Shadow Lugia Costume Updates

The latest updates on CanineHybrid's Shadow Lugia costume project.
It has taken a total of 9 work days and perhaps as much as 70 hours or more to get to this point. As of yesterday, the foaming stage is completely finished! This is certainly the most involved fursuit project I've ever worked on, but I feel that all my hard work has already paid off it's exactly how I wanted it to look.
All that's left to do now is order all the fabric next month to cover this sucker; it will be a micro plush fur to keep the shiny effect yet has a bit of stretch to it. And its so soft! I'm so excited! I hope you are too. Enjoy the presentation!
Features: LED eyes, moving Jaw, oversized wings, six foot long tail, digitigrade padding, clawed feet, custom fit bodysuit, foam based design.
This costume is created for a legendary Pokemon cosplay group to be attending A-kon 22, Nan Desu Kan, and Animeland Wasabi. Other participants: Starmuttani as Rayquaza, Rektheartist as Groudon, and DragaLegna03 as Kyogre. Groudon is also created by CanineHybrid.
All work in progress images: www.flickr.com/photos/caninehy...
Ustream broadcasts- Live webcam work sessions: www.ustream.tv/channel/canineh...
deviantART Gallery: caninehybrid.deviantart.com
CanineHybrid Creations 2010
Pokémon ©Nintendo

[@ArceusAmaranthine]

Most impressive, human. A pity you're not a Pokemon. I imagine that Palkia would have so much fun with you.

[@ArceusAmaranthine]

No.

[@ArceusAmaranthine]

-_-

[@steveschempp8076]

Hoi Arceus

[@midnightshifted]

Hello, Arceus. How is it in the Hall?

[@CanineHybrid]

I put a layer of 1/2 inch foam over it usually, or I only carve into one side of the foam sheet (the inside), leaving the smooth edge to be on the outside. You can also smooth it out with thin sheets of foamies (closed cell foam) or even fabric. Glad you're enjoying my videos! :D

[@musicalrattlesnakes]

7 years later, and I'm still watching all your old vids. Still wanna make a Lugia costume using your design and patterns. Still a big inspiration to me Riley :)

[@musicalrattlesnakes]

She used high density foam (green foam). She uses it in all of her cosplays on here. High density foam is also the best foam to use for cosplays because it's sturdy and doesn't mold very quickly. Hope that helped :3

[@cthulha_north]

omgosh your the one who made the groudon and lugia! they are awesome. ^^

[@deimosthedragonslayer]

How did you make that tail? It's Awesome!

[@amink23]

Had a random flashback of watching this years ago on my psp had to find it again. I watched it multiple time as a kid lugia was my fav

[@Reactivate29]

Even if it's not completed, the shape of this wings and light in your eyes is simply amazing.

[@ehidunno9737]

Wings, head, legs all looks awesome! This looks amazing! Great work! 👍🏼

[@BurtonMonster]

Very epic costume. I've started on my own Lugia costume and when I discovered this sort of visual walkthrough thing I was very happy. Thank you so much.

[@Carhilwen]

I got so excited seeing this in my update subscription list, haha! Amazing job so far, I love the movement of the tail and jaw! Awesome as per usual - I can't wait to see the finished result!

[@Taliscayos]

omg this is the most amazing pokemon costume ive ever seen, the eyes 0_0 it looks just like lugia, you have a gift!

[@RatherStrangeCat]

It's absolutely AMAZING so far. Everything is perfect and you've kept it so well proportioned to your body to still look right for Lugia's body shape! I cannot wait to see this finished, I am truly excited to see how the attaching of the fabric goes! Also? My favourite part of this so far as to be the wings. I really want some of those for myself XD

[@KittyKatz547]

Great job so far! Can't wait to see the fur put on!!

[@OmNomPokemon]

That's epicly awesome! :D I can't wait to see the finished product!

[@Espresso_plz]

Not into furrism myself. But you are indeed good at making costumes. Very well-made.

