Cute Standing Werewolf Figure

A few years ago, I bought some standing Christmas gingerbread and snowman figures from a discount retailer. I wanted to make my own standing figures, so I studied them. The gingerbread man has a 6" foam egg body, carved foam head, and carved foam feet, all covered in fuzzy fabric with fabric arms, wearing a basic shirt and pants.

With that in my mind, I decided to make a cute werewolf figure for Halloween. Except, I have no idea what I was really doing and had a shoestring budget. I'd worked with polymer clay before, knew how to carve foam, can sew (by hand), but creating clothes patterns for an egg body was not a tool in my box.

On the advice of a friend who liked the finished craft, I decided to create an Instructable to tell others how to create a cute werewolf like this. I didn't think I would write a how-to, so my in-progress shots are minimal. If I make another one, I'll update with additional pictures, but until then, I took pictures of what the final product should look like.

Head and Body

EPS foam block (at least 7"x7" piece)

Polymer clay

1. White
2. Black (optional, for nose and buttons, can use white clay and paint it)

Pair of 1/2" flat-back resin eyes (optional, only if not making eyes out of polymer clay)

Beading wire or fine-gauge wire

2 12-or-16 gauge 1 1/2" nails

18-gauge 1" brad nail

Acrylic paint

1. Black
2. White

Alcohol ink markers (if making polymer eyes)

1. Black
2. Three or four shades of brown and/or gold

Clear nail polish (no gel polish!)

Craft felt

1. Black or gray
2. Pink

Fat quarter of gray 2" faux fur

Chenille stem/pipe cleaner, any neutral color

6" foam craft egg (like these ones)

1/4" wide 12" dowel

Foam clay or paper clay (optional)

Clothes

Denim fabric approximately 10"x10" (I cut up the leg of an old pair of bootcut jeans)

Fat quarter of plaid fabric (like this)

Thread

1. Dark blue/navy (for sewing jeans)
2. Red (for shirt and decorative topstitching on jeans)
3. Black (optional)

8mm buttons (optional, if not making buttons out of polymer clay)

Fiber fill (or polyester stuffing, etc.)

General Tools

an X-Acto

a circle template (optional, but helpful)

sewing needles

E6000 glue

sand paper, in ascending fine grits

art/craft paint brushes

ball-head straight pins

a scissors

hot glue gun (and extra glue sticks)

a slicker brush (like the wiry one on the left)

a shaver (optional, to shape faux fur)

sharp pointed tweezers (optional)

an iron

a pencil or pen

a hacksaw or old serrated knife

a chunky pencil sharpener (optional, about 1/2" opening is perfect)

hairspray

This step sounds simple, but it'll take a bit of time.

Start with a 4"w x 3-1/4"h x 4"d rectangle of EPS foam. With a sharp X-Acto blade, cut down the block into the shape shown in the picture. (Of course, if you have a hot wire cutter or something similar, use that. I didn't have one available to me.)

Gently sculpt the face. Remember that this will be covered by faux fur, so cut a little deeper than you think you might need, especially the eye sockets. The fur can cover a lot of mistakes, so don't worry too much at this point.

Cut two 1-7/8"w x 2"h x 3"d foam blocks. Transfer the foot pattern in the attached PDF. (You'll use the same pattern later for cutting out some felt to glue onto the bottom of the feet.) Carve around the pattern and try to sculpt four toes. At the heel, the foot should remain 2"h, but taper the tops of the toes down to about 1-1/4" - 1-1/2"h. Keep the bottom of the foot flat. This will allow your werewolf to stand on his own.

Cut a couple of 1-1/2" diameter circles of foam to a depth of about 1" - 1-1/4". These will be his legs later.

Eyes

If you're using flat-back resin eyes, congratulations! You have more resources than I did.

