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Brainbread posted:I think I have to buy a really good camera soon, and proper lighting. I have a mix of tungsten, fluorescent, and natural light when I photo >.> For sure, you can get a decent DSLR for ~500-600 dollars and buy materials and lights for a softbox. If you intend to keep selling your own creations it will pay for itself, because when not dealing with pony fanatics quality photos really help sell stuff. It implies a level of craftsmaship/professionalism. On top of that with a softbox after you get down a few different photograph settings your conditions are static, so you don't have to be a particularly good photographer to get good photos.
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May 11, 2012 21:49
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Juriko posted:For sure, you can get a decent DSLR for ~500-600 dollars and buy materials and lights for a softbox. If you intend to keep selling your own creations it will pay for itself, because when not dealing with pony fanatics quality photos really help sell stuff. It implies a level of craftsmaship/professionalism. On top of that with a softbox after you get down a few different photograph settings your conditions are static, so you don't have to be a particularly good photographer to get good photos. I replaced all of my lighting with three fluorescent lamps, and I've got my settings down so it corrects the orang-ish hue they give off to white, so everything balances out then. There is a little bit of ambient light, and I can always switch between Neutral and Vivid contrast if I really want to make the colours "pop" or something. The brightness seems to be pretty good, and there is a limited amount of natural light that enters the room, so I don't need to correct for it. Took this with it  . Looks pretty true to life, and I don't have different light falling on it. This was just a few minutes ago for my WIP.  So I think these settings will work out. Everything seems very vivid, barring the little flecks of thread hanging off her! Brainbread fucked around with this message at 05:41 on May 12, 2012 |
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May 12, 2012 05:25
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Brainbread posted:This was just a few minutes ago for my WIP.  Peacock! You absolutely need to post pictures of this once it's done. Peacock is the BEST.
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May 14, 2012 03:11
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Sapphaholic posted:
 Got her legs all hooked into her body. She can't really stand on her own, but she does a good impression. I'm kinda doing her between my other commissions. Kind of hoping to round out my portfolio with her (to include things that are not ponies). Also finished this      Slightly different, with the fetlocks in her legs giving me almost no room to stuff. Which, looking back on it, was a terrible idea.
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May 14, 2012 05:30
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 Here's a Metroid I made years ago. I wanted to have the red parts actually inside the body instead of appliqued on to a solid green thing like you see most of the time. I wanted it to look like a Metroid from all angles instead of just one. I was playing Wrath of Ashardalon with some friends tonight and I kept wanting to make knitted plushies of the monsters, like the grell and the gibbering mouther. Something is wrong with me.
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May 18, 2012 05:36
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Comrade Quack posted:It depends on how much you're hoping to sell them for and what kind of marketing you may be able to do on the forums. I don't know how closely you followed the frog pattern discussion, but I don't know how much interest still remains. Shortly after Nolen released the pattern one goon had a thread selling them for $95 and I don't think they got many takers. The ones I was made I auctioned at about $60-75. I had a SA mart thread for a while with those and other stuff and didn't get too much interest. O hay that was my thread. $95 worked out really well for me. I had enough requests to keep me busy until I lost interest in repeatedly making the same pattern. Voltin Bolt I encourage you to take account of how much time you spend on the small frog vs large frog and price accordingly. In my experience smaller items take almost as long as the full sized since you're working with more intricate detail. Yes you're saving money on materials but that's almost a negligible expense compared to your time. Another thing to consider is using the small frog as the price anchor in order to encourage sales toward the larger frogs. I would raise the price of the small frog to maybe 75% or 80% of the large frog. The goal is for buyers to think "I am already willing to pay $40 for a small plush, but for only $10 more I can get a HUGE PLUSH. SHUTUPANDTAKEMYMONEY."
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May 18, 2012 14:26
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Ironically, I think the small ones are going to take me longer - I shrunk the seam allowances with the rest of the pattern, and trying to sew them that close on the machine was making me throw pattern pieces at the wall after the fifth time redoing them. They'll have to be handsewn 
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May 18, 2012 14:31
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If that is the case, I would highly encourage not marketing the small ones at all and just advertise the full sized frogs. I don't know how efficient you are at hand-sewing but $30 per frog is not enough incentive for me.
