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Working on a personal fursona (part 1)
12 years ago
I'm working on creating and detailing a fursona (‘sona), so I've created this journal to keep notes about his description. I try to keep this journal up to date as his design develops, it is current as of Dec 2015.
Character appearance design goals:
Starting point – golden jackal (canis aureus), based on my username [note that this was before golden jackals were split into two species].
Flexibility for artist interpretation – I’m detail oriented so make sure to provide enough flexibility that I can be comfortable with how different artists show him without obsessing over getting every detail exactly right in every drawing (particularly the leg/foot design, which tends to vary by artist, and whether he has wings, which are a specialized skill to draw realistically).
Recognizable – Despite offering some artistic flexibility, he should be reasonably easy to recognize and identify by some particular characteristics.
Unique – The character should be unique enough to avoid being confused with Anubis or an existing character or ‘sona.
Adaptable – Fits in a wide variety of settings.
Enjoyable – I need to be happy with the design.
Comfortable – Tends to help avoid unwanted sexually oriented roleplay comments.
Auric “Starstryder”
Species: Jackal Gryphon (or Simuran) - golden jackal / avian hybrid [canis aureus / buteo rufinus = golden jackal / long-legged buzzard(hawk), which technically makes him a canine gryphon even though he doesn't normally have an avian head, http://www.furaffinity.net/full/5907606/ although the term "simuran" may be more appropriate than gryphon since it refers to a winged wolf or dog]
Gender: male (in anthro forms he has the hip and shoulder structure of a male)
Apparent age: mature, perhaps 30-40 years old
Build: rangy (slender, long limbed, slightly athletic build), about 6' tall [1.82m] in bipedal form, or 6'6" [2m] to tips of ears, about 145-155lbs [65-70kg] (not including wings) with little body fat
Form(s): Several variations are possible/acceptable, this allows some artistic license, helps avoid excessive worrying over details, and should provide a version that will fit into most any furry setting. In his own setting his base form is plantigrade and winged but he can shapechange and/or disguise himself with illusion so any of this range of forms or variations of them are possible, though his size/mass isn't intended to change much (20% at most):
-- 1) "Jackal Scholar" - In calm/scholarly/non-magical settings, he is often a golden-furred plantigrade bipedal humanoid with a jackal-like head and no apparent tail, though he may have a small tail that is unseen under clothing (this is his most ‘human’ form, it looks like a classical Anubis but fully furred, with colors and head that are more realistic for a golden jackal; it also tends to be a bit more muscular than the other forms since it doesn't have wings, though even at his most muscular he'd look more like Bruce Lee than a bodybuilder). Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/13736956/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14099150/
-- 2a) "Canine Angel" - When wings are appropriate and acceptable, he appears with real or illusory feathered wings (a somewhat angelic looking golden jackal, this is his base form in his home setting where he is a strong and agile flyer with the aid of magic and can just barely glide without it). Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11738898/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14708953/
-- 2b) "Wingless Digitigrade" - This is just the "Typical Furry" form without wings. Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14084135/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14225090/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/15278425/
-- 3) "Typical Furry" - In action/combat settings he is often digitigrade and winged, with a fairly unique hybrid furry/feather tail (this is his most ‘furry’ form and will probably be the most common for artwork, it looks like a golden jackal/gryphon mix that favors the jackal). Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14224641/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/15165547/
-- 4) "Anthro-Gryphon (Anthro-Simuran)" - He can appear as a bipedal jackal/gryphon mix, with a jackal-like head and either normal hands or scaled bird-like hands (this anthro-gryphon form is a transition between ‘furry’ and ‘gryphon’). Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12196591/ and the middle form in: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12907780/
-- 5) "Jackal Simuran" - He occasionally appears as a slim quadruped jackal/hawk gryphon but usually retains his jackal-like head unless a full avian head is needed for the setting; due to the thin build and mammalian face this form looks like something between a gryphon and a furry dragon of the feathered variety (this is his most ‘feral’ form and the most ‘realistic’ for flying since it has a deep chest with realistic wing muscles). A winged feral canine body like this is sometimes called a "simuran", based on old Slavic legends. Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14968765/ , http://www.furaffinity.net/full/15223231/ , http://www.furaffinity.net/full/15223527/ and the far right form in: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14107549/
-- 6) "Jackal Gryphon" - Traditional quadrupedal gryphon configuration, with head and forequarters from a Long-legged Buzzard and hindquarters (and ears) from a golden jackal. Example: the top center-left sketch on: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/13494944/ (but Auric's furry tail tends to remain jackal-like as shown here http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13494765/ , rather than becoming lion-like as shown in that sketch). Here are a couple of other general reference drawings of thin canine gryphons: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/10820183/ Old Ferr reference - by Chickenzaur , and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/6181114/ Kiriban - Orange04 - by merystic
-- Note that the numbers are not intended to indicate five distinct forms but rather a scale of 1 to 5 from plantigrade jackal to quadruped gryphon.
