Just to let everyone know who is not already on my friend's list to comment if you want to be added. I don't check up on who has friended me or not so I have no idea who or who has not has friended this journal. And I'm not going to automatically assume you even want to be added.

So, the stuff I normally make public is my finished fursuit work and other business related things or public announcements (conventions I'm going to, if I'm going to be away, website updates, etc)

I friends-lock my WIPs, doodles, rants, general conversation, and pretty much anything I'd consider more personal (without moving into really personal stuff or TMI). It is pretty random and I tend to use my LJ friends as a sounding board when I'm considering something new or just need advice on a project (or on life in general).

So just comment here if you're interested.

As long as your journal is active and you seem to be a real person (not a suspiciously empty journal with no contact information or apparent life) and you are not someone I personally object to (though I really can't think of any offhand) then I'll add you.

Though if I notice you've not friended me/unfriended me before I add you (I check only every few weeks) then I may not reciprocate. Why enable a person see my random stuff if they're not even watching at all?

My AIM is Beetlefursuits@aol.com (though don't use that an an email address, because I won't check it. Email via my website instead)

Feel free to AIM me when I'm online, but keep in mind that I probably won't be receptive to 'small talk'. Do not contact me if all you want to say is "Hi. How are you?". I DESPISE that. But if you want to discuss fursuits and fursuit business - then I'll be all over that.

I occasionally go through and remove friends who have not friend me back/unfriended me. So if I friend you upon request and then later unfriend you with no explanation, that's a likely reason why.

All Emails/Comments/Notes/PMs to which the answer is contained in here (or to which the appropriate answer is "Go Google it.") will henceforth be cheerfully ignored ^^

My FAQ: http://www.beetlecatoriginals.com/faq.html

WHERE TO BUY FUR (which is IN the FAQ but lets be clear because I get this A LOT):

www.crscraft.com (international) – Realistic furs. Ignore the short pile and fun fur as it is not good for anything except small accents. I use a lot of their furs in my suits.

www.imstuffedfur.com (international) – High quality random assortment of furs. Pricy but worth it if you need something unusual

www.distinctivefabrics (USA) www.interiormall.com(search for 'promo shag') (Canada) – solid colors of fluffy fur for toonier characters.

AIRBRUSHING INFORMATION:

I use Createx airbrush paints. My airbrush is a Badger 155 Anthem. My compressor is an IWATA Smart Jet.

No I can not tell you what airbrush/compressor to buy. The above is what I have and it works for me. Createx (transparent or opaque does not matter) has proven to be one of the longest lasting paints, but you can airbrush with any material that you can get to come out the nozzle. In a pinch I'll use basic artist's acrylics.

No you do not NEED an airbrush to paint fursuits. I used a paintbrush and watered down acrylic paints for a long time. An airbrush is extremely useful if you make a lot of costumes, but it is not a requirement.

COSTUME MAKING RESOURCES:

My tutorial page (has links to other people's interesting tutorials as well)

The fursuit LJ community

http://fursuit.org/

PERSONAL:

- I do not know anything about, or even particularly like, anime. I have never even MADE an anime fursuit! I do not go to anime conventions. Red XIII and Amaterasu are not anime - they are video game characters (from Final Fantasy and Ōkami​ respectively). My Targ is from Star Trek.

- I will not make a copyrighted character. Not because it's illegal but because it would get very boring very fast making the complete cast of Wolf's Rain over and over again.

- A list of conventions I will be going to in 2011:
http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2011/
http://www.califur.com/2011/
https://www.rainfurrest.org/2011/

- A list of conventions that I will NOT be going to:
Assume everything except seen above. I go to FC every year, the rest can vary but rarely venture away from the west coast.

- A complete list of journals/galleries that I update:

http://beetlecat.livejournal.com/
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/beetlecat/
http://beetlecat.deviantart.com/
http://twitter.com/Beetlefursuits

- My online store:

http://www.artfire.com/users/Beetlecat

I update as I am able but it's a fulltime job so I can only manage a good restocking every couple months or I would never have time to make fursuits :p


*** If all of my commission status updates say that I am 'closed' then I am NOT giving out price quotes, NOT contacting you when I reopen, or putting you 'first on the list for when I open'. You'll just have to be patient as I work on my current commissions ***

Current Commission Status: Closed until 2012
--

Feel free to leave comments/questions, but I will delete the irrelevant/off topic/out-dated to keep this page clean.

I just got back from my 2 week roadtrip to Canada from California :D Had a great time! Went to the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo and hung out with so many friends and family. The time just flew by ^^ We also drove back a lot of my fur and supplies that were being stored in Canada. Not all of them (we'll need another couple roadtrips for that. And maybe a trailer) but the fur infusion is always good!

The good thing about the trip is that is that I had a lot of time while we were driving (the round trip was about 70 hours of actual driving time) to consider the future of my business. What I want. Where I want it to go. What is best for my husband and myself and our lives and what is best for my customers.

As I've been alluding to over the past months, there are changes afoot here in the Beetlecat Original's workshop. The new changes are intended to increase my own fulfillment in my art as well as to push my business in the directions I wish it to take

It comes to thus:


My current workload will take me to the end of this year. Until then, nothing changes (ie the new policies will not affect currently quoted projects). However, January 1st, 2013, I am going to be instituting several new policies regarding commissions and commission openings.



1) From now on, I will only accept full costumes. No heads. No partials. No 3/4 partials. No custom tails. etc.

