Advice/ tips on learning to draw humans? Been drawing furries/ animals for many years but I have no idea where to start with humans :)

I'd recommend just looking up poses and face references on Google! Theres a lot of tutorials on the basic facial structure and proportions (i feel like thats something many people struggle on when they try to jump from animals to humans haha) If you need help getting motivated to draw people, you can practice by drawing human characters you enjoy (maybe fanart?)
Another tip is to not just copy a stylized human face (like anime/disney ect.), since those are just exaggerations of proportions. Studying the real thing might seem boring, but its important to know the basics before adding your own aesthetic flair to it. Otherwise, it always looks off whenever people just "copy". :'D

Are you still doing that Beastars inspired comic you talked about a ways back? Was lookin forward to seeing that.

OH SORRY, I misread your comment haha. But I think I remember the one you're talking about. Sadly I decided to scrap the idea and wanted to turn it into something else. The story kinda dragged on for too long and turned out to be too time consuming to do. ):

1.) What kind of video game genres do you like?
2.) What is your favorite and least favorite video game?
3.) Do you watch anime, and if so which is your favorite?
4.) Have you considered working on a video game at some point?
5.) Who is your favorite composer?

1.) I mainly like sandboxy, exploration, collecting type games (im very casual, i know haha)
2.) I WOULD'VE said Soulsilver or Sims 3 (i tend to like games from my childhood rather than games today, since i dont game that much anymore), but I gotta be honest, Pokemon Legends Arceus recently has satisfied so many things i wanted as a kid and its becoming my favorite xD (it has flaws of course, but im enjoying it too much haha)
The worst game I've played was some Gameboy Loony Tunes game I had as a kid. I couldnt even finish the first level lol xD
3.) Yeah I'm a casual weeb haha. xD I have to say, FMA or Evangelion probably. One Punch Man I really liked too (the first season, the second was kinda blah.)
4.) I actually did some freelance on some games, but they werent the best jobs haha. If i do wanna work on a game again, it'd probably be my own xD
5.) Oh gosh, my knowledge of composers are pretty limited xD But I do enjoy the Final Fantasy tracks a lot. ^^

Do you know the muffin man?

The one on Drury Lane?

What’s the meaning of life?

42

What ideas and concepts really get you motivated and inspired? Like get you excited to draw/paint? Not trying to lead the witness here, as they say, but I'm always curious about each artist and what drives them in art, because it's always different for each one.

I'm honestly inspired by pretty grandiose things xD Things like giant battles from movies/games/anime or just like, something visually impressive. Thats mainly for my more monstrous designs though haha.
But when it comes to more "intimate" slice of life art, probably just the beauty of nature, or maybe a touching story. Just something that can invoke feelings :')

I'll be simple : How are you? :)

All good here! xD

What do you keep on in the background, if anything? Music/movies or whatever. Do you need background noise to stay focused or is it more of a distraction?

Are there any other character ships you personally have or enjoy outside of Sky and Keith?

Yeah i try to put on music usually xD It doesnt necessarily have to match what I'm drawing. Its mainly just background noise, since my brain needs more stimulation when im working hah.

I had a few OC ones that I made back in the day, but currently I've been more focused on those two since I have an ongoing comic with them and I've been brainstorming a lot of things for them. I still like and enjoy the old ones I've had though! I'm also generally not super into ships that aren't my own characters xD I can enjoy the idea of characters being together, but its not something i care about too much lol.

Favorite color?

Orange! I also like blue too.

Looking for advice on how to write/create really good characters! ^^

Try to draw from multiple sources of inspiration! If you want to avoid copying or falling into stereotypes, I'd recommend drawing inspiration from your real life, since everyone's experiences are different and unique. It can be someone you know, or even parts of yourself! (For example, my character Keith is based off my own insecurities that I went through)

(I'm not an expert on writing/character development, but this is pretty solid advice I've heard time and time again xD)

What was your inspiration for Keith and Sky?