Overall appearance: either somewhat angelic or somewhat avian/gryphonic; slender and sometimes perhaps almost delicate but he does have some muscle
Demeanor: serious, scholarly, quiet, introverted, tolerant, a bit remote/detached but overall helpful and caring (should generally keep with his somewhat angelic theme). He is low key and isn't comfortable in high profile roles. He tends to be quiet among large groups but can be talkative about some subjects when one on one or in small groups. He enjoys martial arts as a hobby but isn't a warrior by nature and prefers to avoid physical conflict (in a military setting of any era his most likely role would be tactical adviser or intelligence analyst).
Expression: often calm, serene, contemplative or focused; occasionally enlightened or detached (snarling anger or sexy come-ons would be out of character). Auric's ears and tail can be used to help convey emotions, but he tends to have fairly reserved facial expressions (think of a Buddhist Monk or a Star Trek Vulcan, though I only mention Vulcan because it is a fairly common reference for reserved expressions, not because it is the best example. If you watch anime, there often seems to be a character who is calm, mature and serious and doesn't normally have excessive expressions, one of those characters would be a better example.) [some example possible expressions: calm/serene/meditative, calm/focused/scholarly, talkative/scholarly/lecturing, combat/focused/calculating, curious/inquisitive, sad, sly]
Rating: PG/clean/tame/SFW, avoid adult poses and situations (if unclothed no adult-rated bits show due to longer fur or downy coverlet feathers covering strategic areas, a natural ‘fig leaf’ nude style often used for werewolves)
General note:
- In general Auric should appear fairly civilized, rather than tribal or a were. That affects several things, like his erect posture (in anthro forms, including digitigrade), having fairly human shaped hands (though with fur, pads, and claws), and wearing clothes made of cloth. Those civilized characteristics are part of why many viewers tend to associate Auric with Egypt, though he's not specifically Egyptian. The particular clothing he wore on his original refsheet also enhanced that idea of 'Egyptian', so I'm trying to move away from that loincloth/kilt and give him different clothing (culture and time period can vary).
- Auric proportion notes: Height of ears is same as distance from 'chin' (bottom of skull) to top of head. Length of wing 'hand' (the back of the 'wrist' to the tip of the longest primary feather) ideally should be no longer than the distance from throat to instep (aprox 5' or 60"); it can be smaller, particularly when his wings are more symbolic or are not in active use; at an absolute maximum it can be up to the distance from the bottom of his foot to the tip of his ear (which can look good depending on the pose and other details).
Head: As typical for jackals, his head shape has a less-prominent forehead than a wolf, with a long, narrow, tapered muzzle and tall triangular ears [it should be more realistic than exaggerated/stylized, though it can tend slightly towards the styled Anuibian shape to help identify him as a jackal]. Note that the lack of a well defined brow ridge is one of the ways to tell the difference between a wolf/dog and a coyote or jackal; I don’t mind if Auric sometimes ends up looking like a wolf but I’m trying to avoid it in drawings that others will use for reference. His throat has relatively short fur (even when his headfur is drawn as a mane), and he can have a visible Adam's apple (optional).
Eyes: His eyes tend to be almond shaped and slightly slanted, they should show a bit of white (sclera) around the iris, more than a dog but not as much a human eye.
Eyebrows: In artwork, depending on an artist's style he can either be drawn with eyebrows or he can have lighter colored patches above his eyes that can be used to help express emotions. In general the more realistic the style gets the less noticeable his eyebrow markings will be.
Ears: The ears are realistically sized, not exceptionally large or tall; their base is slightly narrower than their height and they are just slightly taller than the rest of his head. They can be purely triangular or have a slightly Anubian shape (straight inner edge/curved outer edge) but should never have ribbed Anubian interiors. They are furred and have a group of three tiny coverlet feathers on the back tips that give them a slightly scalloped look, like a gryphon’s ear tufts. His ear design is sketched here: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11457646/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11535569/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11738898/ (Auric 1, 2, and 3, by Skyler-Ragnarok). The range for the height of his ears is http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12093603/ at the shortest to http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11535569/ at the tallest.