[@CanineHybrid]

Why thank you! :)

[@sabrethecybertooth5924]

CanineHybrid how do you make the arms for shadow lugia

[@digifan11]

you have got so far its amazing cant wait to see it finished

[@MilleniumFoxMagician]

Truely amazing so far, CH! I can't wait to see it covered in purple fabric! :3 And your tail is AWESOME.

[@abyssalbeast]

This is mind-boggling amazing... That tail, wings, legs, head. Pft! EVERYTHING is ridiculously awesome!!!

[@Makubestu]

O.o this is very well thought out and designed I'm impressed. Good job!

[@UtenaOfRoses]

Oh my god that is so COOL!!! I cant wait to see the final product!

[@Valsephany]

WOW. Lugia is my favourite Pokemon, and you really did him justice!! I am beyond impressed, just as I would have expected from the greatest costumer on KZbin. :D

[@NerdyHippy]

Looks pretty good thus far. :3 Can't wait to see the finished product.

[@GTAtomten]

Amazing work :) Since schools soon to be out, I might actually be able to watch the broadcasts again. Looking forward :)

[@theyogurtelectric]

Wow, this is absolutely incredible. You are soooo talented! :D

[@Hatosaurus]

It looks SO GREAT! The wings are tail are FANTASTIC! And of course the head too!

[@cutefoxie]

OH MY GOD!That work is INCREDIBLE!

[@gr3y5AmbieArt4]

Thats AMAZING! I love how the eyes glow

[@painterkirby]

incredible--absolutely incredible!

[@TheFurryDragon]

wow, that is amazing, even though it's not done, it looks great! Especially the eyes, that was so cool how u got the lights in there.

[@Keurosaur]

Awesome work again, the tail is fantastic!

[@TwilightLugia3532]

That is truly a remarkable costume! Lugia is the first Pokémon I ever saw and remains to be my all time favorite. This is the best costume I have ever seen!!!

[@oldaccount9308]

Simply amazing... I'm majorly inspired to make a furstuit costume or cosplay similar now.

[@justinbright440]

this is the result of dedication, free time, creativity, and awsomness

[@Saincisco]

Mind blowing! just showing makes ANYONE know how good you are.

[@VillainousPuma]

Looks outstanding so far.

[@Blazger]

The wings are perfect on it Riley :D Seriously nice work. And nothing feels better than ducttape :P

[@echodutchangeldragon1782]

Omygosh!! I remember seeing this exact video, I think six years ago!

[@roadwolf2]

thanx riley, i asked as i am going to be doing a full suit conversion and was thinking of doing digi style legs

[@kodiwoof1095]

Very nice! Great work!

[@donnyshark8680]

This is the first video u ever watched that in involved a fursuit and got me interested in the community

[@donnyshark8680]

I later looked up what this was called and it wasn't just called a costume I knew that, but I got interested in the furry fandom and later joined it

[@OmegaSniperXTI]

Greatly looking forward to the finished product :3

[@DragonRider428]

that is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo amazing! i don't think anyone could make a better shadow lugia than you! LOVE the costume, make sure and get some good video of it when it's completely done :D

[@CanineHybrid]

@TalonShredder Thanks so much! The tail is simply made with polyfil stuffing except for the foam-based tube at the base of the spine. I rolled a thick piece of foam to form a tube that fits inside the top of the tail. I attached a few cascading foam pieces as seen in the tail structure picture and glued them securely to the diveskin. I added an extra, thinner foam tube to act as a smooth transition between foam structure and the stuffing. CONT

[@LuxuryDragonessX]

I didn't know you lived in my city! I wish I couldv'e seen the testing of the costume! it turned out to be incredible!

[@TachiKun0]

Holy crap, that looks amazing so far! And it's not even finished! I can't wait to see the final product! *squee*

[@blackmagestaff]

Wow! It looks fantastic!

[@StrayKidsFan1991]

that is absolutely AMAZING!!!

