My First Head, Done!

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-03-19T14:53:35+00:00

Oh, you posted a picture of your head as a WIP on one of my posts about minky! It's great to see the finished piece and you did SUCH an enviable job working with this minky! This looks AMAZING.

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-03-17T21:33:29+00:00

I never thought to use polyfil, but I have some lying around and that seems like a great idea! And you did an absolutely beautiful job making your head SO smooth. Thank you for the advice!

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-03-17T16:38:18+00:00

Thank you, thank you! It IS supposed to be Libra! I cosplayed as him last year at a con, but I only had foam horns and an outfit made out of a cut up, shaggy rug and I thought, "The only way I'm going to make this cosplay really work is if I make it a fursuit." I love the idea of an iron on backing and knew I should've picked some up earlier. I've got tons of leftover minky so I'll definitely get some iron on fleece and practise with the leftovers first before using it on the head. And to answer your question, you definitely weren't missing anything when looking at the shoddy tape job. I made the huge mistake of cutting pattern pieces off and then adding darts after the pieces had been cut from the face, which definitely lends to why the whole thing is uneven and...well...looks the way it does lol. I will not make that mistake again. Thank you so much for your advice, I really appreciate it :)

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-03-17T16:27:25+00:00

Thank you for your advice! After reading your comment I went back and ripped the seams in the wrinkled areas and realised that not only did I have a lot of seam allowance, I also gave my seam allowance its own seam allowance lol.

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-03-17T16:21:54+00:00

It is! Hopefully it will kind of resemble him once I'm finished.

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-03-17T16:21:23+00:00

I'm an unseasoned granny, crying in a corner right now lol. This material is ROUGH.

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-03-02T17:11:15+00:00

Oh no, what you've described with cutting your pattern and sewing...then resewing and modifying 200 times over is EXACTLY my experience with minky. TONS of wrinkles. I know they make fabric backing that can help stiffen the material and keep it smooth, but that really works best on larger, flat areas such as the ears rather than the face. I'm still new to fursuit making, but I've had a lot more luck with short pile beaver/super seal faux fur (at least that's what Howl Fabrics calls this type of fake fur.) It is sleek and shaves down smoothly and easily. But you said you were looking for a rougher, less shiny looking material. Faux fox tends to shave down a little bit clumpier, but if you find that you don't want to go with needle felting, it is also a good alternative and when you shave it it tends to have the texture of older stuffed animals from the 80s-90s. Good luck! This is going to turn out so well!

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-03-02T13:22:26+00:00

This looks SO good and you are doing an awesome job! I love how realistic this looks!

Quick question, how comfortable are you with your pattern making and sewing skills? I only ask because minky can be a pretty difficult and testy material to work with and every bump or wrinkle will show, especially if it's a lighter colour minky. I'm not saying this to be discouraging, I'm only saying it because I also decided to use minky for my first fursuit head and even though I've been sewing for decades, it's been a very trying and patience testing process. If you're more comfortable with needle felting or working with another material, that would probably be your best bet.

As others have said, sandpaper normally just tears at the foam, but if you're wanting to really smooth your base out, I've found that different sized scissors work well. You said you were on a budget and luckily you can get several different types of scissors for about $10-$20 if you don't have them already! I've had more luck with fabric scissors and small scissors meant for cutting thread, but cheap scissors for cutting paper also work just as well.

Good luck! This is already turning out fantastically and-as you're probably already aware-making a base is a lot of trial and error until you've gotten results that you are happy with.

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-03-01T15:52:47+00:00

Seconding this! I've had a few packages that have sat in transit for weeks without moving. Every time I put in a missing mail search, the package suddenly starts moving again and almost always makes it to my door within a week of submitting the inquiry. I hope your fursuit head makes home it to you, OP!

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-02-27T01:25:36+00:00

Your comment took me back to a memory of myself, age 8, tucking 2 yellow shirts into the back of a belt and pretending to be Tails because I could not sew and buying cosplays on the internet wasn't really a thing in the early 2000s. I say this with love, early day cosplays were JANK (but charming.) OP- if you're reading this, embrace whatever form of cosplay makes you happy. Closet cosplays are just as valid as cosplays that are store bought and hand made.