Fur/Feathers: He is fully furred/feathered except for foot/toe pads and palms/fingers (which are typically bare in his plantigrade forms and have pads in his digitigrade "Typical Furry" form). He has short fur with a 'mane' of somewhat longer fur from his forehead to base of his neck and a triangular tuft over his breastbone which barely meets with his neck mane at the tops of his shoulders. The length of the longer fur varies by season. When the headfur/hair on the top of his head is long he might have bangs but I prefer his headfur without bangs. Parts of the ruff/mane/chest tuft may be somewhat downy/feathery, particularly in his digitigrade and gryphon forms (this sort of feathery mantle is a common look for gryphons) though note that his face, cheeks and throat are furry, not downy/feathery. His cheeks have longer fur than his muzzle which helps to define the shape of his face. While his nipples are not in the area covered by the chest tuft, the normal shorter fur is enough to cover them and his stomach fur can be short enough to show musculature or long enough to completely conceal his physique.
Nipples and navel: Yes he has them but they're typically hidden by his short chest fur, though there might be a hint of the navel. In general, it is probably only worth showing his navel if he is being shown with faint 'six pack abs' that can be seen through his fur, which is not necessary.
Hands/Feet: He most commonly has 5 slender fingers and 4 canine toes (but can easily be changed to fit an artist's preferred style). In all forms his palms/fingers are typically bare but they can have pads when his overall look is more ‘furry’, the typical hand pad pattern can be seen here: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12475301/ . His plantigrade forms can have either 5 human toes or 4 canine toes (with pads, including a heel pad), while his digitigrade forms almost always have 4 toed canine feet with pads (the ‘foot’ below the ankle isn’t excessively long or thin). He doesn't normally have a dewclaw but it is acceptable. He may have slim curved cat-like or bird-like claws on fingers and toes (generally only displayed in combat/action poses or gryphon forms). His gryphon forms usually have 4 fingered, scaled, bird-like forepaws and 4 toed canine hindpaws.
Tail: The length and details of his tail vary by form, each longer length builds on the look of the shorter ones: His plantigrade forms have a tiny V-shaped tail of coverlet feathers that is typically under clothing, it looks like a feathery triangular loincloth (just enough to provide modesty). His digitigrade forms typically have a hybrid furry/feathery tail with a diamond-shaped patch of downy/feathery detail (with a ^ shape on the top of the diamond and a V shape at the bottom of the diamond) at the top of the base of a jackal-like furry tail which reaches between his knee and heel and has a slightly darker (but not black) tip; it may also have some short tail feathers angling down from the triangular patch, not extending below the knee and leaving an inverted V-shaped notch in the center of the tail feathers for the furry tail. When flying he will have a gryphon-like hybrid tail that has a triangular base of coverlets and a birdlike fan of tail feathers (actually a bit Archaeopteryx-like) with a notch for a furry tail in the center (like the digitigrade form tail but with more and larger feathers). Here are my initial sketches of the tail design: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11470354/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11470444/ and here is a more developmental sketch http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12817347/ and here is he tail refsheet http://www.furaffinity.net/full/13494765/ (my gryphon lineart commission from Nami Jarrett was the starting point for the tail design but isn't canine and doesn't have the 'notch': http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11237990/). The purpose of the ‘notch’ in the tail feathers is mainly esthetic, it makes the character more unique and it allows the lower part of the furry tail to be positioned anywhere above or below the feather tail; it also allows the furry tail to be drawn as visible from most any angle rather than being hidden by the feather tail from some angles. Note that the hybrid tail is not two tails (a bird "fan-tail" above a furry canid tail); it is a single tail that is about halfway between the "frond-tail" of an Archaeopteryx and the "fan-tail" of a modern bird, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx and look in the Plumage section. Here are good examples of his tail: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/17814159/ (Auric by Rokito), http://www.furaffinity.net/full/18236558/ (Shanku and Auric, Construction ), http://www.furaffinity.net/full/18235919/ (Shanku and Auric, Halloween 2015).
