Draw More Furries: How to Create Anthropomorphic Fantasy Creatures

DrawMoreFurries

HOWTOCREATEANTHROPOMORPHICFANTASYANIMALS

LindsayCibosandJaredHodges

Cincinnati,OHwww.impact-books.com

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ContentsDrawMoreFurries

SpecialOffers

Introduction

FurryHybridization

ArtStyle

HumanAnatomy

GenderDifferences

ToolsandMaterials

TheDrawingProcess

ColoringBasics

DrawingFundamentalsDrawingtheHead

MuzzleMania

FacialExpressions

DrawingtheBody

FurryAnatomy

CharacterTurnarounds

BodyLanguage

PostureandBalance

LegConfigurations

DynamicPoses

BodyShapes

FurriesWolf

StylizeYourFur

Raccoon

Stripes

Kangaroo

KangarooFeatures

GraspingPaw

WebbedHands

ScaliesIguana

CobraHood

SnakeBody

Crocodile

JawsandTeeth

Scales

WebbedFeet

Triceratops

NeckFrill

Raptor

MythicalCreaturesGriffin

FeatheredWings

Dragon

LeatherWings

Jackalope

ClovenHooves

Antlers

Kitsune

Xuanwu

TurtleShell

HybridFurries

Part1:DevelopinganIdea

Part2:PuttingThingsinPerspective

Part3:Drawing

Part4:Coloring

AbouttheAuthors

Acknowledgments

AFinalWordofAdvice

IntroductionInthelabyrinthontheIsleofCrete,theGreekheroTheseusstandsoverthedyingbodyoftheMinotaur,abeingwiththeheadandtailofabullbutthebodyofaman.Inthestory,Theseuskillstheonlycreatureofitstypeinexistence.ButtheMinotaurwasnotthefirsttimepeoplehaveimaginedhuman-animalhybrids.Infact,thesecreaturesareamongustoday—morenumerousandvariedthaneverbefore.Ancientwritersreferredtothesecreatures,usingavarietyofterms:monsters,beastsandgods.Inmoderntimes,wecancategorizeallanthropomorphicanimals(meaninganimalswithhumancharacteristics)underthebroadtermoffurries.Adoptedinthe1980s,thetermfurryhascometoclassifynotjustpart-human,

part-animalcreatures,butanemergentcultureofanimalanthropomorphismenthusiasts.Whiletheterminologyisrelativelynew,evidenceoffurriesinstoriesandartcanbetracedbacktothedawnofrecordedhistory.TheancientEgyptians,forexample,hadanimalisticdeitiessuchasAnubis,amanwiththeheadofajackal.Anthropomorphicfoxes,raccoondogsandotheranimalswerearecurringsubjectinclassicalJapaneseukiyo-eartwork.Furtherhistoricalexamplesoffurriescanbefoundthroughouttheworld,fromNativeAmericanmythologytoliteraryworks.Havingsurvivedthetestoftime,furriespermeatepopculture.They

commonlyserveasmascotsforsportsteamsandcompanies.Andwhoisn’tfamiliarwithanimationsuperstarslikeMickeyMouse,BugsBunnyandtheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles?They’refurriestoo.Clearly,there’safascinationwithanthropomorphiccharacters.Perhapsthisis

becauseanimalscanpersonifycharacteristicslikestrengthandspeed,orimbueacharacterwithafantasticalvisualelement.There’salsotheappealofanimalsinandofthemselves.Whateverthereason,furriesexistallaroundus,andchancesare,youhavean

Whateverthereason,furriesexistallaroundus,andchancesare,youhaveaninterestindrawingthem.We’reheretohelp!Throughoutthebook,we’llwalkyouthroughthestepsofcreatingamenagerieofanthropomorphicanimals,fromthefuzzytothefantastical.So,grabyourartsuppliesandlet’sdrawfurries!

SomeWordstoKnow

Anthropomorphic:Anonhumanthingdisplayinghumancharacteristics.Forexample,ananthropomorphicanimalisananimalwithhumancharacteristics.ThetermcomesfromtheGreekword,anthropos(meaninghumanbeing),andmorphe(meaningshape).Anthro:Shortenedtermforanthropomorphicanimal.Furries:Anothertermforanthropomorphicanimals.Referstoanytypeofanthropomorphicanimal,eventhosewithoutfur.Itcanalsobeusedtodescribepeoplewhoarefansoffurrycharacters.Scalies:Anthropomorphicreptilesandreptile-likecreatures,includingamphibians,dinosaursanddragons.Biped:Somethingthatmovesontwofeet.Quadruped:Somethingthatmovesonfourlegs.Plantigrade:Walkingonthesoleofthefoot.Digitigrade:Walkingontoes.Unguligrade:Walkingonhooves.

FurryHybridizationToanthropomorphizemeanstoattributehumancharacteristicstononhumanthings.Ananthropomorphicanimal,therefore,istheresultinghybridofananimalmixedwithhumanqualities.Thedegreeofanthropomorphismisuptoyou,theartist,todecide.Asyoucreateyourownanthropomorphiccharacters,askyourselfifyouwantmoreanimalorhumanelementsshowingthroughinyourcharacters.Thinkofascale,withahumanononesideandananimalontheother.Asyou

slideacrossascale,thecharacterbecomeseithermorehumanoranimal-like.Consider,forexample,combiningahumanwithalynx.Ononesideofthescale,youhavethelynx,theotherside,ahuman.Inbetween,there’severycombinationpossible.Youmightchoosetorepresentmostofthelynx’sfeatures,likeitsmuzzle,ears,tail,furandpaws,onahumanbody.Oryoucouldsimplyexpressthelynx’sears.Or,youcouldgotheotherway

anddepictalynxwithhumanexpressivenessandintelligence.Botharevalidapproachesthatblendthetwobasicelementsofhumanandanimaltogethertocreatedistinctfurrycharacters.

LynxThestartingpointforcreatinganyfurrycharacteristheanimalitself.Considerthequalitiesthatmakeituniqueandidentifiable.Forexample,ifyou’reanthropomorphizingalynx,youmightwanttoemphasizeitsstubbytail,spots,eartuftsandcheekruffs.Theextentofthefeaturesyouincludedependsonhowanimal-likeyouwantyourcharactertolook.

HumanThesecondhalfofthefurryequation:thehumanelement.Althoughthehairframingherfacemightremindusofthelynx’ssignaturecheekruffs,she’sjustyouraveragehumanfemale.

HumanWithAnimalFeaturesHere’sanexampleofananthrothat’sclosertothehumansideofthehybridscale.Whileshehassomelynxfeatures,suchastheears,fangsandapink-tippednose,herfaceremainsmostlyhuman.

AnthropomorphicLynxSomewhereinthemiddleofthehumanandlynxscale,yougetthisresultinganthro.Thehumanaspectsincludeherbodyproportions,uprightposture,clothes,headofhairandexpressiveness.Herlynxfeaturesincludetheears,muzzle,furpattern,tail,pawsanddigitigradestance.

ArtStyleStyleisyourindividualapproachtoart.Thisincludestheelementsyouchoosetoexpressoremphasizeinyourwork,suchasyourdrawingandcoloringtechniques,thelevelofdetailandevencharacterproportions.Ifyou’rejuststartingout,youmaynothaveyourowndefinedstyleyet.

That’sokay!Yourstylewilldevelopnaturally.Asyoupracticedrawinganthrocharacters,you’lldiscovertheapproachthatworksbestforyou.Let’slookatsomecommonstylisticapproachestodrawinganthrocharacters.

Althougheachexampleusesarabbitasthesubjectmatter,noticehowtheresultsvarywidelybasedontheapproach.

GettoKnowYourSubjectMatter

Regardlessofwhetheryourartstyleiscartoonyorrealistic,it’salwaysagoodideatostartbylookingatphotosandvideosoftheanimalyou’reanthropomorphizing.Practicesketchingtheanimaltofamiliarizeyourselfwithitsphysicaltraits.Fromthere,howcloselyyousticktotheanimal’sappearancedependsonyou.Themorerealisticyourartstyle,themorecarefulyou’llneedtobeaboutaccuracyinthedetails.

CuteandRoundThislittleguyisdrawnsoftandround,withminimaldetails.Hislargeheadandbigeyesgivehimbaby-likeproportionsforinstant“awww”appeal.Hegetsanextraboostofbunnycutenessfromhisenlargedrabbitfeatures(feet,earsandtail).

ToonMascotThelowdetaillines,simplecoloringandchild-likeproportionsmakethisrabbitidealforacartoonmascotcharacter.HiselongatedbodyandlimbsgivehimmoreposeflexibilitythantheCuteandRoundrabbit.

SemirealisticHere’sananthrowiththeproportionsofateenagehumanboy.Thehairontopofhisheadislongerandstyledlikehumanhair.Hedressesthepartaswell.Whilehestillhasbigbunnyfeetandlargeeyes,theyareproportionatelysmallerthantheCuteand

RoundandToonMascotexamples.Thedrawingandcoloringisalsomoreelaborate.

RealisticThisexamplerendersthecharacterwithaheavyemphasisonanatomicaccuracy.Thebodyusesarealistichumanframethatincorporatesappropriatelyup-scaledbutotherwiselargelyunmodifiedrabbitfeatures.Gettingrealmeanstakinggreatpainstorepresentdetails,includingthenaturalflowoffuroverthebody,texturesonfootpadsandtheexactshapeoftheeyes.

HumanAnatomyThefoundationofeveryanthropomorphiccharacteristhehumanbody.Therefore,afirmunderstandingofhumananatomyisanimportantfirststeptodrawingfantasticfurries.Thehumanbodyiscomplex,andcomesinallshapesandsizes(tall,short,fat,

thinandeverythingbetween).Luckily,thereareproportionalguidelinesallbodytypeshaveincommonthatyoucanusetoensureawell-proportionedfiguredrawing.We’llalsolookatheadscale,amethodformeasuringthebodyusingthesizeofthehead,andgender’simpactonbodyshape.

MeasureWithHeadScaleArtistsusetheheadtomeasurebodyproportions.Theaverageadulthumanheightisabout7to71⁄2heads.Eightheadsistheidealizedheightforadultfigures.Childrenandteensrangefrom4to61⁄2headstall.Fashionillustratorsuseheightsof9andeven10headstocreatetall,elegantfigures.Thisfigureis71⁄4headstall.

TryIt!

Trydrawingsomefigureswithdifferentheadtobodyratios.Thekeytokeepingthefigureproportionalregardlessofheadheightistopaycarefulattentiontothealignmentoffeaturesandtherelativelengthofonebodysegmentwhencomparedwithanother.Forexamplesofheadscale,take

segmentwhencomparedwithanother.Forexamplesofheadscale,takeanotherlookattherabbitanthros.CuteandRoundis2heads;ToonMascotis4heads;Semirealisticis6heads;andRealisticis8headstall.

GenderDifferences

MuscleMassMentendtobemoremuscular.Capturethehardedgesofthemalefigurebyusingangularlines.Womentendtocarrymorefatontheirbodies,givingthemasoftershape.Accentuatetheroundnessof

theirfeaturesusingcurvinglines.

SidewayComparisonNotetheroundnessofthefemalefigurecomparedtotheharderedgesofthemalefigureinthissideview.Themalehasabroaderchestandflatterstomachandbuttocks.

FemaleTorsoInwomen,theshouldersandhipsareaboutequalwidth,givingapronouncedhourglassshape.

MaleTorsoInmen,wideshouldersandnarrowhipscreateatriangulartorsoshape.

ToolsandMaterialsYouwon’tneedmuchtostartdrawingfurries.Themostimportantthingsareapencil,eraser,somepaper,theenthusiasmtodrawandabitofimagination!Therearenowrongorrighttoolsforexpressingcreativity.Werecommendstartingwiththesuppliesyouhavereadilyavailablearoundthehouseandexpandingyourstockasdesired.

DrawingSupplies

DrawingMaterialsUsedinThisBook:Pencils

0.5mechanicalpencilHBpencillead

2BpencilsforsketchingRedandbluegraphiteforunderdrawingandseparatingdetails

QualitydrawingpaperforfinisheddrawingsGeneralpaperforsketching

Erasers

StaedtlerMarsplasticeraserforgeneralerasingMagicRuberaserforlargemistakesTuffStuffEraserStickforerasingsmalldetailsKneadederaserforblendinganderasingBrushforremovingerasercrumbs

RulersandGuides

Anassortmentofrulersfordrawingstraightlines24-inchT-squarerulerfordrawinghorizontalandverticallinesCircleandellipseguidesFrenchcurves

Miscellaneous

SketchbookThumbtackboardforpinningupnotes,referenceandinspirationLightboxfortransferringdrawings,creatingoverlaysandcheckingformistakesFigurinesforthree-dimensionalreferenceArtandphotobooksforreferenceandinspirationAnatomychartsMirrorforfacialexpressionandhandreference

StreamlineYourSpace

Yourworkspaceshouldbelitwellandcomfortable,especiallyifyouplantospendalotoftimethere.Werecommendthatyoursetupincludethefollowing:adeskwithplentyofsurfacespace,adesklamp(orgoodoverheadlighting)tominimizeeyestrain,artsupplieswithineasyreachandanergonomicchairwithgoodbacksupport.

SUGGESTEDCOLORINGMATERIALSTOTRY

Watercolors

ColoredPencils

OilPastelsandChalk

Photoshop®

COLORINGMATERIALSColormediumscomeinthreeforms:wet,dryanddigital.Eachmediumhasitsowncharacteristics,soyoumayfindthatoneisbetterthananotherforachievingcertaineffects.Someareeasiertomaster,buttheyallrequirepatienceandpracticetolearn.Experimentwithdifferentcoloringmediumstodiscoverwhichyouenjoy.Mostoftheartworkinthisbookwascreatedusingdigitalcoloringtools.

tools.

WETMEDIUMS

AcrylicpaintsWatercolorsLargebrushesforbroadstrokesSmallbrushesfordetailworkPaperorcanvasappropriateforthemediumWatercontainerPaletteforholdingandmixingpaint

DRYMEDIUMS

ColoredpencilsMarkersOilpastelsCrayonsPaperappropriateforthemedium

DIGITAL

PCwithgoodspeedandstoragecapacityAdobe®Photoshop®imageeditingsoftwareWacomgraphicstabletScanner

TheDrawingProcess

HYENAThisfirstdemonstrationwillintroduceyoutoasystematicapproachbytakingyouthroughthestepsofcreatingananthropomorphichyena,frombrainstorminganideatofinisheddrawing.Don’tbediscouragedifyourfirsteffortsdon’tmatchthecompletedpicture.Yourresultswillimprovewithpractice.

STEP1BrainstormanIdeaThedrawingprocessstartswiththeidea,beforeyourpenciltouchespaper.It’spossibletostumbleuponagooddrawingthroughrandomdoodling,buthavingagoalwillallowyoutofocusyoureffortsintomakingagreatdrawing.Beforeyoustart,askyourself:Whoisthecharacter?Whatdoeshelooklike?Whatishedoing?Why(hismotivationandstateofmind)?Theanswerstothesequestionsdon’tnecessarilyneedtobeelaborate.For

example,forthisdemo,you’llbedrawingastoicmalehyenawhoisastrong,seasonedtribalwarrior(who)onguardforenemytribes(what)toprotecthispeoplefromharm(why).Aslongasyourideasentencehasanounandaverb,you’rereadytomoveontothenextstep!

STEP2MakeThumbnailSketchesSketchposesappropriateforahyenawarrior.It’sagoodhabittoworkoutyourposesatthumbnailsize,nolargerthananinchortwo(afewcentimeters),beforedrawingitfullscale.Thesmallsizeletsyouquicklymakeadjustmentsandpreventsyoufromover-detailing.

(PhotobyHeatherQuevedo)

STEP3GatherReferenceCompileanyreferencematerialsrequiredtocreateyourdrawing.Thismightincludephotosoftheanimalyou’reanthropomorphizing,poses,clothingdesigns,hairstylesandotherdesignelements,aswellasphysicalmaterialslikedrapery.Referenceimagerycanbefoundinmagazinesandbooks(tryyourlocallibrary)andtheInternet.Forposereference,askyourfriendstomodelforyouorbeyourownmodelusingacameraandamirror.Onecaution:Don’tjustcopythereferencephotos.Useyourimaginationtocreatethecomposition,andthephotostohelpyoucapturethedetails.

STEP4DesigntheCharacterDosomeexploratorysketchestoworkoutthehyenawarrior’sappearance,includinghisface,hairstyle,physicalbuildandoutfit.Usereferencematerialstohelpyoufindyourdesign.Thinkaboutwaystobringanimalqualitiesinthedesign.Iusedthehyena’smaneastheinspirationforthecharacter’sspikyhairandcameupwithanopendesignforthewarrior’sgarbtoputthehyena’sspotsondisplay.

STEP5DevelopaRoughConceptMakeathumbnailsketchcombiningyourcharacterdesignwithyourselectedpose.Althoughcrude,thistiny3(8cm)sketchprovidestheroadmapforyourfinishedpicture.Refertoitasyoucontinuetoworkthroughthedrawingprocess.

ThinkinShapes

Shapesarethebuildingblocksofart.Ifyoucandrawshapes,drawingcharactersiswithinyourreach.

SimpleShapesandLines

Practicedrawingfreehandcircles,squares,linesandshapesconnectedbylines.Don’tgrabaruleroracircleguide;thisexerciseisn’taboutmachine-levelperfection.Justtrytoreproducetheformswithoutexcessivesketchiness.

Three-DimensionalShapes

Onceyou’vemasteredthesimplertwo-dimensionalshapes,youcangraduatetodrawingthree-dimensionalshapes,likecylinders,spheresandboxes.Usingthesebasicforms,youcandrawanything,fromcatstoskyscrapers,sopracticedrawingtheseuntiltheybecomesecondnature.

STEP6BuilduptheFormSketchinglightly,reconstructyourthumbnailconceptsketchusingbasicshapes.Thisisthebasisofyourfinaldraft,soworkatfullsize.Don’tworryaboutthedetailsyet.Fornow,focusongettingthebodyshapeandproportionsright.

STEP7SketchtheClothingDrawthegeneralcontoursoftheclothingoverthehyena’sbodyshape.Makesuretheclothingconformstothefigure.Giveloose-fittingclothing,likethecapeandloincloth,somebreathingroomfromthebody.Addfoldswheretheclothinghangsorbunches.Forfoldreferenceonthecape,drapeasheetonachairorafriend.

STEP8AddDetailsNow’syourchancetohavefunwiththedetails.Workyourwaythroughthefigure,buildingupthehead,musculature,fur,hands,feetandclothing.Refertoyourcharacterdesignsketchesforideas,butdon’tbeafraidtodeviateifinspirationstrikes.Takespecialcarewiththefacialfeatures.Thefaceisthefocalpointofacharacterdrawing.

STEP9CompletetheDrawingMakeonefinalcheckoverthedrawinganddarkenorrefinelinesasnecessaryforclarity.Don’tforgettoaddthehyena’sspots.Useanerasertocleanupanyguidelinesorstraylines.Thefinaldrawingshouldbecleanandfreeofsmudges.

ColoringBasics

HYENAColoraddsextradimensiontoartbyenhancingmood,definingform,suggestingsetting,timeofdayandconveyingsurfacetexture(tonamejustafewattributescolorbringstoart).Youcanalsousecolortocommunicateaparticularbreedorspecies-typethroughthecolorationofyourfurry’scoatandfurpatterns.Forthisdemonstration,we’llwalkyouthroughchoosingyourcolors,determiningthelightsource,applyingshadows,highlightsandfinishingtouchestobringyourcharacterstocolorfulclarity.IcolormyimagesdigitallyusingPhotoshop®.Keepinmindthatcoloring

techniquesvarydependingonthecoloringmedium,soyoumayneedtoadjusttheprocessbasedonthemediumyouuse.WhatworksinPhotoshop®maynotworkinexactlythesamewaywithwatercolorsormarkers.

STEP1EstablishYourColorPaletteDecideifyouwantyourcharactertohaverealisticcolorsbasedontheanimalspecies(areddish-brownhyena)orfantasticalcolors(abluehyena).Selectcolorsfortheoutfitthatcomplementthefurcolor.I’musingredsandbrownsforthefur,arosychestnutcolorforthemaneandgreensandyellowsfortheoutfit.Dabyourcolorsofftothesideofyourimageoronaseparatepaletteforreference,andthenblockinareasonthehyenawiththeappropriatedefiningcolor.Ifyou’recoloringdigitally,it’sokayifyourcolorplacementissloppyorgoesoutsidethelines.It’seasytocleanuplater.

ShiningaLightonShading

STEP2DeterminetheLightSourceBeforeyoustartshading,thinkaboutthelightsource.Isyourcharacterlitbythesun,themoon,aninteriorlightoranothermethod?Isthereasecondarylightsource?Thisinformationwilldeterminetheplacementandcolorationofyourshadowsandhighlights.Inthecaseoftheanthrohyena,let’smakethelightsourceanoverheadsun,castinggoldenlightonhisfrontandrightside.

STEP3PlaceShadowsSelectshadowcolorsthataredarkerthanyourbasecolors.Applythemtoareasofthefigurenothitbythelightsource,suchashisleftside,thecreasesoftheclothingandtheundersideofhishead.Noticehowthisadditionallayerofcolorcreatesasenseofdepth.

STEP4BuildupHighlightsSelectagolden-huedcolorlighterthanthebasecoloranduseasmallerbrushtoblockinthehighlights.Highlightsoccurwhereverthelightismostconcentratedonthefigure.Trynottocoverupyourbasecolor.Usehighlightssparingly,asanaccent.

STEP5AddFinishingTouchesRefineandblendthecolorsthroughoutthepicture,butbecarefulnottocompletelyobliteratethebrushstrokes.Fillinhisspotswithadarkbrowncolor.Tocreatethetextureofcoarsefur,pullsomeofthebasecolorintotheshadowportionsusingasmall-sizedbrush.Addahintofredtohisfurtogivehimawarm,energeticglow.Finally,carefullycleanupanycolorsbleedingoutsidetheedgesofthecharacter.

