My First Plushie: Princess Luna

[SoaringSentinel 139]

Hi,

I've been a brony since feb last year and to this day i've been very unimpressed with the merch that hasbro has been putting out. I'm a person who absolutly hates it when the official merch doesnt look like the show its supposed to reprisent. So to this day i've held off on buying anything MLP related from hasbro.

 

And so we come to the purpose of this thread. About 2 months ago I was browsing through deviantart and I kept running into these really nice plushies of ponies. And I kept thinking, I can do that. I have quite a bit of experience doing stuff in 3D as i am a 3d modeler and animator for games, and I have a little bit of experience sowing from waaay back when I was a kid. So I went around and looked at some of the paterns people have made availible for free and I felt the werent what I was looking for. So I decided to make my own. So I looked around the web for a decent 3d model of Luna and I found a good one made by KP-Shadowsquirrel but it was more season one luna than season 2. And since I wanted to make season 2 luna I made some modifications to the proportions of the model and then I unwrapped the model in such a way that the UV's became useable sowing paterns. So feeling pretty pleased with myself i got to work.

 

The folowing images are roughly 2 months of planning and work in my off time.

Critique's and comments are very welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

The head I'm not very pleased with, so i'm going to make some modifications to get a better shape.

 

From hoof to horn she is 1.3 meters or 55" tall

 

Also for those interested, I havent decided yet wether or not i'm going to sell her. If I do i'll post it here in this thread.

 

Updated: March 22 

Edited March 22, 2013 by SoaringSentinel

[~Scootaloo 440]

Looks nice. However basically taking a rather large dump on Hasbro and others (you know saying how nothing  was remotely impressive) online is not the best way to go about things.

 

You have to remember that they have to work with plastic dolls and I doubt it would be very cost effective for them to be making gigantic versions. Hasbro is a business - they are around to make money.

Edited March 10, 2013 by DarkEly

[Friendship_Cannon 1,676]

That is great work there, bro!

Really lovely, I probably can´t even imagine the effort put into this, but I have to honour it. This is gigantic, great and awesome work on the body, the details (hooves, cutie mark) and especially the wings. I can´t wait to see it when it is finished, but this makes my day this far!

 

Same time, happy welcome from me, hope you enjoy yourself and have a great time here! Good to have you here, you are awesome!

[SoaringSentinel 139]

Looks nice. However I think that basically taking a rather large dump on everyone (you know saying how nothing  was remotely impressive) at Hasbro and others online is not the best way to go about things. I mean what does know they are just the publishers of the blood show XD.

 

I reworded it, I dont mean to offend anyone, but I stand by my statement that so far everything hasbro has put out does not meet my (ridiculously) high quality standards for official merchiandise.

[~Scootaloo 440]

Well... I have to agree with you a little bit. Take a look at the Scootaloo doll/figure...

 

 

and then take a look at my avatar or this...

 

I must agree - the doll does look rather ugly (also where are her wings?)...

Edited March 10, 2013 by DarkEly

[SoaringSentinel 139]

I fixed the head. I will probably start on the eyes sometime tommorow. 

 

Dont mind the metal wire holding up the head, i havent attached the head to the neck yet. 

[Beta 42]

That is a HUGE Luna! I think that your work is impressive and I can't wait to see the finished product. I really like how the wings came out. If you don't mind me asking, what are you filling her with?

[Mane Sax 46]

 

Well... I have to agree with you a little bit. Take a look at the Scootaloo doll/figure...     and then take a look at my avatar or this...   I must agree - the doll does look rather ugly (also where are her wings?)...

 

I agree, but both the design and the lack of wings could be because it isn't from the same generation.

 

 

I fixed the head. I will probably start on the eyes sometime tommorow.    Dont mind the metal wire holding up the head, i havent attached the head to the neck yet. 

 

 

Wow, that looks amazing! I can't wait to see it when it is finished.

[SoaringSentinel 139]

That is a HUGE Luna! I think that your work is impressive and I can't wait to see the finished product. I really like how the wings came out. If you don't mind me asking, what are you filling her with?

I am filling her with a material called fiber fill. From what I understand its the go to material to put in stuffed toys.

 

In other news: ive been shopping around for different eye shapes to put on her instead of the default ones that everyone else uses. And from what i've seen the default ones look the best on my luna aswel so i've finished the paterns for those and will be starting work on those tommorow. Aso the replacement minky for the slippers will be arriving tommorow so expect some more progress over the weekend

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

That is one epic plush. I wish I had the money so somepony can make a plush for me. It would be awesome to have one. 

 

My friend has a lyra plush. 

[pleasedontcomeback 209]

  Oh my Luna.

This is amazing! If I could make a plushie like that, it'd be horrible compared to yours.

I'm wishing you finish this, I can't even imagine what it'll look like! This has made me very jealous. Bravo! Keep up the good work!

[HunterTSN 1,444]

Congrats! You got your cutie mark!
 
Really this is incredibly well done, especially the wings.
 
I don't know that many people who could put in that much work and get such an amazing product out of it.
You certainly are a real...

 

Rarity!

 

 

Edited March 15, 2013 by TheSteampunkNinja (TSN)

[SoaringSentinel 139]

Presenting the eyes, made with minky. with a little luck I'll be attaching the head to the body permanently tommorow . then my next hickup will be attaching the wings to the body.

[Zygen 6,066]

Holy moly that is a big big plushie there. You did a great job with it! It looks beautiful to . Very well done.