To make polymer eyes, either use a 1/2" silicone hemisphere mold, or do what I did and freehand it! I pinched off and kneaded a chunk of clay, rolled it into a ball, and passed it through the 1/2" circle on a circle template, rotating the clay ball each time. This will scrape off extra clay each time, until you have a pretty decent sphere. Smooth out the surface with a fingertip, then cut the sphere in half with an X-Acto. Fix any smooshed bits by checking each new hemisphere against the 1/2" circle template. Set aside and cover, so they don't collect dust if you don't finish all the polymer clay elements at once.

(To be honest, it would've been easier to use a hemisphere mold and press the head of a nail into the clay before unmolding. I'd already spent most of my budget getting the foam eggs, though, and didn't want to spend more on a decent mold.)

Claws and Teeth

For the claws, roll out 8 tiny balls of clay, each around 7/32" (those circle templates come in handy!). Form them into little claw shapes, and insert a 3/4" piece of beading wire about 1/4" into the clay claw. Set aside. Repeat the process for the little canines, using a larger ball of clay, and ensuring each tooth is about 3/8" long and reasonably sharp. Insert beading wire and set aside.

Nose

If you have a dog nose clay mold, make a nose about 1/2". (If you can find a small enough plastic nose, go ahead and use that instead of doing this step. I couldn't find the right size.) Otherwise, grab your black polymer clay, find a picture of a dog nose (or study your dog's!), and sculpt a nose about 1/2"w x 3/8"h x 1/4"d. If you don't have a small enough ball tool for the nostrils, use the tip of an empty ball-point pen. Smooth with a finger and set aside.

Buttons

If you can find 8mm buttons, you'll save some time. Otherwise, roll out an even 3/16" slab of black polymer clay. Using the tip of an X-Acto, cut out a 21/64" circle using the template. Remove excess clay, and use a yarn or crewel needle to make four, equally spaced holes. If you want, take the blunt end of a wooden skewer, and lightly press into the center of the button. Place with the rest of your polymer pieces and bake according to manufacturer instructions.

Gluing

When everything has baked and cooled, grab two nails, and attach to the back of each eye hemisphere with a drop of E6000. (If you're using resin eyes, now's the time to glue them, too.) Hold in place until it starts to set. Grab your brad nail and glue to the back of the nose. Let dry for at least 8 hours, though I prefer upwards of 12.

(If, like me, the wires of some of your claws and teeth want to come out, secure by dipping the wire into E6000, then reinserting. Let dry.)

Sanding and Sealing

Starting with 180 grit sandpaper, gently sand your polymer pieces, smoothing out any fingerprints or uneven bits. For the eyes, teeth, and buttons, I worked my way up 1600.

Seal the nose, buttons, and teeth with clear nail polish. I've never had a problem using the cheap stuff from Dollar Tree, but some brands may leave the surface tacky and never fully dry. Use your best judgement. (Make sure these don't go back into the oven at this point. They could start a fire.)

Painting and Sealing the Claws

Paint one claw black; while the paint is still wet, mix a little white onto the tip of the claw. Create a slight ombre effect. This will help them show up against the faux fur later on. Repeat with the remaining little claws. Let dry completely, then seal with clear nail polish.

The Eyes

Now, I used alcohol ink markers for this part, because they're what I had on hand. I'm sure someone could paint alcohol ink on with a fine brush, or use model paints, too. Draw a pupil onto each hemisphere. Working with lighter and mid-tone colors, create flecks in the iris. Do this until no white clay is visible. Seal with clear nail polish. Do this quickly, with a big drop of nail polish. (Nail polish can sometimes smear alcohol inks.) Keep in mind, this will darken the colors you chose to use. Let dry completely.

Using mid-tone and darker browns, darken the edges of the iris. Use black over the pupil again. Seal again and let dry. You may want to layer your lighter color near the pupil and darken the edges again. It's up to you, but if you do, seal and dry a final time.

Yay! You're done with a lot of prep work!

Hot glue the legs to the feet, close to the heel. Remember that pattern used as a guide to carve the feet? You'll need that again to cut out some black or gray felt. Hot glue the felt shape onto the bottom of each foot. Set aside.

