HEAD

1. Use the PDF as a guide or project the pattern on the wall and trace head pieces onto large sheets of paper

2. Transfer pattern onto EVA (puzzle Mat) foam. I found my puzzle mat at Five Below, and fortunately was already blue.

3. Cut all piece out using a utility blade or Xacto knife and separate

4. In a well-ventilated area, use Contact Cement or hot glue to connect all the piece. Use a heat gun to create the bevel at the top of his brow. There should be a gap in the foam between his brow and back of the head crown. This is crucial for venting and will be well hidden with fur later. Trust me, you want to vent

5. Sketch on a smile and where you think the eyes would go. It will make it easier to determine where the bridge of the nose should go. I just eyeballed this step. It is important to create the right arch on the bridge of his nose and freehand the bottom of his nose once the bridge is attached. Use a Dremel tool or a really sharp blade to soften the features of his nose.

6. At this point, you should have a blank blue head with a nose and a pretty good idea where you want the mouth. Cut the mouth out a bit smaller vertically that you think. Then use the heat gun to soften the jaw area and pull his mouth more open. Trust me, it looks more natural that just cutting it all out of his face. Look how your jaw changes when you open your mouth and try to emulate that.

EYES

The eyes are key to bringing any character to life. In this case, I bought a 4" clear plastic globe on Amazon.

1. Trace the circle onto a piece of EVA foam. Cut out the circle the same size as the globe.

2. Use a piece of pvc pipe or something similar to punch out the pupil. Use a larger piece of pvc or something round to score a larger circle around the Iris. This gives the eyes some much-needed life under the dome.

3. Paint the pupil black. Tape off the iris and Plastidip the whites. Take the tape off the iris and use a series of different shade blue sharpie shades to draw in the details. Basically, draw progressively larger triangles till you reach the whites of the eyes.

4. Glue the pupil back in place. push the foam eye into the globe creating a convex eye. The white plastidip will have enough grip to temporarily hold the eye in place. Once the eye is positioned right, glue it in place.

This is a great moment to stage your design and make sure your proportions are correct with the body. The head is going to feel REALLY BIG compared to the body and that's ok