 

Good luck with finishing the head! And if you sell it then well good luck with the selling of it it .

 

A marvelous job so far it looks.

[SoaringSentinel 139]

here she is body is completly finished. next up, the wings
also the regalia isnt attached yet. still just pins.

 

Proof that she can stand on her own legs with the wings.

 

The money shot

[Pixel Stick 927]

Cool!  That's looking pretty epic!  I'm gonna watch this thread - I can't wait to see the wings, mane and other details finished on it.

[Fhaolan 4,483]

Out of curiosity, what are you going to do about the season 2 flowing night sky mane and tail? If solid like a lot of plushies tend to have, that's going to be a lot of weight, and if not what material were you planning on using?

Edited March 19, 2013 by Fhaolan

[SoaringSentinel 139]

Wel for the tail i'm going to make the navy blue part out of minky and the transperant purple out of purple satin. the mane and tail will also be dotted with small crystals to add the sparklies

[Concord 1,982]

Hello!

 

This is looking amazing, really nice colours, really well made curves, i just want to cuddle that plush so bad! :c

 

One detail bugs me a little though, if it's critique you'd want for... I think that the horn is on a wrong angle...

[SoaringSentinel 139]

Hello!

 

This is looking amazing, really nice colours, really well made curves, i just want to cuddle that plush so bad! :c

 

One detail bugs me a little though, if it's critique you'd want for... I think that the horn is on a wrong angle...

I agree the horn is at the wrong angle, fortunatly its not attached yet. its held on there by pins, untill I get a better handle on what the hair is going to look like.

[Fhaolan 4,483]

I've had some awful luck with satin pulling apart at the seams, so I recommend a generous seam allowance on that stuff. Unless you've got a serger, which makes seams just that much stronger.

[SoaringSentinel 139]

I've had some awful luck with satin pulling apart at the seams, so I recommend a generous seam allowance on that stuff. Unless you've got a serger, which makes seams just that much stronger.

 

i know what you mean, i initialy made luna's hooves out of satin cause i wanted them to be shiny. it looked great until i started to stuff it. then the seems just ripped open. hence why they are now made of minky.

 

with a little luck i'll get to attaching the wings todayand start working on the patern for the tail

[Pinkazoid 3,493]

Well... I have to agree with you a little bit. Take a look at the Scootaloo doll/figure...

 

 

and then take a look at my avatar or this...

 

I must agree - the doll does look rather ugly (also where are her wings?)...

That's G3 scootaloo, though

 

 

The plushie loooks pretty good, I'd say show accurate, but I wanna see the finished result first x3

 

I'll try and keep track of this thread, also first? This is too good to be a first xD

[SoaringSentinel 139]

That's G3 scootaloo, though

 

 

The plushie loooks pretty good, I'd say show accurate, but I wanna see the finished result first x3

 

I'll try and keep track of this thread, also first? This is too good to be a first xD

This is honestly my first ever plushie. Back in the day when I was 6 or 7 I did make some clothes for my action figures with help from my mom. so thats the only kind of sowing experience I have.

 

With Luna, my mom is helping me again with some of the sowing (and she is providing my with the sowing machine) but the paterns are mine. I am a 3d modeler for video games with several years experience. And one thing i've learned over the years is; once you learn how to create a 3d object out of 2d plans and images, you can create anything you imagine in almost any material there is. All you need to learn are the rules of the material that you want to use.

 

What I did for luna's patern is take KP-shadowsquirell's 3d model of luna (since I dont have as much free time to make my own) which he has on his deviantart page. modify it in maya so it is more season 2 accurate (longer legs, different neck pose change the body proportions around a little bit etc.) Then I use an automatic unwrapping program like unfold 3d to draw where I think the seams should be on the model. To determine where the seams go I look at other plushies people have made and look for which one has the best body proportions least visible seams and overall best show accurate result. Based on those pictures i draw the seams directly onto the 3d model and then have the uv map program unwrap them for me, if you did it properly you will get very accurate paterns.

I then traced the paterns you get from the uv program using adobe illustrator and print them out onto sheets of A4 paper using the tiling setting in illustrator. Then I tape the pieces of paper together and cut them out. and voila you have your very own model accurate sowing paterns.

 

Now what I learned over the course of this project. Paterns are everything, I made some test plushies using some of the free ones out there and found they didnt provide what I was looking for.

not all fabric behaves the same. I've had to make several adjustments to the head paterns to get them how they are now. Also not all materials like going together such as satin and minky. When minky stretches it'll rip satin apart at the seams.

 

I hope this clears up some of the doupts about whether or not this is indeed my first plushie. And perhaps help some people make their own show accurate ones.

 

This is my version of KP Shadowsquirrel's model.

 

Note i made different feet and wings for the plushie. for which i used my own models. (not shown in the pic)

Edited March 22, 2013 by SoaringSentinel

[SoaringSentinel 139]

alright after taking a break for a few days, i'm back to working on her. i received more stuffing today so i could finaly stuff her properly. and the shape is much better now.

 

I put her in a little pose 

 

she's also able to stand much better now that she's slightly heavier in the front. you can give her a little push and she wont tip over 

the added weight will be balanced out by the tail and the wings (or atleast thats my theory)

 

I've also started on putting the helix in the horn. i'm using a ribbon for that which i will sow into place.

 

also note how the back of the head is a little boxy, this is intional so the hair has more room to fill out her profile.