They were originally just supposed to be side villain characters for my main story (if you go to my carrd site, theres sort of a outline about what it is haha). They were based off of character tropes (Sky being a powerful gary-stu with a demonic side and Keith was sort of a lacky/grunt villain that was kind of the butt of jokes) and i wasnt planning on doing that much with them. But when I started to write scenarios for them, I started to hyperfixate on them haha. Then I changed and developed them for years, to a point where they're completely different from what they once were.

Oh I forgot to mention, that when I started developing them more, I started to put more of my own personality and life experiences in them, so thats probably why I'm so attached to them haha xD

Favorite classical artist that you've studied? If you've done any.

I actually enjoyed a lot of renaissance era/ rococo paintings! (from like 1700-1800s) Stuff like this: https://images.fineartamerica.com/i.....-long-shot.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/57/c.....747f66838a.jpg

I never did a study on one (probably should have at some point xD) but its really nice inspo for backgrounds haha. I dont really have a particular favorite because theres a lot of pieces I enjoy from different artists.

What's the process for your animation? Program?

My basic process is usually keys first (these are the main poses that change in the timeline), then inbetweens (drawings inbetween the key poses). These are all kept in the rough sketch stage until I'm happy with how the animation plays out. Then i go to the usual lines>flat colors>shading>lighting pipeline for all the frames haha.

And I do everything on Clip Studio Ex! If i need to, I'll use Adobe Premiere and After Effects, but thats mainly just for like, video effects haha.

What is your favorite IRL guilty pleasure and what is you favorite guilty pleasure theme to draw?

Probably eavesdropping on drama and gossiping haha. I would hate to be the center of drama myself, but I'm incredibly nosey and like to hear stories about terrible people and events. :'D

As for drawing, honestly... BDSM, lol. (i have a bunch of experimental sketches of it, but I dont post em online haha)

Thank you for the opportunity to learn more about you! I feel weird not offering anything back in return so I’ll leave a short answer of my own in parentheses. Hope you don’t mind.

How do you deal with burn out or art block? (I don’t have a response. Haven’t found it yet xD)

Do you have a favorite genre of music? (Personally open to anything and love getting suggestions!)

How about a favorite song? (“Foothills” from FFXIV is currently my obsession :3)

What’s the weather like where you live? (I’m from Florida so hot and humid year round with a high chance of rain)

I thought I had more but I lost them xD I have a terrible memory lol

Have a good day or night!

Aw of course! ^^ And not at all!

Honestly, when I'm not feeling it, I just dont draw. xD Whenever I've forced myself to draw during a burnout or block, it takes like 10x longer to finish anything and I usually dislike the results. So what I do instead is I'll try to find another creative outlet (like writing), or maybe find some kind of new show/game, or an activity like hiking/traveling, until the drive/inspiration comes back again. Art block cope is different for everyone, but this works for me. :'D

As a kid I grew up listing to hip hop/rap mostly, and its still one of my favorite genres (though i dont care for the mumble rap stuff haha)
I also like EDM, high paced stuff and heavy metal. Though when the mood is right, i do enjoy slower paced, classic music haha (like from the 60s-80s). I just have to be in the right mindset for it xD

Oh geez, I dont think i can answer that tbh. xD I have too many haha.

I live in the PNW in the US, so its pretty mild, yet rainy. xD But we get 4 seasons so thats pretty nice :>

Same to you too! <3

What's your favorite piece you've ever drawn?

Probably the featured submission on my homepage! This one: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/43567360/

Its not the most impressive thing I've drawn on a technical standpoint (theres plenty others i could pick out that probably look better xD), but this one has a lot of sentimental value to me. :')

Oh! Thank you very much for this opportunity. I had a lot of questions regarding your persona, yet I was shy and afraid that I would spam your Fa account with pointless questions. Im happy that I can finally break free of my restrains. ;3
So for the first Question I ask you this:

What inspired you to Draw in the first place?

