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Sunnybrook1 — Realistic Wing Tutorial - P.2
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Published: 2010-08-16 06:11:20 +0000 UTC; Views: 116935; 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
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Comments: 267
Wow, this one is harder to put into words than the previous one...gah, will keep at it, will make a announcement of some sort once transcription is available....
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thanks
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Wouuld Killz2 Latex Interior/Exterior Primer/paint/sealant work?
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Never heard of it, try it on a small simple & see~!
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It worked! In the process of cutting and bending the wire now
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ps- "simple" = "sample"
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So why fabric for the feathers, as opposed to some kind of posterboard or cardboard or paper? Any particular reason, or would those be possible options too?
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Well fabric comes in bigger sizes for cheaper, and is easier/cheaper (hopefully) to waterproof, also liked the flexibility/forgivibility of it in regards to being bent and stretched, but I made a pair out of posterboard much faster than the fabric ones - sure, the edges have started to look curvy & waterlogged (my trailer is not waterproof & I live in the Pacific NW) but they came together overnight instead of a few days to a week of labor.
If water is not an issue paper wings would be great, and time-saving! I'm so going to make a full cardboard-something-or-other eventually, 'tis as close as I can get to instant gratification with these things.
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I'm confused on the elastic part, is it that black thing with the alligator clips on it? It doesn't look very elasticy, you know? haha If I went into a craft store or home depot, what would I ask for? Just 1 inch elastic?
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Yup, the elastic is the black thing w/alligator clips attached, and while it doesn't look very elasticy it is - 1-inch worked because the alligator clips went most of the way on it, and fit the 1-inch d-rings (can go thicker/wider, don't recommend any smaller for durability reasons). Home Depot doesn't sell elastic I don't think...try craft stores like JoAnns, Michaels, Ben Franklins...or online!
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I have a question with this. With the foam brush or paint brush, could you use a sponge instead? or would that ruin it?... I've got more questions about the other parts too but I'm not sure if I should ask them all at once or not....
PS.Thanks for the tutorial.
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Answer: Use whatever works to apply the paint, I only used foam brushes cause they're cheap & carry enough paint over to the fabric to make it stick together, but not soak too much (if its dripping/running, it's too much paint).
Also, send me a note with your other questions, I will answer as many as I can!
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Thanks
Alright will do.
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Maybe it addresses it somewhere, but why wouldn't a person buy the fabric in the colour they want their wings to be? Or how about sewing the fabric of the feathers together instead of paint?
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Huh, you're right I don't really address the color of the fabric - I'll have to add a mention that the color of the fabric/paint can indeed be WHATEVER color you want it to be, depending on your project/desired result.
Also, sewing the feathers should work to, but I like the way the paint stiffens/strengthens the floppy fabric when dry. With fabric & thread I think I'd need another layer of something-or-other to stiffen it the same way, and without a sewing machine it'd be a longer painstaking process to handsew.
But if you manage to sew some feathers, post'em & shoot me a note, I'd be interested in seeing them!
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Ooooh, see it's good to know that there wasn't a special reason for the colour of paint. That would eliminate a good chunk of time and money (for me) to know that any colour would work!
How about fabric type? Did you use just a basic broadcloth?
Good to know the reason for the paint, too. I think fabric stiffener might work as well. I'll see what I come up with.
I would like to take on this project eventually, and you'd be the first to get pictures!
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Yah, normal broadcloth - tried muslin once & OH THE REGRET - waste o'paint & time. Xp
And yes, I am lazy & use my paint as the fabric stiffener but lemme know if you find an easier/time-saving alternative!
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Hi, it's me again~ Would it work to just sew the feathers instead of painting them? Maybe sew them together like a tail or a sock, turn them right side out, then sew the wire into place?
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Yeah, but the feathers wouldn't have the same strength as painted ones, & be softer/floppier, also the amount of wire you'd need would be greater (to keep the outline of each feather in place) so the wings would be heavier, I'd imagine...
Though if you included interfacing in your sewing you may get the effect you're looking for w/out paint (you'll just need to hard-glue the feather sheath to the metal shaft somehow, or attach it so they slide on & off the shafts but stay in place while in use).
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I didn't even think about that! Thanks for the help~
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Quick question. What kind of fabric did you end up using for the feathers? And would a liquid glue work in place of paint?