CHAPTERONE

DrawingFundamentalsTopreparefortheoodlesoffurryandscalycharactersthatawaityou,thischapterprovidesaquicklessonincharacterdrawingfundamentals.Itmaybetemptingtoskipaheadtoyourfavoriteanimals,butwehighlyrecommendrunningthroughthebasicsfirst.Imagineyou’repreparingforamarathon:Theselessonsarethewarm-upstretchesthatwillhelpyoureachthefinishlineinfirstplace!You’llstartbydrawingasimpleanthrocharactertobrushuponanatomyand

proportions.Next,you’lllearntricksandtechniquesfordrawingfurrycharactersfromanyangle.Thenwe’llshowyouhowtoharnessyourcharacter’sfacialfeatures,ears,tailandevenbodytoexpressagamutofemotions.Thechapteralsocomespackedwithvaluablereferenceaboutskeletalandmuscularstructure,bodyshapes,postureandbalance,anthrolegconfigurationsanddynamicposestohelpyoupowerupyourfiguredrawingabilities.Don’tjuststandthere—grabapencil,eraser,somepaperandgetready,set…

WARMUPbyLindsayCibos

“Istartwithabasicidea(inthiscase,anathletictrackrunnerandhischeerleaderadmirer),andworkitoutinaseriesofsmallthumbnailsketches.IkeepsketchinguntilI’msatisfiedwiththecharacter’sposes,expressions,thesettingandoverallcomposition.Next,buildingupfrombasicshapes,Ire-createmyfavoritethumbnailasafull-sizeddrawing.Oncetheformsaresolid,Iadddetailsandtightenmypencillines.IscanthefinisheddrawingontothecomputerfordigitalcoloringinPhotoshop®.”—Lindsay

DrawingtheHead

KOREANJINDODOGAsawarm-up,let’strydrawingtheheadofananthropomorphizeddogfacingfront.Astraight-onshotisnotaparticularlyexcitingangle,butitisusefulforlearningtheproperplacementoffeaturesorexploringnewcharacterdesigns.ThebasisforthisfurryistheKoreanJindodogbreed,whichsportsastrongmuzzle,shortfuranduprighttriangularears.Takecaretobringoutthesefeaturesasyoudrawhim.Maintaininggoodsymmetryisessentialwhenworkingwithcharactersfacing

front.Asyouwork,utilizeguidelinestokeepfeaturesonbothsidesofthefacebalancedandperiodicallylookatyourdrawinginreversebyholdingituptoamirrortocheckforlopsidedness.

STEP1StartWithaCircleThisisthestartingpointforanyanimalhead.Yourcircleneednotbeperfect,butifyoufinditdifficulttofreehand,useacompass

orcircleguidetemplateforhelp.

STEP2SketchtheCrosshairsNowimaginethatthecircleyoudrewisathree-dimensionalsphere,ratherthanaflatobject.Drawaverticallineneatlydividingthesphereintwo.Thendrawahorizontallinecuttingacrossit,slightlycurvingdownwardwiththesphericalshapeforthecharacter’seyeline.Together,theselinesformthecrosshairs,whichindicatethecenteroftheface,andwherethecharacterisfacing.

STEP3PlacetheMuzzleandtheEarsFromslightlyabovetheeyeline,sketchthetopandfrontofthemuzzleshape,thenfillinthesides.Ithelpstothinkofthedog’smuzzleasaconeshape,extrudingfromthelowerportionofthehead.Next,sketchtheearshapesalongthetopoftheheadfacingslightlyoutward.Useguidelinestoaligntheears.

STEP4SketchtheFacialFeaturesDrawthealmond-shapedeyesalongthehorizontaleyeline,aboutaneye-sizedspaceapartfromeachother.Thensketchthebrowscurvingaroundeacheyeanddowntothemuzzle.Next,sketchthenosesoitnestlesbetweenthetopandfrontsidesofthemuzzle.Finally,extendoutthesidesofthefacewithroundcheeksandsketchthegeneralshapeofthedog’sinnerearfluff.

STEP5DetailtheFaceFillinthenosewithapairofinwardcurvinglinestoformthenostrils.ThendrawthesoftlycurvingWofthemouththatpullsintoawrysmileonthesides.Next,drawthecircularirisesontheeyes,extendingpasttheeyelids.Finally,usingbrisk,angularstrokes,fluffoutthedog’searandcheekfurandsketchsomeforward-facinghairtuftsatthetopofhisheadforbangs.

STEP6RefinetheLineWorkDarkenthebrowsandfillinthepupilsontheeyes.Then,carefullyworkingyourwaythroughthepicture,eraseanyguidelinesandtightenyourpencillinesasneeded.

STEP7FinishWithColorUseyourfavoritecoloringtoolstoaddanextradimensiontoyourfurry’sface.Bringoutthetextureofthefurusingshortandquickstrokes.Thensitbackandadmireyourfinishedcanineportrait!

StudytheFeatures

Faceshapesvaryforeachanimal.Eyesmightsithighabovetheeyeline;earscandrooplow.Muzzlescanbebroadornarrow,longorshortandpositionedhighorlowontheface.Alwayshavereferencematerialofyoursubjectonhandtostudyandadjustthepositioningoftheeyes,muzzle,

subjectonhandtostudyandadjustthepositioningoftheeyes,muzzle,cheeksandearstosuittheanimal.

MuzzleManiaManyartistsfindthemuzzleachallengingareatodrawonfurriesduetothewayitjutsoutfromtheskull.Luckily,there’sausefultoolatyourdisposaltomakedrawingmuzzlesoneventhemostdifficultheadanglesmanageable:thegridsystem!

THEGRIDSYSTEMOnceyouhavealeastoneheaddrawn,youcanusegridlinestofindthepositionoffacialfeaturesfromtrickierangles.Usetheguidelinestolineuplandmarks(eyes,nose,eartips,chinandsoon).

Featuresremaininthesamepositiononthegridevenastheanglechanges.Thefirststeptodrawinganyheadistostartwithabasicsphere,using

crosshairs(linesthatintersecttocreateaplussign)toindicatethecharacter’sfacialfeatures.Thenyoucanplacetheeyes,sketchthemuzzleshapeandbuildouttherestofthehead.

Usethegridtofindtheproperplacementofacaninecharacter’smuzzlefromthefront,sideandtiltingheadangles.Ifyoudon’thavegridpaper,youcanachievethesameresultbyusingarulertodrawhorizontalandverticallinesacrosskeyfeatures.Thebottomoftheeyesandtopofthenoseonallthreeheadsrestalongthesamehorizontalline.

MoreHeadAnglesPracticedrawingthebackofthehead,three-quartersfromtheback,topoftheheadandthree-quartersdowntilt.Atrickfordrawingthebackoftheheadistotracethecontourlinesofthefrontviewandreverseit.Voilà,theoutlineforthebackview!

TryIt!

Nowit’syourturn!Drawacharacterfromthefront,thenusethegridsystemtodrawthecharacterfromeightotherangles.Remembertodrawtheundersideofthechinandmuzzleonupturnedheads.Next,trytacklingthebackview,three-quartersbackandtop.Whenyou’recomfortablewith

those,tryadjustingtheplacementofthecrosshairsonthespheretocreateotherangles.Youcanprintoutthisblankgridtogetyoustartedatimpact-books.com/more-furries.

MuzzleSlopeCaninemuzzlesgenerallyprojectstraightoutorwithasubtleslope.Slopesofover35°areunusualincanines,unlessyou’redrawingaBullTerrier.Thedegreeofslopedependsontheanimal,soalwayscheckyourreferencematerial,andmakesureyou’relookingattheslopeofthemuzzle,notjustadownwardtiltofthehead.

FacialExpressionsThenextstepistolearnhowtomanipulatethecharacter’sfacialfeaturestoexpressemotion.There’snoneedtolimityourselftohappyandsad.Thenumberofexpressionsacharacteriscapableofmakingispracticallylimitless.Thekeyareasofthefaceforcommunicatingemotionaretheeyes,brows,

mouthandears.Individually,theseelementsshowageneralstateofmind.Whencombined,theycanportraycomplexandnuancedfeelings.Let’stakealookathowtocapturethem.

EyesandBrowsTheeyesandeyebrowsworkinunison.Seehowthespacingbetweentheeyeandbrowchangestheexpression?Theysqueezetighttogetherwhenserious,angryorinpain.Theirdistancewidenswhenfrightened,confusedorsurprised.Thedirectionoftheeyesalsoplaysarole.Eyeslookingbacksuggest

contemplation,whileforward-facingeyesshowengagement.

EarsSomefurrieshaveflexibleears,whichprovidethemwithanextranonhumanmeansofexpression.Forinstance,earsstandingerectmakethecharacterappearalert.Earspointingforwardindicateattentivenessoranamiablemood.Laidbackagainsttheheadindicateangerorfright.Whenonlyoneearturns,thecharacterislisteningtosoundscomingfromthatdirection.

MouthThecomponentsatworkherearethelips,teethandjaws.Onlythelowerjawmoves.Theupperjawisfusedwiththeskull.Useupward-curvinglipstocreatefriendly,approachablefaces.Whenthecharacterisangry,pullback

thelipstorevealsharp,threateningfangs.Lipspursedtightlytogethershowdispleasure.Atoothysmilereadsaseithergrinningorscheming.

CheerfulUpright,alertears,brighteyesandanopen,smilingmouthshowushe’sinagoodmood.

RegretfulPulled-backearswithadownwardgazeandslightlyraisedeyebrowscreateanexpressionofinnerturmoil.

ProvokedWatchout!Allthesignsofangerarepresent:focusedgaze,forwardpinchedears,lipspulledbackinasnarl,loweredeyebrowsandflaringnostrils.

DistressedStretchingaparttheeyesandbrowcreatesalookofpanic.Coupledwithagapingmouthandpulled-backears,itgivestheimpressionthatsomethingisdeeplytroublinghim.

ForlornThesemi-closedeyescanshowarelaxedstate,buttheback-turnedears,upwardtiltofthebrowanddroopingjawhintthatheisbothered.

IncredulousSurprisecanbeexpressedthroughawide-eyedgazeandanopenmouth.Theslightlyupliftedeyebrowandsingleforward-facingearhintsthathedoesn’tentirelybelievewhathe’shearing.

TryIt!

Practicedrawingtheaboveexpressionsonyourcharacter.Then,challengeyourselftodrawotherexpressions,suchasembarrassment,grumpiness,confusionandadoration.Makeeachexpressioninamirrorsoyoucanseeandfeeltheactiveelementsoftheface.Transferwhatyouseeontoyourcharacter.Don’tforgettotakeadvantageofyourfurry’searsandteethforextraexpressiveoomph!

DrawingtheBody

KOREANJINDODOGNow,let’sgiveouranthrodogabody!TheJindobreedthischaracterisbasedonisamoderate-sizeddog,solet’smakehimabouttheaveragehumanheightwithproportionsofsevenheadstall.We’llstartwithabasicstandingposeinathree-quartersview.Fornow,foregothefigure-obscuringclothingsoyoucanfocusondrawingthebody.(Don’tworry,awarmlayeroffurkeepsouraunaturalfurryperfectlycomfortable,whileapairofsunglassesandscarfprovidefashionflair.)

STEP1StartWiththeGestureMakesomegesturesketchesofthecharacterinarelaxed,uprightstance.Agesturesketchisaquickandloosedrawingthat

capturestheessenceofapose.Keepitsimplebyworkingsmall.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionUsingyourgesturesketchasaguide,drawalineofactiontoestablishtheflowofactionthroughthepose.Sketchthebasicshapeoftheheadandtorsoalongthearcingpathofthisline.Bemindfulofbodyproportions:Onthissevenheadstallcharacter,thetopoftheheadtothewaistlinemeasuresaboutthreeheadlengths.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesSketchthearms,keepinginmindthattheelbowsalignwiththewaistlineandthewristsalignwiththegroin.Thensketchthelegsfollowingthelineofaction.Fromwaistlinetoheelsshouldbefourheadlengths.Next,buildouttheshapeoftheheadusingthecrosshairguides.Finally,sketchhisbushytailstartingfromthebaseofhisspine,curvingoutandupwardslikeaboomerang.

STEP4DefinetheFigureBuilduponthebodyshapesusingacombinationofcurvedandstrongangularlinestobringouthismuscularmaleform.Usebrisk,angularlinestoemphasizethefuronhishead,neck,shoulders,elbows,groin,tailandcalves.Youcanfurtherbringouthiscaninequalitiesbygivinghimclawsandpadsonhisfingersandtoes.Finally,fillinthedetailsofhisface.Eraseyourguidelinesandrefinelinesasnecessaryforaclean,finisheddrawing.

STEP5FinishWithColorAddcolorstobringoutthedimensionalityandtextureofthefigure.Youcanequipyourfurrywithaccessories,likeapairofsunglassesandascarf.Iusedalimegreencolorforthescarfandglassestocontrasttheredsandtansofhisfur.

SilhouetteCheck

Youcancheckthereadabilityofadrawingbytracingtheoutlineandfillingitwithblack.Iftheposeisstrong,theactionwillstillmakesenseinsilhouette.Ifthefigurebecomesaconfusingblob,lookforwaystoseparatetheelementsofthebody.Thismightinvolvepushingoutanarmtofreeitfromthetorso,ortiltingtheheadtocreatespacebetweenthechinandshoulder.

FurryAnatomyFurriesdon’texist,buttheiranatomicalstructurehasabasisinreality—acombinationofhumanandanimalforms.Forthemostpart,thebodyisbuiltlikeahuman’s,withtheexceptionofthehead(muzzle,ears),hands(claws),pelvis(tail)andlegs(animalfeet).Familiaritywithwhat’sgoingonunderneaththeskinisessentialtobetter

understandwhatyou’redrawingonthesurface.Afirmgroundinginanatomywillshowthroughinyourart,bringingtolifebelievablecharacterswhoseemreadytoleapoffthepage!Let’slookatanexampleoffurrystructurethatcombineshumanandcanine

anatomy.

AnthroDogSkeletonTheskullisafusionofacanine’sjawbones,withanenlargedcraniumforhuman-sizedbrain.Thecoccyx(humantailbone)portionofthepelvisisreplacedwithalengthenedspinethatbecomesthetail.Clawsextendfromtheendsofthephalangesofthehandsandfeet.Notehowtheheelboneofthecaninefootislifted,placingtheweightonthetoes.

AnthroDogMusclesThedoganthromusculatureisnearlyidenticaltoahuman’s,asidefromthetail.Studyhowthemusclesdeterminetheshapeofthearms,legsandtorso.Thedegreetowhichthemusclesarepronouncedwilldependonthecharacter’sleveloffitnessandbodyfat.

TheBonesKnow

Double-checkyourworkbysketchingasimplifiedskeletonovertopofyourfigureorontracingpaper.Uselandmarksliketheknees,elbows,ribcage,collarbone,heelsandmuzzletoproperlypositiontheskeleton.Ifanybonesseemmisshapenorcontortedtofitunderneaththesurface,adjust

anybonesseemmisshapenorcontortedtofitunderneaththesurface,adjustaccordingly.

CharacterTurnaroundsAcharacterturnaroundshowshowacharacterlooksfromvariousangles.Itusuallyincludesafrontview,backview,sideviewandthree-quartersview.Drawingacharacterfrommultipleangleshaspracticalusageinthe

professionalartfield.Animatorsandcomicartistsuseturnaroundstoestablishcharacterdesignsforreferencetoensureconsistencyintheirdrawings.Thesedesignsheetscanalsobeusedtocommunicatetootherartistshowtodrawthecharacterconsistentwiththeturnarounddesign.Getintothehabitofdoingacharacterturnaroundchartforeachofyour

characters,especiallyifyouplanondrawingthecharactermorethanonce.

DRAWYOUROWNANTHRODOGLet’sdrawaturnaroundofouranthrodog.Usehorizontalguidelinestolineupfeaturesofthebodyfrommultipleangles.Aslongasthecharacter’spositionremainsthesame,featuresshouldalwayslineup,regardlessofthedirectiontheyareturning.Establishoverallheightusingtheeartips,feetandhead.Sketchthenumberofheadstallthecharacterisofftotheside.Useotherfigurelandmarkstokeepthecharacterinlineattheeyes,shoulders,bellybutton,kneesandheels.

FrontwithLandmarks

SidewithLandmarks

BackwithLandmarks

Three-quarterswithLandmarks

TurnaroundTrick

Turnaroundscanhelpyouvisualizeposesfromdifficultangles.Thetrickistodrawtheposefromaneasierangle,andthenpullacrossguidelinesfromthefigure’slandmarkstofindtheirplacementonthedifficultangle.

TryIt!

Trydrawingyourownseven-headstallcharacterturnaroundchartwithfront,back,sideandthree-quarterviews.Paycloseattentiontoliningupthefeatures.Useasmanyguidelinesasyouneed.

BodyLanguageYoucancommunicateacharacter’smoodanddemeanornonverballythroughtheirpose.Thisincludesposture,gesture,facialexpressionsandplacementofthehandsandtail.Let’stakealookatsomeexamplesofbodylanguageandbreakdownthecomponentsthatmakeeachposespeak.

ConfidentTheopenstance,raisedhead,uprightpostureandupwardcurvingtailtellsushe’sfeelingcomfortableandincontrol.Heusesanoutstretchedarmtomakeapoint.

DepressedEverypartofhisposesuggestsahugeweightpushingdownonhim.Hebowshishead,slumpshisshouldersandbackandletshisarmshangloose.Evenhistailhangslimp.Helooksutterlydrainedofenergy.

AuthoritativeThedramaticgestureandopen-mouthedexpressionsuggesthe’sspeakingforanaudience.Thenarrowedeyebrowsandback-turnedearssuggesthe’sdiscussingsomethingserious.Thebodytwistingtotheleftwhileanarmpullstotherightcreatestension.Thearchingspineaddsstrengthtothepose.

HappyThistimehe’ssoupbeatthatevengravitycanbarelykeephimdown!Everythinghasanupwardandenergeticpull.Hisarmsareraised,histailcurvesupwards,hisbackisarchedandevenalegiskickingup.

ScoldingThecharacterestablisheshisdominancebyleaninginward.Thetensionbeginsatthetipsofhistoesandtravelsuphistail,alongthespine,andfinallychannelsintohisglaringeyesandaccusatoryfinger.

ScaredThisposeexhibitsclearsignsofintimidation.Heholdshisarmsoutdefensivelyinfrontofhimandleansbacktodistancehimselffromthethreat.Thepuffed,downwardcurvingtailandback-turnedearssuggestfear.

AshamedHepullsallhisextremitiestowardsthecenter,displayingbodylanguagethatsays,“Leavemealone.”Thedowncastglanceavoidseyecontact,andhishandgraspinghisotherarmandhistucked-awaytailshowhisdiscomfort.He’snottheleastbitapproachable.

AggressiveAgain,he’sleaningforward,displayinghisdominance.Thebristlingfuraroundhisshouldersandtailmakeshimlookmenacing.Withhiscrouchedstance,baredteethandgraspingclawedhands,helooksreadyforafight.

SpeaktheLanguage

Youcanexpandyourbodylanguagerepertoirebyobservingandsketchingpeople.Mallsandcafésaregreatlocationstotakeasketchbookandpeoplewatch.Moviesareagoodsourceforstudyingcomplexemotionsyoumightnotencounterineverydaylife.Also,payattentiontoanimalemotions.Watchhowtheyusetheirears,tailsandwholebodytoexpresshowthey’re

Watchhowtheyusetheirears,tailsandwholebodytoexpresshowthey’refeeling.Agreatoptionforboth:thezoo!

PostureandBalanceToavoidcharactersthatlookoff-balance,youneedtoaccountfortheircenterofgravity.Instandingfigures,thisisaroundthecenterofthechest,butthecenterofgravityrelocatestowherethemajorityoftheweightisconcentratedwhenacharacterleans,crouchesorbendsover.Pullaverticallinefromthispointdowntotheground.Thisshouldalignwiththeweight-bearingfoot,orbetweenthefeetwhentheweightisequallydistributed.Theshouldersactasacounterbalancetothehips.Ifthehipstiltup,the

shoulderstiltdown.

CounterWeightThiskneelingfiguredistributesherweightbetweenbothfeet,makinghershouldersandhipsparallel.Herstrongtailprovidesadditionalsupport.Byproppingherhandsonherknees,heruppertorsocancomfortablyleanforwardwithoutcausinghertoloseherbalance.

EqualWeightThecenterofgravitydropsstraightdownthemiddle,equallydistributingtheweighttoeachleg.Thehipsandshouldersremainparallel.

BalancingActThecenterofgravityinaleaningfigureshiftsawayfromthecenterofthechest.Hedoesn’ttipoverbecausethemajorityofhisweightislocatedabovehisweight-bearingfoot,andisfurthercounterbalancedbyhisotherleg.Theseposesaretrickier.Youmayneedtotrytheposeyourselfandseewhat’spossible.

GoodPostureInasideview,themiddleofhischestiswherethecenterofgravityislocated.Thisalignswiththeweight-bearingpartofhisfeet.Also,thenaturalcurvatureofthechestandspinecounterpointstheraisedankle,helpingthefigurestaybalanced.

WeightonOneLegWithmostoftheweightfocusedinhisrightleg,thecenterofgravityalignswithhisrightfoot.Noticehowhishiptiltsupwiththeweight-bearinglegandtherightshouldertiltsdowntocounterbalance.Thebustlinealsomatchesthetiltoftheshoulders.

LegConfigurationsWhendrawingfurries—andanimalsingeneral—you’llencounterthreetypesofgaits.You’realreadyfamiliarwithplantigrades,animalsthatwalkonthesolesoftheirfeet,likeus!Therearealsodigitigradesandunguligrades.Thereareseveralwaystoapproacheachlegconfiguration.

