Thread: Wolf from an animated Christmas deer

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Originally Posted by Ghost of Spookie

Here's a rather inexpensive wolf mask at Target ($13):

Werewolf Mask - OSFM : Target

Same price and very similar look to the Kmart one.

Looks like the same mask I used for mine.

I finally got started on my wolf project. I wanted to make the legs of mine more like the shape of a real wolf's legs. I had an old wooden reindeer my Dad was throwing away and used the legs from it as a basic pattern to draw the wolf legs onto cardboard. I traced that pattern onto wood and used my $10.00 jigsaw I got from Big Lots last year to cut out the new legs. I'll eventually remove the wireframe reindeer legs or incorporate them as part of the new legs. Right now they help support the wolf frame while I'm working on it.

Originally Posted by DaveintheGrave

I finally got started on my wolf project. I wanted to make the legs of mine more like the shape of a real wolf's legs. I had an old wooden reindeer my Dad was throwing away and used the legs from it as a basic pattern to draw the wolf legs onto cardboard. I traced that pattern onto wood and used my $10.00 jigsaw I got from Big Lots last year to cut out the new legs. I'll eventually remove the wireframe reindeer legs or incorporate them as part of the new legs. Right now they help support the wolf frame while I'm working on it.

This is great. What I have a hard time with is why not make these things from scratch? I mean that is some talent to make legs like that, so why not put your own stamp on the thing entirely? Keep up the good work though. I can't wait to see it when it is done.

Originally Posted by DaveintheGrave

I finally got started on my wolf project. I wanted to make the legs of mine more like the shape of a real wolf's legs. I had an old wooden reindeer my Dad was throwing away and used the legs from it as a basic pattern to draw the wolf legs onto cardboard. I traced that pattern onto wood and used my $10.00 jigsaw I got from Big Lots last year to cut out the new legs. I'll eventually remove the wireframe reindeer legs or incorporate them as part of the new legs. Right now they help support the wolf frame while I'm working on it.

Those legs are awesome, they look very realistic, I think they look a lot more like wolf legs than deer legs, and you've already solved the problem of how to make the feet! Great work!!

Originally Posted by yardhauntjunkie

This is great. What I have a hard time with is why not make these things from scratch? I mean that is some talent to make legs like that, so why not put your own stamp on the thing entirely? Keep up the good work though. I can't wait to see it when it is done.

I don't know how much talent I've got, but this was my first attempt at using a jigsaw and I was surprised how easy it is to use. (I don't have ANY power tools, except a drill and a dremel.)
I was thinking the same thing--why do I need the reindeer frame at all? But I want the head movement and the reindeer frame is already set up for that, so i'll go ahead and use it. Plus I'm kind of pressed for time right now. But anyone who's good at using chicken wire could make a decent body after cuting out the legs and it wouldn't be hard to add a motor for head movement.
I'll keep posting pics. I still need to get fur, but I'm going to bulk up the upper legs with some padding first before adding the fur.

Also if anyone wants the same legs like these I'd be glad to either send a copy of my patterns to you or I could cut them out of wood with the jigsaw and ship the legs at cost. Be happy to help.
I'm really happy how it's coming along so far!

An update pic of my wolf. I used some carpet padding to bulk up the legs some.
And I decided to change out the reindeer motor for one that's a bit faster. I'm also trying to incorporate some mouth movement in the wolf mask. I'm trying to get the mechanics of it done while I'm waiting for the fur I ordered.

Back from a trip to Target and Walmart. Saw these two werewolf masks on the shelves. Target's was $12.99 and Walmart's was $20.




(Pictured Left to Right: Target, Walmart)

Well I ended up picking up the wolf head from Target today (same as Kmart one). The price was right, probably cheapest I found, and I liked that the mask face was the most like a wolf head, as opposed to a werewolf head, which was more of the look I wanted. My timing was good in that this was the last mask like this that I saw in my Target.

Tomorrow I will dig up my box with the reindeer in it and see how the fit is and how I'll need to modify things. I've been looking at the inside of the mask (full head) and seeing how it's seamed with the fur. I'll probably just separate the mask portion from the brown fur of the mask since I'm using black body fur. I'm also considering just spray painting the mask's fur black in which case I'll want to do a trim of the "mane". I'm not sure what other modifications I'll want to make. I'd love to play with the eyes and if they are clear plastic, open up the back of the mask so that they can be back lit. The eyes of this mask were also one of the reasons I liked the mask a lot. Pretty realistic looking. I'd love to animate the mouth but doubt that will happen this year. There are above eye, nose and mouth holes that will need to be dealt with.

I'm curious how many other people are making a wolf this year, what mask you are using and what kind of modifications you are doing to the face area. Anyone else out there that hasn't posted already on this thread?

I just thought of a suggestion for the eyes. While i'm not actually doing this project, a glance at an earlier picture gave me an idea. It seems that most of these wolf masks don't have eyes already in them. If you can get access to the eyes or something like it, you could hook up a pair of small lights to the back of the plastic eyes to make them glow brighter. My friend had those christmas deer things, and they had lights already on them. A little wire work and you could remove all of the lights except for 2 and put them just behind the plastic eyes in the mask. Not sure how opaque the plastic eyes would be though...

Exactly brombones, that's actually what I meant when I referred to back lit.

I just peeled a small portion of the eye from the mask and it is clear resin, so the rusty brown look of the eyes come from paint that comes off when the eye is removed from the mask. Not sure if the pupil would disappear too if removed completely from the mask and don't want to risk it right now. The iris/pupil (eyeball) of the mask does have a flat back if that's helpful to anyone thinking of the same thing. The eyes losing the rusty brown color may not be all that bad either since I'm not sure I really want the eyes to appear brown. Kind of hard to see at night even if back lit. Eerie green or gold might be a better choice. Red might be another.

I'm also contemplating looking into purchasing some taxidermy glass eyes but I know I'm running short of time and may want to just finish him up sooner than later for this year at least. I heard that Van Dykes had been bought out, speaking of taxidermy supplies. Looks like they are still operating under their name though.