Wings: When spread the wings have the overall shape of a buteo hawk/buzzard (thanks to Korpinkorva (Aurin) for helping me with this). The trailing edge of the wing is fairly straight when spread for soaring, the inner wing above the 'hand' is fairly rectangular in shape with secondaries pointing straight backward/downward, while the 'hand' portion is swept back (tapers) somewhat along the leading edge and has distinctly 'notched' primary feather tips. [If getting very detailed, there should be about 22 long primary/secondary feathers per side and from a bottom/chest viewpoint the outboard feathers overlap the more inboard ones on the inboard side which hides about 1/3 of the feather adjacent to it.] In his gryphon and anthro-gryphon forms the wings have the elegant pattern of a pale/rufous morph Long-legged buzzard(hawk), as shown here: http://www.arkive.org/long-legged-b.....ge-G53117.html and http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/long-l.....-flight-photos and they can be shown either this way or they can be simplified to monochrome (or di/tri-chrome) and unmarked in his plantigrade and digitigrade forms. If it helps when working on Auric's feather pattern, it is actually a lot like a red-tailed hawk (a similar buteo) but with more golden colors and more subtle/faint 'bars'; here's a nice painting of a red-tailed hawk wing pattern: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14282133/
Clothing: Depending on the setting, he could be dressed as a tribal shaman, fantasy wizard/mage, desert nomad, monk, scholar, explorer, or scientist. The most common themes are medieval fantasy roleplaying, ancient Egyptian, Arabic or Asian though modern or sci-fi clothing are a possibility. In general the more active the pose the lesser (and more practical) the clothing; he would typically be dressed in layers that can be shed as activity increases so if he is lightly clothed he is either active or cooling down from activity or in private/at home. Consequently his plantigrade forms will usually be wearing more clothing than his digitigrade form or gryphon form. His outfit can be any color but he tends to dress in subtle shades of the same color rather than contrasting colors. He can be comfortable in most anything from primitive tribal gear to an ornate noble's outfit but is satisfied with a fairly simple outfit and is not comfortable in armor. Here are some examples of clothing outfits he could be wearing: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14465936/ or see the 'fashion roadtrip' series which starts with http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14225234/
Jewelry:
-- 1) Coutal armband (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couatl): a gold armband shaped like a feathered snake with small wings makes 2 coils around his upper left arm, its head at the top pointing forward and the feathered tail tip at the bottom pointing backwards. [a coiled snake armband is a common Egyptian theme but the feathers/wings are intended to make it look more fantasy, more ‘good’, and make it unique enough to identify the character by it]. Here are some sketches of the armband: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12200974/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12217197/
-- 2) Amulet: he may have a smooth, oval-shaped, thumb-sized amulet/gem on his upper chest, it can be shown as either an amulet with a cord (that could be mostly hidden under fur) or a gem actually in his breastbone, though it may be completely covered by the ruff of longer chest fur; the gem color can change and if visible it should typically match the mood of the setting; Here is a link to my own initial concept drawing of what the amulet looks like up close: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11886539/
-- 3) Earrings (one pair): he may be wearing a single tiny round gold stud earring at the base of each ear (easily hidden by fur) but no other earrings; unlike many furry jackals he does not have multiple earrings in each ear.
-- 4) Ring: he can be wearing a plain gold finger ring on any finger of his right hand.
Items: He may optionally have some of the following items: scroll case, small pouch, and possibly a sheathed dagger. In a fantasy or historic setting he may be carrying a book or tome. In a high tech setting he'll have an earpiece in one ear, the scroll case (and/or tome) is replaced with a computer of some appropriate sort (data pad, tricorder, etc.) and if necessary he might be carrying a small weapon appropriate for the setting.
Note on symbols: I have decided to try to avoid using any known symbols (Egyptian or otherwise) like the ankh, or the Udjat/Eye of Horus, or the Egyptian sun disk; however designs that hint at existing symbols are ok. If it helps, note that Auric is more of a fantasy roleplaying character than specifically Egyptian so any jewelry/clothing/equipment he has can have a bit of a fantasy RPG illustration feel to it (perhaps an Egypt/Asia that might have been), like what I did with the armband by giving it feathers. An Egyptian themed high tech look like Stargate would probably work as well, though I don’t want to take anything directly from Stargate.
Coloring: Mostly warm golden hues, though the flight feathers are white with dark gray bars and tips. Cream to golden yellow to tawny, lighter on chest and blending smoothly to golden sides and back. These photos of real animals are a good starting point for colors:
--Golden Jackal photos: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11452073/
--Long-Legged Buzzard photos: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/long-l.....-flight-photos , http://www.arkive.org/long-legged-b.....ge-G54556.html , http://www.arkive.org/long-legged-b.....ge-G53117.html , http://dominicsfieldpics.blogspot.c.....rrier-and.html
--here is an example back/dorsal view of the wings: http://www.arkive.org/long-legged-b.....ge-G51745.html
--facial pattern may need work but use this real jackal as a starting point: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11452073/
--nose and paw pads are brown (possibly with a slight reddish or coppery tint)
--claws, if present, are colored similarly to the paw pads or may be any shade of gold
--"magic", if present, does not have to be a specific color but yellow like the sun would be the most common, red like the rising/setting sun, or green or blue for contrast with his fur are also good choices. Multicolored or swirling colors is also a good option.
