Littlenobody FABLES | LUMA Black Cat – Adding the Top Fur Suit and Making the Ears Smaller

Super rough still, needs all sewing, paws cleaned up, whiskers added but she is 80% done and Ive started Odin.

CHAT had a lot to say about the blog post, heres their input –

LUMA continues to evolve as the final design decisions begin bringing the character together. This handcrafted creature armature is being built as a physical character reference for SORA 2, supporting the production of a 2-minute 30-second animated short exploring fables, morality tales and emotion through visual storytelling.

This stage focuses on fitting the upper fur suit and revisiting one of the most expressive parts of the character: the ears. While they initially felt right during construction, seeing the full puppet assembled revealed that they overpowered the face. Reducing their size created a more balanced silhouette and a stronger sense of personality.

Fitting the Top Fur Suit

Adding the upper fur suit is one of the most satisfying stages of the build. Individual components that previously existed as separate pieces begin to merge into a single, recognisable character.

Particular attention was given to:

• Fur direction (nap)
• Seam placement
• Body proportions
• Maintaining flexibility within the armature
• Preserving the clean silhouette of the character

Careful pattern making before cutting the fur helped minimise visible joins while keeping the overall form lightweight.

Refining the Ears

Sometimes the final design isn’t about adding more detail—it’s about knowing when to simplify.

Once the head, body and fur were assembled together, it became clear that the original ears were slightly too large for the proportions of the finished puppet. Rather than accepting the first version, they were rebuilt at a smaller scale to better complement LUMA’s face.

The revised ears improved:

• Overall character balance
• Facial proportions
• Silhouette readability
• Expression
• Visual harmony between the head and body

Small adjustments often have the greatest impact, and reducing the ears proved to be one of those deceptively simple changes that transformed the finished character.

Seeing the Character Emerge

There is often a point during a creature build where the collection of materials stops feeling like individual components and begins to feel like a living character. Fitting the fur suit and refining the ears marked that moment for LUMA.

The personality became clearer, the proportions settled into place and the puppet finally started to resemble the character that had existed only in sketches and imagination at the beginning of the project.

Looking Ahead

With the upper fur suit complete and the proportions refined, LUMA is approaching the final stages of construction. The remaining work focuses on finishing details, preparing the puppet for reference photography and creating the final visual assets that will guide animation within SORA 2.

Conclusion

Building a character is rarely a straight path. Every adjustment, no matter how small, contributes to the final personality. By refining the ears and completing the upper fur suit, LUMA moves another step closer to becoming the finished reference puppet that will help bring Littlenobody FABLES from the workshop into an animated world.