Wrapping

If, like me, you've ever wrapped a printed carving pattern onto a curved pumpkin, you can do this step. It's inelegant and involves a lot of straight pins and self-doubt.

Wrap the faux fur over the front half/face of the carved head. Pin into place at the front, bottom, and both sides of the base of the head. Leave a little bit of foam exposed at the bottom of the head, where the neck should be. It doesn't matter if it doesn't fit quite right, or if there are bits of fabric tenting in all directions. That'll be fixed later.

Cut away the excess fur by cutting through the backing of the faux fur, not through the fur itself. (You'll want to shape the fur later; you don't want to get to that step and realize you've cut the fur short when you were cutting the fabric.) Press two pins into the eye sockets, a pin where the nose will be, pins around the muzzle, and pins on the cheeks.

Repeat with the back half of the head. Covering the head in two parts makes the task a bit more manageable.

Darts

Now the hard part—figuring out the darts. I wish I could offer you a pattern for this part, but it's entirely dependent on your sculpt. Choose a curve and cut through the backing of the faux fur and pin the cut edge onto the head. Figure out how much of a V needs to be cut away.

Don't let any foam show. If in doubt, have a sliver of fur left at the dart. You can always slice it off later. Also, don't worry. This part won't be sewn; it'll be hot glued onto the head. You'll be able to get away with things you'd never be able to if you were sewing a plushie.

Keep any scraps of fur you cut away. You'll need them later.

Repeat this dart headache with the feet. Don't bother to cover the legs. You won't see them. Focus on the feet and toes.

Gluing

Carefully remove the pins from one section of the fur up to the top of the head. Hot glue into place, working top to bottom, from one side to the other. I suggest working on the back of the head first. When you get to the face, you'll probably be gluing the nose and muzzle first, and moving outward. Press to conform the fur to the eye sockets and muzzle while the glue is still warm.

Repeat the gluing process for the feet.

Once the newly fur-covered foam is cooled, use a slicker brush to fluff and detangle the fur. Using a scissors (or a shaver), shape the toes on each foot and trim the fur to a good length. You'll probably want to keep fluffing the fur with the brush as you go. It'll give a more natural look and avoid cutting the fur too short.

Trim or shave the fur on the face, too, especially around the muzzle, cheeks, and eyes. Leave the fur just long enough, though, for some end-of-project grooming.

Cut 2 3" lengths from the pipe cleaner. Reference the Ear Pattern section of the PDF. Cut pink felt ear lining. Set aside. Fold a section of faux fur in half (backing exposed), cut the backs of the ears, and the fronts of the ears.

Shape one pipe cleaner section to the curve of the ear, leaving about a 1/4" overhang on the bottom edge. Either singe or cut the fuzz down on that section. Lay out a back piece of ear, fur side down. Hot glue the still-fuzzy bit to the fur backing, trimming fuzz as needed. Hot glue the pink lining onto the backing side. Finish by hot gluing the front bit of the ear onto the felt, fur side up. Repeat for the opposite ear.

Shape each ear by curving them a bit. Use the slicker brush and scissors to trim and shape the ears, taking care to hide the exposed cut edges. (If cut edge bothers you, dye any light threads with a gray alcohol ink marker.)

Arrange the ears on the top of the head. When you got them positioned where you want them, push some of the fur on the head out of the way, and poke holes where the wire will be inserted into the head. Use the sharp points of a tweezers for this, or a yarn or crewel needle—anything sharp and will leave a hole just big enough.

Put a tiny amount of hot glue on the wire portions of the ear and insert into the holes. Press down and let cool. Fluff and trim fur around the ears as needed.

Put a bit of hot glue onto the brad and back of the baked polymer nose. Sink into the tip of the muzzle.

Push fur away from eye sockets and add a bit of hot glue to the point of the nail on the back of each eye. Push into place and fluff the fur around the eyes.

