You can make a fursuit yourself for around $300-400, even less if you're using just a few, easy to find colors. It's not going to be DHC tier, but there's enough tutorials out there to get you up to speed and make something that's nice and wearable if you're patient enough with it. Plus, it's a fun craft to engage in.
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FurryGAF |OT| They should have sent a veterinarian
- Thread starter Chuck
- Start date
Snowybreak
Member
I guess I should just find a theme and start there. I have all these stories in my head that I should probably put to paper.
Wulfric
Member
Congrats FurryGAF, you went a whole page without posting muscle furs or busty vixens! I'm surprised actually; this past page was more interesting than just posting pics from tumblr. It seem that OT thread did some good around here. 
Like, just the head, or a full on suit? I can probably pay $500 tops. Also what is DHC?
Like, just the head, or a full on suit? I can probably pay $500 tops. Also what is DHC?
That is a good place to start. Good luck!
Don't Hug Cacti, I imagine. They make suits. One of the furs who goes to my local meet has a suit by them.
Congrats FurryGAF, you went a whole page without posting muscle furs or busty vixens! I'm surprised actually; this past page was more interesting than just posting pics from tumblr. It seem that OT thread did some good around here.
Boss Doggo is crying somewhere right now.
But I agree, muscles are nice but we've had some productive discussion recently. I think I'm in the same boat as Snowy - I have a lot of ideas and at least one character that I'd like to explore in writing, and that's really where I should start. The problem is being motivated enough to sit down and solidify those ideas in a story. I've tried a few times and whenever I do it feels like the subject of my story actively fights being pinned down to a concrete characterization or history. There's just always something so intimidating and definitive about putting ideas on paper... Like defining the thought kills it somewhat in the transition.
That's probably something everyone who aspires to write has to deal with though. One of these days I think I'll just try to sit down with a starting point and keep writing until I can't think of anywhere else to go.
A full suit! Let's say you've got a two-color generic dog or whatever, no sewing machine, and no extra materials or holdovers (scissors, hot glue, shoes, etc.). Using current price estimates from Jo-Ann--
-- Wal-Mart:
-- and from online stores:
And you can make an entire full body fursuit for just $347. Of course these are estimates that don't include the shipping on the fur from whichever provider you choose or individual project parameters: If you're taller/wider or just really clumsy and wasteful then you can increase the price quite a bit. However, with digital coupons readily available on your phone, you can still keep things in check at places like Jo-Ann. The reason fursuits are inflated so much is because you're paying for the expertise of the builder, their time, and their unique style. They may also use more expensive materials than this: for example, a big trend nowadays is avoiding luxury shag fur and going for more expensive options like "fox" "bear" or "seal" furs because lux shag mats up something fierce and is only available in the same few dye lots, meaning if you want a more unique-looking character you're gonna have to pony up a little more dough. Otherwise, anyone who wants a fursuit can have one with a minimal financial investment. However, it does take time and patience. Give yourself at least half a year to create your first for a con if you have other priorities in life. xP
Also, DHC = Don't Hug Cacti, undoubtedly one of if not the most popular maker in the fandom now. You've probably seen at least one. They've all got that generic baby-faced canine look.
Wulfric
Member
Hmm, I'll have to consider it then. It's hard to decide on a design if your character changes from year to year. When I was in high school, my fursona was a wolf. Now it's a leopard. That would be an expensive switch!
I'd prefer to stay on the realistic side; big eyes and bright colors are not really my style. I also have a thing for capes. There aren't too many suits with capes out there.
Best thing they say to do is to use or make a character you're not that attached to as a practice run anyway, because everyone's going to want their main fursona to be pitch perfect and first suits usually...aren't.
Now, I have no real experience with making realistic fursuits. They use more expensive and fiddly materials, and in general are easier to screw up unless you have pitch perfect symmetry and furring skills. However, one place to start is DreamVision Creations. They specialize in the craft and sell generic species blanks for you to use, so no wasting time and money on making clay sculpts and resin blanks. You'd still have to outfit it yourself, but they have some tutorials to help you out.
Capes are probably an extremely simple pattern of two halves sewn together with a hood. Accompanying armor?..... Whole other category of cosplay. xD
Snowybreak
Member
Prompts help me sometimes, just starting with a random line and writing a page that evolves from it.
I really wanna write a cyberpunk story, something pulpy while still having a bit of depth. Kinda like Neuromancer or Altered Carbon, but with furs.
