Added some more canine-like details to the muzzle - mostly the side.


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## Chaos_Costumes (Apr 29, 2013)

Digi Leg: The third picture is shopped a bit to reduce some foam bulk, and make the leg look more elegant.


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## OtisTheDog (Apr 29, 2013)

Fuck me, that thing is scary! xD the suit is looking awesome so far though haha love the teeth, cant wait to see it finished!


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## Dokid (Apr 29, 2013)

Chaos_Costumes said:


> Digi Leg: The third picture is shopped a bit to reduce some foam bulk, and make the leg look more elegant.



On your calves it looks a bit odd just jutting out. I would suggest lengthening it so that it doesn't look so out of place.


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## Chaos_Costumes (Apr 29, 2013)

OtisTheDog said:


> Fuck me, that thing is scary! xD the suit is looking awesome so far though haha love the teeth, cant wait to see it finished!



Thanks! I am glad you think it's scary - it's what I am going for. ^_^ I can't wait to see it either! xD



Dokid said:


> On your calves it looks a bit odd just jutting out. I would suggest lengthening it so that it doesn't look so out of place.



Now that you mention it, they do look a tad off. After I sculpt a more refined shape, I'll post it, and you guys can tell me what you think. 



Also THANK GOD for electric carving knives...


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## Chaos_Costumes (Apr 30, 2013)

Started fleshing out the legs, and took the calf advice. Apparently the Hot Glue fused to the duct tape dummy more than I anticipated. Fingers raw from previous burns, and trying to rip the tape off. However, 3M Super 77 works great, but I am glad I used the hot glue to attach the base structure, otherwise it rips off of the suit a bit too easily.


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## Zabrina (Apr 30, 2013)

That is one beautiful looking design! Everything seems to be lookin' good.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 1, 2013)

Fleshing out the legs a bit more. All I need to finish is the butt and sides of the thigh for the legs - then it's off to the torso! Getting the Worbla in the mail on Friday - and subsequently starting the head then, if it arrives in the afternoon.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 3, 2013)

Had a long day today - so much more to do. Anyone have any advice/resources I can use for making the "skin" over this? I was thinking making a looser fitting skin, and hand sewing parts to tack down the negative space, and accentuate it, but if anyone has a more efficient idea, please let me know.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 3, 2013)

Well, this is my first adventure in Worbla! I think it turned out great, the Worbla really took to the shape quite accurately. I made a pattern with plastic wrap and painter's tape, drew on it, then cut out the darts, and traced it. Next time I would be more calculated in creating the pattern, but it all worked out. I'd also make a more refined form, since the wrinkles of the duct tape showed up on the finished product. Luckily adding fleece and the stretch velvet really smooths it out, and the little bumps are negligible. I am capable of smoothing it out completely, but that would just be a waste of time. :/

I really loved working with this stuff - you get instant results!

If anyone would like specific advice on making a head out of this stuff, feel free to ask.


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## Zabrina (May 4, 2013)

Looks gorgeous!


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 6, 2013)

I am not 100% certain about the leg silhouette, but I just don't have the time or interest to go back and change it. This is just the fleece covering, I will be making a velvet body suit, and airbrushing in highlights.


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## Alexxx-Returns (May 7, 2013)

Wow, this is looking amazing. Particularly love the legs!


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 7, 2013)

AlexxxLupo said:


> Wow, this is looking amazing. Particularly love the legs!



I am glad you like them! ^__^ Thanks for the words of encouragement, it really means a lot to me.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 7, 2013)

Just a filler eye - going to be pouring up some resin eyes with LED's in them tomorrow.

I went just a tad snarly, not too much so the closed jaw expression didn't look too forced. I messed up the Jaw Hinge a bajillion times trying to get it to open at the correct angle. I am so glad you can fiddle with Worbla until you get it just right. Melt, cool, re-melt, stick - rinse and repeat until satisfactory results are achieved.  

Om nom nom nom nom.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 10, 2013)

I was really lazy in making the texture - used a leather craft seeding tool. I tried using a lemon, but the texture just wasn't deep enough. The nose is Sculpey Premo. I painted the teeth as well, adding some staining and what-have-you. I am not entirely pleased with the up-close-ness, but it will have to do for now. I mean, how many people are going to get inches away from my face, and nit-pick small details that don't particularly matter? 

