Who works for you?
The Grotto is run by one person, Willow. My username is CoralSky in most places.
What do you offer?
I currently make partial fursuits, heads, tails, and props on commission. I also have adoptable designs available, as well as occasional artistic freedom slots.
Why no full suits?
I currently don't offer them as commissions, but I do have some adoptable designs available that are meant to be full suits. These are going to be my experimental designs to help get into full body suit making so that I can eventually offer this style as commissions. As of right now, I don't have the space needed to make more than one full suit at a time.
How long have you been doing this?
I've been active in the furry community since 2004-05, and made my first fursuit in 2008. Since then, I've been building things off and on until 2014 when I decided to make my hobby into my job.
How long does it take for a commission to be completed?
This depends on what type of project it is. Tails usually take only a few days depending on complexity. Heads are 1-3 weeks, partial suits are 2-4 weeks. This all depends of course on complexity of the design, and my own schedule. I always do my best to keep commissioners informed of progress and potential completion dates once I start on their commission. (Commission start times depend on their position in my queue)
I'm not 18 now, but I will be this year, can I buy a suit from you?
You must be 18 at the time of filling out a form in order to make a purchase from The Grotto. You must have a parent or legal guardian contact me to purchase a commission if you are under 18. The only exception to this rule is purchases made at conventions when I am selling items at a table. This exception cannot be used to buy a commission however, only premade products on my table.
Why won't you make a commission for minors?
It's mostly a liability and legality problem. It's illegal where I am for a minor to agree to a contract of any kind without parental consent.
When do you open for commissions?
I usually try to open for a few slots several times a year, and all opening announcements are posted here on my site, and on social media platforms like Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram etc
How are your suits made?
This is a pretty broad question, but I get it a lot. But for a general description, I build the face using upholstery foam, line the inside with spandex, pattern and cut the fur for placement, then add the details like eyes, tongue, teeth etc. There are of course many other steps within this, and there's lots of tutorials and step-by-step demonstrations online to search for.
What currency are your prices in?
All prices are in USD (United States Dollar)
What materials do you use?
Upholstery foam, faux fur, fleece, and other related materials. I do my best to work with easy to use and clean materials when making my products.
Where do you get your fur?
Mostly from places like FursuitSupplies and Mendels, but there's dozens of resources to use.
How do you see out of a fursuit head?
Primary vision is through the eyes of the character. I use a mesh that allows the wearer to see while wearing. More unique suits may call for vision through the mouth or other places.
Can I really wear glasses inside a fursuit head?
Technically yes, and I can build a head to fit around glasses. Though I would not recommend it since your glasses can fog up while in use.
Why use magnets for some of your parts?
I've tried using other options like snaps and velcro, but they just don't work for most of these additions. Snaps can't be hidden in fur, and velcro gets clogged easily. Magnets were the best option.
How durable are your fursuit heads?
Some suits more than others, but for the most part I build the heads to be very forgiving! I work with foam bases, so they're softer, and won't break easily like a resin based head could. All of them endure a rough 'dog toy test' after shaving, which means I shake them out thoroughly to get excess shavings off. I've tested dummy heads with being compressed for travel, dropped from a great height, tugged and pulled, and they've held up pretty well. Of course this does not mean do these tests yourself, purposefully using your suit for anything other than personal wear will void your warranty and I will not do repairs. The only thing I have not tested yet is a washing machine, so just rely on hand cleaning suit heads for now.
The Grotto is run by one person, Willow. My username is CoralSky in most places.
What do you offer?
I currently make partial fursuits, heads, tails, and props on commission. I also have adoptable designs available, as well as occasional artistic freedom slots.
Why no full suits?
I currently don't offer them as commissions, but I do have some adoptable designs available that are meant to be full suits. These are going to be my experimental designs to help get into full body suit making so that I can eventually offer this style as commissions. As of right now, I don't have the space needed to make more than one full suit at a time.
How long have you been doing this?
I've been active in the furry community since 2004-05, and made my first fursuit in 2008. Since then, I've been building things off and on until 2014 when I decided to make my hobby into my job.
How long does it take for a commission to be completed?
This depends on what type of project it is. Tails usually take only a few days depending on complexity. Heads are 1-3 weeks, partial suits are 2-4 weeks. This all depends of course on complexity of the design, and my own schedule. I always do my best to keep commissioners informed of progress and potential completion dates once I start on their commission. (Commission start times depend on their position in my queue)
I'm not 18 now, but I will be this year, can I buy a suit from you?
You must be 18 at the time of filling out a form in order to make a purchase from The Grotto. You must have a parent or legal guardian contact me to purchase a commission if you are under 18. The only exception to this rule is purchases made at conventions when I am selling items at a table. This exception cannot be used to buy a commission however, only premade products on my table.
Why won't you make a commission for minors?
It's mostly a liability and legality problem. It's illegal where I am for a minor to agree to a contract of any kind without parental consent.
When do you open for commissions?
I usually try to open for a few slots several times a year, and all opening announcements are posted here on my site, and on social media platforms like Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram etc
How are your suits made?
This is a pretty broad question, but I get it a lot. But for a general description, I build the face using upholstery foam, line the inside with spandex, pattern and cut the fur for placement, then add the details like eyes, tongue, teeth etc. There are of course many other steps within this, and there's lots of tutorials and step-by-step demonstrations online to search for.
What currency are your prices in?
All prices are in USD (United States Dollar)
What materials do you use?
Upholstery foam, faux fur, fleece, and other related materials. I do my best to work with easy to use and clean materials when making my products.
Where do you get your fur?
Mostly from places like FursuitSupplies and Mendels, but there's dozens of resources to use.
How do you see out of a fursuit head?
Primary vision is through the eyes of the character. I use a mesh that allows the wearer to see while wearing. More unique suits may call for vision through the mouth or other places.
Can I really wear glasses inside a fursuit head?
Technically yes, and I can build a head to fit around glasses. Though I would not recommend it since your glasses can fog up while in use.
Why use magnets for some of your parts?
I've tried using other options like snaps and velcro, but they just don't work for most of these additions. Snaps can't be hidden in fur, and velcro gets clogged easily. Magnets were the best option.
How durable are your fursuit heads?
Some suits more than others, but for the most part I build the heads to be very forgiving! I work with foam bases, so they're softer, and won't break easily like a resin based head could. All of them endure a rough 'dog toy test' after shaving, which means I shake them out thoroughly to get excess shavings off. I've tested dummy heads with being compressed for travel, dropped from a great height, tugged and pulled, and they've held up pretty well. Of course this does not mean do these tests yourself, purposefully using your suit for anything other than personal wear will void your warranty and I will not do repairs. The only thing I have not tested yet is a washing machine, so just rely on hand cleaning suit heads for now.