Wulfric
Member
Lol yeah, that why I've avoided cosplay for a while. I want to dress up as an old school Final Fantasy character, but those older Amano designs are so hard to pull off without looking tacky. There's this character from Magic I've been wanting to make; all he has is a scarf and a crown thing. Converting this into a cartoon style wouldn't be too bad. It's the scarf that really identifies the character.
There is a way around this, Wulfric. Just take a page from Ose's book - cape and (almost) nothing else:
Aaaaaaand I think I just broke our streak. Just doing Dog's work.
perfect free
Member
^ Ose deserves to be an exemption, IMO.
It's definitely hard, and something I've struggled a lot with too. Until a few years ago I'd never even bothered to define a fursona for myselfI was just coyote, nondescript. I finally sat down and made an attempt, and while I'm still not entirely happy with it (the markings need some work), now I have one and it's out of my head and something I can point others to. Now, too, I've been doing some writing to try and give the character I've created a background, both by myself and in collaboration with somebody else (we're motivating each other haha). It feels like I'm slowly getting around the mental roadblock of "I have no idea where to start, I can't decide!" and producing, and man that's the best feeling.
The idea of what you write being _definitive_ is totally a challenge... but you can always change, of course. I'm getting myself used to the idea of just writing rough drafts that may never materialize into anything or that might be thrown out wholesale once I have better ideas. That's OK. The point is that writing anything at all is going to be better than never putting pen to paper.
It's definitely hard, and something I've struggled a lot with too. Until a few years ago I'd never even bothered to define a fursona for myselfI was just coyote, nondescript. I finally sat down and made an attempt, and while I'm still not entirely happy with it (the markings need some work), now I have one and it's out of my head and something I can point others to. Now, too, I've been doing some writing to try and give the character I've created a background, both by myself and in collaboration with somebody else (we're motivating each other haha). It feels like I'm slowly getting around the mental roadblock of "I have no idea where to start, I can't decide!" and producing, and man that's the best feeling.
The idea of what you write being _definitive_ is totally a challenge... but you can always change, of course. I'm getting myself used to the idea of just writing rough drafts that may never materialize into anything or that might be thrown out wholesale once I have better ideas. That's OK. The point is that writing anything at all is going to be better than never putting pen to paper.
Conversely, you can buy pre-carved head bases for $100-200 and then do the rest of the suit yourself. The head is by far and away the hardest part of suitmaking, so it's nice to start with a good foundation. Everything else is fairly simple by comparison. Unless your suit is covered in stripes or spots. RIP if so.
Don't Hug Cacti is one of the most overrated suit makers out there. Every single one of their suits has the EXACT SAME head base, so no matter the species, they all look the same. Lots of hot glue instead of sewing, from what I've heard. Their suits look nice, though, so they have a pretty sizeable following.
TBH a lot of the major suit makers have a similar problem. It's hard to have completely different looking suits when you make hundreds of them.
For my second suit Im sort of considering Autumn Fallings or Phoenix. Mine has a cool design but its obvious the maker cut a few corners and I'd rather go for quality rather than "unique"
I actually know quite a few lesser known suitmakers, if anyone's looking for cheaper fursuits that might have a different look than you'd get from the better-known makers. I'd have to round them all up and see who's open for commissions though, but feel free to PM me if interested.
Would it be weird if I said that I actually find paws (hands and feet) the hardest things to do? Making pleasing shapes for paws that aren't totally useless for movement is difficult as hell, and the details like pawpads and claws requires a bunch of tedious fiddling that makes me wanna tear my hair out. I'd much rather do heads. It only takes one or two to give you an idea on a basic methodology for them. On top of that, there's far more tutorials for heads than there are for paws (good look finding patterns or tutorials for the kind of paws Autumnfallings makes.)
*whistles innocently + elbows*
Do you have a ref?
edit - ok so I talked to some people and my friend Riiya (@theblackwolfess on twitter) is open for commissions. If you send me a ref I can get you a quote.
There are a bunch of examples of her work in her twitter gallery. She does good stuff.
Fun fact: Leonins, Avens (specifically Lt. Kirtar), Nezumi (esp. Ink Eyes, old drawings of mine being some of the first google results), were regular staples of my fantasy art when I was younger, well before I did explicitly furry/ anime art. In fact a lot of the names I use are hidden MTG references.
Azza, for example, was the name Braids's hellhound mount/ friend!
Wulfric
Member
Ha, that's funny. So you're ECMajor? There's more fanart on the first page than the actual card.
