Thread by @MaryRobinette

Totally agree, but...

And someone who used to do a ton of mask and costume work, glue continues to off-gas for a longer than it smells bad. Please, please, please... Don't make your costume at the last minute.

https://twitter.com/jessiepridemore/status/1191473798089859073

Also foam rubber, from a from a fabric store or upholstery foam, is the worst. You want a reticulated foam, or an outdoor foam, like "wick-away" It's designed to have moisture pass through it.

You need significantly less than you think you do.

Don't get me wrong. I've seen furries that are beautifully constructed, with excellent movement, good ventilation, and visibility.

I have seen too many that are beautiful sculptures in which the human inside is an inconvenience to the costume.

Here's a polar bear that I built back in 2006 which has some simple tricks in it.

The ventilation problems with that particular costume character, were because the eyes weren't scrim and fogged. I wouldn't recommend this eye type for a long term wear.

maryrobinettekowal.com/category/puppe…

PS. I know some of the links in that series about building the bear are broken. Sorry about that. It's legacy from my old website.

PPS if your convention wants me to talk about construction tricks for full body characters, I am happy to do that.

PPPS I'm totally serious about the off-gassing. You can give yourself brain damage and won't notice until it's too late.

Also, the other problem with the poorly ventilated mask, is CO2 buildup.

Sorry. I apparently have strong feels about costumes and safety.