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May 18, 2012 14:43
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Slaughtermelon posted:
Neat! If you had just made it, I'd recommend wire or a pipe cleaner or something on the inside of the green to make it more dome-like (keep its shape better. And now I am gonna have to look up Metroid plushies. As for selling the plushies, it was the same reason I stopped making the little beanies that I used to. They're frustrating to do with small parts, and felt more like an assembly line than an actual project. Small things aren't fun to make, normal sized stuff is, and sometimes a giant project can be neat (though rarely)
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May 18, 2012 19:09
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What I'd really like to make, as a personal project, is a giant tarantula~ I suck at figuring out patterns though, why the hell is there no affordable plushmaking software available? I've just been considering making papercraft patterns and then trying to derive fabric pieces from those.
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May 18, 2012 22:03
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Voltin Bolt posted:What I'd really like to make, as a personal project, is a giant tarantula~ I suck at figuring out patterns though, why the hell is there no affordable plushmaking software available? I've just been considering making papercraft patterns and then trying to derive fabric pieces from those. Hrmm. Usually I make a 2D pattern and rely on a few filler pieces to make the pattern. If you can find a pattern for a spider, and adapt it to your project, that'd be the easiest solution. A quick google turned up this one http://www.bemygoth.com/tutorials/long_legged_spider.php which looks like a good starting point for your project - get an idea of the pieces you'll need! And on a different note, I just had my third person threaten to sue me :3
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May 19, 2012 01:21
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Charmmi posted:O hay that was my thread. $95 worked out really well for me. I had enough requests to keep me busy until I lost interest Sorry I guess the jerk that lives in my brain had chosen only to remember the "why isn't it as cheap as a Chinese sweatshop?" debacle.
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May 19, 2012 01:35
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Brainbread posted:And on a different note, I just had my third person threaten to sue me :3 Don't leave us hanging!
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May 19, 2012 05:52
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nolen posted:Don't leave us hanging! I got fed up with a commission (nit picking, revisions and unrevisions, condescending comments from the customer), and it ended up coming to the very end. I ended up making a mistake on the Iron heat, and I singed part of the material. I offered them a partial refund to take it, or a full refund if they didn't want it. They wanted me to remake the whole thing because of the mistake, and I was just done with it. So I refunded their money and disposed of the toy. Now their mother is threatening to take me to a small claims court somewhere in USA to force me to remake the toy and take their money. Mostly bullshit that I don't want to deal with, but now I have an actual Terms of Service! Which also stops people from sending me pornography as the reference. (The other two times people threatened to sue me, were because A) Their daughter dropped out of University to make ponies and it was my fault somehow, and B) Because I was stealing American jobs from chinese sweatshop factories by making ponies). I'm popular!
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May 19, 2012 08:44
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Comrade Quack posted:Sorry I guess the jerk that lives in my brain had chosen only to remember the "why isn't it as cheap as a Chinese sweatshop?" debacle. I think that's how most people remember my thread!
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May 21, 2012 01:13
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Awful picture because I only have a crappy dumbphone but cross-posting from tumblr I made a sheep from Catherine. The stitches are actually really clean, but he's covered in fuzz so it looks like they're not.. the material wasn't so friendly. I still managed to get the FIGHTING POSE I wanted tho. The horns are knit!! 
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May 22, 2012 20:12
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Brazilian Werewolf posted:Awful picture because I only have a crappy dumbphone but cross-posting from tumblr 
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May 22, 2012 20:42
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All these creations are so perfect! Is there any tutorial or some goon-made-guie on how to create this Plush Monstrosities?
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May 23, 2012 04:36
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Brainbread posted:Which also stops people from sending me pornography as the reference. How the gently caress do you avoid this? Because this is some kind of magic that you need to tell me.  I miss doing my doll customs. I just can't pick up an exacto knife it seems without people begging me to shove fleshlights in horses and god, it's horrible.Help.
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May 23, 2012 20:36
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Fluffy Bunnies posted:How the gently caress do you avoid this? Because this is some kind of magic that you need to tell me. I've got a Terms of Service now, which people have to agree to before I start taking on their project. Depending on a specific milestone of the project, they're entitled to a particular refund portion. Violating the ToS results in me canceling their commission and refunding them based on the milestone. In the future it will. People at least have to read the ToS before I invoice them, so hopefully they'll pay attention. I'd also suggest not posting your commission info and stuff on 4chan, reddit or Ponychan. Yggdrassil posted:All these creations are so perfect! Is there any tutorial or some goon-made-guie on how to create this Plush Monstrosities? I don't think I've seen any offhand. Snagging a pattern for a specific project is easy enough, but I'm not too good on general tips. It'd be nice to have some stuff to change the first post into; places to get material, find patterns, stitch types etc. Most of the help in the thread has been specific solutions to a particular problem - as opposed to general advice. Anything you're planning on working on, so help us get started for you?