It’s obvious that nearly everyone had drawn something in ther lifetime, usually during our childhood. Yet while some people grew up from only to never return. You either continued or rekindled your passion for drawing, I’m curious what was that spark that ignited it. :3

I actually got a similar question privately! So I'll answer you with the same answer haha

I think it was Pokemon tbh xD All of my old drawings from when i was like 5-6 were all badly drawn pokemon haha. Also just watching cartoons growing up. From there, I wanted to make my own cartoons and stories too, so thats where i got the inspo to make my own characters. Then from then on, my characters were my biggest drive to keep drawing. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I've would've quit around middle school if I didnt have that.

I sorta gave up on my "make a cartoon"/showrunner dream, but I would like my stories/ideas to become a "thing" in some shape or form one day haha.

Ah! Pokemons also hold a special place in my heart. >W< They were a real hit in my country in the 90s. (I mean, the Anime, games and Game Boyz that came out then were too expensive for most of the youth so not many could afford them. {At least, "legally"} ;) ).
I’m really glad that you found the drive to continue drawing further, because now we have a very good artist among Fa folks and I’m always happy to see your new submission. (Ok sorry I got carried away from the main topic. ;3 ).

As for creating your own cartoon's, I think that you are really close to it, the animated commissions you create look like they were taken straight from an anime or TV show. I dare to say they look even better in some places. judging by how much attention you put into drawing every single detail.
so you have the skills already, i think that the only (and the most important) ingredient you need is.... Time.
Give it some more time and I bet that sooner or later I’m going to watch some neatly animated shorts on YouTube. With Mr. Draggincat credited in animation editor and supervisor. ;3

PS: Can I ask you another question Mr. Draggin? I know that there must be plenty of people writing to you right now and i don’t want to waste your time on answering only my Q's. <:3

My parents bought me pokemon stuff when i was a kid haha (they noticed the pokemon craze in the late 90s and thought i shouldnt miss out haha)

I would like to make my own animated shorts! But yeah its mainly time and money thats holding me back haha. That, and it normally takes a team of people to get out a cartoon in the timely manner. Doing everything on my own takes too long haha.

And sure! As long as this journal is up I'll answer all of them that come in xD (response times may vary though lol)

I bet that one day you find yourself among team of talented animators and partners that will help you fulfill your dream. ^w^
As for response time, i don’t mind waiting. So please take your time im not in a hurry so i can’t wait as long as you wish. :)

As dor the next question...

How did you discovered furaffinity? From what I assumed from your last answer, you pretty much drawn furries from the beginning. But like pretty much everyone, there must been some outside influence that guided your steps on this page. I wonder what it was. ;3

I learned about the site through Deviantart, but i was a bit hesitant to join at first cause of the reputation it had (where it was mostly furry porn lol). But when i noticed my client base drying up on DA (when i raised my commission prices) many people told me to try FA. So, here I am now! But yeah i did draw furries before discovering FA for sure haha xD

I could practically copy paseo your answer when someone ask me the same question. (Minus the clients part ;) ). And yeach turning off SFW made Fa really less appealing for me when I was a newcomer, so I keep it mostly on. :3

As for the next question…..
What kind of backgrounds are your favorite, and least favorite to draw? :3

I noticed when i did turn on the SFW switch at the time, like 90% of all the art here disappeared haha. I'm not a fan of a lot of NSFW here, but i do enjoy some, so i just kinda leave the switch off and tolerate what i see, otherwise i feel like im missing out on a lot. xD

Natural backgrounds are my favorite (like grass, flowers, mountains ect.) though i like to combine it with man made structures too.
Least favorite would probably be certain interiors, like offices maybe. I mainly just have a hard time coming up with things to decorate it with haha.