To make this journal shorter, I've put links to references and some ideas for future drawings of Auric into a separate journal: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5042941/
That's all for now.
Character appearance design goals:
Starting point – golden jackal (canis aureus), based on my username [note that this was before golden jackals were split into two species].
Flexibility for artist interpretation – I’m detail oriented so make sure to provide enough flexibility that I can be comfortable with how different artists show him without obsessing over getting every detail exactly right in every drawing (particularly the leg/foot design, which tends to vary by artist, and whether he has wings, which are a specialized skill to draw realistically).
Recognizable – Despite offering some artistic flexibility, he should be reasonably easy to recognize and identify by some particular characteristics.
Unique – The character should be unique enough to avoid being confused with Anubis or an existing character or ‘sona.
Adaptable – Fits in a wide variety of settings.
Enjoyable – I need to be happy with the design.
Comfortable – Tends to help avoid unwanted sexually oriented roleplay comments.
Auric “Starstryder”
Species: Jackal Gryphon (or Simuran) - golden jackal / avian hybrid [canis aureus / buteo rufinus = golden jackal / long-legged buzzard(hawk), which technically makes him a canine gryphon even though he doesn't normally have an avian head, http://www.furaffinity.net/full/5907606/ although the term "simuran" may be more appropriate than gryphon since it refers to a winged wolf or dog]
Gender: male (in anthro forms he has the hip and shoulder structure of a male)
Apparent age: mature, perhaps 30-40 years old
Build: rangy (slender, long limbed, slightly athletic build), about 6' tall [1.82m] in bipedal form, or 6'6" [2m] to tips of ears, about 145-155lbs [65-70kg] (not including wings) with little body fat
Form(s): Several variations are possible/acceptable, this allows some artistic license, helps avoid excessive worrying over details, and should provide a version that will fit into most any furry setting. In his own setting his base form is plantigrade and winged but he can shapechange and/or disguise himself with illusion so any of this range of forms or variations of them are possible, though his size/mass isn't intended to change much (20% at most):
-- 1) "Jackal Scholar" - In calm/scholarly/non-magical settings, he is often a golden-furred plantigrade bipedal humanoid with a jackal-like head and no apparent tail, though he may have a small tail that is unseen under clothing (this is his most ‘human’ form, it looks like a classical Anubis but fully furred, with colors and head that are more realistic for a golden jackal; it also tends to be a bit more muscular than the other forms since it doesn't have wings, though even at his most muscular he'd look more like Bruce Lee than a bodybuilder). Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/13736956/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14099150/
-- 2a) "Canine Angel" - When wings are appropriate and acceptable, he appears with real or illusory feathered wings (a somewhat angelic looking golden jackal, this is his base form in his home setting where he is a strong and agile flyer with the aid of magic and can just barely glide without it). Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11738898/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14708953/
-- 2b) "Wingless Digitigrade" - This is just the "Typical Furry" form without wings. Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14084135/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14225090/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/15278425/
-- 3) "Typical Furry" - In action/combat settings he is often digitigrade and winged, with a fairly unique hybrid furry/feather tail (this is his most ‘furry’ form and will probably be the most common for artwork, it looks like a golden jackal/gryphon mix that favors the jackal). Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14224641/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/15165547/
-- 4) "Anthro-Gryphon (Anthro-Simuran)" - He can appear as a bipedal jackal/gryphon mix, with a jackal-like head and either normal hands or scaled bird-like hands (this anthro-gryphon form is a transition between ‘furry’ and ‘gryphon’). Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12196591/ and the middle form in: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12907780/
-- 5) "Jackal Simuran" - He occasionally appears as a slim quadruped jackal/hawk gryphon but usually retains his jackal-like head unless a full avian head is needed for the setting; due to the thin build and mammalian face this form looks like something between a gryphon and a furry dragon of the feathered variety (this is his most ‘feral’ form and the most ‘realistic’ for flying since it has a deep chest with realistic wing muscles). A winged feral canine body like this is sometimes called a "simuran", based on old Slavic legends. Examples: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14968765/ , http://www.furaffinity.net/full/15223231/ , http://www.furaffinity.net/full/15223527/ and the far right form in: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14107549/
-- 6) "Jackal Gryphon" - Traditional quadrupedal gryphon configuration, with head and forequarters from a Long-legged Buzzard and hindquarters (and ears) from a golden jackal. Example: the top center-left sketch on: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/13494944/ (but Auric's furry tail tends to remain jackal-like as shown here http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13494765/ , rather than becoming lion-like as shown in that sketch). Here are a couple of other general reference drawings of thin canine gryphons: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/10820183/ Old Ferr reference - by Chickenzaur , and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/6181114/ Kiriban - Orange04 - by merystic
-- Note that the numbers are not intended to indicate five distinct forms but rather a scale of 1 to 5 from plantigrade jackal to quadruped gryphon.