Digitigrade:Walkingontoes.Theheelnevertouchestheground.Examplesincludedogs,cats,birdsanddinosaurs.Instandingdigitigrades,thecenterofgravityalignswiththetoes.Plantigrade:Walkingonthesolesofthefeet.Thecenterofgravitygenerallyalignswiththemiddleofthefootunlessthecharacterisstandingupontiptoes,orbalancingonhisheel.Unguligrade:Walkingonhooves.Theheelnevertouchestheground.Examplesincludedeer,cows,horsesandpigs.Thecenterofgravityalignswiththehooves.

BACKWARDKNEES?Forgetthemyththatsomeanimalshavebackwardsknees.Theideastemsfromamisunderstandingofanimalanatomy.Whatlookslikeakneebendingbackwardsisactuallytheanimal’sheel!Thekneeishigheruptheleg.

TrueDigitigradeThisstanceistruertotheanimal’sform.Youcanshortenthelowerlegtokeepthecharacterfromlookingunnaturallytall.

PlantigradeLikehumans,theseanimalswalkonthesolesoftheirfeet.(fromlefttoright)Human,Bear,Lizard,Raccoon

Semi-DigitigradeThisisactuallyaplantigrade-stylecaninefoot,standingontiptoestosimulatedigitigradestance.Easilycompatiblewithstandardhumanlegs.

Semi-UnguligradeAplantigrade-stylesheepfoot,standingontiptoestosimulateunguligradestance.

TrueUnguligradeThisstanceistruertotheanimal’sform.Becauseofthehoof’ssmallsurfacearea,you’llneedtobeespeciallycarefulaboutthecharacter’sbalance.

UnguligradeVariation

Here’sanalternateapproachtodrawingunguligradeanthrolegs,withafocusonstrengthandstability.

DynamicPosesOnceyou’recomfortablewiththebasicsofanatomy,proportion,bodylanguageandbalance,you’rereadytostartworkingdynamicposesintoyourrepertoire.Morechallengingthanstaticposes,theextraeffortwillinvigorateyourart!Whatmakesaposedynamic?Thekeyingredientsareactionanddepth.

Enhancetheactionbytwistingthebodyorpushingthefigurepasthercenterofgravity.Utilizeforeshortening,perspectiveandoverlaptogivethefigureagreatersenseofdepthandform.Youwon’tneedtousealloftheseelementsineverypicture,butbeawarethattheyaretoolsatyourdisposal.

OutsidetheCenterofGravityMotionaddsdynamismtoapose.Todepictactionslikewalkingorrunning,you’llneedtodrawthecharacteroff-balancebyplacingtheircenterofgravityinapositionwhereit’sunsupported.Thisisbecauserunning(andtoalesserextent,walking)isessentiallyafigureinacontrolledfall,wheretherunnerisconstantlycatchinghimselfwithhisotherfoot.

LineofActionThelineofactionisusedtoestablishtheflowoftheprimarydirection.It’shelpfulforstrong,dynamicposes.ThisgenerallytakestheformofacurvingCorasubtleS.Itsometimesfollowsacharacter’sspine,butnotalways.Thinkofitmoreasaforceguidingtheactionratherthanpartofthefigure.

OverlapDynamicposesoftenuseoverlaptocreatetheillusionofdepthwithinanimage.Overlapsimplymeansdrawingoneobjectinfrontofanother.Thebrainreadstheobscuredobjectasbeingfartheraway.Theheadandlegsoverlapthemalefigure’storso,whichsuggeststhesepartsareclosertotheviewer.

Depthcuesarealsopresentinthefemalefigure,suchastherightshoulderobscuredbyhertorsoandtheleftlegoverlappingtheright.

WithaTwistDrawingafigurewithatwistingtorsoisanexcellentwaytoadddynamismtoapose.Theopposingforceofthehipspullingawayfromtheuppertorsosuggestsmotionanddepth.

BigThumbsUpForhelpvisualizingforeshortenedcharacters,useanexaggeratedboxshape(withonesidemuchlargerthantheother)asyourstartingpoint.Bydecreasingthesizeofhisbodyasitrecedesintothedistance,thefiguredynamicallypopsoutattheviewer.Thisalsousestheoverlaptoinformtheviewerthathisarmandheadaremuchcloserthantherestofhisbody.

ThinkingInsidetheBoxBeginnerartistshaveatendencytotreattheedgeofthepaper,orahorizontalline,astheground.Thisresultsinflatdrawings.Toavoidthispitfall,drawyourcharactersasthoughtheyarestandinginathree-dimensionalspace.Aneasywaytodothisistolightlydrawabox,andthensketchthefigurewithinitsconfines.

ForeshorteningForeshorteningiswhereanobjectappearstorecedeintothedistance.Becauseitgivesthestrongsenseofdepth,thisisapowerfultechniquefordrawingdynamicfigures.Inthisexample,theanthroorca’slegsandtailaredrawnmuchsmallerthanheruppertorsoandhead,makingitappearlikesheisswimmingtowardstheviewer.

BodyShapesHumansandfurriesalikecomeinallshapesandsizes.Fat,skinny;tall,short;leanandmuscular,justtonameafewpossibilities.Don’tlimityourartbyfallingbackonadefaultbodytype.Acharacter’sbodyshapecanoffercluesabouttheirage,leveloffitness—eventheirpersonality.Someartistsenjoyincorporatinganimalsizecharacteristicsintotheirfurryart

(e.g.,makingananthrogiraffelongandtall,andananthromouseextremelytiny),whileotherartistsprefertokeeptheirfurryfigureswithintherangeoftypicalhumanproportionsregardlessofspecies(e.g.,drawingthegiraffeandmouseataboutthesameheight).Bothapproachesareequallyvalid.

ThinAheightoffiveheadssuitsthisfox,oneofthesmallermembersofthecaninefamily.Herslightframesuggestsayouthfulage.TinyHiscute,twoandahalfheadstallproportionsperfectlycapturethediminutivequalitiesofamouse.FitSevenheadstall,andthree-headswideattheshoulders;afull-grownfigure.Hisbroadshoulders,sturdytorsoandthicklimbsprovideamuscularfoundation—necessaryforatough,scavenginghyena.Cute

Atfourheadshigh,thePomeraniandogissmallerthanthefox,withshortlegsandthickproportionstoemphasizeherfluffybreed.StoutThepandaisonlyfiveheadstall,butconsideringtheseheadsareroughlytwicethesizeofanyothercharacteronthechart,it’seasytoseewhyshe’ssohuge.Alongwithherstature,abarrel-shapedbody,wideshouldersandmassivearmsaddtoherpresence.Largefeetsupportherheavyframe.TallLivinguptothegiraffe’sreputationasthetallestlandspecies,thisanthrogiraffeisanincredibletenandahalfheadshigh!Fromtheneck,tothetorso,tothelimbs,everypartofhisbodyiselongated.Minimalbodywidthenhancestheeffect.Despitehisstretchedproportions,notehowhisfigurestilllooksproportionalbecauseitfollowsbasicguidelines,suchasaligningtheelbowswiththewaistandthewristswiththegroin.

CHAPTERTWO

FurriesIt’stimetotakethedrawingfundamentalsaboutanatomy,balanceandbodytypes,andapplythemtoanassortmentofanimaltypes.Althoughtheterm“furry”pertainstoanyanthropomorphicanimal,thischapterfocusesonthemammaliansideoffurrydom.Foreachanimal,fromthehulkingbeartothediminutiveotter,you’reinvitedtoexperiencethecompletestep-by-stepcreationprocess.We’llstartwithtipsforbrainstormingthecharacterdesign,thenmoveontobuildingthefigureusingbasicshapes,drapingclothinganddetailing,andfinishwithcoloringconsiderations.You’llalsolearnhowtodrawspecificfeatures,likepaws,claws,muzzlesandtailstohelpyougetthedetailsjuuustright.Without“fur-ther”ado,gatheryourartsuppliesandturnthepage!

PICNICFORONEbyKaceyMiyagami

“Iworkprimarilytraditionally,mypreferredmediumforillustrationbeingfluidacrylicpaints.Fluidacrylicsareawatered-downversionoffullbodyacrylics,whichbehavesimilarlytobothacrylicsandwatercolors.Istartanillustrationwithoneormoresimpleconceptsketches,whichIthenredrawandrefineintoafinishedpencilsketchoncold-pressedillustrationboard.Often,Iwillscanthispencilsketchanddoaquickdigitalcolortesttodetermineshadowplacementandoverallcolorschemebeforecommittingtotheactualpainting.OnceIbeginpainting,Iwillworkfromthebackgroundforward,paintingthecharacterslasttomakesuretheyfeelunifiedwiththeirsurroundings.Aparticularfocusofminewithcharacterillustrationsistocreatedetailedenvironmentstoprovidegreatercontextandnarrativeforthecharacters.”—Kacey

WolfAstheancestorofthedomesticdog,thewolfisamixoffamiliarandbestial,knownforviciousness,cunningintellectandpackloyalty.Bothreveredandfeared,wolvesareacommonsubjectoffolklore,mythologyandpopculture.They’realsooneofmostpopularanimalstoanthropomorphize.Becausethewolfsharessomephysicalsimilaritieswithdogs,features,such

asthepaws,earsandmuzzle,willbefamiliarterritoryifyou’vebeenfollowingalong.

HairandHeadIdeas

FaceDesign

PoseIdeas

FigureandOutfit

FinalizedDesignConcept

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignMakesomethumbnailsketchesexploringthedesignandpose.Thinkaboutbodyproportionsandbuild,outfit,hairstyleandfacialfeatures.Fortheposeandexpression,usebodylanguage,likecrossedarmsoranover-the-shoulderscowl,tocommunicatethischaracter’sstandoffishtemperament.Nowcomesthetoughestpart:settlingonafavoriteconcept.Let’sgowiththe

oneofhimglancingoverhisshoulderwithdisdain.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionTakeyourtimetodrawitfullsize.Onafreshsheetofpaper,sketchalineofactionthatcapturestheflowofthethumbnailconcept.Usebasicshapestobuildtheheadanduppertorsoalongthisline.Bemindfulofthehipandshouldertilt.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesContinuebuildinguptherestofthebodyusingbasicshapes.Balancetheweightofhistorsobetweenhislegs.Drawhisleftlegfollowingthelineofactionandtakeadvantageofhisposetoshowcasehistail.

STEP4SketchtheClothingLightlypencilinthebasiccontourlinesofthewolf’spants,shirtandhat.Depicttheloose-drapingfabricofhispantsandsleevesbyleavingspacebetweentheclothinglinesandbodycontours.Placethewaistlineofhispantslowonhishipstomakeroomforhistail.

STEP5DefinetheFigureWorkthroughyourdrawing,addingdetailandrefininglines.Addmorefoldsandcreasestohisbaggyclothes,especiallyaroundthejoints,suchastheshoulders,elbows,knees,wristsandankles.Usebrisk,angularlinestofluffouthistail,hair,cheekruffandheelfuzz.Eraseyourguidelinesasyoucompleteeacharea.

STEP6FinishWithColorChoosecolorsforyourwolfthatsuithiscolddemeanorandcomplementhisfurcolors.Furcolorsforwolvesrangefromcreamandwhitetogray,brownandblack.Iusedcoolgraysandbluesforhisoutfit.Asyoubuildupyourshadowsandhighlights,takespecialcaretomakehistaillookfluffy.

StylizeYourFurSomeartistsprefertousesmooth,unbrokenlinesforacleanlookwhendrawingfur.Thisworksbestwithcutecartoonanthros.Otherartistsprefertouseaseriesofuniformlyjaggedlinesforamorerealisticfurryeffect.Othertechniquesinvolveusingacombinationofsmoothandjaggedlines.Noticehoweachexpressestheideaofafluffywolftailinadistinctlydifferentway.

TAILThetailisafunandessentialelementformanyanthros.Theyswishandsway,expressingfeelingsandaddinglifeandmotiontoapicture.Theycanalsocluetheviewerintothebreedorspeciesofyourfurry.Thisthree-stepapproachtobuildingupthewolf’simpressivelybushytailisa

usefulbasisforcreatingotherfurrytails,too.Varythesizeandshapeandadjustthefurandpatterndetails.

TailTip

Evenwhenyou’renotdrawingafurryfromtheback,it’sagoodideatolocatethetail’soriginpointsoitlooksnaturalasitsweepsintoview.

STEP1StartWithaBasicLineSketchacirclearoundthebaseofthespine.Thisisthestartingpointforthetail.Fromthemiddleofthecircle,drawalinetoestablishthetail’ssweepandlength.

STEP2BlockintheShapeDrawtheshapeofthetail.Ifyouneedhelpvisualizingthethree-dimensionalqualityofthetail,trydrawingsomesurfacelinescurvingaroundtheform.

STEP3DetailWithFurUsesharp,angularpencilstrokestoexpressthefullnessofthefur,makingsureitflowsinthesamedirection.Usejustenoughdetailtosuggestafluffycoat.Eraseanyguidelines,andtightenyourlinesforacleanfinish.

WOLFFEATURESFeetAwolffoothasfourtoesandnonretractableclaws.Likeallcanines,wolvesstanddigitigrade,withtheirweightfocusedontheirtoesandtheheelslifted.

STEP1StartWithaBasicLineDrawthefootasaroundedrectangleshapeattachedtothelowerleg.Dividethefootintothreedistinctsections:toes,balloffootandheel.Theheelshouldnotmakecontactwiththeground.Drawacenterlinetodividethetoesectionintotwoequalparts.

STEP2DrawtheToesFurtherdividethetoesintotwomoreparts,sothateachfoothasfourtoes.Roundoutthetopsandbottomofthetoes.Themiddletoesshouldextendpasttheoutsidetoes.

STEP3DrawtheToePadsDrawanoval-shapednubundereachtoetodepictthetoepads.Theyareslightlyvisibleevenfromthesideview.Forhelpplacingthetoepadsontheundersideofthefoot,pinpointthecenteroftheforefootanddrawanXtodivideitintofourquadrants.Then,drawthetwomiddletoepadswithinthefrontmostquadrantoftheXandtwomorepadsatthefrontofeachsidequadrant.Finishthepadplacementbydrawingaheart-shapedfootpadfillingthebackmostquadrantoftheX.

STEP4AddClawsCarefullyeraseyourconstructionlines,andthefootisalmostcomplete.Addaclawtothebottomportionofeachtoe,pointingtowardsthecenter.Ifyoulike,addsomeshadingtothepadstogiveitaroughfeel.

My,WhatBigEarsYouHave!

Foratutorialoncreatingwolfears,goonlinetoimpact-books.com/more-furries.Justdropinyouremailaddressforaccesstoadownloadpackedwithgreatinformation!

RaccoonWiththeirbanditmasksandnocturnalnature,it’seasytocasttheresourcefulraccoonintheroleofathief.There’snothingwrongwithusingclassicinterpretationsofananimal’shabitsordemeanorasinspirationforanewcharacter,butrememberthatfurrycharacterscanactwhateverwayyouchoose.Ignoringtypecastrolescanhelpyourcharacterstandapart.Thisraccoonisnottheleastbitmischievous;rather,shespendsherevenings

peacefullystrollingthroughtheforest,pluckingfruit.Thoughabitshy,she’salwayshappytoshareanapplewithanyfriendlyfurrywhohappensacrossherpath.

HairandFaceIdeas

HeadDesign

OutfitIdeas

OutfitDesign

PoseIdeas

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignDosomeexploratorysketchesoftheanthroraccoon’sface,hairandoutfitdesign.Thinkaboutaposethatsuitsherdesign.Incorporateaproptosaysomethingaboutyourcharacterandgivehersomethingtodo.Iselectedanapplebasketfortheraccoon’sproptosymbolizeherconnectiontonature.Compileyourfavoritedesignelementsandposeintoafinalthumbnail

concept.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionWorkingatfullsize,trytocapturethegraceofthethumbnailconceptwithasubtlycurvinglineofaction.Drawtheshapeofthetorsoandneckalongthispath.Thendrawacircleshapefortheheadwithadownwardtiltandalmostprofileorientation.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesUsebasicshapestodrawtherestofthefigure.Counterbalancetheoutstretchedrightarmbyswingingtheleftarmbehindthebody.Thensketchherrightlegsteppinginfrontofherleftleg.Raccoonsareplantigrade,sodrawherwithaflat-footedstance.Usetheraccoontail’sringedfurpatternasnaturalsurfacelinestohelpyoudrawthetailshape.Finally,drawthebasichalf-circleshapeofthebaskethangingfromherlefthand.

STEP4SketchtheClothingLightlysketchthebasicclothinglinesovertheshapeofthebody.Forhersimpleandelegantdress,thereisn’talotofexcessfabric,sotrytokeepthefoldsminimal.Leaveroominthebackofthedressforthetail.Fortheloosehangingsleeves,keepgravityinmind.Theheaviestpartswillalwayspulldown.Fillthebasketwithafewapples,spacedapartsotheydon’tlookflat.

STEP5AddDetailsDrawthehairpullingaroundherears,andtiedneatlyattheneck.Fluffouthertailandfurpatternwithshort,brokenlines.Fillinthedetailsofheroutfitandjewelry.Addawickertexturetothebasketandstemstotheapples.Finally,refineyourlinesanderaseanyguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorFortheraccoon’sfurandhair,Iwentwithacolorschemeofrichbrowns.Useabrightredwithastronghighlighttomaketheappleslookjuicyanddelicious.Fillthedresswithadarkcolor.Then,usingalightercolorforcontrast,drawaflowerypatternontoherdress.Addshadowsandhighlightsandshe’sdone!

RACCOONFEATURES

FaceTheraccoon’sdefiningfeatureisitsmask,soit’sworththeefforttodrawitcorrectly.Fortunately,it’snotastrickyasitlooks.Justapproachitonesectionatatime,andbeforelong,you’llhaveaprettyanthroraccoonfacegazingbackatyoufromyoursketchbook.

STEP1StartWithaCircleLightlysketchacircleforthehead.Then,drawthecrosshairstoestablishherfacing.Positionthehorizontallinelowonthecircletocreateadownwardheadtilt.

STEP2BuilduptheHeadShapeSketchanangularpatchoffuronbothsidesofthefacetoformherfuzzycheeks.Sketchapairoftriangular-shapedearsonthetopofthehead.Then,startingfromslightlyabovetheeyeline,drawaroundedconeshapeforthemuzzle.

STEP3PlacetheEyesandNoseSketchapairofalmond-shapedeyesrestingonthehorizontalguideline,spacedaboutaneye’swidthapart.Drawtheeyeballslookingofftotheside.Nextsketchtheraccoon’slarge,roundnoseprotrudingfromthetipofthemuzzle.Finally,sculpttheinnershapeoftheears.

STEP4DrawtheRaccoonMaskSketchthepartofthemaskthatencirclestheeye.Addanextralinetotheupperparttocreateeyebrows.Next,drawtheouterpartofthemaskacrossthebridgeofthenoseandextendingtothetipsofthecheeks.

STEP5AddDetailsFromthehairline,usegracefulcurvinglinestodrawthehairsweepingaroundtheearsintoapairofpigtails.Softentheraccoon’sexpressionbyloweringtheeyelidswithahorizontallineacrosstheeye.Darkentheeyebrowsandnose.Filltheearswithfur.Addsomelighthatchlinesforfurtexture.Eraseyourguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorColortheraccoon’sface,makingtheinnerpartofthemaskthedarkestportion.Contrastitwithawhiteorcreamcolorfortheouterpartofthemask.Addabrighthighlighttothenoseandeyesforaglossywetlook.

HandsAsidefromthefurandclaws,raccoonhandsaresurprisinglysimilartoourown.Theyhavehairlesspalmsandfivefingers,includingathumb(notopposable),whichtheyusetograspandmanipulateobjects.

Topside,Palmside

STEP1SketchtheBasicBoxShapeUseaslightlycurvedboxshapetocreatethefoundationofthehand.

STEP2AddaThumbDrawawedgeshapeontothesideoftheboxtocreatethelowermeatyportionofthethumb.

STEP3AddtheFingersDrawfourfingersextendingfromtheboxshape.Divideeachfingerintothreesectionstoindicatethejoints.Useacurvedguidelinetolineupthesegments.Addtwosectionstothewedgeshapetocompletethethumb.Thethumbcomesuptoaboutthesecondknuckleofthepointerfinger,whilethepinkyalignswiththelastjointontheringfinger.

STEP4AddDetailsEraseyourguidelines,buttrytoretainsomeofthelinesindicatingthejoints.Detailthehandswithskinfoldsandknuckles.Capeachdigitwithaclaw,setdeepintothefinger.

AtYourFingertips

Hands,withalltheirmovingparts,canbedifficulttodraw.Fortunately,youalwayshaveahelpfulmodelwithinyourreach—yourownhands!

youalwayshaveahelpfulmodelwithinyourreach—yourownhands!Refertothemoftenforreference.Useamirrorforadditionalangles.

TigerThetiger,largestofthebigcats,isanimpressiveandhandsomespecimeninstantlyrecognizablebyitsorange-and-whitestripedcoat.Trytocapturethestrengthandferocityinyouranthrotigerbygivinghimalean,muscularbody,abroadmuzzleandpiercingeyes.

HairandFaceIdeas

HeadDesign

PoseIdeas

OutfitDesign

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignStartbysketchingideasforaroughandtoughtigeranthro.Fortheoutfit,trytocomeupwithadesignthatdoesn’tobscurethetiger’sbestfeatures,likehispaws,feetandstripes.Mysolutionwasfingerlessgloves,anopencoatandnofootwear.Completethelookwithsomespikyhairandafiercefightingstance.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionUsingyourthumbnailconceptsketchasaguide,rebuildyourdrawingatfullsize.Startwithasweepinglineofaction.Definethetiger’sstrongupperbodybydrawingabroadshapeforthechestwithbulgingpectoralmuscles.Pinchinthemidsectionandlowertorso.Drawtheheadshapewithapridefuluptilt.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesUsebasicshapestodrawtherestofthefigure.Forthemuzzle,firstdrawtheupperjawportionthendrawthelowerjawpullingdownforanopen-mouthyell.Drawthearmsendinginclenchedfists.Followingthelineofaction,constructtheleftlegfullyextendedwithhisankleheldhigh.Drawthefootdigitigradewithmeatytigertoesmashedintotheground.Finally,sketchthetiger’stailwhippingaroundenergetically.Usesurfacelines

onthetailtoblockinthestripedivisions.