HAHA i know what you mean. While i can accept elegant and tastefull NSFW i admitt that some art are depicting stuff can get VERY extreame. x//D

As for the interior decoration, I got the same thing. Thought I myself don’t draw. I can never find that "something" that makes me satisfied Whenever I find a game that allows me to decorate my home or room.
I always feel like I was missing something, and often i find myself dissatisfied with my decor choices. x//D

As for the next question....

Do you have a favorite time of the day for drawing? Like early morning or late night? :)

Probably the morning/day haha xD At night, im too tired to function, but ironically that tends to be when im most creative, so sometimes i'll doodle something quick or write notes of ideas before i forget lol.

Hehe I’m also an early bird, it’s a challenge for me to survive to 12:00 at night. By then I’m basically a zombie. x//D

Now for the next question. ;3

When you draw a full body art with someone’s Oc is there a part of their bodies that you enjoy to draw more than another? You know like head’s, arms, legs, tails etc. :3

Heads and torso's usually, and butts if possible lol xD

How did Sky and Keith end up becoming your favorites? Were they always your favorites, or did it happen as you developed them? And how were they originally when you first made them, versus how we know them today?

I think I just really loved their dynamic together while I was developing them haha. Theres a lot of fun scenarios I can put them in, as well as a lot of tender moments too. And I guess drawing them attractively helps my motivation too xD

But yeah they actually werent my favorites at a time! When I was younger, I had a cast of younger teen characters that I was more attached to. I guess I kinda grew out of them, since I can better relate to adult characters. Though I still love that old cast of characters too, and I still develop them from time to time!

They were originally made to be side villains, but not much more xD Sky was a huge douchebag with very little redeeming qualities haha. He was supposed to be the typical egotistical rock star with everything going for him and Keith was just a grunt that got picked on all the time. They also werent supposed to be romantically involved, just teammates haha.
Today, they still have remnants of those qualities, but now they're much more well rounded. And I feel like their relationship brings out their character more and are good foils for one another (especially considering how different they are personality wise haha).

What's the recipe for your perfect sandwich?

Baja Chicken: Grilled chicken, crispy bacon, melted cheddar, onions, BBQ sauce and smoky chipotle mayo, served toasted. (I usually like lettuce and jalapenos in it too)

SO GOOD.

Ooo damn, you're not holding back!

Haven't made this in a while but I feel it deserves a little attention: Pastrami fried in a skillet topped with cheddar, bacon, and a fried egg with bbq sauce on a toasted bun. I've been trying to cut beef out of my diet more, so this is definitely a guilty pleasure~

I'm usually not a fan of salty meats, but that sounds good! (anything with bbq sauce is always ace for me xD)

I'm not really a fan of salty meats either, but I had some on hand and gave it a shot. But my takeaway from this is just how well a nice over medium egg works in a sandwich! Honestly really surprised, myself

No question.
Am watching you for 5 years.
Yes we are now artfriends.
Thank you and goodnight.
* u*

I can't believe you put up with my shenanigans for that long haha xD

You're great ♥ I've learnt so much from your art!
But my FAVOURITE submission from you is still this: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/13821848/
I horrify my art buddies with it at least once a month.
In Bowowie we trust. *salutes*.

Aww thanks, I'm flattered haha! <3
Oh gosh that cursed thing xD How could you haha

How was your day?

S'all good!

Have you ever played Hollow Knight? If you haven't already, would you want to make fanart of it?

Ah I havent, but I've heard good things about it! ^^ I probably would if i had time to sit down and play xD

Do you have any words of wisdom for someone who's looking to go full-time artist? Or at least any experiences you've had that were helpful?

