Werewolf Costume
Intro: Werewolf Costume
Update 9/22/2011:
Thanks for checking out this tutorial! I get a lot of questions about this every year around this time and they are usually the same, so let's clear up a couple things.
-Where to buy fur: http://www.mendels.com/fur2.shtml or google/ebay "faux fur"
-Where to buy foam: Michaels or JoAnn's... or other fabric/crafting store, ask for upholstery foam
-How much fur do I need?: I cannot answer this since everyone is a different size and i can't remember how much i used for the project.
-Can i borrow/have/buy the costume? No, the costume does not exist any more. All that is left is the head and it's not in the best of shape. The rest was used for other projects (keep in mind this is a 4 year old project)
-Will you build me a costume? Sorry, im not available for that. Thats why i made this tutorial! :)
This is just one way to build this sort of costume... there are all sorts of better materials and methods out there! See how you can put your own spin on it or improve it. If you run into a problem, try researching it a bit by poking around online... sometimes that can lead you to a better solution. Basically don't be afraid and just try it out... that is how you are going to learn!
I'm sorry to say that i will not be answering questions about this build due to a very booked work schedule.
Have a great Halloween!
------
Create your own werewolf costume! Moving jaw, padded body, lots of fur!
I'd like to express how excited Iam to see this posted around the internet. This is my second full crazy costume, the first being an armored demon. I do costuming as a hobby but Iam a full time artist.
Had I known so many people would be looking at this, i would have documented the steps a little better. If you have any questions, feel free to ask via commenting on this site and I'll try to answer them as best i can.
Thank you for checking out my Instructable. I hope it inspires you to make a big mean creature of your own!
Have a great Halloween!
Thanks for checking out this tutorial! I get a lot of questions about this every year around this time and they are usually the same, so let's clear up a couple things.
-Where to buy fur: http://www.mendels.com/fur2.shtml or google/ebay "faux fur"
-Where to buy foam: Michaels or JoAnn's... or other fabric/crafting store, ask for upholstery foam
-How much fur do I need?: I cannot answer this since everyone is a different size and i can't remember how much i used for the project.
-Can i borrow/have/buy the costume? No, the costume does not exist any more. All that is left is the head and it's not in the best of shape. The rest was used for other projects (keep in mind this is a 4 year old project)
-Will you build me a costume? Sorry, im not available for that. Thats why i made this tutorial! :)
This is just one way to build this sort of costume... there are all sorts of better materials and methods out there! See how you can put your own spin on it or improve it. If you run into a problem, try researching it a bit by poking around online... sometimes that can lead you to a better solution. Basically don't be afraid and just try it out... that is how you are going to learn!
I'm sorry to say that i will not be answering questions about this build due to a very booked work schedule.
Have a great Halloween!
------
Create your own werewolf costume! Moving jaw, padded body, lots of fur!
I'd like to express how excited Iam to see this posted around the internet. This is my second full crazy costume, the first being an armored demon. I do costuming as a hobby but Iam a full time artist.
Had I known so many people would be looking at this, i would have documented the steps a little better. If you have any questions, feel free to ask via commenting on this site and I'll try to answer them as best i can.
Thank you for checking out my Instructable. I hope it inspires you to make a big mean creature of your own!
Have a great Halloween!
STEP 1: Start the Head!
You will need:
Upholstrey foam
plaster gauze strips
lotion
elastic
hot glue
needle and thread
Using plaster strips, make a little half mask. Dont forget to lube your face with some lotion!
When the half mask is done, start adding some foam to protect your noggin. Nothing too thick, you dont want the wolf to have a huge balloon cranium ( or maybe you do, whatever) With the foam added, now make a little elastic bit to hold it on. Sew it into a ring and add a lttle hot glue to the sewn parts to make sure it stays. Add some strips over the foam to make it more solid.
Upholstrey foam
plaster gauze strips
lotion
elastic
hot glue
needle and thread
Using plaster strips, make a little half mask. Dont forget to lube your face with some lotion!
When the half mask is done, start adding some foam to protect your noggin. Nothing too thick, you dont want the wolf to have a huge balloon cranium ( or maybe you do, whatever) With the foam added, now make a little elastic bit to hold it on. Sew it into a ring and add a lttle hot glue to the sewn parts to make sure it stays. Add some strips over the foam to make it more solid.
STEP 2: Add the Snout and Jaw!