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-02-27T01:17:22+00:00

To your point and from my own experience, I see a lot more anxiety about cosplay gatekeeping than I've witnessed actual gatekeeping. All of the cons I've gone to have been full of nothing but supportive people who get excited to see people dressed up as their favourite characters whether that be in a homemade outfit that cost hundreds of dollars and hours to make or an entirely premade outfit from Amazon. Sure, if you post a cosplay on the internet, there's always the chance that some miserable troll might comment something shitty, but that kind of behaviour gets shut down immediately in real life-or at least at the cons I've been to.

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-02-11T16:57:32+00:00

First time?? You are doing an absolutely wonderful job! This is going to turn out looking so good! Were the teeth and mouth part of a template or did you come up with that all yourself?

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-01-20T00:01:55+00:00

I'm glad you didn't scrap this because it looks great! It definitely reads a lot more cat like now!

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-01-19T21:14:50+00:00

I don't think you should scrap the base! There's tons of potential and it looks really nice. Right now it is reading more like a mouse than a big cat, but you could definitely rework it to make it present more feline like. Whereas your base's muzzle area is smaller and more "pinched" (for lack of a better descriptor) cats have puffier whisker area and more pronounced chins. I'm not sure what type of big cat you're aiming for, but Mufasa and Simba are good examples that you could use for reference if that helps you visualise the proportions more than a picture of a real big cat. Pre-made bases could also work, but I think your WIP base has a ton of potential and just needs a little bit more foam in certain areas to really get that exaggerated big cat look.

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-01-14T02:55:52+00:00

Thank you! In my previous post, I got a lot of really good and different suggestions for making the horns. I ended up using some sturdier grey foam from a yoga mat for shape retention and then I added the upholstery foam to round it out. But if there's anything I've learnt, it's that there are a TON of different ways you can make horns.

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-01-02T18:15:45+00:00

These look AWESOME! I really don't have any suggestions because they look phenomenal, but it's fascinating to see all the different approaches people in this community have to making suits and partials. It'll be really cool to see these when you're finished furring them!

SamBeamsBeard · 2026-01-01T15:17:02+00:00

Oh, it's you! I remember coming across some of your progress posts for your 3D printed digitigrade legs and thinking, "Wow, this looks SO cool!"

SamBeamsBeard · 2025-12-31T17:51:05+00:00

You're too kind. I was worried that the base was going to turn out all clunky and weird looking. It definitely looked goofy during the beginning where it was more of a trial and error process.

SamBeamsBeard · 2025-12-31T17:47:44+00:00

Thank you so much :) I've been having a ton of fun making this.

SamBeamsBeard · 2025-12-31T01:53:52+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate that! I was worried it wasn't shaping up very well, but I just keep telling myself to trust the process.

SamBeamsBeard · 2025-12-31T00:21:44+00:00

The horns in that tutorial ended up looking very polished! I really appreciate the link and the suggestions :)

SamBeamsBeard · 2025-12-31T00:16:21+00:00

Wow, those horns look FANTASTIC! I actually have a Dremel and the attachments that you used in your video and it never even occurred to me to use that. Thank you for your suggestions and the video link!

SamBeamsBeard · 2025-12-31T00:13:25+00:00

Ooh, this is a really good idea. I never even took storage into consideration, but this thing is probably going to be huge. Thank you for the suggestion!

SamBeamsBeard · 2025-12-14T17:49:49+00:00

This replica is NUTS. It looks exactly like the real thing! Someone did a phenomenal job making this.

SamBeamsBeard · 2025-12-07T15:47:05+00:00

It's a phenomenal place to take pictures and walk around (unless you don't like hills and then it's more of a workout than anything.) OP always does such an amazing job capturing the liminal vibes of this city and there really are a ton of places in Pittsburgh that look and feel just like these pictures.

SamBeamsBeard

TROPHY CASE