For fulltime art, I'd always advise to have a backup plan in case things dont work out. It can work out for some! But its not a path for everyone. I've seen many people try to jump on the fulltime train, but end up getting burnt out by taking too much work or they're not making enough to make ends meet, so they have to find other jobs.
When it comes to finding work, try to be multifaceted and spread yourself out (like being able to draw, paint, animate, video edit, ect.) Having a well rounded portfolio helps! It'll help you stand out from the sea of artists when you're able to do a lot of things. If you're only really good at one thing, that might be able to carry you for a while, but it probably wont last forever. An example would be if you're really good at drawing wolves, but nothing else. Is that something you can see yourself doing forever?
I'd also advise to have some source of passive income too, so that you dont have to be constantly working to make money. Selling your art as merch/products to make side cash is a good example. And maybe even Patreon if you have a large enough subscriber base (though i dont recommend it if you're not getting enough monthly from it)

In my case, I do freelance on the side that doesnt really require a lot of illustrating, so its a nice break while still earning income from it. :'D There was a point in my life where I did commissions constantly fulltime, but i kept getting burnt out (and not making enough) so i switched to finding something less intense, while doing commissions on the side sometimes. It works out for me okay!

Thank you ever so kindly!
This helped reassure some fears and confirm a lot of questions I've had. I feel there's so much good advice here that I really haven't gotten from many others that I've asked the same thing of. And hearing your experiences has driven home the point that it's important one remains flexible

I'm going to keep your response bookmarked and make sure to refer to it as I work towards my goals!

Thank you so very much! I ADORE your work and always look forward to everything you make! I will take what you've said to heart!

Aw my pleasure! ^^ Glad you found it helpful :D

Oh, I forgot to mention, but when I mentioned "spread yourself out", its more about the subjects you draw rather that the type of skill. So if you want to focus more on illustration, try to master drawing different kinds of things (animals, people, backgrounds) rather than just one thing or a few. You dont necessarily need animating or video editing skills in that case haha. (though having more skills is helpful for job searching!) Either way, I think its better to be a "jack of all trades, master of none" than a "one trick pony" though xD

Aw thank you! ;v; These are all things I learned based on my experiences, but its all different for everyone :'D I do think luck plays a big factor too, since I know there are artists who seem to only know how to draw one thing in one style, but seem to get by okay (i think that has more to do about them having an established, recognizable style though). But I'd say flexibility its pretty key if you want to take a more secure route. :>

If you had a fursona for yourself, which animal (or creature) would it be? 👀

If I had to choose, I'd probably be a mouse or a deer. I'm pretty skittish and avoidant IRL, so I'd probably pick a shy animal. But I need BIG EARS for listening into drama. xD

Lately, I've sorta been using this "ghost/blank" version of my mascot Plyso as an outlet for myself: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/41562198/ So i guess thats pretty close to a "mouse" in a way haha.

What's your favorite kind of footwear both to draw and to wear?

To draw - boots xD
To wear - just sneakers haha

Do you have any tips or advice for making a comic?
I've been wanting to start my own comic for a long time but it's hard to figure out where to start. So I'd appreciate any of your own personal thoughts/experiences, especially things you think of as essential if anything or things you ran into that you hadn't thought about before hand.
Thanks in advance! ^^

Before committing to a long one, I'd recommend to try doing some smaller "practice" ones first, so that you can kinda get used to the comic workflow. And don't worry about making every panel beautiful (unless its a panel you really want people to focus on), the most important thing is getting the flow of the story right. When ppl read a comic, most arent gonna be staring at each panel very long xD

Also, if you do decide to jump into making a longer story, REALLY really make sure that its something you're passionate about and that you wont just give up on after a year or so. I made that mistake with my first long comic (where i wasnt really into the story, but i was sorta egged on by a large audience :'D) and I burnt out after 3 years haha. But its really common for comic artists to lose interest in their long ongoing comic (even if they really love their story), so dont feel bad if you feel about dropping it some time down the line. If you're really not feeling it anymore, dont force yourself, its misery haha xD Just wait till you feel that "fire" again.
You can also create a "buffer" of comics (where you make multiple pages in advance) and you can use that time to catch up with your schedule.

Thats why in the case for my comic, I decided to switch over to a "random short story every time" model, since that way i wont feel so anxious about having to continue from a long story all the time. xD Every story feels fresh and new. But thats more of me realizing that I'm not cut out for dedicating myself to a long story haha. Some can though!

