Introduction: Faun / Satyr Costumes for Two

My girlfriend came up with this idea for faun costumes and we know it's been done before but we thought we would give it a shot. We looked at hundreds of pictures on google image search along with related instructables and videos on youtube.

For anyone who doesn't know, a faun or satyr is a creature from Greek mythology that was half goat, half man. The most commonly known example is the Greek god Pan. According to Wikipedia, "Pan ... is the god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs."  Mr. Tumnus from the C.S. Lewis books The Chronicles of Narnia was also a faun. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_(god)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Tumnus

Below are a couple links to stuff we used for inspiration:

Chris Channing's amazing faun costume - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70DkUlDLsts
Some nice wooden digitigrade leg extensions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JeJ1LimPAk
And some of the most elaborate digitigrade leg extensions we found from Kim Graham  - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx6ej0Vh7HE
Google images for faun or satyr costumes - http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&gbv=2&tbs=isch:1&&sa=X&ei=abvYTJCrKIq8sQPh1ZjFBw&ved=0CCIQBSgA&q=(faun|satyr)+costume&spell=1&biw=660&bih=633
Google images for digitigrade, faun, or satyr leg extensions - http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&gbv=2&biw=660&bih=633&tbs=isch:1&sa=1&q=(digitigrade|faun|satyr)+leg+extensions&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Step 1: Tools & Supplies

I may have forgotten something but most or all of what we used is listed below. Some aspects of our costumes could be done in simpler ways with tools most people have around their garage/shop using wood instead of metal.

Tools we used: 
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Bamboo Skewer
Hand Drill
Mallet
Vice Grips
Rivet Gun
CNC Laser
MIG Welder
Angle Grinder
Stapler
Paint Brushes
Epoxy
Electrical Tape

Supplies:
(6) yds of curly brown faux fur - approx $70.00 from JoAnn Fabrics (this was 2.5 yards too much for 2 pairs of pants and the leg extension covers.)
(2) 9" zippers - approx $3.00 each from JoAnn Fabrics
(2) 1.5" wide anti-roll elastic waist bands - approx $3.00 each from JoAnn Fabrics
(4) sheets 10.5 x 13.5" plastic canvas - $.49/ea from Michaels Crafts
(5) sheets 30.5 x 45.7cm black closed cell foam - $.84/ea from Michaels Crafts
(1) 8oz pkg Creative Paperclay - approx $9.50 from JoAnn Fabrics
(1) 2oz bottle metallic black acrylic paint - approx $3.50 from JoAnn Fabrics
(1) can clear polyurethane spray paint - approx $6.50 from JoAnn Fabrics
(1) roll of 3M VHB double backed tape - approx $3.50 from Fred Meyer
(1) bottle spirit gum - $3.00 from Aradani Studios http://www.aradanicostumes.com/adhesives_removers/spirit_gum
(2) sets of faun ear prosthetics - $20.00/ea from Aradani Studios http://www.aradanicostumes.com/elf_ears/faun_ears
(1) leather womens top - approx $70.00 on etsy
(1) set of dread lock hair extensions - approx $15.00 on etsy
(16) bicycle toe straps (could sub velcro straps) we had a couple but had to buy several to make up the difference - approx $14.00 from local bike shop.
14GA mild steel remanants
(100)+ .125" rivets
string
black pipe cleaner
bobby pins

Step 2: Making the Horns

For the horns, we looked at several sets other people had made and settled on using Paperclay for the medium. The clay air dries hard and becomes extremely lightweight once all of the moisture is gone. 

We took one package and divided it in half. I used 1/4 of a package for each of my horns and my girlfriend used a bit less than that for smaller ladies horns. We each sculpted our horns, mine had larger bases allowing them to be more free standing while hers were much smaller. We used a bamboo skewer to pierce holes through the horns for tying them onto our heads. The skewers were also used to add the textured ribs around the horns. Starting at the bottom, we pushed the blunt end of the skewer into the clay and rolled it around the horn. Then we worked our way up adding a couple more ribs. 

We didn't think about it at the time but the bases should have been tapered opposite one another rather than flat. Goat horns point upwards more than outwards. Having them flat on the bottom makes them seem a bit like devil or demon horns. 

After drying, the horns got a couple coats of the metallic black acrylic paint, followed by clear polyurethane spray paint. The mens horns just needed string and and a couple bobby pins to hook the string into my hair. The ladies horns were a bit to tippy so we glued bobby pins to the bottom for stability. String was initially used for these but later switched to black pipe cleaner. 