You will need:
Cell-u-clay
aluminum armature wire
pourable plastic resin (optional)
resin epoxy glue
hot glue
okay so I skipped a few steps, here..im sorry! Basically I formed a little wire armature for the snout, you can see it running along the sides there, nice and ugly. I then glued it down with the epoxy and glued some foam over the wire armature with hot glue. Snip the foam snout down to the shape you want. Make it a little skinnier than needed since we are going to add to it.
I then coated the entire thing with resin to make it super strong!
Mix your celluclay and create a basic snout. Let this dry for awhile.
Cell-u-clay
aluminum armature wire
pourable plastic resin (optional)
resin epoxy glue
hot glue
okay so I skipped a few steps, here..im sorry! Basically I formed a little wire armature for the snout, you can see it running along the sides there, nice and ugly. I then glued it down with the epoxy and glued some foam over the wire armature with hot glue. Snip the foam snout down to the shape you want. Make it a little skinnier than needed since we are going to add to it.
I then coated the entire thing with resin to make it super strong!
Mix your celluclay and create a basic snout. Let this dry for awhile.
STEP 3: Add the Jaws and Teeth!
You will need:
Sculpey
Dremel tool or sand paper ( dremel tool will save a ton of time)
Aluminum wire armature
key ring (minus keys)
elastic
epoxy glue
Once the clay dried I went and dremeled down alot of the texture. I didnt think I'd be covering the whole thing with fur, my plan was to hand glue hair and then leave most of it smooth...so I really got into smoothing the face which was sort of a waste. Oh well, that's what happens when you make it up as you go along!
I also added wire ears and the jaw. The jaw was also made with plaster strips molded onto my actual chin. A wire serves as the support for the foam mandible, just like with the upper head...
The jaw works by making a little ring hat attaches to the upper head..the lower jaw hooks in and is removable. I made the hook with some wire formed into a hook shape, attached to an elastic loop.
Sculpey
Dremel tool or sand paper ( dremel tool will save a ton of time)
Aluminum wire armature
key ring (minus keys)
elastic
epoxy glue
Once the clay dried I went and dremeled down alot of the texture. I didnt think I'd be covering the whole thing with fur, my plan was to hand glue hair and then leave most of it smooth...so I really got into smoothing the face which was sort of a waste. Oh well, that's what happens when you make it up as you go along!
I also added wire ears and the jaw. The jaw was also made with plaster strips molded onto my actual chin. A wire serves as the support for the foam mandible, just like with the upper head...
The jaw works by making a little ring hat attaches to the upper head..the lower jaw hooks in and is removable. I made the hook with some wire formed into a hook shape, attached to an elastic loop.
STEP 4: Detailing the Head and Making the Teeth
You will need:
sculpey
oven to bake sculpey
sharpie marker
dremel
spray primer
epoxy glue
I added plaster strips to the ears as well as paper clay. Lots of shaving, sanding and swearing later and we kind of have a werewolf on the way....
Sculpting with paper clay sucks. I just did a little, let it dry, sanded, added more...repeat until happy. It's frustrating but it's worth it to me. This paper mache clay is REALLY light and really strong. It takes patience. I'd work on it between other projects so I didnt get too annoyed...
oohhhh man, this is where it got fun. The teeth are sculpey which I molded to the jaw, then baked then glued in. I also put a little snarl over them in paper clay later on.....
I also used a ton of primer on this thing while I was obsessing over the smoothness...thats why the whole thing is suddenly grey.
Notice how I marked the teeth so I could glue them in easier later on. I didnt detail the teeth as much as I could have but it works anyway.
sculpey
oven to bake sculpey
sharpie marker
dremel
spray primer
epoxy glue
I added plaster strips to the ears as well as paper clay. Lots of shaving, sanding and swearing later and we kind of have a werewolf on the way....
Sculpting with paper clay sucks. I just did a little, let it dry, sanded, added more...repeat until happy. It's frustrating but it's worth it to me. This paper mache clay is REALLY light and really strong. It takes patience. I'd work on it between other projects so I didnt get too annoyed...
oohhhh man, this is where it got fun. The teeth are sculpey which I molded to the jaw, then baked then glued in. I also put a little snarl over them in paper clay later on.....
I also used a ton of primer on this thing while I was obsessing over the smoothness...thats why the whole thing is suddenly grey.
Notice how I marked the teeth so I could glue them in easier later on. I didnt detail the teeth as much as I could have but it works anyway.