Will be sewing up the velvet body suit today, made a giant masking tape pattern because I didn't want to use my brain parts to alter a pattern. x__x


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 11, 2013)

Velvet and fur covering on the suit - it is sewn as a whole, and slipped over the foam and Lycra body suit. I plan on soft sculpting in fine details. I do it this way, without glue, so I can change the skin whenever I want to change things up. I will also be adding air-brushed highlights to the muscles if my test swatches turn out alright.

Pattern made with tape worked out for the rough size, but I had to tailor it a lot, since the velvet stretches. I pinned the legs, inside-out, on the mannequin itself, just so I could sew it juuust right.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 13, 2013)

Eyes painted with Metallic Red paint. I love how the plastic of the LED's just disappears within the resin.









To make the gloves, I used masking tape as fabric stabilizer, since the legit stuff is so spendy. Be aware that it is difficult to peal away the tape from zig-zag stitches. The purpose of the stablizer, is to make it easier to sew, and so that the fabric wouldn't stretch as I sewed it. I purchase a Walking Foot for my sewing machine for this project and it DOES make a huuuge difference. 

Pads are vinyl, and the claws are Sculpey Premo encased in Worbla. You can see in the second photo what the claws look like in the background. I wanted them to be stable and sturdy within the glove. I used the Sculpey to make a 3D form to shape the Worbla around, otherwise JUST the Worbla looked like card-stock. >__>







I do have a question for the FAF community; what color should I paint the claws? I was thinking a slate blue-gray, so that they stand out, but keep with the monochromatic feel. The paint I purchased will give highlights to the suit is the same color.


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## CatterHatter (May 13, 2013)

Wow! This is pretty crazy. I like the look of this beastie.
Claw color? Hmmm... your slate gray should work, but if you are having second thoughts you could try to go with a deep, dark red or purple. Red matching better due to the eyes of course.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 13, 2013)

CatterHatter said:


> Wow! This is pretty crazy. I like the look of this beastie.
> Claw color? Hmmm... your slate gray should work, but if you are having second thoughts you could try to go with a deep, dark red or purple. Red matching better due to the eyes of course.



Thanks for your compliments and advice - I will do some test swatches to see what I like best.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 13, 2013)

I did a lot of adjustment for symetry, but I am just burnt out. I love the effect the eyelids have to the expression. I was getting worried for a bit... x)


I laminated some Velvet with Fleece - I decided the fur pattern to go in the "wrong" direction, because in photos, velvet's grain looks weird if it isn't going all the same way.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 14, 2013)

So close, yet so far away. Not bad for my first head.


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## CatterHatter (May 14, 2013)

...woah! This head is really coming together! Thanks for all the process pics. It's so cool to see this step-by-step.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 15, 2013)

CatterHatter said:


> ...woah! This head is really coming together! Thanks for all the process pics. It's so cool to see this step-by-step.



You're very welcome!

I enjoy "showing off" and also helping anyone else that is doing something similar! I know I learned a TON from Blog/Forum posts, and I want to keep the cycle going. There are NOT a lot of Velvet/Worbla heads out there, nor many resources.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 15, 2013)

Almost done! Just need to hook up the battery pack to the LED's (The eyes are painted with Metallic Red Paint, and are not illuminated, just reflective.)

I decided to change up the direction of the velvet, since it was reflecting the light weirdly compared to the body suit... now it is going the anatomically right way. All I had to do was strip the velvet off of the fleece, and paint spray adhesive (that I sprayed into a cup) with a small brush onto the fleece to re-attach a new velvet piece.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 15, 2013)

Pics of the body suit coming soon!


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## Alexxx-Returns (May 15, 2013)

Bloody hell!! That head is just amazing! Can't wait to see this finished.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 16, 2013)

Collar is 8-9 oz leather, wet formed around a modified embroidery hoop, and a jar of Ragu, xD.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 16, 2013)

Unfortunately no time to learn how to airbrush AND paint this thing. I think it looks good all the same. ERMERGERD I really love the Under Armor, it makes this costume A LOT more comfortable. 