STEP4SketchtheClothingSketchthebasiclinesoftheoutfit.Thinkabouthowtheclothingwrapsaroundthetiger’sform.Drawthecoatbillowinginthewindtorevealhissignaturestripesandaddmotiontodrawing.Hissleevesandpantsareloosefitting,soleavesomespacearoundthebodylines.

STEP5AddDetailsWorkthroughyourpicture,elaboratingthedetailsofhisface,clothing,furandbody.Takeadvantageofthetiger’sfiercefangstoemphasizehisangryexpression.Darkentheinsideofthemouth,stripesandtipsofhishairwithpencilshading.Alternatively,youcoulduseanXtodenoteareasyouwishtodarkenandfilltheminduringthecoloringstage.Whenyou’redoneaddingdetails,eraseyourguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorSelectcolorsforthetigerandhisoutfit.Ifyouusebrighttoneslikeorangeandwhiteforhisfur,considerbalancingthembyplacingdarkercolorsonotherareas,suchasthepants.Buildupyourshadowsandhighlightstoadddepth.Placedeepshadowsintheareasmosthiddenfromthelight,liketheinsideofhiscoatandunderhischin.

TIGERFEATURES

StripesThestripesdefinethetiger.Withoutthem,you’dsimplyhaveanoversizedorangecat.Stripethickness,densityandplacementvaryfromtigertotiger.Trytoobservesomerealtigers(orphotosoftigers)forinspiration.Stripesmostlyoccurontheface,back,sides,limbsandringingaroundthetail.

STEP1PlanthePathBuildupthecharacter’sbodyasusual—solidanatomyprecedesstripeplacement.Oncethefigureiscomplete,you’rereadytostart

thinkingaboutthestripes.There’snoneedtoactuallydrawthelittlearrows,butdomakeamentalnoteaboutthecontoursofthebody.Thestripeswillfollowthesecontours.

STEP2AddStripesPencilthetiger’sstripesalonghisarms,legs,sideandtailusingbroken,jaggedlines.Varythethicknessandlength.Curvethestripesaroundthebody’sform.Then,colorthefigure.Fillintheorangeandwhitecoatfirst,andpaintinthestripeswithadarkbrown.

StripeThisWay

Fornaturallookingtigerstripes,stayawayfromsmooth,continuouslines.Usebrokenlineswithjaggededgestokeepthestripesorganicandunpredictable.

StripesconsistofbrokenlinesandV-shapedpatternsthattaperfromthicktothin.

Notetheevenspacingandmonotonyofthestripes.Avoidthisoversimplification,unlessthat’syourgoal.

HeadForthisdemonstration,you’llgettopracticedrawingatiger’sheadfromtwodifferentangles.Asyoudraw,focusonthetiger’suniquefacialmarkings,shaggycheekruffsandbroad,slopedmuzzle.

STEP1BuilduptheBasicShapesLightlysketchacircleforeachhead.Usecrosshairstoindicatehisfacing.Let’sdoafrontandbackview.Drawthemuzzle(tryanopenmouthonthefrontview),earsandcheek

shapes.Useguidelinestoensurethattheedgesofthemuzzleandtheearsareparallel.Paycloseattentiontoyourfeaturesplacementbasedontheangleofthehead.

STEP2SketchtheFacialFeaturesPlacetheeyesslightlyabovethehorizontalguideline.Addabrowlineabovetheeyes.Then,fillintheinnerpartofearshapeontheangleswhereitwouldbevisible.Elaborateonthemuzzlewithnoseandmouthdetails.

STEP3AddDetailsGivethetigersomewildspikedhairtohelphumanizehim.Next,lightlysketchthepatternforhisfacialmarkingsanddarkenthemwithpencilshading.Addsomeangularlinestohischeekruffsandinnerearfurtogivethemashaggy,

someangularlinestohischeekruffsandinnerearfurtogivethemashaggy,roughquality.Finally,detailtheeyesandmuzzleareas.Eraseanyguidelinesandhe’sdone!

KangarooThekangarooisamarsupial,afamilyofmammalsbestknownforraisingtheiryounginaspecialpouchontheirbody.Inadditiontoitspouch(ladiesonly),othernotablequalitiesofthe’rooareitsstronglegs,largefeetandlongmusculartailusedforbalance.Emphasizethesefeaturesinyouranthrokangaroo.

HairandFaceIdeas

HeadDesign

PoseIdeas

OutfitDesign

FinalizedPose

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignDosomeexploratorysketchingforthekangaroo’sdesign,clothingandpose.Fashionandhairmagazinesareagreatsourceofinspirationforhairstyles.Fortheoutfit,Igaveherpuffyshortstocomplementherthickmuscularlegsandanaprontosymbolizeakangaroo’spouch.Forthepose,incorporatethekangaroo’stailasanextrabalancingpointtocreatefunposesthatonlyakangaroocouldpulloff.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionSketchthelineofactionpullingheavilytothelefttoestablishthecharacter’sleaningstance.Then,drawtheheadandtorsoshapesalongthispath.Withherweightdistributedequallybetweenherfeetandtail,drawtheshouldersandhipsparalleltoeachother.Useguidelinestohelpalignthem.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesSketchthemuzzle,earsandcheekstocompletethebasicshapeofherhead,thenmoveontothelegsandtail.Approachtheseasessentialpartsofatripodwithequalimportanceinbearingthe‘roo’sweight.Crookthetaillikeaspringunderneathherbodymasstoemphasizeitsroleinsupportingherweight.Finally,drawthearmsclaspingbehindherhead,hidingthehands,tokeepthefocusonheruniquekangaroobalance.

STEP4SketchtheClothingDrawthebasicformofheroutfitwithminimaldetail.Gowithaslouchyapronaroundherwaisttoplaytheroleofakangaroo’spouch,ordrawarealistickangaroopouchinitsplace,ifyouprefer.Notehowtheopendesignofthefootwearaddsvisualinterestwithoutobscuringherkangarootoes.

STEP5AddDetailsCompletethekangaroo’sfacebydrawingtheeyes,nose,mouthandinnereardetails.Uselong,gracefullinestoexpresstheflowofherhair.Addfoldstotheclothingtoemphasizethepuffinessofthepantsandapron,andthetightnessofthetopandribbons.Usesmallbrokenlinestoindicateadifferent-coloredpatchoffuralongherstomachandchest.Tightenuptherestofyourlinesanderaseanyguidelinestocompletethedrawing.

STEP6FinishWithColorDespitetheredkangaroo’sname,onlythemalesofthespecieshavered-brownfur.Thefemalesareusuallymoreofablue-graycoloration.Usebrighterbluesforaplayfulinterpretation.Afterfillinginthebasecolors,builduptheshadowsandhighlightstofinishyour’roo.

KangarooFeatures

TAILThekangaroo’sspringytailisstrongandflexible.Itservesasafunctionalfifthappendage,helpingwithbalanceandsteeringwhenthekangarooisinmotionandstabilizingwhenatrest.

STANCEThekangarooisbuiltforhopping,withthickmuscularthighsandslenderlowerlegs.Inmotion,theybounceonthetipsoftheirtoes,butatrest,theystandwiththeirfeetfirmlyonthegroundthesameasanyotherplantigradeanimal.

JumpingThekangaroo’stailbouncesupanddownwhenitjumps,actingasacounterweight.Thetailmaintainsanup-curvedpositionthroughouttheentiremotion.

WalkingWhenwalking,thekangarootouchesthegroundwithitstailtohelpsupportitsweight.Noticetheup-curvatureofthetailinthisposition.

KickingKangarooThetailissostrongthatitcanevensupportthebodywhilebothlegsarekicking.

BalancedBodyThetailactsasabaseforextrasupportwhenthekangarooisstandingorsitting.Whenthekangaroostandsstill,thetailflattensagainsttheground.

FeetTheredkangaroohaslongfeetwithfourclawedtoes.Thelargesttoeisinthecenter,withamedium-sizedtoeontheoutsideofthefootandasmallinsidedigitthat’sactuallythetworemainingtoesfusedtogether.Onarealkangaroo,thetinyfusedtoesendintwosmallclaws,butforthisinterpretation,we’vesimplifiedtheanthrokangaroo’sfootbyomittingaclawandenlargingtheinnertoeforaclean,symmetricallook.

STEP1DrawtheBasicShapeSketchalong,roundedrectangletoformtheshapeofthefoot.Addacurvedsectiontotheendofitforthetoes.Finally,drawalinedownthecenterofthefoottocreateahelpfulguide.

STEP2DrawtheToesDividethefrontsectionofthefootintothreetoes.Makethemiddletoelongerthanthetwooutertoes.Drawasmallbumpabovetheheeltorepresenttheankle.

STEP3DrawtheClawsDrawalongthickclawextendingfromtheendofeachtoe.Addsomelightshadingtotheclawstogivethemalacqueredquality.Finally,eraseyourguidelinestocompletethefoot.

SpringStepThekangaroo’sheelliftsslightlywheninmotion,justlikethehumanfoot.

Incorrect

It’sfuntodrawfurrieswithadigitigradestance,butmakesureit’sappropriatefortheanimal.Avoidgivingyouranthrokangaroodigitigradelegslikethis.Theirfeetaren’tbuiltforit.

BearWeighinginat850pounds(386kilograms)andarmedwithlongclawsandsharpteeth,thegrizzlybearisanimpressivefigureofstrength.Thebear’sheadisquitebroad,almostovalshaped,withdeepseteyes,apronouncedbrowandawidemuzzle.Butdon’tbefooledbythisanthrobear’sgruffexterior.He’scapableofplayingtheroleofbothferociousfighterandcuddlyteddybear,dependingonhismood.Youmightnotwanttobeonthereceivingendofoneofhisbearhugsrightnow,though!

HairandFaceIdeas

HeadDesign

FinalizedDesignandPose

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignStartbysketchingfaceandhairstyleideasforyouranthrobear.Useshort,spikedhairtogivehimagruff,masculinelookthatcomplementshisfacialshape.Forthebear’sbody,exaggeratetheshoulderwidth,handsizeandmusculaturetocreateanintimidatingform.Bringthedesigntogetherinathumbnailsketchofhisposeandoutfit.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionIdentifywherethelineofactionisinyourthumbnailsketch,andsketchitfullsize.Buildupthetorsoshapealongthisline’sarc.Drawthechestandshoulderareaespeciallywideacrosstobringoutthebear’smassivelymuscularform.Then,drawasmallcirclefortheheadandattachittotheuppertorsowithathickneck.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesContinuebuildingupthebear’sformwithanemphasisonbulkiness.Drawthearmsthickandmuscularwithlargegraspinghands.Drawthestockylegswithaslightbendattheknees,likehe’spreparingtolungeforwardatanopponent.Bearsareplantigrade,sodrawhisleftfootplantedfirmlyonthegroundwhiletherightpushesoff.Finally,addtotheshapeofhisheadwithmuzzle,earsandcheeks.

STEP4SketchtheClothingLightlysketchapairofloosefightingpantsoverthebear’shulkingform.Keepthedetailandfoldsataminimumfornow.Focusoncreatingasenseofmovementtothefabric.

STEP5AddDetailsDetailyouranthrobear’sfacewithanose,amenacingpairofbeadyeyesandagrowling,openmouth.Addlongclawstohisfingersandtoes.Useshort,angularlinestobuildupthefuronthebear’shead,backandneck.Youcansuggestatextureoffurovertherestofhisbodywithlighthatchinglines(setsof2–5parallellinesspacedcloselytogether).Elaborateonhisoutfitwithadditionalfoldlines.Eraseanyguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorSelectcolorsforyourbear’sclothesandfur.Grizzlybearfurrangesfromblondetoblack;brownisthemostcommon,hence,they’realsocommonlycalledbrownbears.Useshort,angularbrushstrokestosuggestfurtexture.Addshadowsandhighlightsandthensitbackandadmireyourfinishedcreation!

BEARFEATURES

GraspingPawBuiltforhunting,agrizzlybear’spawsaremassiveandstrong.Eachoftheirfivefingersisequippedwithacurvedclawthatcangrowaslongasfourinches(morethananyotherspeciesofbear).Thepalmsideofthepawispadded.

STEP1DrawtheBasicShapeSketchasoftboxshapeforthebear’sopenpalm.Attachatubeshapetothebottomsideofittoformthewrist.

STEP2DrawtheThumbFormthemeatybaseofthethumbbydrawingawedgeshape.Addtwomorecylindersegmentstocompletetheshape.Thefulllengthofthethumbshouldonlybarelyreachpastthepalm.

STEP3DrawtheFingersContinuedrawingtherestoffingers,eachslightlybenttowardsthecenterinagraspingposition.Draweachfingerinthreesegments.Whereeachsegmentmeetsrepresentsajointwherethefingerstobend.

STEP4DetailWithClawsandPadsDrawacircularpadoneachofthefingertips.Inthemiddleofthepalm,drawalarge,ovalpad.Addalong,curvedclawextendingfromtheendofeachfinger.Finally,cleanupyourguidelines,thenaddsomeshadingandhatchinglinesfortextureifyoulike.

Findourdemonstrationondrawingbearfeetonlineatimpact-books.com/more-furries.

NoseThebeardependsonitshighlydevelopedsenseofsmelltoforageforfoodandsniffoutthreats.Asitsmostimportantsense,weoweittoouranthrobeartodrawitsbigsnifferproperly.Herearesometips.

STEP1PositiontheNoseDrawthebear’smuzzlewithaslightinwardslantonthefrontandabroadnosebridge.Thensketchthenoseasasimpleroundedshapeattheendofthemuzzle.Alignthetopsideofthenosewiththetopsideofthemuzzle.

STEP2RefinetheShapePullthesidesofthenoseinwardtocreatethenostrils.

STEP3CompletetheShapeNext,drawthebottomofthenose,curvingaroundtheupperportion.Usepencilshadingtoexpressthecavernousinnernostrilarea.

STEP4AddShadingContinueshadingthenosetobringoutitsfullthree-dimensionalquality.Addahighlightontoptosuggestamoist,shinysurface(asbearnosesoftenare).

GettingNosy

Thefrontofthenoselooksabitlikeaslicedmushroom.

Fromasideview,noticehowthenosefitsneatlyintothemuzzleshape.Thefrontpartofthenoseslightlyextendsoutfromthemuzzle.

OtterLikeothermembersoftheweaselfamily,ottersareplantigrade,havelong,sleekbodiesandsmallroundears.Althoughknownfortheirloveofplay,thisanthrootteristakingasmallrespitetoenjoythesoothingsoundsoftheoceanasshegazesatapearlfromanoystershefound.

HairandFaceIdeas

HeadDesign

PoseIdea

SwimsuitDesign

FinalizedDesignandPose

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignDosomeexploratorysketchesoftheanthrootter’sdesign,includinghair,face,outfitandproportions.Tocreateacontemplativesceneforthischaracter,tryaseatedorkneelingpose.Youcanmakeastationaryposemoreinterestingbyshowingthecharacterdoingsomething.Theottercouldbeexamininganoysteroraseashellshefound.Orperhapsgazingintoaseashell-shapedlocketcontainingapreciousmemory.Sketchacouplevariationsandpickyourfavorite.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionMakealineofactioninthedirectionoftheottergirl’sslightforwardlean.Drawtheshapeofthetorso,longandslender,likethestreamlinedphysiqueofanotter.Thendrawaroundballshapewithadownwardtiltforthehead.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesAddtotheshapeoftheheadwithabroadmuzzleandsmallears.Sketchthearmspullingclosetothebody.Trytocreateaclearspacebetweenthecuppedhandsandherface—thisisthefocalpointofthedrawing,wherethemainaction(lookingattheshell)isoccurring.Sketchthelegsfoldingunderherinakneelingposition.Finally,drawthethickottertailsweepingaroundthebody.

STEP4SketchtheClothingSketchthecontourlinesoftheotter’sbikini.Refertoyourswimsuitdesignsketchesfromthebrainstormingstepforinspiration.Addsomerufflesatthehipsforaplayfulandcutedetail.Then,drawtheshapeoftheshellrestinginhercuppedhands.

STEP5AddDetailsWorkyourwaythroughyourdrawing,addingdetailsanderasinganyguidelines.Rendertheotter’ssleekfurusingmostlysmoothlines,andtheoccasionalhatchingmark.Detailherfacewiththick-lashed,downcasteyes,eyebrowsandalargenose.Thenindicatethefurcolordivisionaroundhermuzzle.Usecontrolled,flowinglinestodrawherlonghair.Addsmallclaws(andwebbingwherevisible)toherhandsandfeet.Whenyou’redone,addafewseashellstothegroundforatmosphere.

STEP6FinishWithColorDecideonacolorschemeforyourotter.Iusedsteelbluefortheswimsuittogowithherbrownandcreamyyellowfur.Thesecolorsareamutedvariationofblueandorange,whicharecomplementarycolors,meaningoppositehuesonthecolorwheel.Usedinmoderation,theygowelltogether.Next,buildupyourshadowsandhighlightstogiveherathree-dimensionalpresence.Youcancreatetheimpressionofthebeachbypaintingsomegrainysandbeneathher(don’tforgettoaddadropshadowtogroundherinthescene).

OTTERFEATURES

WebbedHandsTheotter’shandsandfeethavewebbingbetweeneachoftheirfivedigits,agreatadaptationconsideringtheirsemiaquaticlifestyle.Let’strydrawingtheanthrootter’shandwithherfingersspreadtoshowthewebbing.Handscanbedifficulttodraw.Forhelp,tryposingyourownhandtoseehowthefingersbendandfoldinathree-dimensionalspace.

STEP1DrawtheBasicShapeStartbysketchingarectangularboxforthepalm.

STEP2DrawtheThumbDrawawedgeextendingpastthepalmtocreatethemuscularbaseofthethumb.Addtwosegmentstothewedgetocompletethethumbshape.

STEP3DrawtheFingersSketchthefingerspullingawayfromthethumbinacurvedposition.Buildupeachfingerinthreesegmentstodepicttheknuckles.Sinceyou’redrawingafemaleotter’shand,trytokeepthefingersthinandgraceful.Women’shandstendtobemoreslenderandsoftthanmen’s.

STEP4AddWebbingAddwebbingbetweeneachoftheotter’sdigits,uptothelastknuckle.Drawsomestretchlinesbetweenthethumbandpointer,wherethemembraneisespeciallytautduetothedistancebetweenthefingers.

STEP5FinishWithClawsandPadsScrunchupthepalmofthehandwithsomefoldsandshading.Drawaroundpadoneachofthefingertips.Thendrawawiderpadonthepalm,bendingwiththecurvatureofthesurface.Next,addashortclawtotheendoftheeachdigit.Cleanupyourguidelines,andyou’redone!

AClawTip

Theclawisacontinuationoftheanimal’sfingerbone.Drawtheclawsothatitsembeddedintotheskin.Otherwise,itwillappearflat.

OTTERFEATURESTheotter’sheadiscompactandball-likewithawidemuzzlefillingalargepartoftheshape.Payattentiontotherelativesizeoftheotter’sfacialfeatures(smallears,largenose)tocaptureitsimpish,cutelooks.Althoughfuntostyle,anthrocharactersdon’tnecessarilyrequirehairontheir

head.Inthecaseoftheotter,amorenaturalappearanceissometimespreferred.Thelackofhaircanenhancetheotter’sstreamlinedlook,likeaswimmerwearingaswimcap.

STEP1SketchaCircleDrawacirclewithcrosshairstoindicatetheotter’sfacing.Tryatwo-thirdsanglewithaslightuptiltforthishead.

STEP2DrawtheMuzzleSketchthebulbousshapeofthemuzzle,stretchingwideacrosstheface.Extendthetopofthemuzzleabovetheeyeline.

STEP3AddFacialFeaturesDrawtheshapeoftheeyesalongthehorizontalguideline.Abovetheeyes,dashapairofabbreviatedeyebrows.Drawtheearslowontheotter’shead,alongthehorizontallinebehindthecheek.Attheendofthemuzzle,addalargeroundnose.

STEP4DetailandColorFormtheotter’sthickneckbypullingalinedownfromthebackofherheadandanotherfrombeneathherchin.Detailtheeyeswithablackpupil,acircularhighlightandsomeeyelashes.Tightenyourlines,addsomehatchedlinesfortextureanderaseanyguidelines.Thenselectsomecolors(Ireusedmyanthrootter’scolorpaletteofred-brown,yellowandindigo).Refinewithshadowsandhighlightstofinishtheportrait.

CHAPTERTHREE

ScaliesScalies!Asyouprobablyguessedfromthename,scaliesareanthropomorphicreptilesandamphibians,typicallycoveredwithscalesinsteadoffur.Sure,they’renotascuddlyastheirfurryfriends,buttheyarejustasfuntodraw.Thischaptercoversawidevarietyofscalies:lizards,snakes,crocodiles,frogsandevenafewprehistoricsurprises!We’llwalkyouthroughtheprocessofcreatingsixuniquescaliesfromconceptsketchtothefinishedcolorart.Aftereachanimal,step-by-stepfeaturetutorialscovertopics,suchasalternativesforhair,jaws,claws,reptilianmuzzles,scalesandmore,tohelpyouperfectyourscalymasterpieces.Soslitherovertoyoursketchbook—it’sscalytime!