STEP 5: Finish Up the Head
What you need:
acrylic paint
brushes
clear epoxy
hot glue
fake fur
scissors
exacto knife
Time to paint him! Again, I had thought most of the front face would be naked so I cared way too much about painting it all nice. It's not a total flat black, there's actually a little shading and highlighting. That red stuff in the jaw is tool dip, I figured I'd seal the inner face since it can get pretty nasty in there with all the sweating I'd be doing. Easier to wipe off and makes it a little smoother...
I also have some black eye make up to blend things a little better...and a balaclava to hide my mouth (nnja mask type hood)
The teeth have been sealed with a glossy clear epoxy. Do a test on your epoxy first, because the brand I used for the bottom teeth yellowed within a month or two and they no longer matched.
The teeth are not a pure white, either..I did stain them a little but it doesnt show up too well in the flash.
The hair was wierd...at first i added mohair that i dyed and glued in piece by piece. Like I have mentioned i was going to have a somewhat naked face and was going to blend the hair into the skin. Dumb waste of time. I ended up hot gluing on fake fur and trimming it to become short on the face and snout..and blended that into longer hair towards the top of the head. I also bought some long high quality fur from National Fiber Technology for the back of the head...i used hot glue to attach all of the fur onto the face and head.
acrylic paint
brushes
clear epoxy
hot glue
fake fur
scissors
exacto knife
Time to paint him! Again, I had thought most of the front face would be naked so I cared way too much about painting it all nice. It's not a total flat black, there's actually a little shading and highlighting. That red stuff in the jaw is tool dip, I figured I'd seal the inner face since it can get pretty nasty in there with all the sweating I'd be doing. Easier to wipe off and makes it a little smoother...
I also have some black eye make up to blend things a little better...and a balaclava to hide my mouth (nnja mask type hood)
The teeth have been sealed with a glossy clear epoxy. Do a test on your epoxy first, because the brand I used for the bottom teeth yellowed within a month or two and they no longer matched.
The teeth are not a pure white, either..I did stain them a little but it doesnt show up too well in the flash.
The hair was wierd...at first i added mohair that i dyed and glued in piece by piece. Like I have mentioned i was going to have a somewhat naked face and was going to blend the hair into the skin. Dumb waste of time. I ended up hot gluing on fake fur and trimming it to become short on the face and snout..and blended that into longer hair towards the top of the head. I also bought some long high quality fur from National Fiber Technology for the back of the head...i used hot glue to attach all of the fur onto the face and head.
STEP 6: Make Some Paws!
You will need:
Baseball batter's gloves
epoxy
dremel
Plastic craft claws
foam
scissors
needle n' thread
fake fur
armature wire
opera gloves
acrylic paint
clear polyurethane
Foam over a baseball batters glove. Hot glue it on. The wires will make the claws sturdy on top of my fingers ( the claws will fit over the wire, create a hole in the claw with the dremel tool). The foam makes my hand look like it has different stubbier joints and hopefully a little less human.
Glue the claws onto the finger wire with epoxy. Paint your claws and seal with the clear epoxy. I painted the paw pads first with the latex to reduce to pores of the foam, the went over that with black tool tip. ( there are better ways to make paw pads but this is what i did) I shaved down the finger tip fur and let it fade into longer fur on the back of the hand.
Cut the fingers off of the opera gloves, put one on and insert it into the glove. Using hot glue...yes, hot glue...glue on strips of fur up to your elbows. The trick is to use a low heat glue gun ( NOT the large high heat!)...apply your glue onto the strip of fur, let it cool for a minute and then apply it to the opera glove. It will be warm but won't burn you. You just need it to stick enough to hold in place. Once all the fur is attached, remove the opera glove with the paw still attached and sew all of the fur seams together. Lower arm done!
Baseball batter's gloves
epoxy
dremel
Plastic craft claws
foam
scissors
needle n' thread
fake fur
armature wire
opera gloves
acrylic paint
clear polyurethane
Foam over a baseball batters glove. Hot glue it on. The wires will make the claws sturdy on top of my fingers ( the claws will fit over the wire, create a hole in the claw with the dremel tool). The foam makes my hand look like it has different stubbier joints and hopefully a little less human.
Glue the claws onto the finger wire with epoxy. Paint your claws and seal with the clear epoxy. I painted the paw pads first with the latex to reduce to pores of the foam, the went over that with black tool tip. ( there are better ways to make paw pads but this is what i did) I shaved down the finger tip fur and let it fade into longer fur on the back of the hand.
