Luen Fat Cheung Cheung Fei homage lion head

Posted on September 15, 2019 by nnnguy

I’ve finally finished my homage to a LFC Cheung Fei lion head. And I like it! I think this lion head would blend right in with all the other LFC heads out there.

I’ve attached the pom poms on and I think they pair quite nicely with the colour scheme and the overall look of the lion. At certain angles, the lion looks fierce. But in others, the lion almost has a wise feel about it. I think it’s all in the eyes.

Next job is to pair it up with the tail and see how it looks as a complete package. Now that’s two LFC heads made, I think I’m getting the hang of making these things. In saying that, I wouldn’t want to do it professionally, it’s still taking me forever to get one made.

On reflection of the making of this lion, I was true to the shape of a LFC lion in regards to using the same measurements for the frame but I deviated somewhat with the painting scheme particularly around the horn. I find that it’s still a “LFC” looking heading but uniquely made by me.

Now onto my next project. I’m hoping to make a red/gold/ lion head. I’ve got one more frame that I’ve already made before I need to slog it out with whittling bamboo strips again!

Luen Fat Cheung Liu Bei homage lion head

Posted on September 15, 2019 by nnnguy

I just realised I haven’t published this post. This was written in February 2019! But it showed the excitement I had with finishing off this lion project. What a difference one year makes. There I was happy that I finished making the Liu Bei head in 2 years, where I’ve just finished making my Cheung Fei head in 1! I hope my next project will take me 6 months, and 5 projects later maybe I’ll be semi- professional and have lion heads done in 4 weeks! I wonder how long the pros take.

I’m done, I’m done!!!! I’m finally done!!!
I think all up, the project has taken me over 2 years to complete from conception to finding the time to complete it. If I was to put an hour figure on it, I think it would have taken me maybe 10000000 hours because I’m a slow poke. I definitely wouldn’t make money as a professional lion head maker.
I’ve added the finishing touches like the gold sequined trim around the eyes, cheeks etc, attached the pillow, and hooked up the pulley system.
I cheated with the tail, my textile skills are non existent so I thought it better that I acquire one instead of making it. Fortunately, my 師兄 from Hong Kong donated a couple of old tails that he managed to salvage from heads that have been sent to the afterlife. And the great news is, one of the tails was a perfect match!

So what’s next? I’ve taken Chris Low’s (of Restore The Roar) lead and am in the middle of writing an instructional book on how to make a replica Luen Fat Cheung lion head. Don’t hold your breath because given the amount of time it took me to make this lion head, it might take a fair bit of time.

I’ve also got another two frames that in various stages of completion. Hopefully, I can make progress on them and create a team of lion heads.

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Bristle fur goes on

Posted on September 12, 2019 by nnnguy

I’ve made some progress with putting on the bristle fur and I’m pleased with how the lion is looking. I used metal galvanised wire to attach the fur on. In the past I have tried seeing the fur on and it’s just too time consuming and I didn’t think it held on as well as wire. It makes me think about how much easier it would be having sheep fur lion heads where you could just hot glue the fur on and be done with it quickly.

Without further ado, check out the lion.

Next step after this is putting on the pom poms and I’m pretty much done!