Furry is a fandom, or group of people united together as fans in a common subject. This happens to be anthropomorphic animals! The furry fandom is a very diverse group with a long history, and not easily summarized. Further reading, and even a documentary can be found here:
https://www.anthrocon.org/what-is-furry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv0QaTW3kEY
"Furry Personas," or fursonas, are a common aspect found within the furry fandom. They're basically an anthropomorphic animal version of you. While fursonas tend to be a popular choice to be made in costume form, many people have an assortment of characters and have them made into fursuits too.
Nope! I can do part work for renaissance fair costumes, cosplays, or general costuming. I am also open to making mascots and educational costumes, such as for a sports team, a school, a wildlife sanctuary, or a business. I even offer designing services for those seeking a mascot costume from me.
I live in a cat and dog friendly home. While I keep them separated from my workspace, things like dander can still float in. I would not suggest commissioning me if you have a severe allergy. A minor allergy should have minimal problems.
All fursuits, costumes, and accessories are 100% vegan unless otherwise stated.
They are! By default all of my fursuit heads accommodate for glasses unless otherwise stated. For people without glasses, this grants extra ventilation for more hours of romping around.
Caring for your costume isn't hard, but age and wearing needs to be taken care of. There's a whole page dedicated to maintaining and cleaning your fursuit found here.
https://www.8amcostumes.com/care-and-maintenance
I do offer at con pickup for clients who are attending the same convention as I am and their suit is done by the con. For non-convention pickup, it can be discussed. Note that 8AM Costumes is based in St. Louis, Missouri when wanting pickup!
While I sketch concepts up for each client, a good reference sheet is key to making sure your vision is translated appropriately. A front and back two view reference sheet with no shading and shows the markings clearly is a fantastic start.
Normally I keep parts in house, but if requested I can outsource parts from other makers. This typically means resin bases, jawsets, silicone pawpads, silicone tongues, and other features. I can also use items sent in from you, whether it be fur, fursuit parts, or other things.
I do not replicate other makers styles. I am happy to match your art, a theme, or mimic a style I've done previously on my own work.
No. It's not fair to other clients or you, as a rushed suit is never as good as one that had time spent on it. I do not offer guaranteed deadlines either, I provide a time estimate.
If you are under 18, I will need a parent or guardian to contact me and discuss payments, as well as agree to my terms of service before commissioning. This is for legal reasons and to ensure no trouble may possibly happen. I may request a legal ID as proof of age if needed.
I got started by using wonderful tutorials provided by http://matrices.net/ and https://fursuit.livejournal.com/. If these do not help, try Google. Many makers have excellent tutorials for free or to purchase for a small fee. YouTube and Etsy are full of patterns, templates, and videos for new makers to follow.
A DTD, or duct tape dummy, is a tape replica of your body that I can build fitted bodysuits tailored to you off of without having you in the shop! They're required for any commission involving a bodysuit, and aren't hard to make. You can learn how to make your own here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coradGn8wNY
Fabrics for my work are purchased all over the place, but primarily through BigZFabric, CR's Crafts, Howl Fabrics, Fabric.com, I'mStuffedFurs, Mendels, and local fabric stores.
Fursuits are not cheap to make! Fur, foam, other fabrics, concept art, 3D printer filament, taxes, and so on are just a scratch on the surface of how much money goes into making a fursuit. Denali of LobitaWorks goes into detail more here: https://lobitaworks.tumblr.com/post/611273644758433792/fursuit-pricing-explained
Did you read my terms of service? There are questions answered in it! If you cannot find it on there or through here, you can email me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.