foxide @pawb.social Professional .NET dev (VS Code), amateur furry artist (Paint.NET) and IDM/braindance producer (OpenMPT)
Thank you for the wise observations and compliments! It's kind of a relief to hear from someone else that what's in isn't too much, feedback like that is really important for a functional piece like this, and most artists would likely just skim-read and either miss details or never tell if they think it's too much trouble to bother reading it all.
I like your idea of creating a proper character bio/character sheet though, there's probably enough lore or canon or whatever you'd call it that I could do a third part even, with all of that. Things like life history, countries lived in, current living arrangements, lifestyle, what a typical day looks like etc. Thanks for prompting that line of thinking!
Cyan Thornclaw refsheet - pt1 done!
I'm so proud of this! It's taken months of work on and off, but I'm very satisfied!
There are a few things still that I wanted to add to this that there wasn't enough space for, There's probably too much and enough to cause information overload as is! So I prioritized what an artist might find most helpful to see, or what could reduce mistakes by omission.
There will indeed be a second part to this, including additional outfits, variations of them and more plus hopefully the stuff I wanted to put on this sheet but couldn't fit. That's a while off though, I've got a queue of colored sketches to complete and which needs to take priority.
Thank you! I actually have an old Huion tablet I tried with, but everything I made with it just looked kind of... Bad. However, last time I tried that was years ago so maybe the problem was my ability to diagnose and fix mistakes, or I just didn't stick with any piece long enough for it to get into a state that looked anything like correct.
Thank you so much! 💙 it just strikes a sweet spot for me between complexity and simplicty, it has nearly all the more advanced stuff I need without being overwhelming. Also there's just something about the way its brush tool works that really clicks with me whereas my lines in other software I've tried like Krita just look ugly even with about the same settings.
Been working on a new refsheet!
I present to you, my fursona Cyan Thornclaw! I've been working on this since about November IIRC. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time as I did make a refsheet way back years ago, but it's not really anything like what I imagine for the character anymore.
The refsheet as a whole is far from finished and still WIP, but I think it's worth showing off the front and back after many iterations, and with them being close to done and of course they will be the central elements of the refsheet.
I did it unclothed and added the clothes after, but would rather upload the clothed version as that's how they're more likely to be seen! Cyan's also pretty vanilla as far as markings go, so there's not that much to see underneath, aside from some curves 😳
I put an absurd amount of time into trying to match the proportions on the front and back and keep everything aligned, this also breaks the record for the largest image dimensions I've worked with, each side is on a 3959x6714 canvas, all made with the usual Paint.NET and trusty mouse.
This also shows off the overall aesthetic I'm going for, I tried to replicate the old metalheart 3D render aesthetic in a Garry's Mod map screenshot (since I can't do 3D modelling lol), and combine it with bold colors that inspired by Designers' Republic stuff. Seems to work so far, but time will tell if it looks too busy or loud when I include everything else in the ref - right now I'm not even sure what that will be.
Background-focused Vent Art
In late 2023, I visited a person who is very special to me in another country. I created this in 2024 after it became clear we would never be together for the long term.
In the past I'd never have even dared to try making this idea a reality, but with the way I felt at the time, I didn't care. It became cathartic to work on for a while, and I could've added more detail, but it got to a point where I just wanted to be done with it.
Thanks for the advice. I get it and I agree, paw-like hands can look better in many cases, but every time I've tried to draw them rather than hands it just ends up not looking right too, or not really fitting in with the style of the piece given I lean towards more detailed and "realistic" body proportions. Well, there is one exception, a kemono style thing I nearly finished from earlier this year, the only time I've been able to make something look good in such a style!
I've done as many personal as commission things this year, but haven't been sure about posting them here, so not neglecting creating for its own sake.
I had a quick look through your posts, I'd consider it though will likely need to ask you for more details on any of your characters I draw if I get around to it. Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
Thank you! Keep practicing and one day you'll probably be better than me, I don't get enough practice! Try not to compare yourself to other artists too much since that can be disheartening, and realistically there will probably always be artists better than both of us, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Don't give up, skeleton!
Love your username by the way, it certainly brings back bad memories 🤣😭
Handsome Zoroark 👀 Halfbody colored sketch gift
Colored sketch gift for a Zoroark friend! His left hand took forever for me to get looking something like correct aughhh! But practice is practice.
I'm considering offering the same kind of half-body sketch for free soon, as long as what's asked for isn't too outrageously complex. Let me know if you'd be interested. Just don't expect it to be done too fast, considering the time of year, and I'd be working on it parallel to my day job and a new refsheet for my fursona.
Oh my god, thank you for such a positive comment! It's very validating to have such an aspect of some work approved by another artist, thanks! And I'm glad you like how the character turned out in it. I hope when you try it in your own art you'll be pleased with the results!
Bust Commission - Otter
Another bust commission I did earlier this year! Got lots of unfinished stuff cooking but among that, trying to get down a colored sketch style that I can put stuff out quicker with, then I hope to offer requests to you fine folks once I have that nailed. Y'all are the most supportive community I've found anywhere and 100% deserve it 😭❤
Thank you! I hadn't seriously considered doing more with this style but perhaps I should offer commissions for it, it's a lot faster to work with than my usual style 🤔
Thanks for the thoughtful feedback! Perhaps I've found my niche...
Threw out most of what I've learned making furry art to make this!
And it took around an hour, the fastest I've gone from blank canvas to completed piece in probably ever. Needless to say it's very messy when you look beyond the surface level, but I think it works even though going against typical advice.
Thanks! I've done a headshot commission or two since then I think, got another fullbody of a twist on my character and a refsheet for someone else unfinished (it wasn't paid so no one is being ripped off).
The biggest obstacles to more are burnout and having to do wage slavery because none of my efforts to escape it have worked out. The AI "revolution" being poised to put everyone out of every job that isn't scrubbing toilets for pennies doesn't help with motivation!
The last fullbody art I did!
This is a commission I took from a friend of a friend! I can see mistakes in it these days, but it's still one of the better and more refined, completed pieces I've made!
Request clarification on CW re NSFW
So I've read the CoC Content Warning policy in the announcements community and wanted to make sure of something to avoid making a mistake in my first post. In 5.1.1, there is: >Any NSFW content, including real or artistic (digital or otherwise), must be behind a content warning message. NSFW content includes, but is not limited to: nudity, sex, kink, and the discussion of such.
To be absolutely clear, should furry nudity absent of any, ahem, "parts" on display be tagged NSFW?