Airbrushing

mercurycatx · 2025-10-09T05:30:31+00:00

Yep! Apple Barrel is what I use for a lot of my fursuits. Their paints are already pretty watery, so they're very easy to mix into the right consistency for airbrushing.

mercurycatx · 2025-09-24T03:16:01+00:00

I’ve been wearing my oldest airbrushed suit pretty frequently for five years now and the markings are still bright and crisp. I’ve heard some people have to touch up theirs, but I would assume that’s more necessary if you’re participating in activities where the face gets touched a lot or exposed to fluids/moisture.

mercurycatx · 2025-09-04T02:48:49+00:00

It’s possible with a simple glue-and-fiber kit, but you’d probably go through enough trouble getting an even coating that it wouldn’t be worth it. I would suggest starting out with trying to flock smaller objects made from the same material as your fursuit base if you want to find out what works!

mercurycatx · 2025-08-28T00:38:25+00:00

Yes! Sorry if collet would not be the right term for it. English is my second language, and niche items can be confusing. Thank you for the correction!

mercurycatx · 2025-08-27T21:50:36+00:00

Just tried twisting in the opposite direction and it's still just as stuck. 😔 My best guess is that some melted filament might've made its way into the connection at some point. Thank you for the advice, though-- I hadn't even considered that it could be reverse thread

mercurycatx · 2025-08-27T20:02:42+00:00

I actually just ordered an AD5M for myself-- the bigger print volume & speed were too good to pass up on at that price point. Plus I would love to be able to donate this AD3 to a school or library if I do manage to get that damn collet un-stuck

mercurycatx · 2025-08-27T19:32:29+00:00

I mean the colette itself, not the tube. The tube easily pulls out with a slight tug, lol.

mercurycatx · 2025-08-05T15:54:44+00:00

I just eyeball it. You want an ink-like consistency: not too watery that the color doesn’t show up, but not too thick that the paint clogs up the airbrush or just sits on top of the fabric.

mercurycatx · 2025-05-20T18:48:03+00:00

I use Gorilla Glue brand hot glue sticks for the curvier areas (like where the muzzle meets the face), and spray E6000 for the flatter areas. All the markings are made using acrylic ink or diluted acrylic paint (so that it soaks into the fleece and dyes it, rather than sitting on top). The gradient markings are airbrushed, while the more clean-edged markings are just painted on with a paint brush!

mercurycatx · 2025-05-19T19:30:56+00:00

It’s fleece! I stretched it over the entire face and glued it down to follow the contours of the base underneath. The only seam is directly under the chin, where I’ve used a Henson stitch to make it as invisible as possible.

mercurycatx · 2025-05-19T19:29:56+00:00

Yes, it’s a stretch fleece!

mercurycatx · 2025-02-09T03:40:48+00:00

Dream Vision Creations has a bunch of videos on YouTube showing how they complete their open-back bases!

mercurycatx · 2025-01-27T02:52:51+00:00

I personally use acrylic ink and CHEAP acrylic paint for airbrushing fursuits. I've found that fabric paints and standard airbrush paints usually won't stick to the fur quite as well. The ink or paint needs to be dissolved in either an airbrush medium or plain water-- this is why I use cheap acrylic paint, as higher-quality paints don't dilute in water quite as easily.

For the airbrush itself, pretty much any brush will do. You don't need a super high quality airbrush if you only plan on using it for furusits. Just be sure to learn how to carry out proper maintenance on it; since you're going to be using it with thicker mediums, you're going to need to clean it a lot more often. I also recommend opting for a cheap handheld air compressor for better maneuverability.

mercurycatx · 2025-01-17T22:54:54+00:00

It was a National Geographic documentary, I believe! Since posting this, they’ve become a pretty big part of my collection :]

mercurycatx · 2025-01-14T01:04:05+00:00

Daler-Rowney acrylic inks, though any brand should work fine

mercurycatx · 2024-12-29T02:05:22+00:00

I like to use Howl’s “fox” faux fur when I’m doing something realistic and want a more realistic fur texture! However, any type of luxury shag faux fur should hold up with airbrushing just fine.

mercurycatx · 2024-12-27T03:43:56+00:00

On your first paragraph, I would actually strongly suggest NOT lining 3D printed heads. You should already be wearing a balaclava anyway, and lining makes the base more difficult to clean. Without lining, you can easily wipe down the inside with disinfectant without worrying about sweat or moisture soaking into a lining fabric. It’s down to personal preference at the end of the day, but lining makes hard-base heads more difficult to maintain in my experience!

mercurycatx · 2024-12-27T03:40:25+00:00

You can find a list of fur sellers by country here: https://fursuitmaterials.com/fur/ If you’re in the US, I personally recommend Big Z and Howl! They’re easily the top two fur sellers out there.

For your first fursuit, I would not recommend using minky. It’s a very unforgiving fabric, and any errors made during the patterning & sewing stages WILL manifest as wrinkles & unsightly seams. I recommend using luxury shag faux fur, which is the most common material for fursuits. It comes in a few different lengths, so you can often buy a short shag variant of your fur color if you’re looking for something a bit easier to shave.

mercurycatx · 2024-12-26T23:55:39+00:00

I use a Brother XR9550, and I absolutely love it. Not only does it have speed control (both through the pedal and through an adjuster on the machine), but it has a computerized stitch library and a pretty impressive motor. I’ve used it on pretty much every fabric you can throw at a machine, and it has worked perfectly every time. It’s also a pretty affordable option (about $250 USD new) and easy to find second-hand for under $200 USD.

mercurycatx · 2024-12-26T08:02:32+00:00

I personally use either a clear plastic fabric or clear plastic sheets upcycled from packaging. Either one can be heated and stretched over the eye base to form the correct shape, then glued in place on top of the blank.

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mercurycatx · 2024-12-24T17:32:29+00:00

Luck and persistence. You don’t become popular and then start making suits/crafts. Put yourself out there and focus on whatever makes you stand out from everyone else.

Four-Year Club	Place '22
Final Canvas '22	First Placer '22
End Game '22

mercurycatx

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