#mongoosefangs art

[mongoosefangs]

Fursuit Camp 2024: Introduction

Hey, welcome to Fursuit Camp '24! If you're here, hopefully you're ready to follow along and make a suit at home- or maybe you just want to watch? Either way, before we dive in to the process, let's talk a little about what kind of fursuit we're going to be making!

First and foremost- there is no right or wrong way to make a fursuit.

There are countless styles, materials, and methods, and any number of reasons why you might prefer one over another. I've been making these things for a little under a decade; there are resources available now I never would have imagined seven or eight years ago, and who knows what tomorrow will bring? There are some insanely innovative people out there creating fursuits. There are also folks who do this for an entire living wage. I'm just a hobbyist, and I'm not here to tell you this is the one true correct way to make a fursuit. This is just how I do it!

The process I'm going to show you is a partial fursuit (head, handpaws, and tail) built on an upholstery foam base with a (non-moving) static jaw and (flat) 2D eyes. I'll be making teeth and claws out of polymer clay. The entire thing will be hand sewn.

Not that there's anything wrong with them- but if you're interested in plastic or resin heads, moving jaws, 3D following eyes, how to use a sewing machine, or anything else not listed here, this may not be the build for you!

It's not the most high tech, but it works pretty well for me. And hopefully it will work well for you too- especially if you are limited on funds, equipment, or working space. I'm aiming this demonstration to be as beginner-friendly as possible with no huge startup costs. If you already own a pair of scissors and a hot glue gun, great, there's two out of three major tools taken care of.

Except for maybe the fur fabric itself, ideally you can find most of the stuff you'll need at your local Wally World, craft store, and/or dollar store. I'm also a big fan of thrifted materials wherever possible. You might need to be a little more resourceful if you're not in the US, I can't speak for the supply chain everywhere, but hopefully nothing on the shopping list will be too hard to find. You can probably expect to spend about $200 USD on this project as presented, though a lot will depend on your individual choices. Fur might be the only major expense. And heck, you might not even use fur! But we'll get to that in a few days with our first instruction post :)

Next time, Fursuit Camp '24 starts proper!

[defilerwyrm]

Sketch bust commission: Deston the gross cannibal werewolf for @mongoosefangs :D

[commission master post]

[isitfurbait]

Are the characters in Redwall furbait?

(credit goes to mongoosefangs on Deviantart)

This is another instance of a novel series where the characters are indeed anthropomorphic animals, but the series hasn’t been picked up by visual media to present itself on a screen. I can tell this, because there is little art that features many, if not all characters in the series. The types of photos I look for are those which are official artwork be it in screenshot or concept art. I digress, we need to meet the needs of this blog.

The characters in this picture, drawn by mongoosefangs shows a large list of the characters in the series. I don’t see a single character in here that would disqualify being furbait at a glance. Even if there are young children in this photo, they played an influential role and even inspired the artist to become infatuated with the design of anthropomorphic animals. Once again, I state it that all of the characters in Redwall are furrybait.

[mongoosefangs]

Fursuit Camp 2024: Getting Started

Welcome back to Fursuit Camp! It's time to start this thing proper! Whether you're ready to build along at home or just enjoying the ride, let's go over one of the most basic and important steps: planning our project and choosing our fabrics!

For this demonstration I'm going to be making a coyote partial! I don't always plan my projects thoroughly in advance (I may or may not have a dragon head base from like 2017 that I'm still stumped on how to finish) but I usually like to do at least some rough doodles to figure out what kind of colors and markings I want. These details may be subject to change as the build continues, but this is a decent starting point.

I'm going with a 'yote because I've wanted to make one for a long time and they're pretty iconic in the desert Southwest where I live. It helps that I already have all the right fur fabrics on hand for this design. I also figured a canine species would be good for this demo, dogs/wolves/foxes etc. are eternally popular and common choices for fursuits, and a fine place for beginners to start.

Although you can make whatever you want if you're following along at home, I will say that if this is your very first build, you might not want to start with a beloved fursona or visually complex character. Keep it simple with less pressure to make it perfect as you get used to the building process. My first suit was a generic fox; I didn't attempt to make my mongoose 'sona until later.

Here are the faux furs I'm going to be using for my coyote. You can see I've got a mixture of both long and short fur, and the colors don't exactly match 100%, but that's okay. Have faith! There are a lot more faux fur choices now than there used to be, but sometimes you're still limited. Depending on what you can get, you might want to start planning your project the other way around. Look at the fabrics available to you and pick an animal based on that.

You might be fortunate to live in an area where stores sell fur locally, or you might have to order online. You might even find yourself cutting up furry pillowcases and jackets from the thrift store for that perfect fur you can't find anywhere else (which is totally okay, in my opinion, as long as the fabric is clean). Regardless of where you source it, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Always inspect fur in person. This means buying samples first if you're ordering online, but I promise it's worth the extra hassle. Make sure it's the color and texture you want before dropping $30-50 per yard on the stuff. How's the durability? Gently tug on the fibers; do they stay put or fall out? Part the fur with your fingers; does it seem flimsy or patchy? Faux fur quality can vary tremendously between styles, sellers, and even when the fabric was made. You won't know for sure until you've got it in hand.

Buy more than you think you'll need. How much that actually ends up being will depend entirely on your design. For this 'yote I probably won't need more than half a yard in any single color, but it's always better to have extra in case you make a mistake or want to add extra fursuit parts in the future. Don't assume you can just order more of the same exact fur later! It might be out of stock, discontinued, or not the same color or quality that it was in the past.

