Reddit mentions: The best sewing pillow forms & foam

First: get yourself a nice big pad of 18x24 newsprint, some charcoal (a mix of soft vine charcoal and compressed will give you nice range of values and edges to draw with) a kneaded eraser to pull out highlights and correct mistakes, and a chamois cloth (get it really nice and dirty with charcoal) for laying down smooth tones. It's messy, it's weird, but it gives you much more range than a pencil and costs almost nothing. Working larger and sitting further away will help you to form the habit of drawing from the shoulder for smoother line quality. You want this, especially while you're in the early learning stages. Your first step is to teach your body and eyes what to draw, not how to draw X Y or Z or even how to tattoo. That comes much later, and I'm glad to see you already knew that.

Before you jump into the figure focus on basic geometric forms - basic white cubes, cylinders, cones, spheres, etc. Draw them from life, not photographs or imagination. Something like this would be great. I know, they suck - every student I've ever had has let me know, but now they're off making Big Hero 6, League of Legends, and many other awesome projects and would tell you the same. These basic forms help you by reducing variables so you can focus on how light wraps around the form. The difference between a highlight, form light, form shadow, a core shadow, reflected light, and a cast shadow is difficult to pick out when you're dealing with lots of subtle plane changes. This is where you learn the basics of value control to distinguish between different levels of light. Lay down these values with masses, not individual lines. It's kinda half-way between drawing and painting with a broad brush by using the side of the charcoal rather than just the tip.

Certain types of light/shadow produce different edge qualities, pay attention to how hard or soft transitions are from light to dark and think about the physics behind it to understand why - pinning up some light fabric on the wall with a single light off to the side is a fantastic way to see this - the cloth catches the light, creating form and cast shadows as the light wraps around the folds and reflects a little light back onto nearby surfaces.

The goal here is to understand how to represent the light accurately to describe the form (that is all you're doing as an artist- recreating light to trick the eye, it doesn't matter what the subject is) When you're feeling confident with this (and probably filled up 1-3 of those newsprint pads) move on to still life set ups and introduce some more complex forms and add a dash of color (1-2 at a time, keep it simple) Feel free to start playing with the figure, but you'll be hard pressed to find anything more complex and subtle to attempt. Without a teacher present, Andrew Loomis books will be an invaluable resource once you get to this stage. They're free online as PDFs for the most part.

I would just build your own dude. All those aero cloner things are is a manifold with (x) amount of holes drilled in and (x) amount of mister heads, a decent submersible pump, a container with a lid (or manufacture a lid to fit out of Styrofoam or something similar! Bonus here is you also get inserts to stick the clones in safely) Create a manifold to fit your container. Make it a capital H shape sort of like this.In the middle of the 'H' use a Tee so you can make the connection to the pump. Tap the holes, for this application you could just find some screws with similar threading and drill/remove the manifold to tap for the misters. Connect the manifold to the pump and stick it to the bottom of the container, then fill with water (can use light nutrient solution) right up UNDER the manifold, not over it. While your pump soaks for a second, cut holes in your lid. (or cut lid to fit if using foam) Remember to make a little slot for the pump cord! Give the pump a test run AWAY FROM STUFF YOU WANNA KEEP DRY! Make sure all the misters are spraying good and not leaking (at least not too bad, no need to be mega perfect here) Then just get your clones ready! I know lots of guys that just use the insulation squares(rock wool) and just make the lid holes to fit them. I personally like the foam approach as is just feels better for me and i feel like it will give less problems with mold and other yuckies. I like to top it off with a light cabinet handle right in the middle so you can easily lift the lid (I just basically stole the handle from countless other aero cloners please dont sue me clone king lol) With this method you can make many smaller cloners or some bigger ones just dial up on the pump GPH! Just my opinion, many smaller ones might be easier to work with as youd have all the separation you need for organizing! Happy cloning bud!

You mentioned looking for the best deal, so I’m assuming you aren’t looking to pay a premium for down that is certified as ethically sourced. If you’re not looking fir that, then you would probably be happy with this.

Unite Down Bulk Natural Goose... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072MFLZCP?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

I’m very happy with the quality and it costs a lot less than what you are looking at. It is advertised as 750 FP, and it seems to be at least that. It arrived in a few days and weighed as advertised. They sell different amounts. I paid $45 for 16 oz. the quilt feels great.

https://imgur.com/gallery/wo4rGv8

For what it’s worth, I’m going to pay the premium for certified down next time.