SERPENTVERSUSSAURIANbyNimrais

“I’mafemaleillustratoranddesignerfromGermany.I’vealwaysbeenprettycreativeandenjoynotonlydrawingbutmanyotheractivitieslikecrafting,photographyanddesign.NowI’maprofessionallytrainedmediadesignerandIhaveabachelor’sdegreeindesign.Formydigitallydrawnpictures,IusePhotoshop®forboththesketchesandcoloration.Istartwithbasicflatcolors,thenIaddtheshadowsandhighlightsandcontinuewiththedetailsafterthat.Attheend,Imakeanynecessarycolorcorrectionstogivethepictureabalancedlook.”—Nimrais

IguanaThisbrightlycoloredgreeniguanaisquiteadivergencefromthefurrieswe’veworkedwithalready.Insteadoffur,rigidoverlappingscalesranginginsizeandcolorprotecthisbodyfromharm.Arowofspinesrunfromhisheadtohistailandalooseflapofskin,calledadewlap,hangsfromhischin.Despitetheexternaldifferences,thestructureunderhisshimmeringscalesisstillhumanoid,soyou’llbeabletobuilduponwhatyou’vealreadylearnedtocreateafantasticanthroiguana.Let’sdoit!

HeadDesigns

OutfitDesign

PoseandProportions

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignAsyousketchsomepossibleheaddesigns,decideonyourcharacter’spersonality.Ishecute,cool,agoofballorsomethingelse?Subtleadjustmentstohisfacialfeatures(suchasthesizeoftheeyes,percentageofthefacethemuzzleoccupies,detailofthescales,amountofcrestspines,etc.)canlargelyaffecthisoveralllook.Thendosomethumbnailsketchesforhispose,proportionsandclothing.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionUsingyourposethumbnailasreference,sketchacurvedlineofactionthatcaptureshisleaningstance.Builduptheiguana’storsoshapealongthisline.Trytobringouthislizardqualitieswithanelongatedframe.Then,sketchacirclewithcrosshairsfortheheadandconnectittothetorsowithathickneck.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesSketchthearmsandlegs,leanandlong,followingthelineofaction.Iguanas,likemostreptiles,areplantigrade,sodrawhisfeetflatontheground.Eachfoothasfivedigits,withthesecondtoefromtheoutsidebeingthelongest.Addastrongtailsweepingtotheside.Thenbuildupthefaceshapewiththemuzzle,brow,cheekandreptileear.Drawthedewlapskinflapdrapingfromtheanthroiguana’slowerjawtothebaseoftheneck.

STEP4SketchtheClothingDrawanopencroppedjackethanginglooselyonhisbody.Tocreateaninterestingbodyshape,trygivinghimapairoftrousers,looseontopandtighteraroundtheknees,withalowrise.Cuttingthepantsjustbelowthekneesemphasizesandlengthenshislegs.Completethelookwithawraparoundbeltsash.Forreference,wrapascarforlengthoffabricaroundyourwaisttostudyhowthefabricbunchesandfolds.

STEP5DefinetheFigureDetailhisheadwithaneye,scales(includingalargeoneonhischeek)andspinycrest.LightlysketchsomesmallU-shapedscalesinclustersrunningdownhisbody,arms,legsandtail.Noneedtooverdoit—afewhereandthereisenoughtosuggestascalytexture.Addlongclawstohisfingersandtoesandarowofspinesdownhistail.Refineyourlinesanderaseanyguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorGreeniguanasare,astheirnameimplies,usuallygreen.Colorvariantsofblueandbrownareotheroptions.Selectcolorsfortheoutfitthatmatchtheiguana’scoloration.Then,buildupyourshadowsandhighlights.Dapplealightercolorinthehighlightareastosuggestascalytexture.

IGUANAFEATURES

HeadLet’stakeacloserlookattheiguana’shead.Thespinycrestrunningdownthecenteroftheiguana’shead,likeamohawk,fillstheroleofhair.Othernoteworthyfeaturesincludealarge,roundscaleonhischeekcalledthesubtympanicshield,andthetympanum,atinyexternalearmembranelocatedaboutwhereyou’dexpectanear.

STEP1SketchaCircleLightlysketchacircleforthehead.Drawthecrosshairstoindicateathree-quartersfacing.

STEP2DrawtheMuzzleTocreatetheupperjawofthemuzzle,startabovetheeyelineanddrawaboxyshapeextrudingfromtheheadwiththedownwardslope.Pullthemouthlinepastthemuzzle,ontotheheaditself.Thendrawthelowerjaw.

STEP3BuilduptheFaceShapeAddapairofnostrilstotheendofthemuzzle.Drawtheshapeoftheeye.Forarelaxedlook,givehimaloweredlid.Thendrawtheprotrudingbrowridgewrappingaroundhiscircularhead.Filloutthewidthofthefacewiththecheeks.Don’tforgethissmallreptileearwherethecheekmeetstheeyeline.

STEP4AddCrestandDewlapExtendthebackofhisheadpastthecircleandcontinueitdowntoformthebackoftheneck.Stretchthedewlapfromthelowerjawandadornitwitharowofspines.Alongthecenterlineofthetopofhishead,addacrestofflexiblespines.

STEP5AddDetailsFilltheeyeshapewiththeirisandpupil,partiallyoverlappedbytheupperlid.Addsomesmallerraisedscalesamidstthecrestandasinglelargescaleonhischeek.Drawsomeinterlockingscalesofvaryingsizealonghismuzzle,headandneckfortexture.Theneraseyourguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorUsebrightgreensandbluestogiveyouriguanaavividsheen.Thenbuilduptheshadowsandhighlights.Dappleflecksoflightercolorsacrosstheskintocreatetheeffectofscalesreflectinganextraglintoflight.

HeadCoverings

Sincehairisamammalexclusivefeature,it’softenleftoffscalycharacters.Initsplace,youcanadornthereptileheadwithspecies-appropriateheadcoveringslikecrests,frills,horns,scalyoutcroppingsandevenfeathers.Ofcourse,sincethisistherealmoffantasy,there’snorulethatsaysyoucan’tgiveyourscalycharacterhumanhair.Iftheycanwalkandtalklikepeople,theycanhavehair,too.Hatsareanotheroption.

SnakeDangerousandexotic,snakeshavelongfrightenedandfascinatedhumankind.Examplesofanthropomorphicsnakesresidethroughoutmythologyandreligion.InHinduismandBuddhism,therearethenaga—halfsnake,halfhumandeitiesofextraordinarybeauty.PoetJohnKeatsdescribedthedemigoddessofGreekmythology,Lamia,asawomanwiththetailofaserpentbelowthewaist.Basedonthevenomouskingcobra,thisparticularanthrosnakeisaqueen

amongkings.Assuch,shedelightsinbossingaroundothersandgettingherway.Trytoexpresshersassyattitudeinherbodylanguage.

OutfitIdeas

HeadConcepts

OutfitDesign

PoseandProportions

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignDosomethumbnailsketchesexploringyourcobra’sbodyproportions,costumeandpose.Sketchquickly;don’tgetcaughtupinthedetails.Focusontheoveralllookandshape.Theideaismoreimportantthantight,refinedartatthisearlystageofdevelopment.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionStartwithaserpentinelineofaction.Alongitspath,drawherslendertorsowithaneleganttwist:chestpointingleft,hipspointingright.Notethetiltofthehipsandshoulders.Thengiveheranelongatedneck,endinginasphereforthehead.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesFromthehipsdown,completethelowerhalfofherbodyintheformofasnakewithacoiledtail.Unifyherupperandlowerbodybydrawinglargeflatbellyscalesextendingfromhernecktothetipofhertail.Next,drawherarmsposedassertively,onepointinginaccusation,theotherpressedagainstahip.Sketchapairoflinesfromthebackoftheheadtotheshoulderstoformthecobra’shood.Finally,drawherbrow,jawlineandshortboxymuzzle.

STEP4SketchtheClothingDuetohersnakelowerhalf,skirtslookstrange,andpantsareano-go.Instead,focusyoureffortsongivingherastylishtopwithdecorativedetailsfitforafashionista.Accessorizeherwithsomejewelry,perhapsaringandsomegoldbracelets.Ofcourse,she’llneedacrowntosymbolizeherqueenliness.

STEP5DetailtheFigureWorkthroughyourdrawing,refiningthelineworkanderasinganyguidelines.Detailtheheadwithaforkedtonguepokingthroughclosedlips,andafierce,glaringeye.Addsomesmall,interlockingscalestotheinsideofherhoodfortexture.Buildupthecurvatureofthebodyscalestogivethemdepth.Elaborateonthedetailsoftheoutfitandaddafewextrafoldsaroundthewaistandthehangingsleeves.

STEP6FinishWithColorCobrascomeinshadesoftan,brownandblackwithacream-coloredbelly.Iwentwithreddish-brownandtan.Butremember,you’remakingananthrosnake,notarealisticone,soyouneedn’tlimityourselftoordinaryhues.Howaboutroyalpurple?Selectacolorfortheoutfitthatcomplementsherscales.Addshadowsandhighlightstofinish.

SNAKEFEATURES

CobraHoodThecobra’sbest-knownfeatureisitsimpressivehood,aflapofskinonbothsidesofitsneckthatitpuffsupwhenthreatened.Elongatedribsextendingfromtheneckgivethehooditsrigidshape.Here’sasimplestep-by-stepapproachtodrawingit.

STEP1SketchtheBasicShapeStartwiththebasicstructure.Sketchaspherewithcrosshairstoindicateherfacing,aboxymuzzleandalong,tube-likeneck.

STEP2DrawtheHoodShapeHoodsvaryinwidth,fromDumbo-sizedtosmall.Decidewhatworksbestforyourcobra.Then,fromthesideofthehead,pullalinecurvingouttothedesiredsize.Connectthelinetothebaseoftheneck.Dothesameontheotherside,takingintoaccountperspective.Thendrawaninnerlineonbothsidestogivethehoodthickness.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesUselinestomaptheinnersurfaceofthehoodintoneatlyspacedrows.Givetheinnershapeaslightcurvaturetoreflectthecurvedribsholdingthehoodaloft.

STEP4AddDetailsUsingyourguidelines,filltheinnerhoodwithinterlockingscales.Youcancreateabumped-outappearancebyallowingthemtooverlap.Completethedetailsofthehead,includingtheeyes,brow,cheek,noseandneckplates.Ifyoulike,usepencilshadingtoaddtextureanddepth.

MenacingMouth

Theinsideofthesnake’smouthisasighttobehold.Inadditiontoafearsomepairoffangs(venomoussnakesonly),thesnakehasseveralrowsofsmallerteeth.Alsonoteworthyisitsforkedtongue,whichextendsfromasheathpositionedtowardthefrontofthemouth.Behindthatistheglottis,aholethatallowsittobreathwhileitswallowspreywhole.

SnakeBodyLackingarmsandlegs,snakesprovideanewchallengeforthefurryartist.Thefirstthingyou’llneedtodecideishowyouwanttogoabout“humanizing”thesnake’sform.Addapairofarmsandlegs,andyourisklosingtheuniqueattributesthatsetthesnakeapartfromlizards.Theclassicsolutiondepictstheanthrosnakewitharmswhileretainingthe

serpentinetailfromthewaistdown.Otherapproachesinvolveprovidingthesnakewitharmsandlegs,butelongatingtheneckandtorso,andendowingitwithalongtailtoevokeaserpentineform.Let’slookatafewexamples.Seewhichvariationyoulikebest,ormixandmatchtocreateananthrosnakeallyourown.

CrocodileCrocodiles,alongwithalligators,caimansandgharials,aremembersofthe(appropriatelynamed)Crocodylidaefamily,adangerouscollectionofaquaticreptileswitharmoredbodiesandlong,toothyjaws.Likeothertop-of-the-food-chainpredators,crocodilesarethesubjectofmany

mythsandlegends.PerhapsthemostfamousanthropomorphicexampleisSobek,theancientEgyptianNilegod,depictedwiththebodyofamanbuttheheadofacrocodile.Insteadofadeity,theanthrocrocwe’llbedrawingisatoughguydeckedout

inmammalleather.Asiftheteethweren’tenough,hismusculararms,legsandmeanglaresuggestyoumightwanttokeepyourdistance…anddefinitelydon’tmakethemistakeofcallinghiskiltaskirt.

HeadConcepts

DesignIdea:JungleWarrior

DesignIdea:Leatherjacket

DesignIdea:Pirate

PoseandFinalDesign:LeatherKilt

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignDosomesmallthumbnail-sizesketchesofyouranthrocroc’sdesign,includinghisface,buildandoutfit.Pushyourselftothinkpastyourfirstidea.Youmayultimatelydecidetogobacktothefirstidea,butsometimesthesebrainstormingsessionscanleadtosomethingfantastic.Isettledonmyfinalsketch,butanyofthesedesignscouldmakeforfuncharacterpictures.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionUsingyourthumbnailsketchasaguide,sketchalineofactionwithanicecurve.Thendrawthetorsowithabroadchestandthickneck.Addaspherewithcrosshairsforthehead.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesDrawapairoflongjaws,andaridgedbrow,tofillouttheshapeofthehead.Attachapairofmusculararmstothetorso.Then,drawthelegswithaplantigradestance.Notethatcrocodileshavefourtoesoneachfoot,andfivefingersoneachhand.Don’tforgethisthick,rudder-liketail.Usesurfacelinestohelpyoubuildupthetailshape.

STEP4SketchtheClothingTimetogivethisbadboyhisleathergetup.Drawthetoptightandformfitting,usingthesleevelessdesigntoshowoffhismusculararms.Lightlysketchapathforazipperandsomedecorativebelts.Thenaddhisleatherkilt(nontraditional,sonopleats).Tietheoutfittogetherwithapairofleatherglovesandgreaves(bandsaroundthelowerleg).

STEP5DetailtheFigureCarefullypencilthecrocodile’sscalypatternwhereverhisbodyisvisible.Decoratehismenacinggrinwithpointyteeth.Drawhiseyewithaslightlyloweredlidtogivehimadeviouslook.Detailtheoutfitwithstuds,beltsandzippers.Addclawstohisfingersandtoes,pluswebbingonthefeet.Finally,eraseyourguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorPlaydarkagainstlightbycontrastingthepalegreenofhisscaleswithhisblackleatherclothing.Colorthecroc’sunderbellyalightcream.Usedeepshadowsandbrighthighlightstobringouttheshinyqualitiesofthescalesandleathers.

CROCODILEFEATURES

JawsandTeethLet’stakeacloserlookatthecrocodile’ssignaturetoothygrin(don’tworry,thisonewon’tbite).Itspowerfuljawsarelinedwithsharp,intermeshingteeththatarevisibleevenwhenitsmouthisclosed.Crocshavemorethansixtyteeth,butyouonlyneedtodrawenoughtomakeamenacingimpression.Themanyteethandlengthofthecroc’ssnoutcanmakeitdifficulttodraw.Thetrickistosimplifythemouthintoaboxyshape,andbuildupthedetailsfromthere.

STEP1SketchtheBasicShapeSketchaspherewithcrosshairs.Drawalongrectangularboxextendingfromabovetheeyelinetomaketheupperjaw.Sketchasmallcircularshapeattheendforthenasaldisc.Pullguidelinesfromtheedgesoftheupperjawtolineupthelowerjaw.Buildupthelowerjaw’sshape,roundingtheendsintomeatycheeks.Finally,sketchtheshapeoftheneckandbrow.

STEP2AddDetailsRefinetheshapeoftheupperandlowerjawswiththepropercurvature(seeCrocodileSmilesidebar).Thenlinethemwithconicalteeth(leavesomespacebetweeneachone).Addtherestofthedetails,includingeyes,nostrilsandtongue,theneraseyourguidelines.

FormoreondrawingCrocodilejawsandteeth,downloadthefreeinformationatimpact-books.com/more-furries.

CrocodileSmile

Notetheoverbiteoftheupperjaw.Groovesintheupperandlowerjawsallowforacloserpuzzle-piecefit.

Thecrocodile’ssnouttapersattheend,settingitapartfromthestubbier,widersnoutofitsalligatorcousin.

ScalesThecrocodile’sskinconsistsofthick,plate-likescalescalledscutes.Unlikeasnake’sscales,thesedonotoverlap.Herearetwovarietiesyou’llencounteroncrocodilians,andhowtoapproachthem.

CIRCULARSCALES

Placementonbody:Sides,neck,armsandlegs

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignDrawhorizontalandverticalsurfacelinesfollowingthecurvatureofthebody.Ifyoupreferasimpler,streamlinedlook,youcancallthescaletexturecompleteatthisstage.

STEP2FillWithCircularScutesFilleachboxysectionwithcirculardisks.Varythesizesandavoidperfectcirclesforanorganiclook.Leavesomespacebetweenthem.Eraseyourgridlines.

SQUARESCALES

Placementonbody:TailNotehowtowardstheendofthetail,ittaperstoasingletriangularscuteperrow.

STEP1DrawSurfaceLinesDrawequallyspacedlinesacrossthesurface.Givethelinesonthesidesasubtlecurvature.

STEP2AddDetailsIntersectthesurfacelineswithhorizontallinestodividethemintosquares.Createanorganicfeelbyscallopingtheedgesofeachsquare.Drawanadditionallinebetweenthesquarestocreatespacebetweeneachscale.Runarowoftriangularscutesalongtheedge,wherethetopandsideofthetailmeet.

FrogAlthoughfrogsaregenerallyconsideredtobelongtothescalycategoryofanthropomorphicanimals,theyhavenoscales.Instead,theyhavesmooth,moistskinsuitedfortheirsemiaquaticamphibianlifestyle.Examplesofanthropomorphicfrogsaboundintheliteratureandpopular

media,suchasMr.ToadfromWindintheWillows,theFrogPrincefromtheBrothersGrimmfairytale,andJimHenson’smostfamousMuppet,KermittheFrog.Thoughouranthrofroghasn’tattaintedthesameleveloffameasthepreviousexamples,let’sgiveherthepoiseandconfidenceofastar,coylymodelingherpondattire.

OutfitConcept1

OutfitConcept2

PoseandFinalDesign

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignMakesomethumbnailsketchestofigureoutyouranthrofrog’sdesign.Fortheoutfit,thinkaboutelementsthatwillhighlightacharacter’sbestfeatureorexpressatheme.Aflowing,semi-translucentdresscapturesthewateryqualitywithoutobscuringherbodylinesandmakesforabreathtakingeffect.Completethelookbyincorporatinglilypadsandlotusflowersintothedesign.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionStartwithacurvinglineofaction.Usingyourthumbnailsketchasreference,sketchherslendertorso.Eventhoughmuchofherbodywillbeobscuredbythedress,it’shelpfultodrawthefullfigureforproperplacementoflimbsandbalance.Forthehead,drawacirclewiththecrosshairstiltingdownward.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesDrawthearmsandlegslongandslender.Makeonearmoutstretchedwithaslightbendattheelbow,fingersgraspingthehemofherdress.Balancethethinnessofherlegswithlarge,webbedfeet.Fillouttheshapeofherheadwithroundcheeks,aprominentbrowandapetite,boxysnout.

STEP4SketchtheClothingLightlysketchthecontoursofherflowingdress.Pullsometensionlinesfromthecollartothepointbetweenherpinchedfingers.Drawtherestofthefabrichangingloose.Then,drawalilypadrestingontopofherheadlikeaberet.

STEP5DrawSurfaceLinesCarefullyerasetheinnerlinesofthebodycoveredbythedress,leavingonlyasubtle,brokenoutline.Detailtheoutfitwithanembroideredlotusflowerandsparklybeadwork.Then,beautifyyourcharmingfrog-ladywithlargeeyesanddarklashes.Don’tforgettoaddwebbingbetweenhertoes.Eraseremainingguidelines.She’sreadyforcolor!

STEP6FinishWithColorFrogscomeinarainbowofcolors,soeitherpickyourfavoriteor,ifyouhaveaparticulartypeoffroginmind,gowithitscolorscheme.Ichoseaclassicfroggygreenforherskinandbluesforheroutfittocontinuethepondmetaphor.Specklewhitehighlightsonherskintomakeitlookmoistandshiny.Togivethedressatranslucentquality,painttheareasoverlappingherbodyadarkershadethantheareaswherethelightshinesthrough.Usealightercoloronthecrestsofthefoldstobringattentiontothetuggingaction.

FROGFEATURES

HeadThefrog’sheadiswiderandflatterthantheothercritterscoveredsofar.Whileyoushouldtrytoretainasmuchoftheshapeaspossibletomakeyourcharacterrecognizableasafrog,you’llalsoneedtomakesomemodificationsinordertoanthropomorphizeit.Trypullingtheeyesmoretowardsthecenter,androundingoutthetopoftheheadtomakespaceforahuman-sizedbrain.Likeeverythingfurrythough,there’smorethanonesolution,sodon’tbeafraidtoexperiment.

STEP1SketchtheBasicShapeSketchaspherewithcrosshairs.Evenunusualheadshapescancomefromabasiccircle.

STEP2DrawtheSnoutDrawashort,boxysnoutextendingfromthehorizontaleyeline.Becarefultokeepthehorizontalandverticaledgesalignedwiththecrosshairs.Usearulertodouble-checkyourangles.

STEP3FillouttheShapeoftheHeadWidentheheadbyaddingroundcheeksonbothsides.Forhereyes,sketchapairoflargeovalsalongthehorizontaleyeline.Thendrawthesurroundingbrow.Finally,sketchthelinesfortheneck.

STEP4AddDetailsFilleacheyewithapupilandhighlight.Darkenthelidlinestonicelyframetheeyesandmakethemthefocalpointofherface.Frogshavelargemouths,sopullthatsmilelinefarbackontheface.Addnostrilstothesnout.Eraseyourguidelines,leavingonlythesmoothcontoursofthehead.

STEP5FinishWithColorSelectcolorsforyourfroghead,andthenapplyalayerofshadowstobringoutitsthree-dimensionalshape.Dappleampleamountsofwhitehighlightsforthatwetskinlook,andshe’sdone!

WebbedFeetFrogsthatspendmuchoftheirtimeinthewaterhavewebbedfeet,anadaptationthathelpsthemswim.Thewebbingitselfisn’tdifficulttodraw(justconnectthethinmembranetotheendofeachtoe),butthetoes—eachaparticularlengthandnumberofjoints—cangettricky,solet’strydrawingafrogfoottogether.