Anyone have some hints or tips on how to put on the shoes, so they are removable?  Right now I have it so the costume slips over them like a boot cover, I am just wondering if there is a better way? Preferably using the water shoes I just bought.


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## kap (May 19, 2013)

This suit is absolutely incredible. Nice work, and beautiful craftsmanship.

Also, though I haven't made a fursuit yet, I've worked with stretch velvet and other knits before. I saw in your earlier post that you used masking tape as a substitute stabilizer, and that it was hard to remove. Usually, I like to use freezer paper as a stabilizer. It has one waxy side and one non-waxy side, so you can iron it on with the waxy side to the fabric. It sticks well enough as a stabilizer and is pretty easy to tear off afterwards once you've perforated it while sewing. And if, after tearing it off, you still have a wide enough section of freezer paper, it's usually waxy enough to continue reusing it several times before it gets too fuzzy. Plus, freezer paper is a lot cheaper than stabilizer, per units of usable surface area. You can usually find it by the foil and plastic wrap in a grocery store.

And yeah, I realize that's really not helpful at all at this point, but hopefully it will be useful if you ever do anything else with stretch velvet.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 19, 2013)

More photos to come!


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 19, 2013)

kap said:


> This suit is absolutely incredible. Nice work, and beautiful craftsmanship.
> 
> Also, though I haven't made a fursuit yet, I've worked with stretch velvet and other knits before. I saw in your earlier post that you used masking tape as a substitute stabilizer, and that it was hard to remove. Usually, I like to use freezer paper as a stabilizer. It has one waxy side and one non-waxy side, so you can iron it on with the waxy side to the fabric. It sticks well enough as a stabilizer and is pretty easy to tear off afterwards once you've perforated it while sewing. And if, after tearing it off, you still have a wide enough section of freezer paper, it's usually waxy enough to continue reusing it several times before it gets too fuzzy. Plus, freezer paper is a lot cheaper than stabilizer, per units of usable surface area. You can usually find it by the foil and plastic wrap in a grocery store.
> 
> And yeah, I realize that's really not helpful at all at this point, but hopefully it will be useful if you ever do anything else with stretch velvet.




Thank you! It might be too late for this project, but your information will definitely help in the future!


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## Glitch (May 19, 2013)

First off, gorgeous!  Great to see this and I hope to use what you shared as a sort of guide for my next project, whenever that may be!

Second and unrelated, I grew up in Waukesha. :v  Never expected to see anyone from around there really as I haven't lived there since I was 7. Talk about a blast from the past.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 20, 2013)

Here is a gallery of photos of the finished costume, along with my Alucard!


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## mirepoix (May 20, 2013)

You've made more progress in a few months than I've made in a year.  This is really inspiring, and I'm happy that the Worbla worked out for you!  The whole suit turned out just awesome.


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 21, 2013)

mirepoix said:


> You've made more progress in a few months than I've made in a year.  This is really inspiring, and I'm happy that the Worbla worked out for you!  The whole suit turned out just awesome.



Without your very helpful suggestions, I don't know what I would have done. Linking me that Kos video really helped me A LOT.

Also, I only took like 3 weeks on this whole costume. I wish I would have thought of it months in advance. x__x


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## Schnuchi (May 21, 2013)

That is one of the coolest suits  I have ever seen! ^^ Amazin.


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## Atrayu (May 21, 2013)

The suit turned out amazing! Have you thought about airbrushing muscles on the body?


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## Chaos_Costumes (May 21, 2013)

Atrayu said:


> The suit turned out amazing! Have you thought about airbrushing muscles on the body?



I had mentioned that throughout the WIP, but I just didn't have time to learn how to airbrush AND airbrush the suit AND let it dry. Eventually I will do that, but I have to do extensive testing before I touch it again.


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## kap (May 21, 2013)

Chaos_Costumes said:


> Thank you! It might be too late for this project, but your information will definitely help in the future!



No problem. And again, your suit is amazing; looks even better in action! Also, I hadn't realize you did this all in three weeks...I sure feel like a lazy bum now. I'll definitely be taking inspiration from your diligence on this gorgeous costume.


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