Overall appearance: either somewhat angelic or somewhat avian/gryphonic; slender and sometimes perhaps almost delicate but he does have some muscle
Demeanor: serious, scholarly, quiet, introverted, tolerant, a bit remote/detached but overall helpful and caring (should generally keep with his somewhat angelic theme). He is low key and isn't comfortable in high profile roles. He tends to be quiet among large groups but can be talkative about some subjects when one on one or in small groups. He enjoys martial arts as a hobby but isn't a warrior by nature and prefers to avoid physical conflict (in a military setting of any era his most likely role would be tactical adviser or intelligence analyst).
Expression: often calm, serene, contemplative or focused; occasionally enlightened or detached (snarling anger or sexy come-ons would be out of character). Auric's ears and tail can be used to help convey emotions, but he tends to have fairly reserved facial expressions (think of a Buddhist Monk or a Star Trek Vulcan, though I only mention Vulcan because it is a fairly common reference for reserved expressions, not because it is the best example. If you watch anime, there often seems to be a character who is calm, mature and serious and doesn't normally have excessive expressions, one of those characters would be a better example.) [some example possible expressions: calm/serene/meditative, calm/focused/scholarly, talkative/scholarly/lecturing, combat/focused/calculating, curious/inquisitive, sad, sly]
Rating: PG/clean/tame/SFW, avoid adult poses and situations (if unclothed no adult-rated bits show due to longer fur or downy coverlet feathers covering strategic areas, a natural ‘fig leaf’ nude style often used for werewolves)
General note:
- In general Auric should appear fairly civilized, rather than tribal or a were. That affects several things, like his erect posture (in anthro forms, including digitigrade), having fairly human shaped hands (though with fur, pads, and claws), and wearing clothes made of cloth. Those civilized characteristics are part of why many viewers tend to associate Auric with Egypt, though he's not specifically Egyptian. The particular clothing he wore on his original refsheet also enhanced that idea of 'Egyptian', so I'm trying to move away from that loincloth/kilt and give him different clothing (culture and time period can vary).
- Auric proportion notes: Height of ears is same as distance from 'chin' (bottom of skull) to top of head. Length of wing 'hand' (the back of the 'wrist' to the tip of the longest primary feather) ideally should be no longer than the distance from throat to instep (aprox 5' or 60"); it can be smaller, particularly when his wings are more symbolic or are not in active use; at an absolute maximum it can be up to the distance from the bottom of his foot to the tip of his ear (which can look good depending on the pose and other details).
Head: As typical for jackals, his head shape has a less-prominent forehead than a wolf, with a long, narrow, tapered muzzle and tall triangular ears [it should be more realistic than exaggerated/stylized, though it can tend slightly towards the styled Anuibian shape to help identify him as a jackal]. Note that the lack of a well defined brow ridge is one of the ways to tell the difference between a wolf/dog and a coyote or jackal; I don’t mind if Auric sometimes ends up looking like a wolf but I’m trying to avoid it in drawings that others will use for reference. His throat has relatively short fur (even when his headfur is drawn as a mane), and he can have a visible Adam's apple (optional).
Eyes: His eyes tend to be almond shaped and slightly slanted, they should show a bit of white (sclera) around the iris, more than a dog but not as much a human eye.
Eyebrows: In artwork, depending on an artist's style he can either be drawn with eyebrows or he can have lighter colored patches above his eyes that can be used to help express emotions. In general the more realistic the style gets the less noticeable his eyebrow markings will be.
Ears: The ears are realistically sized, not exceptionally large or tall; their base is slightly narrower than their height and they are just slightly taller than the rest of his head. They can be purely triangular or have a slightly Anubian shape (straight inner edge/curved outer edge) but should never have ribbed Anubian interiors. They are furred and have a group of three tiny coverlet feathers on the back tips that give them a slightly scalloped look, like a gryphon’s ear tufts. His ear design is sketched here: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11457646/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11535569/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11738898/ (Auric 1, 2, and 3, by Skyler-Ragnarok). The range for the height of his ears is http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12093603/ at the shortest to http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11535569/ at the tallest.