I'm a big fan of the Kamigawa era artwork. Too bad it wasn't well received; I'd love to revisit that theme someday. I think the artwork has improved quite a bit since then. Take Jazal Goldmane for example:
And for Capra, Hellcarver Demon:
Snowybreak
Member
Anyone still active?
ColtraineGF
Member
Always lurking in the background 🐻
Cute Dragon Here
Member
I just keep browsing and browsing. For some reason, non-scaly things just... don't interest me.
<3
Anyway, I've been playing Nioh for the past couple weeks and I am genuinely surprised there hasn't been furry art of some of these yokai yet... So many buff onis.
Also appreciate this samurai
no pizza
ChemicalCutthroat
Member
I just lurk till something interesting comes up.
TheFierceGentleman
Banned
Hey y'all, just a reminder that we have a discord server for this community thread still.
Reply to this post to see a link commented out, I will try to remember to remove it in 7 days as a precautionary thing.
So PM me, Firehead, or Ms.Galaxy after that time if you still want to join after that time.
"Deleted"
Reply to this post to see a link commented out, I will try to remember to remove it in 7 days as a precautionary thing.
So PM me, Firehead, or Ms.Galaxy after that time if you still want to join after that time.
"Deleted"
Wulfric
Member
Coming right up. Last one isn't a scaly, but I like demons so...
(From left to right: drak & lincard1000, jinash, jeanwoof, and seraph)
Snowybreak
Member
I'm always around.
Hehe. I think I'm gonna try and post here more often. About what, I don't know.
Concepts for the Kobold race of Dungeon Meshi, a manga about dungeon crawling and eating. The kobolds doesn't feature prominently but the artist put a lot of work into the worldbuilding and recently published some of her concept work.
Wulfric
Member
Those are very cute. I like the big St. Bernard looking guy. They kinda remind me of the animals from Dragon Ball:
Jeanwoof is sooo good. Love that psychedelic style of hers.
Some nice um adult drawings too on her fa site and elsewhere. 👀
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
Wulfric
Member
Speaking of which, what do you guys think of the new characters of universe 9
I didn't realize they were DBZ characters until I looked it up lol. The elongated form/torso is definitely a departure from the old school animal people. The ones from the anime were more squat and bulky, like the vaguely canine people in the cities.
I like Basil the most though. Mostly because the lack of pants is funny compared to the other two guys,
YoodiHoshi
Member
Speaking of which, what do you guys think of the new characters of universe 9
Maybe I'm looking too far into it, but it feels like maybe each of them is evocative of a different "era" of Toriyama... or something? Lavenda looks like a traditional silly cartoon character with his overalls and short stature, while Basil looks more like Frog or something with the over-sized gloves/boots and the cape. Bergamo just looks like a typical Z-era character with edgy bandages and buckles galore, besides also being the most ripped of the bunch.
I like them.
I haven't been to fursquared in a couple years, but it is still a pretty small con. Which is good because you'll never feel overwhelmed.
-Sketchbook if you want a commission (I paste a reference into the first page and hand them to artists at each con to fill up)
- Probably some cash. There isn't a lot for food at the hotel but right next door is a huge mall with a food court.
- Charger for your phone. I can't believe how many times my phone has died before I get back to my room. ; 3 ;
Wulfric
Member
Thanks for chiming in, I didn't expect anyone to have gone to that specific con.
I might bring some Strathmore illustration board along. What if you don't have a reference yet? I was hoping to get a reference sheet done while I'm at the con. Is a rough sketch and character description enough? Honestly this is the main thing I want to accomplish over the weekend. Drinking is on the table too, but I don't need advice for that.
I've never been to Brookfield, but there's a Culver's located really close apparently.
Thanks for chiming in, I didn't expect anyone to have gone to that specific con.
I might bring some Strathmore illustration board along. What if you don't have a reference yet? I was hoping to get a reference sheet done while I'm at the con. Is a rough sketch and character description enough? Honestly this is the main thing I want to accomplish over the weekend. Drinking is on the table too, but I don't need advice for that.
I've never been to Brookfield, but there's a Culver's located really close apparently.
I mean, the thing with small cons is that the artist alley is also really small too. It would be hit and miss if someone would be willing to do a whole reference sheet for you while you're there. But it never hurts to ask.
I never bothered with anything that required getting into a car while I was there. The mall was more than enough. XD
Wulfric
Member
Uh oh, that's not good. Brb, commissioning Tetsuya Nomura instead. That should only cost a couple grand. >.<
Seriously though, I think I might just stick with a headshot then. We'll see how it goes. How much should I expect to pay an artist on average?