STEP1SketchtheBasicShapeSketcharectangleforthefootbase.Archthebackoftherectangleupwardstocreatetheankleandheel.

STEP2DrawtheToesDividethefrontsectionoftherectangleintofivecircles—oneforeachtoe.Mapthepathofeachtoeusingcircleguidesforjoints.Theinnertwotoesarethesmallestwithonlyonejointeach.Themiddleandoutertoeeachhavetwojointsandthesecondfromtheoutsideisthelongestwiththreejoints.Encapsulatethejointsinspindlyfrogtoes.

STEP3DrawtheWebbingConnecttheinnerendofeachtoewithacurvedlinetocreatethewebbing.Addsomefoldstoindicatetheflexibilityofthemembrane.Darkentheinnercreasesbetweenthetoes.

STEP4AddDetailsErasetheguidelines,leavingacleancontourofthefoot.Refineanddarkenyourlines.Fortexture,addsomelighthatchinglinestothewebbing.

STEP5FinishWithColorStartwithyourbasecolors,thenworkintheshadows.Trytogivethewebbingatranslucentquality.Thisiseasiertoachievebyhavingsomethingbehindthefootshowthroughthemembrane,buttheeffectcanstillbesimulatedbymakingthecolorslessintense.Givethefrogitswetlookbydapplingsmallwhitehighlightsalongtheedgesoftoesandjointsandanywhereelsecatchingthelight.

TriceratopsTriceratopsisanherbivorousdinosaurbestknownbyitsthreefacialhornsandimpressivebonyfrill.Animportantdetailtonote:Triceratops,likemostdinosaurs,walksonhistoeswiththedigitigradeposture.Withitslonghornsandwell-armoredbody,triceratopsisthoughttohave

beencapableofdefendingitselfagainstTyrannosaurusrexattacks.Suchadisplayofbraverymakesouranthrotriceratopsanidealcandidateforknighthood.

BodyProportions

OutfitDesign

PoseIdeas

FinalDesign

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignStartwitharoughsketchofyouranthrotriceratops,sansclothes,toworkouthisbodyproportions(tryforathickandmuscularbuild).Thenthinkabouthisarmorandweapon.Howaboutgivinghimaskull-emblazonedtabard(asleevelesscoatthatisopenonthesides)layeredoverchainmailandaspikedhammer?Finally,brainstormknightlyposesthatportrayhimasstronganddignified.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionStartwithasharplycurvinglineofaction.Thistriceratopsisusinghiswholebodytoswingahammer,soyouwanttodrawhimoff-balancetocreateasenseofmotion.Givethetorsoshapeabroadchest.Sketchasmallcirclefortheheadatopasturdyneck,pullingintheoppositedirectionofthebodytoaddtension.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesUsingbasicshapes,sketchtherestofhisface,includingthebeaklikemuzzle,hornsandbonyfrill.Usearulertohelpalignthehornsandcrestwiththetopofhishead.Next,drawhismusculararmspositionedinmid-swing,burstingwithenergy.Sketchthehandleofthehammertoensureproperhandplacementandfingerspacing.Thendrawthelegs,onefullyextended,andtheotherraised.Youcanincreasethetensionevenmorebydrawingthetailpullingintheoppositedirectionofthehead.

STEP4SketchtheClothingRefertoyourcharacterdesignsketchforinspirationasyoudrawthetriceratops’knightlygarment.Sketchalong,knee-lengthtabardtightlyclingingtohischest,heldinplacewithabeltaroundthewaist.Decoratethetabardwithacoatofarmsorotherimagery,likeagrislytriceratopsskull.Completethebasicshapeofthehammer.Sketchthecontoursofhischainmailarmor.Thendividetheinnerspaceofthemailintoevenrowsofguidelines.

STEP5AddDetailsThechainmailiseasiertoachievethanitlooks;simplysketchrowsofrepeatingCsfollowingyourguidelinestofillthechainmailwithtinyrings.Addsomespikestothehammerandhisbonyfrillfollowingthecurvatureoftheshapes.Drawlight,wobblylinesontheinsideofthehammer’shandletogiveitawoodgrain.Addtextureanddefinitiontohisskinandhornswithhatchinglinesplacedinvalleysandpeaks.Finally,eraseyourguidelinesanddarkenyourlines.

STEP6DrawSurfaceLinesNooneknowsforsurewhatcolorsthetriceratops(ormostotherdinosaurs)mighthavebeen,soit’suptoyoutouseyourimaginationandpickwhatyoulikebest!Iusedarustybrownwithyellowaccentsforhisskinandoutfitandasteelblueforthechainmail.Buildupyourshadowsandhighlights.Thendapplesomeadditionalhighlightsonhisskintosuggestabumpytexture.Nowtakeastepbacktoadmireyourfiercehammer-swingingtriceratopsfromasafedistance!

TRICERATOPSFEATURES

HornsWithanamethatliterallymeans“three-hornedface,”whatwouldatriceratopsbewithoutitshorns?It’sworththeefforttogetthehornslookingjustright!Inthissection,you’llfindtipstohelpyoudrawthem.

STEP1SketchtheBasicShapeStartsimplewithalongconeshape.Theexactcurvatureofthehornvariesfromtriceratopstotriceratops(it’sthoughtthatthehornshapechangedasthetriceratops’aged),butingeneral,tryforaforward-facingshapethattaperstoapoint.

STEP2AddDetailsWhenyou’rehappywiththeshape,youcanaddtexturedetails.Drawsomeverticallinesrunningupthelengthofthehorntoindicategroovesandsurfacestriations.Thenaddafewcurvinglinesaroundthebasetobringouttheroundnessoftheshape.

NoTimeTravelRequired

Forfurtherinspiration,nothingbeatsseeingyouranimalsubjectupclose.Sincedinosaurswentextinctmillionsofyearsago,youwon’tbeabletoseealivingtriceratopswithoutatimemachine,butyoucanstilltakeatriptoanaturalhistorymuseumtostudytheirfossils!

FrontView

SideViewPlacementandDirectionPositionthetriceratops’shornsrightabovetheeyes.Theyshouldpointforwardwithaslightcurvature,whilesplayingoutwardtoeithersideofthehead.Watchyoursymmetrywhendrawingastraight-onview.Whileeachhornneedn’tbeidentical,definitelytrytogetthesameangle.

NeckFrillIt’sunknownwhetherthetriceratopsuseditsbonyneckfrillasashieldtoprotectitsneckandshouldersorasadecorationfordominanceandcourtshiporsomeotherreason.Regardless,it’sanimpressivestructure.

STEP1SketchtheBasicShapeStartbydrawingasphereforthetriceratops’head.Usecrosshairstoindicatefacing.Atthetopofthehead,placeapairofhorns,usinghorizontalguidelinestoalignthetopsandbottoms.Sketcharoughlycircularshapebehindtheheadfortheneckfrill.Findthemidpointalongthetop,anddrawacurvinglinefromthispointtothebacktopofthehead.

STEP2RefinetheShapeDrawtwoadditionalcurvinglinesoneithersideofyourfirstone.Theselinesrepresentthefrill’sridges.Reshapethesideofthefrilltocreatethecheekboneandearopening.Then,addsmalltriangularbonesalongtheedgesofthestructure.Trytodrawthemwithadiscernibledepth.Extendtheedgesofthefrillsoitsurroundsthebaseofeachtinybone.

STEP3AddDetailsEraseyourguidelines.Then,useamixofsketchyandhatchedlinestoexpressthegroovesandridgesinthetriceratops’frillandhorns.Don’tbeafraidtogetalittlebitmessy—anunrulylinehereortherecanaddtexture.

90°PuttingItAllTogetherNoticehowthefrillandhornbasesalignalongasinglediagonalline.Inaddition,theheadhornsemergefromtheheadatapproximatelya90°angle.Keeptheseinmindtohelpwiththeplacementoffeatures.

RaptorThebasisforthisanthroisdeinonychus,atypeofdromaeosaur,betterknownasraptors,viciouspredatorspopularizedinthe1993filmJurassicPark.Sincethen,there’sbeenevidenceindicatingthattheywerecoveredinfeathersinsteadofscales.Deinonychuswalkeddigitigradeontwolegs,eachequippedwithasickle-

shapedkillingclaw.Ouranthroraptorismoreofafun-lovingpartyanimalthanakillingmachine,butevenso,besuretohighlightherdeadlytalonsandsharpteethinyourdrawing.

FaceDesign

BodyProportions

OutfitDesign(tanktopandminiskirt)

PoseIdeas

FinalDesign

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignStartexploringthedesignforyouranthroraptorwiththumbnailsketchesofherfaceandbodyproportions.Fortheoutfit,considerdesignsthatwon’tgetinthewayofthefeathers,likeasleevelessshirt.Thensketchsomelively,energeticposes.Pullallyourfavoriteideastogetherinafinalsketchyoucanuseasreferenceforyourfull-sizedrawing.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionStartwithasharplycurvinglineofaction.Drawthetorsoleaningforwardalongthisline.Indicateyourshoulderandlegattachmentpoints.Thensketchaneckandaddaspherewithcrosshairsforthe

STEP3BuilduptheShapesExtendtheshapeoftheheadwiththemuzzle,cheekandbrowlines.Drawherarmssweepingoutwards.Addherlong,taperingtailheldoutstraightwithaslightcurvaturetosuggestmotion.Drawthelegsbentattheknees,likeshe’sabouttospringintoaction.Useguidelinestolineupthefeetinperspective.Finally,addsharpclawsattheendsofherfingersandtoes,includingonelarge,sickle-shapedclawoneachfoot.

STEP4SketchtheClothingSketchtheclothing,keepingdetailsminimalandfocusingonshape.Drawthepleatsoftheskirtliftingwithherturningmotion.Sketchthepathofthebeltasaflat,paperyshape.Addsomejewelryindicatingmotionthroughtheflitteringnecklacechain.Then,pencilthebasiccontoursofthelargefeathersonherhead,arms,tail

andlegs.Evidencesuggeststhatthedeinonychus’armswerecompletelylinedwithfeathers,likewings,butyoumaywishtousethemasaccents.

STEP5AddDetailsDrawthenostrils,eye,earopeningandpointyteethtocompletetheface.Usingjaggedlines,layersomelightplumagealonghertailandlegs.Sketchsomebreakagestothefeathersonherhead,arms,legsandtailtogivethemaroughertexture.Addsomecreasestotheclothing,especiallyaroundthebendatthewaistand

betweenskirtpleats.Dividethebeltintofourtwistingtassels.Coverherfeetwithscalyplates.Eraseyourguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorDeinonychus’truecolorsareunknownsouseyourimaginationandgowild.Ichoseawarmpaletteofredsandorangesforherplumage,aneutralwhiteandblackforthetopandskirtand,forextraflair,neongreenonthebelt.Buildupyourshadowstoadddepth.Applyhighlightsonherbodyusing

smalldabstocreateafeatherytexture.Finally,addsomestronghighlightstothosedeadlyclawstomakethemlookhardandshiny.

RAPTORFEATURES

TailDeinonychushasalong,stiffenedtailcoveredinfeathersthatitusesforbalance.Don’tletthefeatherdetailsoverwhelmyou!Thekeytodrawingthetailistobuildupthebasicstructurefirstandsavetheplumageforlast.Tailpositionsarelimited.Thetailiscapableofside-to-sideandupanddown

motionsonlyaroundthebase;theendhalfofthetailisrigidduetolockingbonyrodsinthevertebrae.

STEP1DrawtheTailShapeSketchthebasicshapeofthetail,taperingtoapoint.

STEP2SketchGuidelinesSketchsomesurfacelinestoestablishthecurvatureoftheshape.Then,drawalinerunningdownthelengthofthetailtodivideitintoalargetopandsmallerbottomportion.

STEP3AddFeathersFillthetopsideofthetailwithlightplumage,usingquickpencilmarksinajaggedfashion.Don’tjustrandomlydrawlinesanywherethough;makesuretheyflowdownthelength,curvingwiththesurfacelinesyouplacedinthepreviousstep.Then,fromthedividingline,drawthelongertailfeathers.Allowthemtooverlapslightlyastheyextendtowardsthetailtip.

STEP4RefineDetailsContinuefillingintheplumageuntilyou’resatisfied.Formoretexture,addsomebreaksinthefeathersandsomeroughcurvinglinesalongthebottomportion.Eraseanyundesiredstraylines.

STEP5FinishWithColorFillthetailwiththecolorsyou’veselectedforyouranthroraptor’splumage.Usemultiplebright-coloredstrokesdashedinthesamedirectionalongthefeatherstocreatetheappearanceoffeathervanes.Finally,builduptheshadowsandhighlightstomakethosefeathersreallyshine!

FeetDeinonychus’standoutfeatureisthelarge,curvedclawonthesecondtoeofeachfoot,forwhichitwasnamed(deinonychusmeans“terribleclaw”).Thistoearchesupward,whilethetwosmallertoeslayflatforstability.Althoughnotvisiblefromthisangle,there’safourthtoeontheinnersideofthefoot,whichdoesn’tmakecontactwiththeground.Likebird’sfeet,scalyplates,calledscutes,coverdeinonychus’feetfromankletotoe.

STEP1SketchtheBasicShapeSketchtheshapeofthefootinthreesegments.Drawtheheelraisedhighinadigitigradestance.

STEP2BlockintheToesSketchthetwooutertoesofequalsizepressingintothegroundtosupporttheraptor’sweight.Drawthemuchlargertoecurvingupward,offtheground.

STEP3AddClawsDrawclawsextendingfromtheendsofthetoes.Givethelargesttoeanimpressivelysizedsickle-shapedclaw.Addalinedownthemiddleoftheclawtodividethesurfaceintotopandsideareas(usefulforshadingandvisualizingtheoverallshape).

STEP4DetailWithScalesCarefullypencilthescutesonyourraptor’sfoot,followingtheshapecontours.Leavealittlespacebetweeneachsegment.Addsomelightshadingandsketchylinesforaroughertexturedlook.Eraseyourguidelinestofinishthatfoot!

CHAPTER4

MythicalCreaturesFromawe-inspiringdragonstotheelusiveJackalope,mythicalcreaturesspellbinduswiththeirotherworldlylooksandsupernaturalpowers.Someareacombinationofcreatures,likethemajesticgriffin(half-eagle,half-lion),thegentlekirin(ablendofdeer,oxandcarp)andthecuriousXuanwu(asnake-turtle).Othersspringfromindividualanimals,buttwisttheirinspirationinafantasticalway,likethefoxynine-tailedkitsune.Consideringthattheformulaforfurriesalreadyinvolvescombininghumans

andanimals,whynotthrowevenmoreingredientsintothemix?Thischapterisallaboutmovingbeyondthenormsandlettingyourcreativefantasiestakeflight.Youdon’tneedmagictoconjuremythicalanthros.Withthischapterasyourguide,pencils,paintsandimaginationareallyouneedtocreatethestuffoflegends!

QUIESCENTbyKristenPlescow

“Myprocessvariesabitfromdaytoday,butoverallItrytokeepeverythingassimpleaspossible.Foralargeillustrationlikethis,Istartwithlotofsmallerdoodleswithinkandmarkerstogetinthespiritofthingsandtobetterenvisiontheworldaroundthecharacter.Next,ImakeasketchinPhotoshop®andmoveontoaquickunderpainting.OnceI’msatisfiedwiththecompositionandcolorscheme,I’llworkonrefininganddetailfrombacktofront.Idon’tworrytoomuchaboutlayers.IliketomergethemasIgo.OnethingI’velearned—ifyouknowthere’sapartofyourpaintingthat’sgoingtobemoredifficult,always(always)doitfirst.It’llsaveyoualotoffrustrationandrage-quitslateron.”—Kristen

GriffinThegriffin(alsosometimesspelledgriffonorgryphon)isamajesticmythicalbeast,traditionallyportrayedwiththelowertorsoofalionandthehead,talonsandwingsoftheeagle.Regardedasafierce,butnobleprotectorofprecioustreasures,thegriffinappearsinartasapopularsymbolthroughoutWesterncivilization.Whiletherearevariationsonhowtorepresentagriffin,we’llcreateouranthropomorphicversionbasedontheclassicdepiction.

GriffinDesign

PoseIdeas

FinalConcept

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignSketchideasforyourgriffin,exploringwaystocombinetheupperbodyofaneaglewithalion’slegsandtailintoan

appealinganthrodesign.Fortheclothing,consideradesignthatallowsfreedomofmotion,particularlyforherwings.Then,createthumbnailsforenergeticposesthatshowcasethestrengthandferocityofherdual-predatornature.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionWorkingfromyourthumbnailconcept,sketchaforward-curvinglineofaction.Keepinmindthisisalowangleshot,sosketchthebodyasthoughyouarelookingatitfrombelow.Increasethesizeofthelowertorso,asthoughit’sclosertoyoureyes.Inversely,you’llwanttomakethe

headsmallertoindicateit’sfartherawayfromtheviewer.Useguidelinestoalignthehipsandshoulders.

BirdsofaFeather

Ifyou’refeelingadventurous,youcantrysubstitutingthelionwithadifferenttypeoffeline,and/ortheeaglewithanothertypeofbirdtocreateawholeflockofuniquegriffins!Howaboutahummingbird-housecatoranowl-tigergriffin?

STEP3BuilduptheShapesFillouttheshapeoftheheadwithabeak,fluffyfeathersandapairofelongatedfeatheryears.Next,sketchthearmswithgraspinghandslikeabird’stalons.Extendingfromhershoulderblades,drawthe

basicbonestructureofthewings.Drawthelegskickingoutlikeaneagleinahuntingswoop,butwithalion’spaddedfeet.Exaggeratethesizeofthelegclosesttous.Finally,sketchtheliontailtrailingbehindher.

STEP4SketchtheWingsandClothingSketchthebasicshapeofthewingsinthreepartsconsistingoftheprimary,secondaryandscapularfeathers.Layeronthesmallercovertfeathersabovethose.Next,drawhersnug,wraparoundtop.Alongthesideseam,wherethetopfastenstogether,dashseverallinestoindicatethefabrictuggingagainstthetightfastening.Incontrast,sketchtheskirt

loosetohighlightherleapingmotion.Accessorizeheroutfitwithatailbandandopen-toefootwear.

STEP5DefinetheFigureGiveyourgriffinafiercelookwithaglaringeye,loweredbrowandlongclawsonthetipsofherfingersandtoes.Addlargeheart-shapedpadstothebottomofherfeet.Fluffouthercheekandneckwithsoftdownyfeathers.Detailthewingswithindividualfeathers,payingcarefulattentiontooverlapandsize.Finally,refineherclothingwithadditionaldetails,shadingandfolds.Theneraseyourguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorSelectcolorsforyourgriffin.Fortheeaglehalf,usewhitefortheheadplumage,darkbrownforthewings,yellowforthetalonedhandsandforthelionhalf,tawnybrownforthefur.Irenderedtheoutfitwithalightbluetoremindtheviewerofthesky,andcomplementtheearthytonesofherfurandfeathers.Addshadowsandhighlightswithanoverheadlightsourceinmind.Usedeepshadowsontheundersideofherwings,legsandchin.Makethosemetallicbandsshinewithbrighthighlights.

GRIFFINFEATURES

FeatheredWingsWingshavethepowertobestowtheirsubjectwithboththegiftofflightandanawe-inspiringsilhouette.Wingsarealsoundoubtedlyoneofthemorecomplexanimalfeaturesanartistcantackle,butitbecomeseasieronceyouunderstandsomebasicsofwinganatomy.Thissectionsetsouttodemystifythefeatherystructurewithasystematicapproachtohelpyoudrawwingswithconfidence.Notethatwingshapesandspecificsvarybybirdspecies.Forthis

demonstration,we’llbedrawingthesweepingeaglewingsofagriffin.

STEP1SketchtheBoneStructureStartbysketchingthebonesofanopeneaglewingasseenfromthefront/underside.Notethatwhilesimilartoourarmbones,theirhumerusisshorterandtheulnaandradiusarelonger.Sincethewingisultimatelycoatedwithfeathers,youwon’talwaysneedtodepicttheunderstructureinexactingdetail.Foraquickerbuildup,onceyoufeelyouhaveaclearconceptofwinganatomy,youcansubstitutebasictubeshapes,orsimplelinesegments,fortheupperarm,forearmandhandbones.

ABird’s…Arms?

Extended

Folded

Featherscoveringthewingmakeitdifficulttovisualizetheunderlyingstructure.However,ifyouweretopeekbelowthesurface,youwouldfindaskeletalstructurenottoodifferentfromahumanarm!Notehowthewrist,elbowandshouldercorrespondwithjointsonthewing.Thinkingaboutitinthesetermswillenableyoutomoreeasilypositionanddrawwings.

STEP2OutlinetheWingSweepsSketchtheshapeofthewing,dividedintothreesections.Thefarthestsection,spanningthehand,comprisesthebird’sprimaryflightfeathers.Themiddlesection,spanningtheforearm,comprisesthesecondaryflightfeathers.Thethirdsection,spanningtheupperarm,comprisesthetertialfeathers.Representthetendonthatconnectstheshouldertothewristbydrawinganarchinglinealongthetopofthewing.

STEP3SubdividetheWingSectionsSketchapairofarchinglinesineachwingsectiontoblockinthesmallercovertfeathersareas.

STEP4DrawthePrimariesDraweachofthelong,primaryflightfeathers(thebird’s“fingers”)withanotchedshape.Startfromtheendandworkinward,makingsureeachfeatheroverlapsthenext.Noticehowthefeathersspreadopenlikeafan.Therearebetweenninetotwelveprimariestotal,dependingonthespeciesofbird.Thisonehaseleven.

STEP5DrawtheRemainingFeathersContinuingthelayeringpattern,drawthesecondaries.Thesefeathersarebroaderandshorterthantheprimaries,closertogetherandwithnonotch.Then,drawthetertials.Overlaptheprimaries,secondariesandtertialswithseveralrowsofshorter,covertfeathers.Eraseyourguidelinesandrefineyourlinestocompletethedrawing.