Know your terminology. What's the difference between fox fur and shag? Beaver and seal? Multiple types of furs are commonly used on fursuits and there are pros and cons to each kind. Let's go over some of them:

-Beaver, Seal, or Super Seal: very short fur, dense, soft, and kind of shiny. The short orange and cream in the photo above are beaver/seal style furs. A great choice for fursuit faces and finely detailed areas, but doesn't come in very many colors, and seams are more likely to show though the fur.

-Bunny or Teddy: short to medium length furs, up to about an inch long. Soft and fluffy, comes in a variety of colors, but some of them can be kind of thin furs in my experience. Not as dense as the shorter stuff. May need to be shaved down if used on fursuit faces.

-Lux Shag, aka Punky Muppet: a long style fur about 1.5" to 2". One of the most common choices for fursuits, widely available, comes in a huge array of colors. The long grey and orange in the photo above are examples of lux shag. Will need to be shaved if used on fursuit faces, but does not always shave down neatly. Quality varies. Can look clumpy or messy over time. Better for cartoony suits, less ideal for realistic styles.

-Fox: longer than lux shag, usually 2" or more, and a little more realistic in color and/or texture. The long cream in the photo above is an example of a fox style fur. Not as soft as lux shag, but also not as clumpy. Will need to be shaved if used on fursuit faces.

-Mongolian: a type of shag that's extra long and kind of wooly looking, with a chunky or kinked texture. Might work for some characters but probably not what you want in most cases.

-NFT/NFTech: National Fiber Tech, this is high quality faux fur used professionally for film and TV. Can be custom made to order to almost any length and color, especially good for fursuit hair tufts, but prohibitively expensive for most folks. They do sell overstock and random remnants, which can be a great value, but the selection is pretty unpredictable.

There are also other types of fabrics you may use for a fursuit, especially if you're like me and want to avoid shaving long fur at any cost (we won't be covering that in this build at all.) If you need something really, really short, but you can't find it in fur, try one of these instead:

-Fleece: just regular old anti-pill fleece can be a fantastic choice for fursuits. I always use at least some for things like inner ears and mouth linings, but I've made entire faces out of it, and some people have even used fleece for whole suits. Fleece is cheap, easy to work with, comes in a zillion colors, and hides seams surprisingly well with the right stitch. It's not fluffy like fur is, though, so it can't hide everything. Try to make your underlying structures as neat as possible if you're using fleece.

-Minky: commonly used for stuffed animals, comes in different styles, some are fluffy enough to mimic a bunny style fur. Tons of colors and prints to choose from. Can be used in a lot of the same ways as fleece, but I honestly don't like it as much. It doesn't hide seams as well and it's messy to work with. Good for making plushies, maybe good for some small details, but probably not my first choice for a fursuit.

These are just some of the fabrics you might end up using, but honestly, that's only the tip of the iceberg! I could literally spend the rest of the summer just weighing the pros and cons of every conceivable material you might use on a fursuit, but I'd rather actually make a fursuit. How about you?

If you're looking for fur online, try these sellers. I'll add to this list as I find more recommended shops!

Big Z Fabrics

FursuitSupplies

Hairymann's Closet (NFTech)

Howl Fabrics

JoAnn Fabrics

Mendel's

Next time, we'll compile the rest of our shopping list and price out everything else we need to make this fursuit. It may be more affordable and accessible than you think!

If you're building along at home, please use the tag #fursuitcamp24 or reply directly to this post, I would love to see what you're working on! Let's do this thing!

[mongoosefangs]

Fursuit Camp 2024: Master Post

Hey there! I'm Briar, I make fursuits, and you can too!

Welcome to Fursuit Camp 2024, a weekly blog event where I'll be crafting a partial fursuit (head, hands, and tail) from scratch, sharing pics and instructions as I go, inviting anyone and everyone to buy their own supplies and build along at home!

Want to make a suit, but not sure how to start? The cost of a new sewing machine holding you back? Don't worry! This build is geared towards beginners and those on a budget and nothing fancier than a hot glue gun is required!

The event officially starts in June and is expected to run through September as I break the process down into easy chunks that can be taken at one's own pace. I'll be updating this master post with links to each new entry as they go live.

If you want to follow along, please use the tag #fursuitcamp24!

Let's make some critters together!

Master Post (you are here)

0. Introduction

Getting Started: Designing and Choosing Fabric

Warning and Disclaimer: These demonstrations are intended for responsible adults. Making a fursuit requires tools that can cut, stab, burn, and more if misused. This is NOT a project for young kids. Be sure to read, understand, and follow all instructions for your equipment. I cannot be held accountable for your personal safety, property, or the final result of your project!

[mongoosefangs]

finally finished a fursuit today

[mongoosefangs]

stalemate

[mongoosefangs]

Jaffa the yellow-throated marten wishes you a merry Christmas 🎄

[mongoosefangs]

@redwall-midwinter-gift-exchange prompt for @indefatigababble! Mariel and Dandin, having returned from their quest, meet Blaggut for the first time! He's been busy building boats, and he's excited to hear news of his little friends back at the abbey.

Hope you like it, this was such a cute prompt to think about and draw. 

[mongoosefangs]

Accomplished my goal of updated ref sheets for my primary fursona (middle) and my two oldest surviving OCs (top/bottom) who both turned freakin’ TWENTY last year \o/

[mongoosefangs]

anhedonia

[mongoosefangs]

you were laughing at the shadows in the rearview

now you’re wondering how the hell they got so near you...

[mongoosefangs]

Long time no art post! A @redwall-secret-santa gift for @melly1, featuring Matthias and Cornflower celebrating their first Christmas together with little Mattimeo! Thank you for the super cute prompt, I hope you like it- have a wonderful Christmas c:

[mongoosefangs]

twisted nerve

[mongoosefangs]

small

[mongoosefangs]

Cool kids only in this WIP for the Mouseflower zine.