Well, I am sitting here enjoying a beer after having enjoyed some home-made buffalo wings and fries, contemplating my ideas at creating an avatar, and well, let's face it, an eventual fursuit. A glance at my favorites shows that I have been looking at a lot of suits of the canid/wolf variety. I note that there is a huge spectrum of such suits out there, from fully cartoonish, garish colors, etc., to very natural and life-like to the extent possible with regard to the head.

I found a picture of a wolf that I like, cropped it and set it as my avatar for now. I am not a graphic artist, and while I have made several valiant attempts to produce a graphic avatar, they are abysmal failures in my opinion. I have tried both digital and traditional methods. So it seems that I will have to work with other artists to produce the design I am looking for.

I want something which is more toward the natural end of the spectrum, avoiding the extremely garish looks sported by some suits. This doesn't make these bad or wrong by any means--some of these appear extremely well-executed and wonderful pieces of art, just not the effect I am looking for. Insisting on 100% lifelike appearance is likely to drive up the cost, and for various reasons I am will to accept some stylizing, some subtle simplifications, even some minimal graphic manipulation as long as it is not overly blatant.

My design is actually written into my stories, and a clearer picture will be painted there. As the design is magically created in the stories, so therefore it should be reasonable that the design just happens to be one that can be rendered in real life.

I do like the heads with at least a semi-movable jaw, and from some YouTube videos I like the effect it creates. Features such as good hearing, good field of vision, and proper ability to breathe well are important also, and I do see these criteria being addressed by various makers.

The head is the obvious focal point, and while elaborate handpaws and footpaws have been created, I am willing to accept some simplification here, for reasons of cost mostly. I have been looking at some prices, and I know that this will be merely a dream for some time, but this won't stop me from putting some ideas together, in my stories if nowhere else.