Thank you so much for all the advice! I'll definitely take it all into consideration going forward.

Do you ever have trouble thinking of things to happen even in the more lenient "random short story" model that you use now? Cause I had thought about trying something like that, but had some trouble brainstorming ideas for it, especially things that felt new or interesting rather then just things I'd seen in other comics with that set up.

I actually have tons of ideas sketched (or at least written down), so i never really had any shortage of material to work with haha (i have about a few years worth of gag comics if i wanted to pick out one) The only issue i kinda have is making sure that I don't "jump around" too much timeline wise haha. Even if i have a "dry spell" for new ideas, i can just resort to picking out one from my old scripts.

But yeah thats a common issue if you want to go with that model. You kinda have to make sure that you know your characters well enough, so that they can produce enough material for that to work :'D

I see, that makes sense as well. I know how helpful just knowing your characters can be in general, so I don't know why it never really translated to me that it would be so helpful in that form of comic writing, lol.

Thanks again for giving advice and such, I'm very grateful and I look forward to putting this new info to use. ^^

A rather stupid one, but how\when\why did you got into NSFW art?

-In the beginning, i just felt a bit "daring", so i attempted lewd things, first for shock value/jokes, then more as an outlet for my sexuality. Looking back at my old NSFW art is pretty embarrassing since the anatomy was horrid lol (i feel like thats something you really need to master if you wanna go into that)
-Probably when I was around 19ish, cant remember xD
-Curiosity + horny haha. NSFW isn't really something i do a lot though, nor is it really a direction i want my art to take. xD But its nice to explore sexuality through art sometimes and I don't see it as anything shameful like I did back when I was younger haha.

After watching some of the comics you drew with Keith.. I’m not surprised about the butt’s. x//D
Actually I bet that Butt’s YCH made by you would be quite popular among Fa fandom. x//3

As for the next question…
Do you play or used to play any Video games? :3

Haha probably! xD

I got a similar question above (the 3rd commenter from the top) but yeah i do occassionally xD Not as often as I used to though.

Oh sorry, i should pay more attention to the other questioners. <:3
then how about this...

Do you have a favorite species you enjoy to draw more than the others? :3

This one is pretty obvious but.. goats lol

I also like dogs too! (especially different breeds) But I try not too be too biased xD

You've probably been asked this before, but I shall ask to sate my own curiosity:

What inspired you to create the story of Sky and Keith?

I got a similar question on my DA version of this AMA, so I'll respond the same haha xD

I honestly dont really know what started it off haha. (I mainly just wanted to make some joke villain characters at the time) I just really liked how they were developing together, so I added more and more to their story. But if you mean like, their archetypes, Sky was based off of pop idols (more Japanese than Korean I'd say xD) and otome game characters. Keith was based off of characters and aesthetics from mecha/sci-fi anime haha. They're both aesthetics I really enjoy personally.

Oooh! That's actually quite the contrast in regards to their aesthetics. But I do like how they both came from something unrelated to each other, and things just kinda wrote itself, I guess. Still, love them both! Especially in this OF comic you've been doing. Though, I suppose that's only because it low-key reminds me of myself and my own bf to an extent. xD

Yeah i thought the dynamic would be interesting! Like how I could try making this odd couple work xD
Aw I'm glad you could relate to them haha! I've gotten a few comments where ppl've said they remind them of their own relationship and it always makes me happy to hear ^^

trying to figure out how to apply my screenplay script writing skills to comic script writing. want are some major different and whats in common for working on them?

I guess the main difference would be taking the comic layout into consideration. Usually comic panels have wide shots and close ups to convey different things. Wide shots usually establish where the characters are, and close ups focus more on specific characters and how they're feeling in the moment.
Otherwise the storytelling aspects are pretty much the same I believe :'D (Character A does this, feels like this, Character B says this, ect, ect.)