2) Fursuit prices will be increased overall to reflect the longer time spent on them and more will be included in this single price. There will NOT be a 'starting' price that 'extras' are added to. Instead, there will be ONE base price that will include almost everything - any style, most markings and colours, most species, most padding (including digitigrade and feral). Some things will still be extra (such as body pods/muscle suits, wings, full body stretch fur with liner) but most of the more common things are included in the single cost. I will also no longer charge a separate price for shipping, but instead it will be included in the full cost.

An unpadded suit will warrant a discount (so do not fear being overcharged vs a fully padded suit). 'Simple' characters will not though as every character is unique; I spend the same amount of time and effort on each.


3) I will allow more time for each project and open more often. I shall take 9 slots over the year in 3 queue openings. Yes, that means I will only be open for a strict limit of 3 fullsuits at a time but will be opening for new commissions every 4 months (to be completed 4-7 months later).
The above changes in policy will give me the freedom to use whatever materials and techniques I feel would do the best job to match the customer's preferences, such as reticulated foams, NFT fur, custom sculpts, body paddings, etc, without any nickel and dimeing or feeling that I have to chose how to make something within a tighter budget or physical restrictions.

This will last for all of 2013 and, if successful, will be the new policy forever. If I ever accept more partials or heads, it will be on an auction slot system. There will be no warning for these auction slots and they may or may not actually happen.


4) I will be implementing a 'rush' option. The idea is as follows: I open for new commissions and you apply while indicating if it being rushed is a condition of acceptance. If I accept the rush then you pay a rush fee (an extra percentage on top of the quoted price which I will send to you) and I make your project IMMEDIATLY rather than in 4-7 months with the other 3 projects taken at the same time. Essentially, you will be jumping into the queue that I filled out 4 months previous.

This will not impact other current projects as the whole idea of rush is that I work on weekends and evenings and the extra fee is my 'overtime rate' for this service. This is something that I will keep a close eye on to prevent myself from taking on too much work to handle (as I am constantly prone to doing we all know) and so it may not be available right off the bat in January and there will be a strict limit on rush projects as the exception not the rule. But it may be an option for some of you later into 2013.


The last change is this:
4) I will increase production of ear and tails. Starting in January (or maybe before if I can figure out how to adjust my schedule for the last 8 months of this year), I will no longer make them as they are ordered in between other projects and as sort of an aside project when I feel they need to be crammed in; but they will be scheduled in the same as any other project and given the same emphasis.

Basically, my plan is to have a larger selection of ears and tails for sale 24/7 online with a significantly shorter turn-around time between ordering and shipping.



Overview is this: Starting January, I will open every four (4) months for three (3) custom full costumes and will make a selection of non-custom ears and tails through-out the year to be made available on my online Artfire store year-round.

Since my current workload will take me to January and a little ways beyond that into 2013, I will OPEN FOR NEW FULLSUIT-ONLY COMMISSIONS JANUARY 2013, MAY 2013, & SEPTEMBER 2013. To be started in May, September, and January 2014 respectively.

My policies regarding concept art/payment/down payments/etc remain the same and are available in my FAQ: http://www.beetlecatoriginals.com/faq

The FAQ itself will be updated to reflect the new/changed policies as indicated above when they become live.


--

That is about it. Everything is subject to change, of course, since everything is academic until it is actually implemented. And exact details still need to be hammered out, but I'm pretty happy with my decisions ^_^ Less wait = good. More cool things on a regular schedule = good. And continued fulfillment in what I do with less stress associated with it is ALWAYS good ;)

This is Panduck, a red panda/mandarin duck gryphon.


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I am very happy with how this project has come together. I really had no idea when i started it and had to make up a lot of new stuff along the way, which has, I believe, expanded my abilities, as well as my perception of my own abilities, as a costume artist.

I really hope the owner has as much fun with this costume as I have and that it is everything that I want it to be for them.

I finally compiled all of my you tube tutorials into their own playlist (so you don't have to bookmark them or slog through all of my other videos) and listed that along with all of my LJ tutorials on my website!

http://www.beetlecatoriginals.com/tutorials/

Eventually, I will bring back all of the tutorials that had been hosted on my old website (and so have been lost) either by finding old copies and rehosting or remaking them completely.

Legs, feet, and tail! Long term completion.

http://www.furbuy.com/auctions/1030164.html



Although they garner a lot of attention and are highly sought after (judging by my gallery comments and email box), this will be only the 2nd time a partial like this has been offered to the public by me :)

http://www.furbuy.com/auctions/1030164.html

I am excited to find out what I get to make!

If anyone knows anyone who wants to offload a couple of TNG EXPOsed tickets between now and the start of The Calgary Expo this April, I'm interested :)

The auction for my unicorn partial ends in less than a day!



http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7286457
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7286457


As well, I have just uploaded a new video! The FC 2012 fursuit parade from the viewpoint of a fursuiter :3

Selling my unicornish fursuit! Auction is being held over FA and will last 6 days

Head over here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7286457 for all the auction info!


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I have my tee shirt design more or less finished ^_^ The colours are off-white, tan, and chocolate. And will be on brown or dark olive or some such colour shirts. (maybe order some women's in lavender?)

But now I need to know an approximation of the range of shirt sizes that I need to order.

Poll #1813418
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 97

Shirt Size in Men's or Women's Fitted Shirts