Play around with where you'll place the canines. When you've got them where they'll look good, poke a hole through the foam, dip the wire and top of tooth into hot glue, and insert.

Repeat this method for the little claws on the toes.

Fair warning: while I can sew by hand, I'm not a sewer. If my patterns are a bit wonky, I apologize. This is not my forte. Also, foam eggs may not all be the same shape, so you may need to make some small changes to both the jeans and shirt. You may need to change seam allowances.

Cut the jeans pattern pieces out of denim. There should be eight pieces in total, each mirrored.

Front

Take your front pieces. With the rights sides together, match up the center seam. Pin and stitch together, then trim the seam.

Tack the front pockets on the inner sides and outer sides. Iron flat.

Top stitch with decorative thread along the center seam to create a faux zipper fly. Use the pattern as a guide.

Back Pocket

Fold the top edge of the pocket over. Sew two lines of decorative stitching.

Turn the rest of the edges under. Stitch a single line along the edge.

Arrange onto the back pieces, using the pattern as a guide. Pin and top stitch with decorative thread onto the back pieces.

Seams, Seams, Seams

With right sides together, sew front and back pieces. Repeat for both legs. Trim seams.

Push pants open flat and top stitch the side seams with decorative thread.

Fold down the top edge (where there'd be a waistband on human pants), and hem.

Fold up the bottom of the jeans and hem. Top stitch with decorative thread, if desired. (I didn't.)

Match the center seams, pin, and sew the inner leg seams.

Iron flat.

They should now look something like the jeans I made—hopefully better if you have more experience than me.

Main Body

Cut out the Front Left, Front Right, and Back shirt pattern pieces, making an effort to match the plaid pattern across all pieces. Remember to not rotate the grain of the fabric as you're cutting pieces. (Keep in mind, these pieces are named for YOUR left and right, when the pieces are wrapped around the egg body.)

Stitch these together, then carefully clip away any excess inner seam.

Fold over the rest of the seams; pin and iron flat. Stitch about 1/8" from the edge.

Sleeves

Cut out the sleeves, trying to match the center to the plaid on either side of the shirt. Stitch the sleeves on the wrong side, then turn inside out.

Cut out the faux fur circles that will become the paws/hands. By hand, sew a running stitch along the edge and gently pull, like you're making a faux-fur pompom. Don't pull it closed, though.

And...

At this point, I was at a loss as to how to join the sleeve and paw. On the surface, it should be so easy, but every time I tried to sew them together, my plaid fabric would start to fray or pucker, or I'd lose tension in the paw pompom. I needed the fur to be able to be fluffed at the edges, so I couldn't sew it to the sleeve on the wrong side and turn it inside out. Could I have done it with a curved needle? Perhaps.

If someone has a better solution than the one I came up with, let me know.

As it was, I cut a toilet paper tube, stuffed in into the sleeve, hot glued the paw onto the sleeve, pulled the thread taut on the pompom and tied it off, then removed the cardboard tube. Not the solution I was hoping for, but I didn't want to waste too much time trying to figure it out.

However you achieve it, stuff the paws and sleeves with fiber fill, and stitch up the top edge. Brush the fur out with a slicker brush, and trim the fur a bit.

Collar

Match the collar pieces up to the plaid of the shirt as best as you can. It only has to be on what will be the top side. With the right sides together, sew up three sides of each collar half, then turn inside out. Iron flat. Piece together the right and left collar sides and stitch the seam. Cut off any excess fabric at the seam, so the collar will lie flat.

Lay the shirt right side up. Arrange the stuffed arms on the sides, with the top edge of the sleeve overhanging the top edge of the main body. Pin in place, then align the short side of the collar over the arms and pin in place. Stitch the pieces together. (I have no idea if this would work well on a sewing machine. Again, I sewed by hand.)

It should now look something like this.

Buttons

You can either sew on (or hot glue) the buttons now or wait. I personally waited until I had dressed this little werewolf so I could get the most accurate placement.