I'm a 20 minute drive from the hotel. so I'll be taking a car regardless. But if I can leave it in the hotel parking lot all day, even better.
Uh, all over the place really? Depends on the artist. Some charge as much as $40 for a headshot? Or it could be as low as like $20. It really just depends on the rates of the artists.
Wulfric
Member
Well, that ain't too bad I guess. Not staying at the hotel makes the cost of art so much easier to swallow. I think the most I've ever paid was $40 for this insect/predator thing at a Magic tournament. A little color would be nice, but I don't really need it when I'm still trying to figure out what this character looks like in my head.
Honestly you might want to find an artist that takes reference commissions and streams them, that way they can draw it in front of you and help you design it.
Wulfric
Member
Anyone have artist recommendations? I can go up to $150 on a ref sheet. Bara/kemono style preferred.
Wulfric
Member
*bump*
Well, Fursquared (and my first con) is finally finished! It's been a long three days, but it was a blast.
Nepenthe, THANK YOU for including that convention in your draft. I would have not gone had you not put it on the schedule. I made some new friends, discovered some cool crafts, and now have an overwhelming urge to start designing a fursuit for next year.
One thing I couldn't help but notice was how kind and talented the community is. The con raised $15,000 for the local humane society, and nearly everyone did some sort of visual art or music. Seriously, I went to a panel on D&D, leatherworking, and creature design all in one afternoon. I even had to skip a couple things because the events overlapped.
Towards the end of the night, after a Mario Kart 8 tournament finished, I went with a couple guys to the puppy play panel. Now that was interesting. The room certainly looks different when you're on the floor growling and barking for some beef jerky. Yesterday was the first time I tried something like that, and it won't be the last by the looks of it. :3
Also, this fella at the hotel bar nailed the idea I was going for; ornate and realistic, and very Beauty and the Beast. Most of the costume is from a local renaissance fair. I saw him later with a t-shirt and jeans on, so it was modular to an extent. Making the suit be separate pieces (arms, head, feet, coat) seems easier to manage. Sketching my leopard right now.
Well, Fursquared (and my first con) is finally finished! It's been a long three days, but it was a blast.
Nepenthe, THANK YOU for including that convention in your draft. I would have not gone had you not put it on the schedule. I made some new friends, discovered some cool crafts, and now have an overwhelming urge to start designing a fursuit for next year.
One thing I couldn't help but notice was how kind and talented the community is. The con raised $15,000 for the local humane society, and nearly everyone did some sort of visual art or music. Seriously, I went to a panel on D&D, leatherworking, and creature design all in one afternoon. I even had to skip a couple things because the events overlapped.
Towards the end of the night, after a Mario Kart 8 tournament finished, I went with a couple guys to the puppy play panel. Now that was interesting. The room certainly looks different when you're on the floor growling and barking for some beef jerky. Yesterday was the first time I tried something like that, and it won't be the last by the looks of it. :3
Also, this fella at the hotel bar nailed the idea I was going for; ornate and realistic, and very Beauty and the Beast. Most of the costume is from a local renaissance fair. I saw him later with a t-shirt and jeans on, so it was modular to an extent. Making the suit be separate pieces (arms, head, feet, coat) seems easier to manage. Sketching my leopard right now.
Glad to hear you had a nice time!
That's actually very similar to what I was thinking - just a mask and arm pieces with a coat. That could also make it easier if you decide to change later down the road or, if you're like me, if your idea might involve changing out pieces at times.
That's actually very similar to what I was thinking - just a mask and arm pieces with a coat. That could also make it easier if you decide to change later down the road or, if you're like me, if your idea might involve changing out pieces at times.
Wulfric
Member
I like the idea of having your eyes unobscured for a realistic costume. Debating whether to buy a head or make it. I'm really clumsy with tools.
I'm gonna need a boot with large heels or soles too; leopards aren't too beastly at 5'5 ft. xD
I saw a guy wearing these gorgeous ones over the weekend. I just made a pair on the maker's site and it came up to $1000! Those crazy Renaissance fans are loaded, I tell ya.
I'm gonna need a boot with large heels or soles too; leopards aren't too beastly at 5'5 ft. xD
I saw a guy wearing these gorgeous ones over the weekend. I just made a pair on the maker's site and it came up to $1000! Those crazy Renaissance fans are loaded, I tell ya.
Wulfric
Member
I'm trying to find someone to split a room with, might not be able to go otherwise.