Cut the fingers off of the opera gloves, put one on and insert it into the glove. Using hot glue...yes, hot glue...glue on strips of fur up to your elbows. The trick is to use a low heat glue gun ( NOT the large high heat!)...apply your glue onto the strip of fur, let it cool for a minute and then apply it to the opera glove. It will be warm but won't burn you. You just need it to stick enough to hold in place. Once all the fur is attached, remove the opera glove with the paw still attached and sew all of the fur seams together. Lower arm done!
STEP 7: Make the Werewolf Feet!
Shoes
Foam
Hot glue
exacto
plastic claws
epoxy
acrylic paint
dremel
clear polyurethane
Add velcro around the top to your shoe then some around the sides for the end of the fur legs to velcro on to. I also made a strap for this brand of shoe, which also has velcro on top of it for the legs to attach to.
I riveted AND glued the velcro on...dont' want it going anywhere! Plus rivets are fun to install.Toes! Basic block of foam, carve with scissors to round them out a little.Don't bother too much with making it super smooth...it's going to be covered with fur anyway :) I glued my claws in my cutting a slit into the foam, filling it with hot glue and inserting the claw.
Paint your claws, varnish them with polyurethane. Add strips of fur, hot glue it all down...trim the toe fur and you are done!
Foam
Hot glue
exacto
plastic claws
epoxy
acrylic paint
dremel
clear polyurethane
Add velcro around the top to your shoe then some around the sides for the end of the fur legs to velcro on to. I also made a strap for this brand of shoe, which also has velcro on top of it for the legs to attach to.
I riveted AND glued the velcro on...dont' want it going anywhere! Plus rivets are fun to install.Toes! Basic block of foam, carve with scissors to round them out a little.Don't bother too much with making it super smooth...it's going to be covered with fur anyway :) I glued my claws in my cutting a slit into the foam, filling it with hot glue and inserting the claw.
Paint your claws, varnish them with polyurethane. Add strips of fur, hot glue it all down...trim the toe fur and you are done!
STEP 8: Make the Body
You will need:
Fake fur
hot glue
Leotard
Under Armor type shirt
Foam
I didnt get very good photos of these steps..im so sorry!
I used a duct tape dummy to help out with sizing. I put a leotard with an underarmor shirt over it. Then I hot glued foam shapes over the shoulders, chest and back to make a beefy upper chest. Then to create a digitigrade leg ( dog leg appearance...not a backwards knee like everyone thinks, they just have shorter lower legs, longer feet and stand on thier toes). I add foam to the front of my top leg and the back of my calf to make a shape like im bending my knees...even when the leg is straight.
Try the suit on every so often with the head on to make sure the proportions are okay. Trim accordingly....get the foam right because you dont want to have to go back a step to fix things. Remember you will be adding fur on top of the foam. This will add more bulk, so slight shapes are best.
The shirt and leotard connect with velcro. I sewed and then glued the corresponding sides to the inside og the shirt and outside waistline of the leotard. Also add some velcro to the elbows of the shirt..this is where the lower arms will connect.
Cut shapes of fur with your exacto ( cut the back as to not mess up the fur) and hot glue it all on. Place the pieces close together, fill gaps with smaller pieces. After you are satisfied, sew all of the glued on pieces together so when you flex and bend , the fur does not show seams and gaps.
I also included a photo of all the parts we have covered so far.
Fake fur
hot glue
Leotard
Under Armor type shirt
Foam
I didnt get very good photos of these steps..im so sorry!
I used a duct tape dummy to help out with sizing. I put a leotard with an underarmor shirt over it. Then I hot glued foam shapes over the shoulders, chest and back to make a beefy upper chest. Then to create a digitigrade leg ( dog leg appearance...not a backwards knee like everyone thinks, they just have shorter lower legs, longer feet and stand on thier toes). I add foam to the front of my top leg and the back of my calf to make a shape like im bending my knees...even when the leg is straight.
Try the suit on every so often with the head on to make sure the proportions are okay. Trim accordingly....get the foam right because you dont want to have to go back a step to fix things. Remember you will be adding fur on top of the foam. This will add more bulk, so slight shapes are best.
The shirt and leotard connect with velcro. I sewed and then glued the corresponding sides to the inside og the shirt and outside waistline of the leotard. Also add some velcro to the elbows of the shirt..this is where the lower arms will connect.
Cut shapes of fur with your exacto ( cut the back as to not mess up the fur) and hot glue it all on. Place the pieces close together, fill gaps with smaller pieces. After you are satisfied, sew all of the glued on pieces together so when you flex and bend , the fur does not show seams and gaps.
