A few tips with a head?
Posted by fel on Wed, 2007-03-21 23:59
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 "Im a six toed folf!!! ^^" Location: DeLancey, New York
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I need a little help... i want to make myself a head around a baseball cap as a base. i have a very very basic wire frame, and want to use a plastic mesh to fill it out before i fur-it.but i cant seem to get the wire to stay the way i want... any other ideas on how to make a really light, very simple and effective frame that i could use to make a relatively small head? thankees... links would be welcome too ^^ |
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Location: DeLancey, New York
anyone?
i wnat it tp turn out as good as possible for a first time suit maker....
"The pack is everything! I live for my family.."
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permalinkLocation: Austin, TX
For my first head, I made a mock-up of paper mache'. Just use wads of newspaper for the bulk, and strips of wet newspaper strips dipped in plaster of paris, or flour paste. When it looks about right, you can slop on some spray paint and see if it is gonna look right in your colors and try different ear positions. You can cut eye holes and see if you will be able to see (I had to reposition the eyes/nose like 4 times)
Wireframes are REAL delicate and usually don't last without engineering them very goodly. I use closed cell foam 3" thick stacked with horizontal slices, not glueing them until I am sure they are right (I use tape to hold for test fits)
On my last head, I have bored holes for air and fan holes, gluing in plates to mount the 2 fans to. One of the slices has my headband which is a construction hat plastic internal band thingy (adjustable!)
When I was sure about all the holes and such, I glued it up with barge cement (tandy leather) Then slowly cut the holes for the eyes the rest of the way just a bit at a time. Take your time... you gotta see to have fun! Dance and wiggle around a bit and see how it feels. You can mock up hair or eyes, noses, whatever with clay until you get it right, then make the real ones of your fav material, like latex or stuffed cloth etc.
When you have it perfect, take some pics so you remember where stuff goes, and fur that baby! Don't forget to make animal noises the whole time you are doing all this, just to get yourself in the mood. MEOW BABY!
Tinkerbell, Space Kitty!
To boldly go where no kitty has gone before!
FFW6m FFW6s A- C Dm++ H++ M+ P R T+ W- Z S- Sf RLS a24 c+l e++ f++ h i+ sf+
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permalinkLocation: DeLancey, New York
thanks^^ but how you shape the inside, isnt paper mache really soft? how make the cheeks and muzzle leaving it hollow?
"The pack is everything! I live for my family.."
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permalinkLocation: Roseville, CA, USA
Considering the time left until the convention - and considering that I have never actually made a fursuit head - I should like to offer an "Out of the box" idea.
I used to make model airplanes out of balsawood and a type of tissue called "silkspan". The idea was to make an airframe, just like a real full-scale aircraft, out of thin balsa "bulkheads" and outlined with thin balsa "stringers", made of about 1/16th-inch balsa.
Instead of wires, you may be able to make a framework out of this lightweight balsa frame, drape strips of silkspan tissue over the framework with thinned-down modelling "dope", and then - after a light spray mist of water to make the silkspan pull taut - paint a coat of thinned dope over the whole thing. MUCH lighter than wire, can be cut and trimmed with an x-acto knife, and either furred, flocked, or just painted to look like the appropriate animal. If balsa isn't available, then perhaps very thin strips of bamboo or "cane" might suffice?
This is just off the top of my head - for all I know, this has been tried before and found to be lacking - but you are not bound to use only wire or baseball cap bases.
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permalinkLocation: Austin, TX
Balsa would be quick and easy, but I worry about how fragile this would be. I have had heads bashed around when I least expect it and had to make repairs on something that I considered pretty tough. Plastic ribs might take the abuse though, especially if they are out of something other than thin styrene. I actually saw one head made of chicken wire, with newspaper strips layed on, that were soaked in elmers glue. This was pretty darn tough. I think he hammered the chicken wire into shape with a light-weight hammer. I like using the construction helmet liners because the head follows your head pretty goodly, better than the baclas. The price of foam has gone through the roof, with the destruction of a large plant in Katrina, so now its actually cheaper to buy yoga mats of closed cell than to buy the foam!!! I am gonna try heat remolding on the 3/4" closed cell and see how well goes... If I don't set the place on fire, I will post my results.
Tinkerbell, Space Kitty!
FFW6m FFW6s A- C Dm++ H++ M+ P R T+ W- Z S- Sf RLS a24 c+l e++ f++ h i+ sf+
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permalinkLocation: Austin, TX
I just talked to Jeefers who is recently back from AC, and he says that you can make a pretty permanent head with paper mache' and its pretty easy, but you need to reinforce the outside with open cloth, like burlap, and then give the thing a coat of white glue to bind the thing together. It makes a sort-of cheap and lighter imitation of fiberglass.
You make the bulk with wads of newspaper and masking tape, then put layers of newspaper dipped in flour paste until you get it just the way you want it, cover it with plastic wrap, then glue on a few layers of the 3" wide burlap strips with white glue. Once its dried, you pull out all the newspaper and the paper mache'.
You will then need to coat the inside with white glue or something like that, to get rid of any musty smell that burlap has and to strengthen the whole thing. If its not strong enough, you can add more layers to the inside or outside of burlap, canvas, cloth, plastic canvas, or even fiberglass tape (used for drywalling I hear) and glue that all up.
I am gonna make one of these and try it but he says its light and easy and cheap, and great if you aren't good with wire frames. Just smack it around a bit to make sure its tough enough before you go furring it up.
By the way, Jeef says Anthro was great and if you all don't go next year you are crazy!
Tinkerbell, Space Kitty!
FFW6m FFW6s A- C Dm++ H++ M+ P R T+ W- Z S- Sf RLS a24 c+l e++ f++ h i+ sf+
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