Cosplayyyyy! Toph Bei Fong and Red X

Phew, it feels like forever since I made a costume that didn't shed all over my house ^_^;; Here are two brand spankin new costumes ready to head to San Diego Comic-con in a couple of days: Toph Bei Fong from Avatar the Last airbender and Red X from Teen Titans Cartoon
I made everything on Red X except the gloves which are heavily modified motorcycle gloves. Toph was an impressive feat. I finished the whole costume in one day. I made everything on this costume, including the wig.

Plastic to Finish - Making a fursuit head with and ABS plastic base

Making a Fursuit head with an ABS plastic base:

Lessee... it's been awhile since I posted any progress. I thought it might be best to finish (or nearly finish) the costume, then post a super LOOOOng post about the steps and stuff... So, I am NEARLY done....I still have to make the gloves and the belt, then he is complete. Gah! so close now! I will have him done by Friday *knocks on wood* in time for the Calgary comic and entertainment expo (www.calgaryexpo.com). So let me show you what I've done sofar..... The mask! When it comes right down to it, with Red X the mask is the most essential part. Ever costume I have seen of Red X has a balaclava and a white faceplate. I thought it would be easier and more comfortable to have a full helmet. So! I wrapped my head in plastercloth and made a base of my own head, then filled the plastercloth base with expanding foam for a rigid structure to work from. From there, I used clay to sculpt the mask design. Once the sculpt was done, I used Rubber latex for a mold. Rubber latex is one of the slowest mold methods... you add thin layers of latex over 10-20 days until you have a thick enough mold. I had been having poor luck with Silicone lately (I am thinking it's either my cold basement affected the silicone I had stored there, or there was some sulphur contamination in my clay), so I decided to use this slower method. Once I had a nice mold, I used more plastercloth to make a hard frame to house the mold. I cast the mask using a slush cast. Basically you roll a fast curing resin around the inside of the mold so you end up with a nice hollow interior. I gave the mask a test to see how it fit my head. Yay! perfect fit :3 No matter how good you think your sculpt is, there will always be some repairs or cleaning to do to the finished pull. I used bondo and sandpaper to fill in holes and smooth out the whole helmet..... so much sand paper >_< so much sanding! Once I was satisfied with my sanding and clean up, I added paint. I airbrushed the white and black, using painters tape to get nice clean edges. The eyes are buckram. The same stuff I use for Fursuit heads. However, instead of black on both sides, I sprayed one side with black and the other white. The black side would be for me to look through (for some reason, it's easier to look through black buckram). And the finished mask! Yay! I am very happy with how it turned out. When I wear it with a balaclava, it's quite awesome :3 Annnd the uni. A pattern I drafted myself and used a zig zag stitch to add the red X to the chest. Cape is done as well, but apparently I haven't taken photos yet! Belt is on the way! Go me! I can do it! 2 more days :D

Ajax - red Tailed Hawk

A Red Tailed Hawk fursuit.
One of my more complex suits; there are 7 different types of fur (8 if you include the fleece for the legs/feet).

Head is an ABS plastic base with moving jaw. Feet are built over a sneaker, covered with fleece, and airbrushed for accents.






Video of the fursuit in action here:

Bea the Bee

More Bea.... because she is awesome and adorable :3

Watch me put her on:

Bea the Bee

Bea the Bee on stage at Further Confusion 2012 Masquerade.
Didn't win any awards this year, but it's always fun to go on stage :3

Foam vs ABS plastic Head construction

A visual example of the differences between my two head base types.

Soft foam and ABS plastic.


Currently, ABS is limited to Canine (Foxes, wolves and dogs) and domestic feline style heads (No tigers, lions or other large cats)