I also included a photo of all the parts we have covered so far.
STEP 9: Try It On!
Colored contacts
Kryolan aqua make up buy at sillyfarm.com
You are pretty much done. Get some colored contacts to look less human and really freak people out! I blended my face into the black of the mask with some kryolan make up. It mixes with water and can be applied with a finger or brush and does not rub off too easily.
Add a tail if you feel like it! I didnt document that process but just sew some fake fur, stuff it then sew it to your wolf's butt.
Try on your new suit! You may need to make some changes and adjustments...but congrats! You are now a werewolf. Stay hydrated and be very careful, this suit gets really hot. You will lose alot of water and moving will take a little more out of you. Take frequent head breaks ( take off the head and hood) in front of a fan and have someone around to help you get in and out of the suit AKA a wrangler. A wrangler can also help you spot trouble where you can't see it ( people tugging on the suit from behind or kids getting a little too aggressive), or do simple things like open doors for you when your claws can't. Most people will be really cool and want to pose for photos or pet you...but be aware of people just wanting to make trouble with an easy target. Especially drunk people! Having some back up can make the difference between having a great time out or getting your costume damaged and you possibly hurt. I have had some bad experiences being out alone with another costume and i'd hate for anyone else to have the same trouble.
But don't let all that scare you. It's going to be awesome and you will have a great time! Go scare some kids and have a great halloween!
For more costumes and cool stuff check out missmonster.com!
Kryolan aqua make up buy at sillyfarm.com
You are pretty much done. Get some colored contacts to look less human and really freak people out! I blended my face into the black of the mask with some kryolan make up. It mixes with water and can be applied with a finger or brush and does not rub off too easily.
Add a tail if you feel like it! I didnt document that process but just sew some fake fur, stuff it then sew it to your wolf's butt.
Try on your new suit! You may need to make some changes and adjustments...but congrats! You are now a werewolf. Stay hydrated and be very careful, this suit gets really hot. You will lose alot of water and moving will take a little more out of you. Take frequent head breaks ( take off the head and hood) in front of a fan and have someone around to help you get in and out of the suit AKA a wrangler. A wrangler can also help you spot trouble where you can't see it ( people tugging on the suit from behind or kids getting a little too aggressive), or do simple things like open doors for you when your claws can't. Most people will be really cool and want to pose for photos or pet you...but be aware of people just wanting to make trouble with an easy target. Especially drunk people! Having some back up can make the difference between having a great time out or getting your costume damaged and you possibly hurt. I have had some bad experiences being out alone with another costume and i'd hate for anyone else to have the same trouble.
But don't let all that scare you. It's going to be awesome and you will have a great time! Go scare some kids and have a great halloween!
For more costumes and cool stuff check out missmonster.com!
421 Comments
kaptaink_cg 12 years ago
ramosjonah59 6 months ago
c_webber 11 years ago
newkangol 14 years ago
frenzy 13 years ago
I'm an intern here at instructables.com and we really liked this project! Thanks for showing us how you recreated it.
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Adam Stogsdill 15 years ago
ramosjonah59 6 months ago
ramosjonah59 6 months ago
ramosjonah59 6 months ago
Riley_ford 5 years ago
AuryonL 6 years ago
Is there a way of making the head more flat? Like a real wolf? Not like a howling position, but something like this.
AnnaH35 8 years ago
Check out mine!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=B65Xf6ynsLM
big daddy73 8 years ago
were can i get fur like your costume has. ive checked fabric land and many other places. looking for fur like yours. if u can direct me it would be greatly appreciated. jason
Vesalius1 9 years ago
HunterS1 9 years ago
Im speachless, this suit is amazing. the bad thing is, i don't really have the any skill in costume making, let alone the skill to make one of these, i know this kind of defeats the purpose of making an instruct able, but would you consider selling these online? As you can tell by my username I'm a HUGE fan of werewolves, and i'd really love to buy one! email me if you are interested. my email is zwolfking78@gmail.com. Thanks!
SkyProductions 9 years ago
ionachevelle 9 years ago
I found these instructions about a year ago. They were very helpful in building my own werewolf costume. I started making mine in November of 2013 and I finished it all(with the exception of the tail) last week (end of August 2014). I love it. I will have to post some pictures of it sometime when i have it all on together. Again thank you for posting these intructions.
sorourke 9 years ago
cristoph 9 years ago
Goldenwing 10 years ago