TakeitFromtheTop

Thetopside/backofthewingissimilartotheinsidewithtwokeydifferences.Theoverlapisreversed,andthealula(abird’sthumb-likefeathers)arevisible.

DragonDragonsdwellinnumerousmythsandlegendsaroundtheworld.Thoughgenerallyserpentineorreptilianinappearance,specificdragonfeaturesvarywidelydependingtheirculturaloriginandartistpreference.Westerndragonsoftenhaveleatherybat-likewings,theabilitytobreathefireandapenchantfortreasurehoarding.Meanwhile,Easterndragonsarecomparativelylong,slenderandsinuous,withbenevolentdemeanorsandthecapacityforflightwithoutwings.Hornsandscalesaretypicalfordragonsofbothregionsandfeathersandfuraren’ttoouncommon.Ourfeisty,battle-hardenedanthrodragonisinspiredbytheclassicWestern

dragon,butheprefersasharpspearforcombatoverhisbreath-weaponandwouldratherpolishhisarmorthanacollectionofgoldcoins.

HeadConcepts

PoseConcepts

ArmorDesign

FinalPose

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignMakethumbnailsketchesofyouranthrodragon’sdesignandpose.TrytoinjectsomeWesterndragonarroganceintohisexpression.Experimentwithdifferentsnoutsizesandhornconfigurations.Givehimtheleanandmuscularbodyofawarriorandlightlyarmorhimastonotimpedehismotionorflight.Foranimpressiveattackpose,thinkaboutwaystocombineflightwithuseofhislongspear.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionStartwithastronglycurvinglineofaction.Sketchasquarishuppertorsoasseenfromthebackandattachittoasideviewofthehipstogivehimatwistingpose.Drawtheheadusingasmallspheretoemphasizehislargeframe.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesDrawthearmswithamuscularphysique,pullingupinanticipationofthrustingdownwardwithhisspear.Properlyalignhishandsbysketchingthemontoasegmentofthespearhandle.Completetheshapeofhisheadbydrawinghisbrow,snout,cheeks,earsandhorns.Drawthebonysegmentsofhiswingsextendingfromhisshoulderblades.Drawhistailwhippingbehindhim,usingsurfacelinestofeelouttheshape.Finally,drawthelegsfollowingthecurvatureofthelineofaction.

STEP4SketchtheArmorandWingsDrawthesolidformsofhisthigh,armandlegarmor.Givethemasenseofthicknessandspacebynotdrawingthemflushwiththebody.Considerhowthemetalplatesattachtoeachotherandthebody,anddrawtheappropriatestraps.Completethetopandbottomofthespear(Ifreehandedittogiveitalivelycurvature;youmayprefertousearuler).Finishthewingshapebyjoiningthewingboneswithaleatherymembrane.Addsomefoldlineswherethewingpullstaut.

STEP5DetailtheFigureSketchapairofglaringeyes,lookingoverhisshoulder.Then,drawacrestalongthelengthofhistail.Lightlysketchclustersofhalfcirclesonhisbodytosuggestascalytexture.Showevidenceofhisnumeroushard-wonbattlesbyaddingtearsandholesinhiswingsandusehatchinglinestodentandscorehisarmor.Tightenyourlineworkanderaseanyguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorSelectacolorpaletteforyouranthrodragon.Beingcreaturesoffantasy,therearenocorrectcolors.However,youcanusecolortohintatadragon’spowers.Forexample,redsuggestsfire-breathingcapabilities,whileblueorwhitemightindicateice-breathing.Afterblockinginyourbasecolors,determineyourlightsourceandbuildupyourshadowsandhighlights.Addstrongwhitehighlightstomakethatarmorshine!

DRAGONFEATURES

LeatherWingsThebonymembranouswingsofthehumblebatfamilyserveasthebasisforthedragon’spowerfulandimpressiveimplementsofflight.However,ascreaturesofmagic,thesizeofadragon’swingislargelyirrelevanttotheirairborneabilitiesandmoreamatterofyourpersonalpreference.Atinywingcanbeacuteaccent,whileawinglargerthantheirentirebodycanbeanimpressivesightindeed.Alwaysconsiderwhatbestsuitsthecharacter.

We’reNotsoDifferent

Likeabirdwing,theunderlyingbonestructureofabatwingisquitesimilartoahumanarm.Notethefivefingers(includingathumb),armbonesandshoulder.Notethatthetop2fingersareclosetogether,almostlikeasingleunit,in

batwings.Youmaywishtocombinethemtogether,orspacethemfartherapartforyourdragon.

STEP1SketchtheBasicStructureDrawthewingarmusingbasictubeshapes.Captheendwithapointythumb.Fromthewrist,extendfourbranchinglinestoplanapathforthelongfingerbones.Addcirclestoeachofthefingerstoindicateprominentknucklejoints(use

curvedguidelinestohelpyoualignthejoints).

STEP2ShapetheFingersFleshouttheshapeofthefingersbetweeneachknucklebump.Thenerasetheunderlyingpathguidelines.

STEP3DrawtheWingMembraneDrawacurvedarchconnectingeachfingertip.Addanotherarchfromthewristtotheshoulder.Anchorthewingbydrawingalongarchfromfinger5tothedragon’sback.Sketchsomefoldlinesatpointsoftensioninthemembrane,likearoundthefingertips.

STEP4AddDetailsEraseyourguidelinesandrefineyourlines.Sketchadditionalhorizontalfoldsalongthemembranetoincreasethesenseofthewingstretchingopen.Addsomelightshadingandhatchlinesfortexture.

STEP5FinishWithColorPickandapplythebasecolors.Typically,theinnerwingmembranehasadifferentcolorthanthearmportion.Iusedadarkredforthearmandorangeforthemembrane,mixedwithpinksandpurplestogiveitatranslucentappearance.Addshadowsandhighlightstobringoutthefoldsofthewing.

GettingAttached

Forwingedanthroswithaprimarysetofarms,wingsgenerallyattachtotheshoulderblades.(Foranthrosinwhichthewingsaretheirarms,thewingswouldextenddirectlyfromtheshoulderjoints.)Themembranecaneitheranchortotheirtorso,asshownhere,orcurveuptoconnectwiththewingboneitself.

KirinThekirinisamythicalcreatureofEasternorigin,sometimesreferredtoastheJapaneseunicornduetothesinglehorngrowingfromitsforehead.Ithasthebodyofadeer,clovenhooves,thetailofanoxandthescalesofafishordragon.Wiseandpowerful,thekirinmovesthroughnatureasabenevolentforce,treadingsosoftlyonlandastonottoharmasinglebladeofgrassandwalkingonwaterwithoutcreatingtheslightestrippleofdisturbance.Liketherestofherkind,thisgentleanthrokirinlovesnatureandsolitude.

Livingdeepwithinanenchantedwood,shewatchesoveritsinhabitants,butfewhaveeverseenher.Thelengthofherhairandhornmarkhermanyyears.

HeadConcept

AntlerDesign

OutfitDesign

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignSketchideasforyourkirin’sdesign.Giveconsiderableattentiontothefaceandeyes—capturingthelookofcalmserenityisthekeytohercharacter.Also,considertheshapeandbranchingpathofhersingleantler.Keeptheoutfitsimpleandmodesttoplacethefocusonherlong,flowinghair.Thenmakesomethumbnailsketchesofherpose,agracefulwalkthroughherforest.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionStartwithgentlysweepinglineofaction.Drawasphereforthehead,usingcrosshairstoindicateadownwardtilt.Then,sketchhertorso,slightandnarrow.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesDrawthekirin’slegsandhoofedfeetinawalkingstance.Centertherightfootbeneathhertorsotoprovidebalanceforthebodyinmotion.Giveheroxtailastrongbaseandcurveitfollowingthelineofaction.Next,drawherdaintyarmsandhands.Sketchthestemoftheflowertohelppositionherfingers.Finally,fillouttheshapeofherfacewithaslendermuzzle,cheeks,alertdeerearsandanimpressiveantlerbranchingfromherforehead.

STEP4SketchtheOutfitandHairDrawasimplegown,drapingoffoneshoulderandbeltedatthewaist.Keepthefoldsminimal.Then,startingfromthehead,planthepathofherlong,flowinghair.Forbestresults,approachthehairinsections,focusingonvolume,notindividualstrands.Givethehairafloaty,weightlessqualitytohintathermagicalpowers.Addaflowerinherhand.

STEP5DetailtheFigureDevelopthehairwithadditionallinesandhatches,followingtheflowwithineachsection.Refinetheantlershapewithbumpsandgrooves.Addapairofsofteyebrowsandclosedeyeswithheavylashes.SketchsomeinterlockingU-shapedscalesalongherlegs.Theneraseyourguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorSelectcolorsforyourkirin.Somelegendsdescribethekirinashavinganimpressivefive-colorpeltofred,yellow,blue,whiteandblack.Inotherstories,thekirinhasgreenscalesandayellowunderbelly.Ichosewhite,blueandgoldtocreateatranquilandmagicalmood.Applyshadowsandhighlightswithasoftdiffuseapproach.Evokeaglowyandmajesticfeelwithminimalcontrastbetweencolors.

JackalopeAwhimsicalchimera-typecritterofNorthAmericanfolklore,thejackalopecombinesthebodyofthejackrabbitwithantelopehorns(ordeerantlers).Shyandelusive,itusesitsquickrabbitreflexestostayoutofsight,andisthesubjectofmanysillyclaims,suchasthemedicinalpowersofjackalopemilk.Usedtohisbuddiesmakingupridiculousstoriesabouthim,Jackhereisa

laid-backfellow,solet’sdrawhiminarelaxedpose.Thestep-by-stepprocessofdrawingacharacterrecliningorseatedissimilartodrawingacharacterstanding.Thebiggestdifferenceisthatwithmostofthebodytouchingtheground,balanceislessofanissue.

Head,AntlersandHairDesign

OutfitDesign

Proportions

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignSketchdesignideasforyouranthrojackalope.Decidewhetheryouprefertogivethejackalopeitsnamesakeantelopehorns,orthemorecommonlyuseddeerantlersseenhere.Givehimatracksuitandaccessorieslikeaslingshoulderbag,perfectattireforhison-the-golifestyle.Thenmakesomethumbnailsofrelaxedposesandpickyourfavorite.

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionStartwithahorizontallineofactiontodepicttherecliningpose.Drawthejackalope’storsocurvingalongthispath.Tolifthimselfuponhiselbows,he’sflexinghisabdominalmuscles,socrunchtheleftsideofhiswaistwhilestretchingtheright.Thensketchtheheadandneckoverlappingtheshoulderarea.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesFillouttheshapeofhisfacewithroundedcheeksandmuzzle.Drawhislongearsnarrowatthebase.Positiontheantlersinfrontoftheearsanduseguidelinestoalignthem.Sketchthearmswiththeweightrestingontheelbows.Thendrawthelegsendinginlarge,plantigradebunnyfeet.

STEP4SketchtheOutfitDrawthepantsandlong-sleevedjacketlooselyaroundthecontoursofhisbody.Sketchthelegandarmcuffshangingdownwiththeforceofgravity.Thendrawthebagslungaroundhischest.Addtensionbygivingthebagstrapastrongpulllineintheback.

STEP5DetailtheFigureGiveJackapensiveexpressionbydrawingtheeyeswithloweredlids,pursedlipsandaneutralbrow.Addanosetotheendofhismuzzle.Fluffuphisheadwithearfur,antlerfuzzandafauxhawkhairstyle.Drawafewpronouncedfoldsaroundthebendsinthebody,suchashiswaistandarmandlegnooks.Drawtheinnerdetailsoftheclothing,likethestitchingandzippercurvinganddippingwiththefolds.Eraseyourguidelinesandaddsomepencilshadingintheshadowareastobringoutthedepth.

STEP6FinishWithColorJackrabbitsaretypicallyearthycolorslikebrownandtan,butsincethisJackisanantlered-rabbitoflegend,youcanuseunusualcolors,likeblueororange,toplayupthefantasyangle.Balanceboldaccentcolorswithlargeareasofneutraltones.Useneutraltansonthepantsandfurandgreen,orangeandyellowforthejacket.Next,determinethelocationofyourlightsourceandaddshadowsandhighlights.Foranicefinishingtouch,groundhimwithadropshadow.

KIRINANDJACKALOPEFEATURES

ClovenHoovesAclovenhoofislikeatypicalhorsehoof,butsplitintotwosections.Animalswithclovenhoovesareknownas“two-toed”ungulatesandincludedeer,goats,pigs,giraffesandfantasycreatures,likethekirin.Thehoofitselfisathickprotectivelayerofkeratin,likeourfingernails,thatsurroundsandprotectstheanimal’stoes.

STEP1SketchtheLegShapeUsingbasictubeshapes,sketchthelegsinanunguligradestancewiththeweightplacedonthehooves.Captheendofeach

footwithaconical-shapedhoofbutdon’tworryaboutthesplittoeyet.Useguidelinestoalignthelegsegments.

STEP2SplittheHoovesandAddDewclawsCleavealinedownthecenterofeachhooftotransformitintoaclovenhoof.Next,addapairofnub-shapeddewclawstothebackofthefoot(onlyvisiblefromsideandbackviews).

STEP3AddDetailsAddindentationlinesforthekneecapandanklebones.Indicatealightcoveringoffuronthelegswithsomehatchlines.Theneraseyourguidelines.Usepencilshadingtogivethehoovesahard,shinysurfacequality.

LittleDewDrops

Onthebackofthefoot,youcanseeapairofsmall,rudimentaryhoofscalledthedewclaws.Withfewexceptions(suchasthegiraffe),mostcloven-hoofedanimalshavethem.

AntlersAntlersarebonyoutgrowthsontheheadsofmostdeerspecies(typicallythemales,butsometimesfemales),aswellasfancifulcreatureswithdeerfeatures,likethekirinandjackalope.Theshapeoftheantlersvaryfromround,pointy,flatandbroadwithsimpletocomplexbranchingdependingonthespeciesofdeeranditsage.

STEP1DeterminePlacementSketchaspherewithcrosshairsforthehead.Then,lightlysketchapairofcircles,equallyspacedontheforehead,tosettheoriginpointfortheantlers.Forsingle-antleredcreatures,likethekirin,placethecircleonthecenteroftheforehead.

STEP2MaptheAntler’sPathPlanthedesignoftheantlersasasimplelinedpath.Antlerdesignscanrangefromsimpletoelaborate,multi-branchingarrangements.Whileyourantlersneednotbeperfectlysymmetrical,striveforbalanceinthedesign.

STEP3DrawtheAntlersFollowingthepathyoudevised,fillouttheshapeoftheantlers.Thenerasetheunderlyingpath.Usesurfacelinesandoverlappingbranchestogiveitathree-dimensionalfeel.Double-checkyourworkwithguidelinestoensurethatthecorrespondingtipsofeachantleralign.

SeeingDouble

Whileasingleantlermaynotpresenttoomuchdifficultywithitstube-likeform,antlerstypicallycomeinpairs,makingsymmetrytherealchallenge.

form,antlerstypicallycomeinpairs,makingsymmetrytherealchallenge.Forextrahelp,trymimickingyourdesiredantlershapewithyourhandsandposeinthemirrortoobservehowyourfingerbranchessymmetricallybendandcurve.

STEP4AddDetailsandColorPartiallyerasethesurfacelinestoallowforaclearflowthroughtheinterioroftheform,whileleavingsomeoverlap.Usepencilshading,hatchlinesandcolorstriationstogivetheantlersabonytexture.

KitsuneThemischievouskitsuneisamulti-tailedmythicalfoxfromEasternfolklorethatpossessesgreatwisdomandmagicalpowers,suchasshape-shifting.Astheyage,theygainadditionaltailsandsupernaturalabilities.Whentheygrowtheirninthtail,theirfurturnsagoldensheenandtheybecomekyuubinokitsune(literally,nine-tailedfox).Everthetrickster,thisanthrokitsunepresentsachallengetodrawhernine

twistingtailswithoutsuccumbingtoconfusion.Avoidmistakesbydrawingthemsystematically,oneatatime.You’llovercomehernightmarishtestandpossessabeautifulkitsunedrawingattheend,too.

AccessoriesinDetail

KimonoDesigns

KimonoDesign

EyeDesign

PoseandOutfit

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignSketchideasforyourkitsune’sdesign,likesomeshiftyeyestohintatherdeviousdispositionandalitheposebrimming

withfoxyspirit.DressheringarbinspiredbyJapanesekimono.Tocreateauniquelook,don’tbeafraidtostrayfromtraditionalstyle.Forexample,trycuttingoffthesleeves,combiningwitharuffledskirtorincorporatingamodernpattern.Havefunwithit!

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionSketchaS-curvedlineofaction.Drawthetorsotiltingforward,ribcagefromasideview,likethethumbnailpose.Sketchaspherefortheheadwithaneyelineindicatingadownwardtilt.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesFillouttheheadshapewithlargetriangularears,fluffycheeksandapointyfoxsnout.Drawthearms,withtheleftcomingouttowardus,andtherightdiminishingintothedistance.Thendrawthelegsinaspringyrun,followingthetiltofthelineofaction.Sketcheachtailshapestartingfromthebaseofthespineandpuffingout.Arrangetheminabalancedfashionwiththetoptailsoverlappingthelowertails.Toreduceconfusion,youmaywishtonumberthetailsanderaseoverlappedportionsofthetailsasyouwork.

STEP4SketchtheOutfitPencilthesleevelesskimonoovertheshapeofherbodywithminimalfoldsorcurves.Wrapanobibeltaroundherwaist,thenlayeronaccessorieslikewristbands,getasandals,tiesandbells.Finishthelookwithacuteribbonaroundthebaseofhertails.

STEP5DetailtheFigureDetailthekitsune’sfacewithasmirkandaslygaze.Giveherasculptedhairstyle;shadetheundersidetoshowvolume.Suggestafurrybodytexturebydrawingsmalljaggededgesinselectplaces,suchasherelbows,cheeks,innerear,heel,shouldersandespeciallyhernumeroustails.Refinetheoutfitdetails,addingbraidingonthebelt,andsubtlefoldsinthefabric.Don’tforgetclawsonherfingersandtoes.Eraseyourguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorThefurcolorofanine-tailedkitsuneiswhiteorgolden,whilekitsunewithfewertailsaretypicallyfox-colored(red,gray,black,white,etc.).Onceyou’vesettledonthefurcolor,selectcomplementarycolorsforheroutfit.Addshadowsandhighlights.Usejaggedstrokestobringoutthefurtexture.Finally,paintadesignonthekimono.Payattentiontotheplayoflight,shadowandshapetointegratethedetailsintotheoutfit.

XuanwuTheBlackTortoiseoftheNorth,Xuanwu(alsoknownasGenbu),isoneofthefourguardianbeastsbasedonconstellationsinChineseastrology.Xuanwurepresentsthenorth,theelementofwaterandthewinterseason.Thecelestialguardianisdepictedasacombinationofaturtleandsnake,usuallyintheformofatortoisewithasnake’stail,atortoisewithacompletesnakeforatail,asnakecoiledaroundatortoiseoratortoisebodywithasnake’sheadandtail.It’ssaidthattwoheadsarebetterthanone,sowhynotgivethesnakea

prominentroleinyouranthroversionofXuanwu?Thoughtheycanbechallenging,multi-characterpicturespresentopportunitiesforfreshposesthroughcharacterinteraction.Takeeyecontactintoconsiderationandifthere’sphysicalcontact,makesureit’sspatiallypossible.

XuanwuWithSnakeTail

DesignConcept

OutfitandPoseConcept

FinishedConcept

STEP1BrainstormCharacterDesignDosomethumbnailsketchesforyouranthroXuanwu’sdesignandpose.Explorewaystocombinethetortoiseandsnakefigures.Oneapproachistodrawhimwithalongsnake’stail,butlet’sgiveouranthroafullsnakecompanion.Thinkabouthowthetortoiseandsnakemightinteract:Dotheycooperate,ordoesthesnakethrowdeadlyhissyfits?

STEP2SketchtheBodyPositionStartwithalineofactionwithanice,subtlecurve.Drawasphereforthehead.Usecrosshairstoindicateanuptiltposition.

Drawathicktorsosegmentedlikeaturtle’splastron(lowershell)scutes.

STEP3BuilduptheShapesDrawastubbybeak,cheeksandbrowtofillouttheshapeofXuanwu’sturtleface.Sketchaturtleshellaffixedtohisback.Thendrawhissnake-tail,startingatthebaseofhisspine,loopingaroundhisbodyandfinallypullingforwardtooverlaphisshoulderwithitshead.Leaveenoughroominsidethesnake’scoilsforhisturtletorsotofit.SketchXuanwu’sarmsinteractingwiththeserpenttail,cuppingthesnake’sfaceinhisrighthandandrestinghislefthandonthecoil.Finally,drawhislegsinasturdy,widegait.

Finally,drawhislegsinasturdy,widegait.

STEP4SketchtheOutfitWithFengShuiFlowDressXuanwuinhiswarriorgarb;billowypantssecuredbyawidewaistband,armandlegarmorandasash.Withastationaryposelikethis,actionisminimal,solookforwaystocreateflowthroughtheplacementofdetails.Forexample,drawasashdiagonallyacrossthechest,andaddacurvingfoldtothecenterofthepantstoleadtheeyefromhisrightfoottohisface(andbackagainthroughthebodyofthesnake).

STEP5DetailtheFigureFillinXuanwu’sturtleandsnakefacialfeatures(eyes,mouths,nostrils).Givethesnakeaflickingtongue.Coverthesnakewithdiamond-shapedscales,youjustneedenoughtosuggesttexture.Addlargerflatscalestothesnake’sbelly.Detailtheridgeoftheturtleshellandaddsomehornyscutes.Drawclawsonhisfingersandtoes.Refinethedetailsoftheclothing,theneraseyourguidelines.

