Happy Fox
View photo session →The head: patterns and design
The head is from the "Cartoon Fox" project, with a small modification for a bigger smile. The yellow dotted line on the pattern is the line of symmetry of the head. The part for the patterns of the ear and a place for its gluing are separated by a red line. The workpiece has a light weight — it is glued from foam polyethylene, with a metal frame around the edges, and therefore perfectly retains and restores the shape. The jaw is openable and fully removable.
Pasting the head with fur
To obtain the fur patterns, the mask is pasted with adhesive tape in several layers. Then we draw lines according to the chosen color of the character. Next, the adhesive tape is cut into patterns. The fur is sewn as the skin of the head. The edges of the fur near the eyes and mouth are bent and glued "under the skin" to prevent the tissue base of the artificial fur from being seen.
The nose
The volume for the nose is created by the same material as the head, but thinner. The nose is soft and covered with fleece. The method of obtaining patterns from fleece is shown in the photo.
The ears
Since in the reference the ears inside have a blue color, they are pasted with the corresponding fleece. The pattern for fleece was obtained by gluing the ear with adhesive tape. The transition from the ears to the head is also pasted with strips of fleece for the further convenience of gluing the fur in these places. Ears are made with large holes in the mask for additional ventilation.
Pasting fleece inside the head
Stages of pasting: 1. Gluing strips of fleece along the edges of the jaw and mask, including the eyes. 2. Getting the pattern for the inner part of the head by pasting inside with adhesive tape. 3. The obtained pattern from adhesive tape is transferred to fleece and we paste a large area inside the mask. 4. Now the eyes are set in their place, and a pattern of fleece is made for them (again pasting with adhesive tape). In the end, the whole inner surface of the head is covered with fleece. On the second photo, the pads are visible: two behind the ears of the fursuiter to create space for the jaw of the mask, and one on the forehead. All pads are removable and can be shifted (to some extent) to adjust the best fit of the mask.
The eyes
The eyes are made with the tracking effect. The frame of the eye is made of 3 mm plastic, with a cavity for the nose of the fursuiter. A large iris and pupil are painted with waterproof acrylic on banner grid. Inside the head, the eye boxes are covered with black fleece. The basis of the eyes is assembled in a similar way as in the nIce Dog project.
Apron for the head
As with the head, the manufacture of aprons begins with obtaining their patterns by gluing the required place with adhesive tape. In our design there are two aprons: front and rear. This allows you not to use a zipper (usually at the rear), which makes it easier to dress and use the mask, while keeping the profile of the neck. The back apron covers the neck and fastens on a reliable, large button under the front apron. Also, given that the jaw may be fully removed together with the front apron, this allows good access to the inside of the finished mask, for example for drying or servicing the removable fan. Before the aprons are sewn to the mask, free edges of the fur are left around the perimeter — it is to them that the apron will be sewn. The sewing seam of the apron to the mask is glued exactly on the edge of the base of the head, forming a neat joint along its entire length. The rear apron is fastened in front. The fastener is hidden under the front apron. The design of the apron simplifies dressing the mask and removes such an inconvenient element as a zipper in a visible place.
Teeth
Teeth are made of white fleece according to the shown pattern. Individual teeth are obtained by wrapping the "fleece tube" with a strong nylon thread. The jaw is pulled up by textile elastic bands, which are fastened inside the mask on Velcro. Inside the mask, the area for Velcro is increased, allowing them to be glued with different tension. The jaw is completely removable. On the photo to the right, you can see a removable tongue (several in the set) and a soft lining under the chin. The lining can be shifted in a wide range for a good jaw opening setting, and can be adjusted for a permanently open jaw to ensure constant ventilation if necessary.
The head ventilation
The mouth has the largest fan installed. This fan allows you to maintain good performance and silence: from a USB power bank the fan runs at half the possible revolutions. The fan is easy to remove if necessary. Its position can also be changed. Side gaskets around the fan prevent unnecessary flow of warm air back into the mask. By removing the fan, you can wash the head without damaging it. With the fan installed, the mouth is left slightly open to allow the mask to be ventilated without constant jaw effort. The head design provides for a large ventilation gap between the head of the fursuiter and the mask: the air flows freely from the mask ears and eyes, along the sides of the fursuiter's head and exits through the mouth of the mask.
Paws
The frame of the feetpaws is made from foam rubber, so they are suitable for feet of almost any size. Inside the feetpaws, for more comfort, is a fleece sock that can be turned outward for drying or washing. In the set there are two pairs of feetpaws: with "paw pads" on the sole and with a rubber sole for the street. The pair of feetpaws for the street is stitched and glued along the edge with strong threads.
The overalls
The overall is made with a low waist and has a classic arrangement of white parts (for us). It is sewn with a large margin for width, and is tightened by sewing textile elastic bands. So the overalls are well suited for fursuiters of different sizes. To make the overalls look neater and more impressive, they must be shaved.
The lining of overalls
The shape of the fursuit body is given by the pads. We make detachable pads from a very stretchable fabric with a filling of "synthetic ball padding". This allows you to remove and clean them separately from the overalls. In addition, they have very low weight relative to foam rubber liners, and are well compressed for transport.
Elastic tightening
This is how the textile elastics look. This is done so that the overalls sit "like a glove" in a wide range of fursuiter sizes.
The tail
The tail is made demountable. With a removable fur skin-cover we facilitate the process of drying after washing, as in most cases it is enough to wash only the fur part of the tail. Fastening of the tail to the belt is provided by loops of a strong nylon cord, sewn to the tail frame — a very sturdy construction. In the overalls a small sleeve for the tail is provided to ensure a smooth transition of the lines from the tail to the body.
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