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Sunnybrook1 — Realistic Wing Tutorial - P.2
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Published: 2010-08-16 06:11:20 +0000 UTC; Views: 116930; Favourites: 841; Downloads: 1792
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Please let me know if you need this transcribed, and I will do so...
9/21/16: If alligator clips are too pricey and/or you won't need to adjust the feathers much after you've placed them, just leave on 2.5" - 3.5" inches of extra wire to bend around the elastic. It's not as pretty or easy to adjust, but it's cheap & it works!
Also, some pro-tips from Imagi-Nethat :
- Old bedsheets are a much cheaper alternative if you don't want to buy fabric off the roll.
- While using fusable web instead of paint seems like a good idea, I do NOT recommend it. The web doesn't stick to the wire and you end up having to go through extra steps to correct it.
- For the wire, I cut it to the length of the feather and then folded and squashed one end down about an inch. It keeps the fabric on well.
- If you live in America, Menards had reasonably priced alligator clips. It cost about $9 for two people's (36) clips.
- While it's entirely possible to spray paint your feathers after the fabric has stuck together, be careful about it, as it can leave a mottled look if you don't spray evenly.
3/22/10: My first video showing wing-movement.
12/3/13: My second video with two wings~
8/5/17: Disney animator describes the Mechanics of Bird Flight - watch for the useful description of how wings are built from 8:40 - 11:31.
3/6/2018: Correct #1 Primary feather wrapping example
Part 0 - MATERIALS
Part 0.5 - TOOLS
Part 1 - CONCEPT
Part 2 - FEATHERS
YOU ARE HERE Part 3 - HARNESS
Part 4 - ASSEMBLY
Part 5 - COVERTS
Part 6 - ARM-COVER WIP
EXTRA - RESULTS : See what OTHER people have made following this tutorial~
The Feather Atlas
Slater Museum of Natural History
Already finished your wings? Please fill out this questionnaire , I'd love to hear about it!
Wing Design/Tutorial © Sunnybrook1
Related content
Comments: 267
Most will, it depends - if you can easily see through the fabric, not so much - try doing a small-scale test, or just one feather & see how it works after it is painted & dried.
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Used a curtain instead. Seems sturdy enough. 
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*using fabric stiffener and glue, not paint to hold together
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Hi, What did you make the Feathers out of ???
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......
Wire shaft, sandwiched between two pieces of fabric with cheap wall paint acting to hold it all together.
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Gathering materials for this genius build for a cosplay.
I have the first two, of I am sure many questions, as this goes along. And this is an AWESOME tutorial! Very easy to read!
1: During the cardboard template cut phase your 'base primary' feather shape measures 27.5 before a shaft/quill is added. Some of my primaries are not even that long! How can I make a basic template keeping that in mind?
2: when inserting the wire into the alligator clips, why cut off any wire, especially if you measure and your wire perfect to start?
Thank you for the time and awesome tutorial! I am getting anxious to get these puppies going!
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Hey BDD, your project sounds exciting! Care to share the concept?
And thanks for the complements & questions, I always appreciate feedback~
1: Hey, don't worry too much about this part, it's the quickest & most free-form part of the tutorial! If one template isn't enough, make a unique one for each feather, whatever is needed to get a good feel for the silhouette you're creating. For example, on ~wildmage007 's peregrine wings I made a template for each feather 
2: Weellllll, I measure my wires perfect from the pivot point so if I just attached the alligator clips without cutting it would add a half inch or so to their length. At the time I didn't know the size of the alligator clips I would be buying, but had I known I could've just measured then cut off the additional length in the first place. YOU can certainly do it that way, but I'm paranoid & would be afraid of cutting it too short, better to be undercut than OVERcut.
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It is this: gameinfo.na.leagueoflegends.co… The black one (BlackFrost Anivia) with the blue crystal coming out of the head. C: There are loads of things that I need to play with to make it fit, but your tutorial is just the ticket!
1: I have been playing with this, and have found it to be much easier than I first thought! (I tend to over think things sometimes.)
2: Paranoia has been a best friend of mine for a long time. Rather to be cautious on a build so ambitious.
All of that said, all I need do now is figure out the coverts, cut fabric, and then paint. After that is the body, which I have been seriously thinking about. A dress in the appropriate colours to hide the harness, some minor armor, and a beak. I am going for a hybrid between her and myself as a gamer since she is a video game character.
Thanks for your answers!
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Wow, ambitious character, good luck! Bet it will look awesome~
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You will get a full set of pictures when it is done. I am so excited!!!!!!!!
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So, this is an awesome tutorial, but theres one little thing Im confused on. Ive read all of the comments, and people have asked similar things, but Im still confused.
With the paint that is used to secure the fabrics together, does that paint colour affect the final wing colour, or does it not matter? For example, I want dark blue wings. Do I get white fabric and dark blue paint, or do I get dark blue fabric, and any colour paint?