Can someone explain why this sub seems to like these things?

I am of the opinion one should learn something the analogue way until experimenting with a tablet. For one, I find digital art to be lacking texture and sometimes emotion. People wonder "did this person just put an image into photoshop and trace details?"

I would highly recommend spending $20 mastering these basic shapes under a single light source. One could even use an egg, a marshmallow, a shoebox, etc instead.

A 9 year old could draw an accurate sphere from observation no problem even if they can't yet understand the theory of light and form. By this observational exercise, the theory diagram will be self-evident to your son and intuitive over time. Later, the inverse of these forms (a bowl, the inside of a shoebox) are equally important.

Given this knowledge, your son will be well equipped later on, and perhaps the tablet could be a gift for going to middle/high school.

tldr: IMHO a tablet offers little chance to improve one's art compared to a marshmallow.

> The head model I can't find.

My only suggestion for this is to buy blank-faced styrofoam wig head to mold your plastic over.

> I'll also be tinting it black.

Instead of dye, use a window tint sheet. Dye won't make the plastic opaque. At best, it will give it a very faint shade of gray and your face will be completely visible. If you're wanting to obscure your face, window tint is your best bet.

It’s not tempurpedic brand, but you can buy memory foam for crafts that may satisfy you in the same way. You can typically find it at craft/fabric stores, or like this on Amazon.

The down was about $70 for 500g from this Amazon seller. If you look in one of the pictures where I had the outer shell laid out there are some small grey pillows on the floor. Those pillows are how the down is shipped. They are ~200g of down each.

This was my first time using down, but I thought it was pretty good quality.

It's not attractive.

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Put into perspective, sitting back in a recliner, legs spread.

Top layer of foam has a half-circle cutout the same size as the launch. Rounded the protruding edges a bit.

Bottom layer is set back a bit. I decided to make the overall thing a bit big to start with so it would hold the launch well. Might shrink it some as i fine tune it.

The whole thing sits flat on the recliner in front of me and holds the unit at the right position, it never falls over or has problems.

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Currently I sit it on one end of a towel, facing me and lay the other end over the top and it provides a complete towel cover for the brace. Was working out the fine tuning of it before I attempt to make a vinyl cover for it.

My next thing after making a cover is to see if I can add velcro on the rounded inner and put some on the launch so it can be positioned to ride a bit higher than against the pubic bone. Currently I use a rolled up hand towel to raise it.

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I have a few other things I've done. Some case modes and suction mods. Was half-debating posting some "Boggleby's Tips" kind of posts but wasn't sure if anyone would care.

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Anyway here's the foam brace (2 views) the black stuff along one edge isn't dirt or muck, it's where I used a pen to mark the cut. :)

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https://imgur.com/gallery/CBVjaL7

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This is the foam I used, we had some for another use. (If this is an affiliate link i cannot tell, please don't shoot me if it is): https://www.amazon.com/FoamTouch-Upholstery-Cushion-Density-Standard/dp/B00UKG6S1E/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=FoamTouch+Upholstery+Foam+Cushion+Medium+Density+Standard%2C+4%22+L+x+24%22+W+x+72%22+H&qid=1562470221&s=gateway&sr=8-1

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Adhesive spray to bond the two layers that will not damage teh foam: (Trust me, do not use this indoors, if you get overspray you are going to regret it): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AZ735/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Honestly I would recommend selling your zpacks quilt via r/ulgeartrade or facebook and use the funds to buy a quilt with better designed footbox. Adding down wont solve your cold feet problem, and will be a messy hastle.

Footbox comparison: https://imgur.com/a/B0Xnz
See how the zpacks is basically an envelope with no room for your toes? So your toes stick into your insulation. Vs the second style which is an actual box and has room for your feet without them sticking into your down. I know this is not the answer you want but i hope it helps you in the long run

If youre stubborn and don't want to sell the zpacks then here's some down, I've bough from rose feather before. I don't think it's RSD certified but it's good quality stuff. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UYAE17E/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_y9UIAbE5HE61F

Have you thought about making your own bag? Going to a goodwill and picking up an old tent (for the nylon) and buying a lb of 700 fill down would cost you about 80 bucks and could make a really good bag if you have access to a sewing machine.
https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Solutions-USA-Brand-Hungarian/dp/B01DYSGKTE/ref=pd_sbs_201_14?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=EWBK2W2ZJ16EJ2WZ8TCG

Id probably go with a decent 20 degree bag and stock up on clothing layers. I think its worth it to spend more on a down bag than a synthetic if you care about weight. Have you looked at the cheapo chinese knockoffs on alibaba?