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May 24, 2012 03:57
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I left this thread for way too long! Still been making plushes, but without the insane amount of improvement everyone else has been making. drat, goons, you make a fine plush. Here's what I've made in the past few months: A plant cell. Thinking about making some throw pillow-sized versions at some point, with animal cell versions to match. But I have to get money first because I'd love to use fleece and fleece costs money. And now, Moomin crafts. Since catching Moominmania from the Comic Strip Megathread, I've been inspired to create things out of felt, which I either had lying around or could afford with small change.    The Groke, who spends most of her time terrifying all of my nerdy figures.   The Moomin family, in the forms of severed heads on pins.  And finally, a Hattifattener. I didn't make the Mr. Saturn there, but I thought they would look good next to each other, staring enigmatically together.
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May 24, 2012 10:30
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Brazilian Werewolf posted:Awful picture because I only have a crappy dumbphone but cross-posting from tumblr Oh, man, this little guy is perfect. I recognized him instantly as a Catherine sheep before reading your post. Did you modify an existing pattern, or did you just wing it from scratch? Do you have any in progress photos?
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May 26, 2012 21:57
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I'm making a half cat, half crow. Its called a Crowcat.   But. I really don't like how the head looks. Like the shape does not go "cat" to me at all, and it was based off the sketch that they gave me for the character. I'm happy with everything but the head. So if anyone can point me in the right direction for a pattern for a cat head, or some quick sketches of what you need to use to make it, and improvements to do, I'd be most appreciative.
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May 26, 2012 22:21
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Brainbread posted:I'm making a half cat, half crow. Its called a Crowcat. No specific examples but the biggest thing I would change is moving the eyes more forward and front-facing. Having the eyes on opposite sides, looking completely outward makes it look more equestrian. If you can flatten the front of the face and bring in those eyes, that will make a huge difference. Then maybe face the ears forward a bit more and you should be set.
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May 27, 2012 00:44
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I'm working on making a stuffed Totoro, and I'm having a hell of a time getting the arms/shoulders to look natural. I've only made a couple of shirts from patterns before, so trying to figure out the design is all basically trial and error for me... luckily I bought a bunch of fabric to practice with before I commit to using the lovely fake fur that I bought. I can post some pictures of what I have so far tomorrow, once I've done a bit more work on it. But until then, if anybody happens to know a tip that might solve my arm-making problem, it would be greatly appreciated! Here's what I'm trying to make:  The arms either end up being at a weird angle at the shoulders, or dangling weirdly... it doesn't help that I'm still working out how wide to make them and what the best shape is, either, I'm sure. (At this point, I've tried both making them as a part of the body, and as separate pieces... obviously they're a lot easier to stuff when they're separate, but then, attaching them is quite difficult. However, my aim is to go for whatever looks best, difficulty level be damned. It's already been a big learning experience.  )Looking at how shoulder of the shirt that I'm currently wearing is made, I'm thinking that I should maybe add a bit of shoulder to the Totoro body itself, and then add the arms separately, and that might solve the angle problem? I may be overcomplicating things, though. I'm also hoping to make a snout out of one folded piece, but I don't yet have any idea what that would look like. I really like the snout on this:  But don't know how they made it look so good. Also, does anybody know what I would make the whiskers out of? I do like the whiskers on that example. thexerox123 fucked around with this message at 02:34 on May 27, 2012 |
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May 27, 2012 02:20
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nolen posted:No specific examples but the biggest thing I would change is moving the eyes more forward and front-facing. Having the eyes on opposite sides, looking completely outward makes it look more equestrian. So I got a cat pattern and used the head from that.   Its now more catlike, though I'm not super duper happy with it, I sent photos to the buyer and they are at least acting ecstatic. So I'm done with it for now. Time to get back to Peacock and try making her head again (and not look bad this time).
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May 27, 2012 23:36
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 Gonna start working on the hat now. Got some nice big red buttons for that. First time I've ever made a human (if she's human?), so I'm kind of happy how thats starting to turn out. Maybe I can make more in the future. Her head is made from the bad side of some sort of fleecy cotton stuff I found at the store, and her floofy dress is made from something that would be used on curtains, I think.
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May 29, 2012 07:50
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Triple Post! Peacock is done. With balance issues, but she's done. Man. She was fun to make. Now my portfolio isn't as... specific!   (Congrats Liz!)