[@AnimeHottie1]

I saw you at akon and took a picture of you and a smaller version one! YALL GUYS WERE AWSOME! ;D

[@Helagon]

Flipping amazing!

[@Magnosious]

your way of designing costumes is magnificent O.O

[@Paludik]

'tis absolutely amazing! I haven't been able to attend your recent broadcasts because I've been too busy. I can now see what I've been missing! And that tail... woah. How the heck did you do that? That is no simple stuffed or foamed tail. That is something... something much higher evolved. EXCELLENT!!! XP. I'll be sure to check it out next time.

[@JoyKol]

Amazing! I would love to try making a project like this one day~ BTW, that tail is pimpin' XD

[@alliemattable]

That is too cool! Amazing!

[@ShoulderMonster]

I just love this! The wings are so well made and floppy.XD If I had that tail I'd probably be running around the house for about an hour. I'd like to do this kind of stuff one day. :) Just love all of your work, keep it up! :D

[@CanineHybrid]

@GrayStudios Yes! The purpose of a duct tape dummy is is preserve and replicate the surface area of an object perfectly. It's like making a clone of myself so I can work on it as if I was wearing it. Very helpful to determine perfect-fit costumes; I use the same tape method around my foam structures to make fabric patterns.

[@Anthropophagi5]

I wanna move to that neighborhood! That costume is amazing! Your work is incredible and I feel it will always impress me. C:

[@Windwolf14]

this is AWSOME!

[@SivistheoneArt]

I remember watching this as a kid. It's what got me into costume making lol

[@ForeverNika]

That is SO cool, you are very very talented~!

[@OriginalSpectorius]

i was super amazed by watching this, your very talented, i envy your talent

[@whitneyvictory6007]

You know you love that music. You know you do.

[@CanineHybrid]

@DarkDragonessKagome Thank you for your compliments! And no, I don't mind questions at all. The tail fabric is made from flannel and lightly stuffed with normal poly-fill stuffing. The secret lies in the foam structure: it's because it has such a strong anchor point to the base of the spine, it creates a point of reference for all the movement to flow from.

[@VGJustice]

That was really cool, I'd been a little curious about the construction process for suits like that. :O

[@kougagirlXD]

thats so cool, keep up the good work

[@CanineHybrid]

@iPitafish Thanks a bunch! That was one of my concerns too since I didn't end up sewing them into the seam like I originally planned. When the final fabric covers them I might stitch them on for extra support... but I glued the hell out of it and it surprisingly stays on very well. In fact just now I TIRED to rip them off. No luck at all, I can drag the whole bodysuit around by one of the fins. I think the glue bonded with the stiff felt and tail fabric a little too well, fused them together XD

[@fenrisa5700]

your one of the best suit makers ive ever seen

[@blackwolf085]

Congrats on your award at the cosplay competition! I loved your cosplay! My fiance's cosplay was Haku! =D You were so awesome! I was wondering how you made it now I know! Sooooo awesome!!!! Congrats!!!

[@imortalwombat]

its awesome how the mouth moves perfectly

[@johnbesinaiz635]

I just want to say u are really talented caninehybird and i wish i can make a costume like shadow lugia and groundon really excelent job! :)

[@FrozenGuineaPig]

Ah It's Gonna Be So Awesome!

[@Potato-so2tq]

Very impressive!!!

[@CanineHybrid]

@TwistedAcrylics No worries, a common question. Duct tape is very useful for pattern making. It duplicates the surface area of your object. The purpose of my duct tape dummy body was to make a clone of myself so while I was working on the costume, I could guarantee it would fit me perfectly. It's a flawless homemade mannequin. I wore pajama sweats and my friends applied the duct tape over that. Then they carefully cut through both the duct tape and the pajamas to remove it.

[@CanineHybrid]

@spinningpeanut Thanks so much for checking out my work! I do not have a video of me putting on masks on this channel, however you can see me suiting up in my completed Charizard costume on my old channel "Tusami". I'm going to be creating a Leafeon suit-up video/walkthrough here eventually as well, hope that watching the video answers your questions. Good luck with your project!