Ripping (optional)

If you plan to rip or tear the shirt and jeans, now's the time to do it. Hot glue some scraps of fur onto the back of the fabric and fluff through the tears, so it looks like this little guy transformed and split his clothes a bit. I had planned on doing this, but when I was done with the clothes, I couldn't bring myself to destroy them, even intentionally.

Pull the jeans up over the bottom of the egg, as high as they'll go. Depending on how much they stretch, pull up even more. Pin into place at the front, back, and sides. With a pencil, mark a line where the jeans come to on the egg.

Take the shirt and adjust onto the egg. The shirt should hang 3/8" over the top of the jeans. Pin in place. Balance the top of the head on the neck and adjust shirt if needed. With a pencil, mark the neck of the werewolf, the V of the open shirt, and the edge of the collar. These marks will help when you hot glue the clothes on the body, and to know where more faux fur needs to be glued.

Remove the shirt. Remember those scraps of fur you cut off for darts? Use those to patch in around the neck and chest. It's a furry jigsaw puzzle. Pin the fur, cut off bits as needed, and hot glue into place. The egg should look a little like a tonsured monk's head at this point. Brush out fur with a slicker brush and either use scissors or a shaver to cut down the fur and shape it a bit.

Removing one pin at a time from jeans, hot glue the waistband of the pants down. Replace shirt, using the pencil marks previously made, and pin onto foam. If you're happy with the fit, glue in place, removing one pin at a time. Focus on the collar, shirt V, and underarms.

Don't hot glue the right side of the shirt over the left just yet if you plan on sewing the buttons on. Sew the buttons on with black thread (I like a little X), or hot glue the buttons on. Then, glue the right side over the left.

Cut a 5" length from the dowel, and two 3-1/2" lengths. Sharpen both ends of each length, using either a knife/X-Acto/woodworking tool or a chunky pencil sharpener (my method).

On a flat, even surface, slip the legs and feet through the pants leg and adjust until the body can stand on its own. If yours is anything like mine, the werewolf will probably have more booty than belly at this point.

Place the head on top of the body until you're happy with the placement. Make sure the head is far enough forward that he has a bit of a chin. You may need to shift the legs and body to keep him standing, though the head isn't that heavy, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Remove the head again and drive half of the 5" length dowel into the head. I found the EPS foam in the head to be more resistant to being stabbed than the foam of the body, so it was better for me to join them head-to-body than body-to-head. Apply some hot glue to the neck and drive the other half of the dowel into the body.

Readjust the legs and feet if needed. If you've got an extra pair of hands to help you, this is a great time to ask for help. (Otherwise, this will be tricky.) Have your helper hold the werewolf in place as you remove one leg from the pants. Drive one of the 3-1/2" length dowels about 1-1/2" into the leg and foot. Apply a generous amount of hot glue onto the dowel and foam, then quickly insert back up the pants leg and push the dowel into the body. If you need to readjust the weight so he remains standing, do so before the glue cools too much.

Repeat with the other leg.

You'll notice there are gaps in foam at his hips. Some dowel may even show if you push back his pants leg. You could either just leave it as it is (nobody will see it) or fill it with foam clay (paper clay would probably work, too).

Why didn't I glue the legs onto the body first, and drive a dowel into the legs and feet? I needed to be sure I had the ability to change the angles of the legs on the body to keep him standing. If I'd done it the other way, there might've been problems getting the feet on in a way that looks both natural and supports his weight. Maybe that way works out for you.

Trim and groom his face. The werewolf will probably need to have some fur trimmed around his neck and jowls. You may want to brush the fur in such a way that it gives him eyebrows. You could also go wilder than the trim I did.

The fur should remain a bit longer on the top of his head and sides of his face. Create little tufts of with your fingers. When you're happy with his appearance, spray his head with hairspray. This will hold faux fur just as well as human hair.

Congratulations! You now have a cute werewolf with a chubby tummy who can stand!