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Fabric - uh, the cheap kind? It's somewhat absorbent (for the paint) and not to pricey. And I imagine liquid glue would work fine, haven't tried it - tell me how it goes!
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Was it like a cotton? Kind of like a fabric a skirt, or sun dress is made of?
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Yeah, probably (since cotton is absorbant) if you're not sure, buy a small bit of a bunch of fabrics & do some small test-pieces (they don't even have to be feather shaped, just enough to sandwich two pieces over a bamboo skewer w/paint).
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Alrighty! Thank you! C: I'll do some testing! C:
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If you're only using a wire and fabric, how does the actual feather stay so sturdy? Wouldn't fabric flop or does the glue harden to form a solid mould? What makes your feathers seem as tough as plastic?
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Well, the fabric I use isn't special (on the thin-side, but not too much, just absorbent)and the paint is regular too...I think it's a combination of the two pieces of fabric held together by the dried paint, they strengthen each other, and the wire holds it straight!
It's still rather flexible/floppy, but will tend to stay in the position it was dried in (for now flat, in the future I'll aim for more realistic curves~). I think if I made these feathers too big (without extra support or stiffening elements) they wouldn't work as well, but at this scale it seems to work ok.
Make sense?
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Yeah, it does, thanks!
They already look really good though and I think support is good to have, or rather, I would take support and style over realism.
The feathers don't bend at all in the video though... Maybe you could quickly make one just of the details of the wing:
` where the feathers clip on/ attach.
` what the feathers should look/ feel like.
` what makes a good harness, ect.
Just to help people stay on track when they try to make the wing, ya know?
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Oh, here are some details about where the secondaries attach 
Anything else?
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Thanks a lot! Nope, I don't have any questions. ^^ Ask if you ever need anything from me. <3
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how many primaries did you make? Do you think it would affect the movement to use fewer, larger panels (I'm making, a dragon, not a bird, so I'm trying to make it a little more reptilian than avian in design)
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I think I made 13 primary feathers, but that was to match the Corvid silhouette. Movement should be fine with less (easier probably, with less weight to drag around) but if it's a dragon wing why not make them bat-like?
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how did you do the feathers? im confused on that part
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Which part? The fabric, wire, painting, or alligator clips?
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the fabric the goes on the feathers
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Think of each feather like a ham sandwich - the fabric is the bread, paint is the mayo, and the wire is a skinny piece of ham.
...okay, the analogy kinda breaks down around there but does it make sense? The paint allows the fabric to stick to itself, which hugs the wire enough to keep it attached.
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so pretty much its glued together and the metal wire will stay in its place right??
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just.. just a lil ehrr... YOU ARE AWESOME ^^ these are fantastic... thank you so much for taking the effort to work it all out and get it all down and share it with everyone
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About how many yards of fabric did these take? & do you remember what the fabric was?
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Hmm, lets see...5-7 yards of fabric for the primaries, another yard for the secondaries, and a few extra for the arm-cover means...10 yards?
And while I don't remember the exact type of fabric, here are it's qualities: it mid-range price wise (about $5 - $8 a yard?), about twice as thick as muslin (absorbs the paint better), has some cotton in it (not sure how much).
Does my inexperience with fabric show? There's still so much to learn!
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Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. :3 Lol I might have to bother you periodically with questions about bits of the tutorial, I'm kind of retarded.
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just a small question? who cares about the wings and all? we have planes for flying. :/
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Lol, lots of people care about wings. These wings aren't for pilots, they're for dreamers~
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Good question. Wings and birds hold a special place with humans. They symbolize a wide variety of things to people- freedom, happiness, divinity, power, dreams, hope, and so on and so forth.
Most of the people I have met have dreamed of flying- soaring, riding the winds, watching the world blow by and just enjoying yourself. Riding a plane is technically flying, but not in the way people dream of it. On a plane, you just sit in a cramped seat for hours straight, and the view (if you manage to get a window seat) isn't too great. Not fun or majestic.
Now, these wings won't let you soar. But they're fun to flap around in while imagining that you're high above the world. And hey, they make a nice costume. ^^
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im so making some wings now! ive figured out a rig but i couldn't figure out what to make the actual feathers out of, thank you ^^
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holy cow, I did not think so many people asked about how you did this! amazing work, and a grea turotial sequence to cover it - simply amazing. most artists would not put forth the effort, that's for sure! lauds and praise~!
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