STEP6FinishWithColorAshisnamesuggests,Xuanwu(whichmeans“blackwarrior”)istraditionallydepictedindarktones.Iusedblackforhisshellandclaws,anddarkgreenforthebody.Heneedn’tbecompletelydevoidofcolor,however;tryshadesofplum,cherryblossomandjadeontheoutfittoaddvibrancy.Then,buildupyourshadowsandhighlights.Forthefinishingblow,workinsometextureto

XUANWUFEATURES

TurtleShellMadeofbonyplates,theshellshieldsitsturtleortortoiseownerfromtheelementsandfrompredators.Thecharacteristicsoftheshelldependonthespeciesandcanrangefromsoftandleatherytohardandspiny,flattohigh-domed.Colors,numberofscutesandpatterncomplexityalsovary.Studyphotoreferencesofyourtargetturtleforinspirationonthedetails.Turtlescannotslipoutoftheirshellsliketheydoincartoons.Theshellisan

integralpartoftheirskeletalanatomy,fusedwiththespineandribs.However,forthesakeofclarityinthisdemonstration,we’veomittedtheturtleresidenttofocusontheshellitself.

TurtleinaHalfShellIthelpstothinkoftheshellasaneggcutinhalf.

STEP1SketchtheBasicShapeSketchtheupperhalfoftheturtleshell,calledthecarapace,asahalf-eggshapeddome.

STEP2AddthePlastronShapeSketchanovalforthelowershell,knownastheplastron,floatinginfrontofthecarapace.Leaveenoughspaceforyouranthroturtle’sarms,legs,headandtail.Sketchamiddlesectiontoconnectthehalves.Thendividetheplastronwithalinedownthecenter.

STEP3RefinetheShapeAddanouterridgetothecarapace.Detailthefrontoftheplastronwithbonyscutessculptedintoachest-likeshape.Youcanstylizethescutestosuggesthumanpectoralandabdominalmusclesorstickwithamoretraditionalturtlepattern.

Scuteslikeahumanchest

Typicalturtlescutepattern

STEP4DetailtheShellEraseanyguidelinesandrefineyourlinework.Dividethecarapaceandridgeintoscutes,followingthecurvatureoftheform.Fortexture,addsomehatchlines.Togivetheshellagreatersenseofdepth,lightlyshadetheinteriorwithyourpencil.Atthispoint,youcanconsideryourturtleshelldrawingcompleteifyou’regoingforasimple,smoothdesign.

STEP5AddSpikesSometurtles,likethealligatorsnappingturtle,havespikyraisedscutesontheirback.Tocreatethelook,extrudethescutesintoaseriesofpyramids.Thenerasetheoriginalscutes.

STEP6FinishWithColorCommonturtleshellcolorsaremutedbrown,blackorgreentones.Applysomeblotchytextures.Then,buildupyourshadows.Addhighlightstogiveitanice,glossysheen.

HybridFurriesLikethechimeraofGreekmythology(acreaturemadeofgoat,serpentandlionparts),ahybridfurrycombinesphysicaltraitsfromtwoormoreanimalspecies.Ifyouthinkaboutit,afurryisalreadyahybrid,somakingahybridfurryissimplytakingitonestepfurtherbymixinginmultipleanimals.Extraanimalsaddcomplexity,butthebenefitisthatyou’remorelikelytocreateauniquenewcharacter.There’shundredsofwolfanthros,buthowmanyzebra-stripedpig-tigersarethere?

THESTUFFOFLEGENDSYou’vealreadydrawnanumberofhybridfurries,likethegriffin(lion-eagle),thekirin(deer-ox-carp)andthejackalope(jackrabbit-antelope).Therearenumerousotherexamplesfrommythology,suchasthedream-devouringbakufromEasternfolklore,anightmarishblendofelephant,bear,goat,oxandrhinoceros;thewingedhorsePegasusandthefish-horsehippocampofGreekmythology.Butyourhybridanthrosneednotbelimitedtotheclassics.Therealfuncomesfromthinkingupyourownchimericlegends!

ONEOFAKINDInspirationforyourhybridanthrocancomefromanywhere!Inadditiontocombiningtwoormoremammals,birds,insects,reptiles,amphibiansorfishtogetherwithyourhumanbase,alsoconsidernonspecificfeatures,likeextrahorns,wingsortails.Addingmultiple,outrageouscolorsorinfusingyourcreationwithpatterns,symbolsorinterestingmotifslikeflowers,fruits,seasons(winter,spring…)orelements(fire,ice…)canfurthercontributetotheiroriginality.

InspiredbyNature

Whencombiningtwoanimalspeciestogether,youmightjuststumbleupononethatactuallyexistsinnature!Takeforexample,theprizzly,acrossbreedofthepolarbearandgrizzlybear.Otherexamplesofhybridoffspringincludethemulefromadonkeyandhorse;theligerfromalionandtigerandthecoydogfromacoyoteanddog.Suchhybridstypicallyonlyhappenbetweencloselyrelatedspeciesandeventhenarerare,sodon’texpecttofindareal-lifeequivalentforyourbutterfly-panda.

BearflyonHere’sanexampleofacombinationbear-butterfly-lionhybrid.Thebearistheprimarybase,comprisingherfaceandbody.Thelioncomesthroughthetailandneckruffandthebutterflythroughthewings.

TryIt!

Timetogetcreative!Thinkoftwoorthreeofyourfavoriteanimals,and

Timetogetcreative!Thinkoftwoorthreeofyourfavoriteanimals,andcombinethemtomakeanewfurry.Beforeyoustart,considerwhichanimalisthebaseandwhichtouseforsecondaryfeatures.

BlueAuraMeetBonnii’sfantasydeer-felinehybrid,Aura,acheerylittlecreaturewhosebluefurspots,hornsandclawsglowinthedarkorwhensheishappy.IllustratedbyJenniferLynnGoodpasterVallet(a.k.a.CookieHana).

TigerTaurExampleofaFelitaur,aspeciesoftaurconsistingofthelowerbodyofabigcatcombinedwithananthrocattorso.IllustratedbyDenise“Doornob”Beaubien.

Adifferentkindofhybridfurrythatcombinestheuppertorsoofahumanoranthroanimal,withthebodyofanonanthropomorphicanimal,taursoriginatefromthecentaursofGreekmythology(creatureswiththeuppertorsoofamanandthelowerbodyofahorse).Mosttaursarequadrupeds,butadditionallegsornoneatall(snake-bodiedcreaturesliketheNaga),arenotuncommon.

BUILDINGASCENE

Part1:DevelopinganIdeaBynow,youshouldbecomfortabledrawinganthropomorphiccharactersinavarietyofdifferentposes.Ifyou’rereadytostartthinkingaboutthebigpicture,integratingbackgroundscanenrichyourartwork,andturnastaticcharacterdesignintoascenethattellsthestory.There’salottothinkaboutincreatingascene,fromcharacterinteractionto

backgroundsandperspective.Don’tworry!Inthismulti-partdemonstration,we’llwalkyouthroughtheentireprocess,step-by-step,frombasicideatopolishedcolors.

THEFIVEWSWho,what,where,when,whyandhow:thefiveWs(andoneH)ofjournalismapplytoillustration.Yourcharactersarethewho,theiractionsarethewhatandwhy,settingisthewhereandwhen,andthewayyoucomposethisinformationintoanillustrationisthehow.Whileallfiveareimportant,youdon’tneedtoapproachtheminaparticularorder.Inspirationforanillustrationmightstemfromacharacterdesign,atheme,astoryideaorevenalocation.StartfromthereandusethefiveWslikeachecklisttohelpyoutransformyourideaintoafullyroundedpicture.

WHOWhoarethecharactersinyourscene?Thinkabouttheirpersonalityandbackstory:Whataretheylike?Whatislifelikeforthem?What’simportanttothem?Considertheirappearanceanddosomeexploratorysketchestofeeloutyourcharacters.Keepitlooseanddon’tworryaboutperfection;anatomyandposearen’timportantatthisstage.

WHEREWheredoesyourscenetakeplace?Indoorsoroutdoors?Iseverythingnewandpristine,wellwornanddecrepit?Also,considerprops.Gatherreferencephotosanddosomeexploratorysketchestoworkoutthe

details.Youmayalsowanttosketcharoughfloorplantohelppositioncharactersandobjects.

WHENWhendoesyourscenehappen:presentday,thefuture,thepast?Morning,afternoon,night?Season?Whendeterminesthelookofasetting,thelighting,shadows,seasonalcolorsandeventhetypesofclothingyourcharactersarewearing(e.g.,warmclothesinwinterormodernclothesinapresent-daysetting).

WHATANDWHYWhatthecharactersaredoinginthesceneandwhythey’redoingitdefinesthecharacters’motivationfortheiractions.Thiscanbeassimpleasacharacterliftingthelanterntoilluminateamap,orascomplexasacharacterschemingforworldconquest.Thinkabouthowbesttoposeeachcharacter,makingfulluseofbodylanguageandfacialexpressionstoclearlycommunicatetheintendedaction.

ANDHOW!It’stimetodonthedirector’shatandconsiderthebestangle,framingandpositioningforyourcharactersandthescene.Sketchyourcompositionideasinthumbnailformwhilekeepinginmindyourgoalsforthedrawing.Keepsketchinguntilyou’resatisfied—puttingtheworkinnowensuresthatyou’llendupwithapictureyoulove.

SnowLeopardAwayFromHomeShelefthersnowymountainstoestablishherselfonthehighseas.Somehow,throughaseriesofmisadventures,shebecamenotjustthecaptainofherownship,butapirateaswell.Thesesketchesexplorethedesignandno-nonsensedemeanorofourleadcharacter.

HogwithaHiddenMotiveThisill-temperedfirstmatedoeshisfairshareofworkontheship,buthe’sjustwaitingfortherighttimetosnatchthetreasure.Letsomeofhissurlinessshowthroughinhisexpressions.Igavehimastoutbuild,andleftoffthehairinhisfinaldesignforatoughguylook.

SwashbucklingPiggySkilledinswordplayandfullofpep,thisonedidn’tfitthescene,soIreplacedherwithanothercharacter.Don’tbeafraidtoabandonasketchthatisn’tworking.Youdon’thavetouseeverycharacteryoucreate.

CalicoCabinBoyHejoinedthecrewafterfallingheadoverheelsforthecaptain.Good-naturedbuttimid,he’sdecidedlynotpiratematerial.Accentuatehiscutenessbyrenderinghimwithwideeyes,aleanbuildandabandana.

TreasureHunt

Thesesketchesofobjectsareforascenewithinthecaptain’sroomonapirateshipandincludelanterndesigns,acatskullemblemandbanner,atreasuremap,acompass,jewelsandcoins.

ThumbnailCompositions

CloseStudyThisfinishedcompositionsketchshowsthecaptainlookingoverhertreasuremapwiththefirstmatewhilethehelpfulcabinboycastsalightonthescene.Thisisanightscene,sothecharactersmustrelyonthesmalllanternastheirprimarylightsource.

Part2:PuttingThingsinPerspectiveUsingatechniquecalledlinearperspective,it’spossibletorepresentourthree-dimensionalworldaccuratelyonaflat,two-dimensionalpieceofpaper.Linearperspectiveisimportantforillustratingscenes,bothfordrawingthebackgroundandpositioningcharacterswithinit.Thetechnicalaspectsofperspectivemakeitconfusingandfrustratingtograspatfirst,butifyoustickwithit,you’llhaveapowerfultoolforenhancingtheillusionofdepthinyourdrawings.Inthissection,we’llgooverthebasicsoflinearperspectiveandthenshow

youhowtoapplyittoyourillustration.

ELEMENTSOFLINEARPERSPECTIVEThethreetypesoflinearperspectiveyou’llcommonlyencounterareone-,two-orthree-point(basedonthenumberofvanishingpointsrequired).Alltypesconsistofthefollowingcomponents:

Horizonline:ahorizontallinerepresentingtheeyeleveloftheviewerPerspectivelines:linesthatconvergeatapointonthehorizonVanishingpoints:pointsonthehorizonatwhichperspectivelinesconverge

One-PointPerspectiveWhendrawinganobject,likethiscube,inanimagewhereyoucanseeitsfrontfaceandoneofitssides,useone-pointperspective.Diminishtheobject’ssidefaceintothedistancebydrawingtheconverginglinestoasinglevanishingpointonthehorizon.Iftherewereotherobjectsintheimage,you’dusethesamevanishingpointforthem.Forthecube’sfrontface,drawthetopandbottomlinesparalleltothehorizonandtheverticallinesperpendicular.

Two-PointPerspectiveUsetwoperspectivepointstorealisticallydepictanobject’sdepthwhenviewedfromslightlyaskewangles.Drawtheleftsideofanobjectrecedingtoapointontheleftandtherightsidetoapointontheright.

Three-PointPerspectiveInthree-pointperspective,alllinesconvergetoavanishingpoint.Three-pointperspectiveisusefulforgivingyourpictureadramaticfeelbyemphasizingheight.Startwithtwovanishingpointsonthehorizon,andthenaddathirdpointeitheraboveorbelowthehorizon.Three-pointperspectiveisalsocalledbird’s-eyeview(whenthethirdvanishingpointislow),orworm’s-eyeview(whenit’shigh).

STEP1EstablishthePerspectiveStudyyourthumbnailcompositiontodetermineifitcallsforone,two,orthree-pointperspective.One-pointperspectiveworkswellfortightindoorsceneslikethisshipcabininterior.Sometimeselementsinyoursketchwillofferclues.Here,thewoodfloorandceilinglinespointtoasinglevanishingpointonahorizonlineinthecenterofthedrawing.

STEP2BlockintheBackgroundOnafreshsheetofpaper,drawthehorizonlineandclearlymarkyourvanishingpoint.(Iliketocircleitsoitdoesn’tgetlost.)Blockinthebackwalloftheroomusinghorizontalandverticallines.Tosuggestashipinterior,drawtheverticallinesofthesidewallwithagentleslant.Keeptheangleconsistentforthewindowframesandwoodpanelsalongthatwall.Pullallconverginglinestothevanishingpoint.Forthefloorboards,startfromthebackwallandusearulertomarktheequaldistancebetweenboards.Thenalignyourrulerwiththevanishingpointandextrudethelines.

STEP3ContinuetoBuilduptheBackgroundDrawtheceilingboardsthesamewayyoudidthefloorboards.Then,sketchanXoneachwindowframetofindthecenter,anddrawaperspectivelinethroughit.Usingtheouterframeastheguideforconsistency,sculptthetopofeachwindowintoadomeshape.Nowlet’sfurnishtheroomwithafewobjects.Sketchsomeboxesofvaryingsizesanddrawtheconverginglinestothevanishingpoint.Trystackingaboxontopofanotherbox.Tocreatethestartofabarrelshape,repeattheXtrickanddrawacircularbase.

Part3:DrawingInthissection,you’lldevelopyourroughperspectivelinesintoadetailedbackground,thenbuildupyourcharactersandforegroundelementstocreateafullyrealizedscene.

STEP1DetailtheBackgroundDrawthewindowframewithequallyspacedglasspanesrecedingintothewall.Elaborateonthewoodpanelingandaddahangingkitty-pirateflagtodecoratethebarewalls.Adddetailtoyourboxestotransformthemintopirate-themedgoods,likebarrelsandchests.Withthebasicstructureinplace,setasidetherulerandfreehandthelinesofyourbackgroundtogiveitanorganiclook.Allowyourpencilalittlewobbletoaddimperfectionsandwarpingontheboardsandwoodgrain.

STEP2BlockintheCharactersSketchinglightly,blockintheforegroundtableandcharactersintheirapproximatepositions.Ifyou’reconcernedaboutmessingupyourbackgroundart,sketchthemonanoverlaidsheetoftracingpaper.Atthisstage,keepyourlinesroughandloose.Focusonformandpose,workingupfrombasicshapes.Keepinmindthatthevanishingpointyouusedonthebackgroundalsoappliestocharactersandtheobjectstheyareholding.

STEP3RefinetheCharactersBeforetighteningyourdrawing,checkyourroughsketchbyputtingituptoamirror.Lookingatyourdrawinginreversecanhelpyouspotmistakes.Makeanynecessaryadjustmentstoimprovevisualfloworotherproblems(Iincreasedthepig’sheightandbulk,andredrewthesnowleopard’sbodyandleftarm).Thenrefinethecharacter’sfiguresand

expressions.

STEP4FinishCharactersandForegroundDetailsWorkingthroughonecharacteratatime,adddetailsusingyourdesignsketchesforinspiration.Givethecabinboyadaggerandlamp.Drawthesnowleopard’svest,bowandwavyhair.Cleanupthelinesonthepig.Addfurtexturetothefelines.Don’tforgettodrawthepiratemapandotherobjectsonthetable.Tightenyourlinesanderaseanyguidelinesorstraymarks.

STEP5CompletetheDrawingUnifyyourcharacterswiththebackground(ifyoudrewthemseparately).Thendoanynecessarytweakingtogetthelevelofdetailconsistentbetweenthebackgroundandcharacterart.Eraseyourvanishingpointandanyperspectivelines.Finally,cropyourpictureifnecessarytofityouroriginalplannedcompositionandframing.It’sreadyforcolor!

Part4:ColoringInthissection,you’llcolorandfinishyourillustration,startingwithchoosingmoodcolors,determiningthelightsource,buildingupshadowsandhighlightsandendingwiththefinishingtouches!

STEP1BlockinColorsDecideonacolorschemetosetthemoodandtime.Becausethisnighttimesceneinvolvespiratesdiscussinghiddentreasure,Ichosecoolbluesforthebackgroundandwarmredsandyellowsintheareasilluminatedbythelantern.Forthecharacters,Iusedspecies-specificcolors:silverygrayforthesnow

leopard,aruddybrownforthepigandorange,whiteandblackforthecalicocat.Withalargeillustrationlikethis,youmaywishtoexperimentwithacoupleofdifferentcolorschemesonaduplicateofyourdrawing.Onceyou’resatisfied,filltheareasofyourpicturewithyourchosenbasecolortones.

STEP2BuildupShadowsandHighlightsDeterminethelightsource.Withonlynightskyanddeepoceanbeyondthewindows,thesolelightinthesceneisthelantern.Deepenyourshadowsintheareasdevoidoflight,suchasunderthetable,the

backwall,behindwoodenbeamsandthecharacters’backs.Worksomeredsintothebackgroundtoaddwarmthandhelpunifyitwiththeforeground.Useayellowhuematchingtheglowofthelamptobrightenareasmostexposedtothelight.

STEP3RefineandBlendColorsWorkingfrombackgroundtoforeground,refineyourcolorsonesectionatatime.Increaseshadowsandhighlightsinthedarkestandbrightestareas.Addtexturedetails,suchasgrainonthewoodandfrostedglosstotheglasspanes.Paintoveranycolorsspillingoutsideoflines.

THARBETREASUREbyLindsayCibos

STEP4AddFinishingTouchesMakefinalrefinementstothecharactersandforegroundelements.Spendsomeextratimepolishingthecharacter’sfaces,a

focalpointoftheillustration.Puffupthecalico’ssleeveswithsomeyellowhighlights.Addsomeredstothebackofthepig’sshirt(indicatingreflectedlight).Givethesnowleopardhersignaturerosettes,takingcaretoshapethefurpatterntoherbodycontours.Applymorehighlightstothemetallicobjects,likethedaggerhandle,coinsandcompass,togivethemalustrousshine.

AbouttheAuthorsLindsayCibosandJaredHodgesareanartisticduospecializinginillustrationsandsequentialart.Theyarethecreatorsofthegraphicnoveltrilogy,PeachFuzz.LindsayandJaredhavealsoauthoredseveralarttutorialbooks,includingIMPACT’sDrawFurries:HowtoCreateAnthropomorphicandFantasyAnimals,recipientofthe2009UrsaMajorAwardforBestOtherLiteraryWork.TheycurrentlyresideinsunnycentralFlorida.Visitthemonthewebatwww.jaredandlindsay.com!Youcanreadtheirnewestcomicseries,TheLastofthePolarBears,atlastpolarbears.com.

AcknowledgmentsWewouldliketoexpressourgratitudeto:

Ourfamiliesfortheirloveandsupport.EveryoneatF+WMedia,inparticularPamelaWissman,oureditorVanessaWieland,forherinsightsandencouragementandAmandaKleimanforbeautifullyarrangingourartandwordsintobookform.IllustratorsKellyHamilton,KaceyMiyagami,KristenPlescowandNimraisfortheiroutstandingworkonthechapteropeners.ArtistsDeniseBeaubienandCookiehana,andphotographerHeatherQuevedo,fortheirpermissiontoincludetheirlovelyworkinthisbook.SarahElkins,forbeingatremendoushelpbypreppingartfilesduringthefinalstretch.Thefurrycommunityfortheirsupportandenthusiasmfortheproject.ReadersofDrawFurriesfortheirinvaluablefeedback,whichultimatelyledtothecreationofthisfollow-upbook.Andaveryspecialthankstoyou!

AFinalWordofAdviceItisoursincerehopethatthisbookhelpstoinspireyouandprovideyouwithafoundationtocreateyourownanthropomorphiccharacters.Don’tbediscouragedifyourfirstattemptsdon’tcomeoutthewayyoupicturedtheminyourhead.Proficiencywiththepencildoesn’thappenovernight.However,wepromisethatifyoukeepdrawing,youreffortswillberewarded.Practicemakesperfect,sostartasketchbookandsetasidetimeeverydaytodrawsomefurries!Goodluck!

DrawMoreFurries.Copyright©2012byLindsayCibosandJaredHodges.Allrightsreserved.NopartofthiseBookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeansincludinginformationstorageandretrievalsystemswithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquotebriefpassagesinareview.PublishedbyIMPACTBooks,animprintofF+WMedia,Inc.,10151CarverRoad,Suite200,BlueAsh,OH45242.(800)289-0963.FirstEdition.OtherfineIMPACTproductsareavailablefromyourlocalbookstore,artsupplystoreoronlinesupplier.Visitourwebsiteatfwmedia.com.eISBN:9781440314797Thise-bookedition:November2012(v.1.0)

Draw More Furries: How to Create Anthropomorphic Fantasy Creatures

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