[@unknownfuture.]

wow i love the head, you are really good! keep up the good work :)

[@HiroCorgi]

TOTAL EPICNESS

[@jethrocanine7080]

absolutely amazing foaming skills!! How much foam do you think it would take to make Otter digitrade legs? I love your style and I kinda want to see if I can make something like you some day!

[@GrayStudios]

Wow! Fantastic! Oh, if only I had money to buy that much foam. =P

[@CanineHybrid]

@wildstar25 Ductape is very useful for pattern making: it duplicates the surface area of your object when you cut it off. Therefore you can transfer the pattern of the ductape into a fabric skin used to wrap around your objects perfectly. The purpose of my duct tape dummy body, for example, was to make a clone of myself so I could work on the costume as if I was wearing it. This way I make sure everything fits correctly. Hope that answers your question ^^

[@StrayKidsFan1991]

@CanineHybrid your very welcome! just out of curiosity do you happen to take fursuit commissions?

[@wolfdefender01]

*gasp* I attended your panel at Nan Desu Kan! hello!

[@CanineHybrid]

@MarkusRavyn3 Thank you for your compliments! :D

[@xCocoaWolf]

Wow! You are a pure genius xD

[@BlazieTiger]

That is the most badass Lugia costume... I have EVER seen

[@JayFoxFire]

Wow! great video

[@CanineHybrid]

@Paludik Thanks so much! You're missing out on all the Ustream fun XD Somehow I got the tail to perform beautifully! It's normal poly-fill stuffing. The secret is in the foam tube structure I attached at the top: because it has such a strong anchor point to the base of the spine, it creates a point of reference for all the movement to flow from. I have not seen this duplicated/attempted yet and it's my most proud accomplishment! I'll be doing Groudon's hands next broadcast, hope to see you there

[@toxicfxckers]

could you maybe do a more elaborate video tutorial on how to make the moveable mask?

[@CanineHybrid]

@AkieTara It simply comes with experience. The first few tries are mainly about experimenting... combined with tutorials, intuition and patience I'd say it pays off well in the end!

[@CanineHybrid]

@gamefreak000151 Thank you! Yes, the issue with the wings is that they're such huge objects to lug around and my hand encased in so much foam over time will cause it to get hot and sweaty fairly quick (gonna wear a glove to prevent this problem). Luckily they're extremely lightweight. ^^

[@hollowdrexler8798]

That is an amazing costume! now you have to color it.

[@TigerDragon1001]

You're so good at making costumes, especially pokemon costumes. How did you make the tail move so well?

[@CanineHybrid]

@TalonShredder I put a bit more stuffing in the foam tube part before skillfully shoving the tail onto the foam base. The thin foam tube slid in-between the fabric and the stuffing inside of the tail (that was the most difficult part) and then I hot-glued the HELL out of it when I pushed the foam structure into the tail as much as I could. Also added an additional piece of foam that wraps from the foam base between my legs and attaches to the front for additional support. CONT

[@AylaJump]

This is just amazing... I want to know if you can what type of foam is it? Polyethylene?

[@ginigan12]

I really want a tail like that (: and really cool costume NICE!!!

[@Nokkiwow]

omg that so awesome! I love seeing the process! If you dont mind me asking, what did you use to make the tail move like that? xD Its freakin awesome!

[@Potato1800]

Omg! You gotta finish it! xD post when your done!!! ^.^

[@CanineHybrid]

@TechBear1 Thank you very much for your compliments! (By the way, your work is fantastic!)

[@wolfdefender01]

@CanineHybrid it was very interesting :) and I loved your awesome fox hat thing :)

[@LadyNightFury1]

COOL Costume!!!! GOOD job!!! :D

[@CanineHybrid]

@AnimeElric That's a lycra/spandex bodysuit (call a dive skin, catsuit, unitard,etc) I slipped it over the duct tape dummy so I could have a wearable suit the foam would all be attached to.