Fur/Feathers: He is fully furred/feathered except for foot/toe pads and palms/fingers (which are typically bare in his plantigrade forms and have pads in his digitigrade "Typical Furry" form). He has short fur with a 'mane' of somewhat longer fur from his forehead to base of his neck and a triangular tuft over his breastbone which barely meets with his neck mane at the tops of his shoulders. The length of the longer fur varies by season. When the headfur/hair on the top of his head is long he might have bangs but I prefer his headfur without bangs. Parts of the ruff/mane/chest tuft may be somewhat downy/feathery, particularly in his digitigrade and gryphon forms (this sort of feathery mantle is a common look for gryphons) though note that his face, cheeks and throat are furry, not downy/feathery. His cheeks have longer fur than his muzzle which helps to define the shape of his face. While his nipples are not in the area covered by the chest tuft, the normal shorter fur is enough to cover them and his stomach fur can be short enough to show musculature or long enough to completely conceal his physique.
Nipples and navel: Yes he has them but they're typically hidden by his short chest fur, though there might be a hint of the navel. In general, it is probably only worth showing his navel if he is being shown with faint 'six pack abs' that can be seen through his fur, which is not necessary.
Hands/Feet: He most commonly has 5 slender fingers and 4 canine toes (but can easily be changed to fit an artist's preferred style). In all forms his palms/fingers are typically bare but they can have pads when his overall look is more ‘furry’, the typical hand pad pattern can be seen here: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12475301/ . His plantigrade forms can have either 5 human toes or 4 canine toes (with pads, including a heel pad), while his digitigrade forms almost always have 4 toed canine feet with pads (the ‘foot’ below the ankle isn’t excessively long or thin). He doesn't normally have a dewclaw but it is acceptable. He may have slim curved cat-like or bird-like claws on fingers and toes (generally only displayed in combat/action poses or gryphon forms). His gryphon forms usually have 4 fingered, scaled, bird-like forepaws and 4 toed canine hindpaws.
Tail: The length and details of his tail vary by form, each longer length builds on the look of the shorter ones: His plantigrade forms have a tiny V-shaped tail of coverlet feathers that is typically under clothing, it looks like a feathery triangular loincloth (just enough to provide modesty). His digitigrade forms typically have a hybrid furry/feathery tail with a diamond-shaped patch of downy/feathery detail (with a ^ shape on the top of the diamond and a V shape at the bottom of the diamond) at the top of the base of a jackal-like furry tail which reaches between his knee and heel and has a slightly darker (but not black) tip; it may also have some short tail feathers angling down from the triangular patch, not extending below the knee and leaving an inverted V-shaped notch in the center of the tail feathers for the furry tail. When flying he will have a gryphon-like hybrid tail that has a triangular base of coverlets and a birdlike fan of tail feathers (actually a bit Archaeopteryx-like) with a notch for a furry tail in the center (like the digitigrade form tail but with more and larger feathers). Here are my initial sketches of the tail design: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11470354/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11470444/ and here is a more developmental sketch http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12817347/ and here is he tail refsheet http://www.furaffinity.net/full/13494765/ (my gryphon lineart commission from Nami Jarrett was the starting point for the tail design but isn't canine and doesn't have the 'notch': http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11237990/). The purpose of the ‘notch’ in the tail feathers is mainly esthetic, it makes the character more unique and it allows the lower part of the furry tail to be positioned anywhere above or below the feather tail; it also allows the furry tail to be drawn as visible from most any angle rather than being hidden by the feather tail from some angles. Note that the hybrid tail is not two tails (a bird "fan-tail" above a furry canid tail); it is a single tail that is about halfway between the "frond-tail" of an Archaeopteryx and the "fan-tail" of a modern bird, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx and look in the Plumage section. Here are good examples of his tail: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/17814159/ (Auric by Rokito), http://www.furaffinity.net/full/18236558/ (Shanku and Auric, Construction ), http://www.furaffinity.net/full/18235919/ (Shanku and Auric, Halloween 2015).