Step 3: Making the Furry Pants

Neither of us know how to sew so we enlisted the help of my mom for the furry pants. She started by using a pattern for pajama pants. A mock up set was cut and sewn from an old bed sheet before cutting into the faux fur. After the fit up was done on the sheet pants, we marked up the fur and cut out the shapes. The pants have a single 9" zipper along one hip seam and have an elastic waistband to keep them up. They were very comfortable to wear and helped us stay warm in our revealing costumes.

Disclaimer:
Cutting, sewing, or working with fake fur will make a huge mess of your house!! Most fake fur is flammable so keep clear of any source of fire when making costumes from these types of materials!!

Step 4: Making the Hooves / Leg Extensions

Again, we looked at what other people had done first before designing the leg extensions. I wanted to make leg extensions that gave the look of a digitigrade leg but be safe and easy to walk around in. Many people have needed braces and straps to stabilize their legs and that was something I made provisions for but wanted to avoid if possible. 

I started off with designing the extensions in SolidWorks and took reference measurements from our shoes and feet. Both of us were comfortable at about the same angle of 30 degrees or so we thought. A shallower angle would be better but this is not unbearable. After designing the parts, I added some holes on the gusset plates to reduce weight. I then ran a FEA (finite element analysis) on the feet and they had a factor of safety of 2.4 for my 190lb weight. The extensions give a 3" rise at the toe but the angle gives the wearer another 4-6" in height.

I had initially planned on just laser cutting and bending the flat patterns but the press brakes were tied up at my work. Instead, I added stitch cuts along the bend lines and hand formed all of the parts. Then after riveting the assemblies together, I MIG welded them to ensure they wouldn't fail from the reduced strength of the stitch bends. 

As you can see in the pictures, the slots for straps are much wider than the bicycle toe straps we ended up using. The original plan was for some 1.5" wide velcro which would have spread out the pressure on our feet much better. Time was not on our side and the toe straps were much faster. 

The plastic canvas material was riveted to extra holes I made in the extensions and then cut & fit around the ankles. One sheet was used for each foot.

The hooves were made from a half sheet of the closed cell craft foam. Each sheet was first folded in half the long way and then cut into a strip. We then folded the strip in half the short way and stapled along the fold. The foam was then folded back on itself in symmetric diagonal shapes to make the cleft hoof. After wrapping the foam around the leg extension, it was also riveted in place and then trimmed with scissors. I was worried the rivets would cut through the foam but it worked great. One of the hooves even got stepped on hard enough to tear the foam on the front but it didn't rip around the rivet!

The craft foam was also used to line the bottoms of the hooves to protect floors at our friends house for a costume party. We used two strips of 3M VHB double stick tape running down the length of the sole with rivets in between and around the perimeter. The edges were affixed with black electrical tape. This also held up much better than expected and protected floors from damage by our metal hooves.

Finally, the hooves were wrapped in remnant pieces of the faux fur. Due to a time crunch, I resorted to stapling the fur onto the plastic canvas material and that worked really well. A 3" strip of velcro was stapled onto each hoof to keep the fur in place when wrapped over our feet. I positioned the velcro a little too low so the fur was draping down. More will need to be added before we use them again. 

They were pretty safe to walk in and I didn't find them uncomfortable too much. The finished product was about 3.5 lbs per foot. have never walked in high heels before which is probably similar to what these feel like. My girlfriend didn't like the fit as much but I think it had more to do with her shoes of choice than with the extensions. If I were to make them again, I would make the bases wider. They are about 5" at the widest point and are fine on flat hard ground or floors. They feel really unsteady on thick carpet and could benefit from a larger foot print. 

Step 5: Makeup, Ears and Hair

My girlfriends sister came over to help with makeup and the dread lock extensions. She used some yarn to tie them into her hair along with a length of cloth to wrap everything up. 

We got a bit of a golden glow on our faces and some brown/black under our noses to look more goat like. 

I grew my beard and hair out for about 4 months prior to Halloween for this costume. I shaved off my mustache to have just the chinstrap beard and goatee. The shaggy hair helped hide the string for my horns. 

The ears went on pretty easy with the spirit gum although they are on upside down in a couple of the pictures and look more like elf ears. The quality of the prosthetics is top notch and they should last for several years. 

Step 6: The Finished Costumes

We had a great time with these costumes and everyone loved them at our Halloween party. We also went out to a bar with a costume contest and we had some of the best costumes there. Unfortunately, the contest was one by a regular that was friends with everyone at the bar though wearing a really junky off the shelf costume. 

We hope you enjoyed our faun costumes!

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