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May 29, 2012 21:21
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Voltin Bolt posted:Ohhh man, that's cute as all hell, the buttons are perfect for sheep eyes too Hey thanks! I definitely lucked out with the buttons. They're actually sewed on backwards just because the front had a funny kind of shape to them that didn't really suit anything (let alone eyes).Cristatus posted:Oh, man, this little guy is perfect. I recognized him instantly as a Catherine sheep before reading your post. Did you modify an existing pattern, or did you just wing it from scratch? Do you have any in progress photos? Thanks! I totally winged it, I was making it for my fiance at the time so I didn't really take any progress photos (although there is one where it's just the head...). Of course, you know, when you make something for someone and put a lot of effort into it, it just has to happen right before you break up. So at least I'll get to keep the little guy after all. If you have any questions about what kind of shape something is/how I did something I'd be totally happy to help you out though. We can make an army of sheep!!! (but only one will climb to the top  )
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May 30, 2012 17:40
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Love the new stuff Brainbread. The new cat head does look sufficiently more catlike. I like.
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May 30, 2012 18:04
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Brazilian Werewolf posted:Of course, you know, when you make something for someone and put a lot of effort into it, it just has to happen right before you break up. So at least I'll get to keep the little guy after all. Jesus, I'm sorry to hear that  How is the body put together? It looks like he's got a seam running down his stomach, but I can't see any side seams. So is he a right and left piece seamed up the middle, or are the side seams just hidden by the fur? I'm probably setting myself up for failure, here, because I have virtually no experience with sewing plushes, but dammit, he's so cool. I'm going to have to try this. For the horns, did you just cast a few stitches on DPNs and increase as you went around?
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Jun 2, 2012 01:35
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Cristatus posted:Jesus, I'm sorry to hear that Haha no problem. He's a pretty weird array of shapes (I should probably note that my experience with building things and sewing is all self-taught from when I was young and didn't really have anything to do..). The seams are definitely hidden by the fur and he's a bunch of really weird shapes that could definitely be done better to be more efficient and probably more structurally sound. If you wanna drop me a PM or an email I can like, draw them out for you and talk to you about it if you want! My email's next AT stanford DOT edu. As for the horns, those are actually shortrows knitted sideways, so they're actually only about ten rows worked over 20 stitches. They curl because of the shortrows and the tension from weaving the top and bottom together and pulling on it. Just a few wrap&turns can make something pretty awesome. If you ever want to get into knitting plush stuff, I'd suggest learning how to knit socks really well because holy crap short rows are the best ever when you want control over the shapes you're making.
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Jun 2, 2012 02:41
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Brazilian Werewolf posted:Haha no problem. He's a pretty weird array of shapes (I should probably note that my experience with building things and sewing is all self-taught from when I was young and didn't really have anything to do..). The seams are definitely hidden by the fur and he's a bunch of really weird shapes that could definitely be done better to be more efficient and probably more structurally sound. Yeah, I'm pretty familiar with the Frankenstein method of stuffed animal creation, since I just make up stuff as I go along, too. Sent you an email about some of the specifics; my dresser is crying out for a Catherine sheep of its very own.
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Jun 2, 2012 05:04
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What's that? A new project I just finished?    (Its a luchadeer)
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Jun 6, 2012 15:19
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blackflare posted:What's that? A new project I just finished? I love puns and I love this.
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Jun 6, 2012 15:26
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blackflare posted:What's that? A new project I just finished? Congrats! When I saw it come up on Tumblr, I knew exactly what it was (not sure what the reference was though!) I made a goat!   Based on the foto my friend drew. Gonna give it to him next time I see him~  He's got a heart-shaped nose too! :3
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Jun 7, 2012 08:38
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Brainbread posted:I made a goat! blackflare posted:What's that? A new project I just finished? This is great, too! If anybody made a plush lemon and needs some praise, here's your chance!
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Jun 7, 2012 10:28
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A question for anybody who's mailed a  , what was the shipping like / what kind of packaging did you use? Whenever I usually mail things out, it's jewelry or other small stuff 
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Jun 8, 2012 00:03
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Voltin Bolt posted:A question for anybody who's mailed a My approach was to put it in a very large bag, smoosh it and kind of make a makeshift vacuum seal. Which helped tremendously with getting it into a box, I was typically able to get it under the 12inch cutoff. Between the testing I did beforehand and the reports from the recipients it seemed to fluff back out like a champ. From there I guess it will depend on how firm a stuffer you are, mine seemed to cost around 12-14, there wasn't a huge price difference between parcel and priority for USPS.
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Jun 8, 2012 02:56
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Brainbread posted:Tried out some new stuff with doll hair, turned out real good! Can I just say I absolutely love these two!! Absolutely stunningly done! I've loved all of your ponies so far, but I am in love with these ones! Bravo! Bravo! zombiegeekgirl fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Jun 19, 2012 |
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Jun 19, 2012 23:20
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