Sure, there's a couple of them, but this one seems cool. Although I can't see it to know if it is haha:

http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Pikachu-Transforming-Pillow-pillow/dp/B00IQJ5DDG/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458398117&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=pikachu+pillowpet

You can also buy it in a flat roll out sheet like the old school stuff but better.

Amazon Link

I have an arachnid soft tip board at home also. There are really two points that creat noise. First is the energy of the plastic tips hitting the plastic segment. That noise can't really be changed.

The second is the vibration after that. If I recall correctly there are two screws on the back of the board that you mount it with. I would but a 1/2 inch piece of wood to the wall then the mounting screws to that wood creating a 1/2 gap. Then place a section of 1/2 thick acoustic foam padding into that gap between the board and the wall. That's probably about as good as you will get.

I feel the glass would cause more problems overall. It'd be heavier, and if it were to fall you'd have broken glass on both sides of the print.

For backers, are you looking at something like foam boards? I used to work at Aaron Brothers before they merged into Michael's, and you could buy full sheets of board from them.

32x40 sheets were about $12 if I recall; to save money you could maybe piece together the 27x41 to get the last inch, or buy the next board size up (which might be better since it sounds like you have multiple things to frame).

They also have the backing paper that seals the frame, and is usually on a roll like this, specifically the blue-grey color. That was sold ~50c a yard, and I haven't looked very hard to get it in bulk. I always saw it referred to as "preservation sealing paper" or "archival backing roll."

Glazing, they could sell you as well, but they may not be willing to sell you an entire box.

Lol, I had my work laptop open and booted in the kitchen. Chart suggests around .13 lb/cuft at a shore A 90 durometer. Try this guy on amazon; https://www.amazon.com/FOAM-WORLD-Foam-Sheet-24-72/dp/B0058KFUTI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1478134533&sr=8-2&keywords=Packaging+polyurethane+foam

>I don't quite understand the difference between open cell and closed cell foam.

Think the difference between a sponge (open cell) and a styrofoam cup (closed cell).

"Pluck Foam" is a pretty popular product for applications like this. Basically it's open-cell foam with a grid cut into it most of the way through the foam pad. This lets you "pluck out" various squares to approximate the shape of the object you're wanting to protect. Commonly used when transporting minis for wargaming.

Not sure you'd find some that thin, though. https://www.amazon.com/SRA-Cases-Pre-Scored-Insert-EN-AC-FG-A019/dp/B00NPWLUHW/ this one is $11 for a bit over a square foot, but it's also 5x thicker than what you're talking about.

Acoustic foam might be closer to what you're wanting, it's certainly in the right price and dimension range, but it's also got that "egg crate" pattern that might be annoying for your purposes. https://www.amazon.com/acoustic-soundproofing-insulation-soundproof-dampening/dp/B076JNCQ39/

Upholstery foam might also be what you're looking for. https://www.amazon.com/Density-Cushion-Replacement-Mattress-Padding/dp/B074TTHFD8/

I bought this one because its pink: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UY17EGI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_gHpCybZE62A1E

The color switch works better than I thought. Id say find a cheaper alternative than Sephoras.

J Ware Easy Filling Systems King Size https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IAAC6SG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xKwYAbP8TV4FX

Am I missing something? There's 850 down on amazon for a better price than and that's not sale price

Edit https://www.amazon.com/Feather-Filling-Bedding-Pillow-Standard/dp/B06WLR4W4V/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1511328368&sr=8-12&keywords=850+down

Not sure if this is the best deal but this is what I would look for
http://www.amazon.com/Shredded-Foam-Fill-2-5-LBs/dp/B004ZI8XCK

The kid would be way warmer with a ½" high density upholstery foam Mybecca 0.5 x 24 x 72 High Density Upholstery Foam Cushion (Seat Replacement, Upholstery Sheet, Foam Padding) Made in USA 1/2" X 24" X 72" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ3ZBPW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_zUoLAbHPK789G and some reflectrix

Was browsing amazon for foam for a work project. https://www.amazon.com/IZO-All-Supply-CentriPUR-US-Upholstery/dp/B074TTHFD8/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_201_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=05GJMK83VEYM6KB5D80F

I don't have any handy, but I can put these on order:
https://www.amazon.com/Feather-Goose-Repair-Pillow-Feathers/dp/B00UYAE17E

Is 4 lbs enough?