Wings: When spread the wings have the overall shape of a buteo hawk/buzzard (thanks to Korpinkorva (Aurin) for helping me with this). The trailing edge of the wing is fairly straight when spread for soaring, the inner wing above the 'hand' is fairly rectangular in shape with secondaries pointing straight backward/downward, while the 'hand' portion is swept back (tapers) somewhat along the leading edge and has distinctly 'notched' primary feather tips. [If getting very detailed, there should be about 22 long primary/secondary feathers per side and from a bottom/chest viewpoint the outboard feathers overlap the more inboard ones on the inboard side which hides about 1/3 of the feather adjacent to it.] In his gryphon and anthro-gryphon forms the wings have the elegant pattern of a pale/rufous morph Long-legged buzzard(hawk), as shown here: http://www.arkive.org/long-legged-b.....ge-G53117.html and http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/long-l.....-flight-photos and they can be shown either this way or they can be simplified to monochrome (or di/tri-chrome) and unmarked in his plantigrade and digitigrade forms. If it helps when working on Auric's feather pattern, it is actually a lot like a red-tailed hawk (a similar buteo) but with more golden colors and more subtle/faint 'bars'; here's a nice painting of a red-tailed hawk wing pattern: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14282133/
Clothing: Depending on the setting, he could be dressed as a tribal shaman, fantasy wizard/mage, desert nomad, monk, scholar, explorer, or scientist. The most common themes are medieval fantasy roleplaying, ancient Egyptian, Arabic or Asian though modern or sci-fi clothing are a possibility. In general the more active the pose the lesser (and more practical) the clothing; he would typically be dressed in layers that can be shed as activity increases so if he is lightly clothed he is either active or cooling down from activity or in private/at home. Consequently his plantigrade forms will usually be wearing more clothing than his digitigrade form or gryphon form. His outfit can be any color but he tends to dress in subtle shades of the same color rather than contrasting colors. He can be comfortable in most anything from primitive tribal gear to an ornate noble's outfit but is satisfied with a fairly simple outfit and is not comfortable in armor. Here are some examples of clothing outfits he could be wearing: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14465936/ or see the 'fashion roadtrip' series which starts with http://www.furaffinity.net/full/14225234/
Jewelry:
-- 1) Coutal armband (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couatl): a gold armband shaped like a feathered snake with small wings makes 2 coils around his upper left arm, its head at the top pointing forward and the feathered tail tip at the bottom pointing backwards. [a coiled snake armband is a common Egyptian theme but the feathers/wings are intended to make it look more fantasy, more ‘good’, and make it unique enough to identify the character by it]. Here are some sketches of the armband: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12200974/ and http://www.furaffinity.net/full/12217197/
-- 2) Amulet: he may have a smooth, oval-shaped, thumb-sized amulet/gem on his upper chest, it can be shown as either an amulet with a cord (that could be mostly hidden under fur) or a gem actually in his breastbone, though it may be completely covered by the ruff of longer chest fur; the gem color can change and if visible it should typically match the mood of the setting; Here is a link to my own initial concept drawing of what the amulet looks like up close: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11886539/
-- 3) Earrings (one pair): he may be wearing a single tiny round gold stud earring at the base of each ear (easily hidden by fur) but no other earrings; unlike many furry jackals he does not have multiple earrings in each ear.
-- 4) Ring: he can be wearing a plain gold finger ring on any finger of his right hand.
Items: He may optionally have some of the following items: scroll case, small pouch, and possibly a sheathed dagger. In a fantasy or historic setting he may be carrying a book or tome. In a high tech setting he'll have an earpiece in one ear, the scroll case (and/or tome) is replaced with a computer of some appropriate sort (data pad, tricorder, etc.) and if necessary he might be carrying a small weapon appropriate for the setting.
Note on symbols: I have decided to try to avoid using any known symbols (Egyptian or otherwise) like the ankh, or the Udjat/Eye of Horus, or the Egyptian sun disk; however designs that hint at existing symbols are ok. If it helps, note that Auric is more of a fantasy roleplaying character than specifically Egyptian so any jewelry/clothing/equipment he has can have a bit of a fantasy RPG illustration feel to it (perhaps an Egypt/Asia that might have been), like what I did with the armband by giving it feathers. An Egyptian themed high tech look like Stargate would probably work as well, though I don’t want to take anything directly from Stargate.
Coloring: Mostly warm golden hues, though the flight feathers are white with dark gray bars and tips. Cream to golden yellow to tawny, lighter on chest and blending smoothly to golden sides and back. These photos of real animals are a good starting point for colors:
--Golden Jackal photos: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11452073/
--Long-Legged Buzzard photos: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/long-l.....-flight-photos , http://www.arkive.org/long-legged-b.....ge-G54556.html , http://www.arkive.org/long-legged-b.....ge-G53117.html , http://dominicsfieldpics.blogspot.c.....rrier-and.html
--here is an example back/dorsal view of the wings: http://www.arkive.org/long-legged-b.....ge-G51745.html
--facial pattern may need work but use this real jackal as a starting point: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/11452073/
--nose and paw pads are brown (possibly with a slight reddish or coppery tint)
--claws, if present, are colored similarly to the paw pads or may be any shade of gold
--"magic", if present, does not have to be a specific color but yellow like the sun would be the most common, red like the rising/setting sun, or green or blue for contrast with his fur are also good choices. Multicolored or swirling colors is also a good option.
To make this journal shorter, I've put links to references and some ideas for future drawings of Auric into a separate journal: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5042941/
That's all for now.