Thanks
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Well, since the paint DOES soak through a little bit I do recommend matching the paint color to the fabric so less post-wing work is needed - also, don't let what I used stop you from hunting down a suitably transparent/dries-clear glue. 
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OMG This is genious. I've been looking for a way to make large feathers because the swan feathers I've been using are just not big enough and A;SKLEFJ;ALKSDFJ //LOSES IT
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OMG these are the BEST for huge feathers, would love to see what you come up with~
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I'll put pics up when I get to work on that project again! And certainly credit you for this awesome idea. Thank you for your thorough instructions!
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*genius look I'm so excited I can't even spell!
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what fabric would you MOST recomend?
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Broooooadcloth - or something of similar thickness to hold the paint, any thinner and it tends to peel apart afterwards...
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would spray paint work? like, if i used white fabric and then just sprayed colors on, or would i need fabric of each coor i want?
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Well I used black spray paint on my original set of white wings so it really depends on the fabric - I recommend broadcloth-thickness since despite the weight holds paint & its shape well, also much more durable/flexible, less likely to crease over time I've found.
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this is so useful thanks! i am going to use it for my halloween costume. btw these are the most detailed tutorials i have come accross, and as a serious costume maker this is very useful-keep up the good work!
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Why are we making a fabric feather for? Isn't there already a cardboard one?
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Well, the fabric & paint & wire js much more durable & realistic than cardboard. But by all means, make a set out of cardboard! It'll be faster, and I'm sure will still look cool.
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Oh, so is the cardboard just for the shape? And for a preview of how it's going to look or something?
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Yes, they're patterns used to preview the end-result wing shape and cut the feather fabric later, but CAN be used themselves to make wings - use what you have & have fun~
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so, i'm using these wings for a project, and i need to know how much fabric i need to use? can you give me an estimate?
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Though I've only the measurements from the peregrine-style wings - 11-12 yards of 34"-36" wide fabric (for both Primaries/Secondaries/Coverts) this should be enough for both wings, broadcloth-thickness recommended - you may need a few yards more for larger wing shapes~
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Thanks! this makes things alot easier!
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Yeah, I've finally reached the point where I know how much these take, better post a full materials list or something...
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So if you dont have elastic is there an alternative or will i hav to go out and buy it?
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Haven't found an alternative to the elastic yet, since its the only stretchy thing that's thin enough for the alligator clips to stay attached to....maybe a bungee cord? Then find either bigger alligator clips or use wooden clothespins instead, can tie the secondary feather shafts to the clothespin handle with wire & secure with glue~
Think that's enough to go on?
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that shoud work. thanks
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Thanks! Post pictures of your results please~
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Very cool. Thanks for sharing the technique for the feathers. I've been interested in ways to make something similar for quite a while.
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No problem, post pics if you do!
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Will do. I'm probably going to try using a similar technique with card stock and watered down wood-glue. I got a paper cutter recently, so I don't have to do the paper cutting by hand. <3
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I didn't read the whole backlog of comments, but I've been wondering how to find out how much fabric I'll need? I'm working on a pretty tight budget and don't sew often, so I'd rather buy just what I need for this project plus enough extra to account for maybe up to four extra feathers in case some don't work out. I know that I've got to make the main feathers from the fabric, as well as the coverts, all of which seem to demand entirely different amounts of fabric. Can you help me put with a rule of thumb or something like that?
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Broadcloth-style fabric works the best (and I actually used the same for both the main feathers and coverts), and I recently measured the amount of fabric needed for two Peregrine-style wings and their coverts to be about 11-12 yards of 36" wide bolt - sorry, not sure about the 45" bolts but if you buy 10 yards of that you should have the extra you'll need.
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Very good; I'm enjoying this a lot.
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by saying the exception is the first feather of each wing, do you mean the primary feathers? my english is a mess and im close to that part of my wings and im unsure if thats what you meant or not
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"The first feather of each wing" means the leading feather, or the feather that you grab to open the wings later - sooooo it is the first of the primary feather set.
Does that help?
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yea thanks ^^ sorry to annoy ya my english is just terrible >.<
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instead of using a fabric and painting can it be replaced by a colored fabric and heavy duty spray glue?
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Using colored fabric is recommended, with painting for accents/patterns (looks nice, saves on paint) but spray glue? Maybe - I recommend making a single small & full-sized feather feather to test it before buying a ton of spray glue, since my own test with it turned out rather floppy (but it wasn't very thick...) but lemme know if you have more luck! Reply w/a brand & how it turns out, would appreciate it~
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Alright ^^ atm im finishing the straightening and bending of the wire coat hangers and today i'll go get what i need for my costume and tell ya how the spray glue works
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This is so awesome but I can't read the image would you mind transcribing it for me????that would be beyond awesome
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