Howdy!
I want to share my latest report on crafting a wolf head for cosplay and LARP characters. Hope this easy guide helps you achieve a nice, comfy and high-quality result.
The mask-hat is quite simple in production and doesn’t require significant financial investments. If done right, it doesn’t create any inconvenience in wearing or transportation. It warms you nicely in cold times, and sometimes makes others want to scratch behind your ear.
Materials: baseball cap as a base, foam of different thickness and facture (i have a mushy two-layer and a solid one-layer), EVA foam of 3mm and 5mm thickness, Bubble Star (or Worbla), fake fur of different colors, a couple of acrylic eyes (found on Aliexpress), spirit-based markers (I use Promarker), airbrush, acrylic paints and your endless fantasy.
Equipment: heat gun, dremel tool, hot glue gun, paper knife, paper tape
Phase 1 — the base
For the base it is good to use an adjustable baseball cap of any natural color. At this stage it is important to visualise how you want to place the face on the head so it would be comfy to wear afterwards. Draw the center line and cut the sides of the peak off. The peak will serve as the face of the wolf head.
Phase 2 — building geometry
Using the foam, build the head. I am using anatomy from wolf head photos to try to get as close as I can to make it realistic. It is crucial to decide on where to put the eyes and always check that they don’t look at each other ( o) . (o )
For the base, take something not expensive but stiff, so that the mask would be durable and survive transportation. I used a double-layer mushy 11mm-thick foam.
Phase 3 — the details
When the base is ready, it’s time to start detailing the face. Here you may want to spent all the time in the universe and experiment with head shape, positioning of eyebrows, nose and other parts. Add and remove pieces until you’re happy. For that I used a thinner, softer and more adjustable foam from a cheap trekking mat. Then, put some contours of planned geometry right on the mask, it will help visualise and plan the process.
To make the wizen skin effect, I used 5mm EVA foam. To grind the pieces I used an engraver.
Phase 3,5 — teeth, ears, nose and other stuff
My task was to make a grin face with bared teeth, in which I used BubbleStar (Worbla would be good too). The best part of this type of material is that you can change it shape as much as you need. Plus it sticks to foam easily without any special glues. Just make sure to use a fan with adjustable temperature.
The gums and teeth I tried to make as natural as possible. First I formed the gums and then inserted teeth into them. At last my anatomy book was good for something.
Nose and ears were created without anything extraordinary — take 3mm EVA, cut the right shape and glue heated BubbleStar on it. Then glue the whole part to the mask.
Phase 4 — eyes
One of the most challenging elements were the eyes. The acrylic eyes I bought on Aliexpress turned out to be smaller than I needed, but BubbleStar saved the day — just add some extra parts using it. The difficult part is to form the eyes and eyelids. Here you have to be extra accurate and always check with photos of wolves to get the greatest match.
Phase 5 — coloring
All details that imitate hairless skin are to be colored appropriately. It is all about preference — i made the eyelids and nose black, gums rose.
Before painting any thermoplastic, make sure to cover it with a primer, ideally with two layers of it.
Remember: BubbleStar ad Worbla should be primed every time! Otherwise the paint will quickly tear off, making all your hard work obsolete.
Once the primer is dry, paint it! In some places I used an airbrush, in some other places I used classical brushes. Choose what’s best for you. After the paint dries, for the love of god, cover the areas with some varnish. I used a glossy varnish for eyes and nose to imitate wetness, while gums and teeth went matte.
Phase 6 — fur
Next, cover the mask with fur. I am using white fake fur with some black hairs — plain white seems unnatural. The good thing about the mostly-white fur is that you can recolor it if necessary.
To make the patterns, I cover the mask areas with paper tape, cut the shapes I need and transform them to the back side of the fur.
Using pet trimming machine I got rid of extra length, making smooth transitions at the edge of every fur piece. That helps to later seamlessly connect the pieces on the mask. Don’t use scissors for that — it is practically impossible to cut fur smooth and pretty with several pieces at hand. Also, remember that what has been cut — cannot be uncut, so think twice before the butchering.
Unlike furry costumes, where pieces of fur are first sewn together and then pulled on a mask, I glued the pieces next to each other right on the mask using hot glue. This way you can protect yourself from a possible failure when you, for example, cut off too much fur somewhere.
The tail of the head can be of any length and form. When it is long, I usually make it detachable. You should definitely add an underlying backing, otherwise it might look a bit off. Brown or black linen and cotton work best.
Phase 7 — painting the fur
The final accord is painting the fur. Spirit-based markers and an airbrush work best for that. It is up to you to decide on the coloring, I stuck to the images I found in the internet.
Keep in mind that any color shifts should be done in a layering principle — starting from the brightest color and going all the way to the darkest one. It is crucial for the coloring to look natural, so make sure to bring some patience here.
Phase 7 (optional) — accessories
Usually I add some lightning to the eyes, putting some electronics inside the mask already at the assembling stage. This adds liveliness to the eyes and add a finishing touch the whole concept.
Options for lighting materials are vast, depending on your preferences and fantasy. I use diodes from Neopixel strip and a stepdown power module, but you can also try a 3xAAA battery box.
Finish
That’s everything I do when crafting my wolf-head-hats. Hope this tutorial will help you make your very own big bad wolf. Let me know if you like this craft, and would there be any questions — don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments. Take care! ❤
