I started doing "furry" art some time in the 1970's, I lived in rural Canada so I was unaware of any fandom or even other people drawing these crazy "animal people" I was drawing, aside from cartoons on TV. As to how it's changed, I think the largest changes are the sheer volume, and the overall quality: when I started, the vast majority was in black and white, pencil and ink - there was pretty much no way to reproduce and distribute colored art, so almost nobody bothered (remember this is pre-internet).
When the fandom started to coalesce in the mid-80's there weren't a lot of us, after just a couple years of going to cons (sci-fi cons, there wouldn't be any furry conventions for a few years yet) you could legitimately say that you knew, had met or had corresponded with the majority of the artists in the fandom.
Now there are literally thousands of artists out there, many of whom are doing *stunning* work in color, animation, sculpture, 3D art...
I watch almost no TV anymore, so the only things animated I've watched *recently* is all anime online. "Dimension W", "Gate", "Sword Art Online", "Black Lagoon", "Bunghou Stray Dogs", "BTOOM!" "Black Lagoon", "Gangsta", "Highschool Of The Dead" (obviously I like shooty actiony stuff)
I watch everything online, too! I'm not big into anime but there IS a new one with a super cute teen(?) witch who teams up with a MASSIVE tiger anthro mercenary guy. It's not shooty, but I mean... dat sweet human/anthro flirtin'. It's called "Zero kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho" or "Grimoire of Zero"
I actually dig the idea that in a furry world, fur grooming would be just as much a statement as hair styling. You could do some interesting things with that much hair. Patterns, shapes. Pranks. Shave your roommate's butt while they're asleep. See you at work!
To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.
Although a rocking party is also nice, with lots of good food, good drink and hot company!
Right now I wish I could do art!
That aside I wish I could animate or do 3D modelling.
Truthfully though, who was the first furry character that you entirely came up with on your own? Not influenced by other artists or furries in general? All your own creation?
1: Don't be silly, of course she is!
2) To find The One...or lacking that, to find symmetry.
Oh gosh, there have been a huge number of them, dating back a long way, that I would consider "original". Of course depending on how strictly one reads your terms there it could also be argued that nobody, ever, has created a "completely original" character: we're always inspired by outside resources, and those influence what we like and what we want in a character.
The way I draw tends to generate a lot of "original" characters, to the point it's kind of meaningless: I very frequently start by just putting a pose on the page and then adding details, frequently finding a curve or a mess of lines that I like, defining and refining the image as I go (What Bob Ross liked to call "happy accidents").
Ahhhh the Symmetry...that's what I didn't remember about that fuzzy fellow. :)
And I like whatcha said on the subject o originals, too. That's kinda how several of my characters came about. Drawing a pose or shapes, and then BOOM. Idea appears in the details.
There's two answers to that question, one shallow and one deep:
Shallow answer: Jenna. A big beautiful hyena gal who loves me? No question at all.
Deep answer: None at all, because what kind of hell would life be for a completely unique sapient non-human in our world? Especially one sprung whole-cloth from whatever magic or science that would make it possible?
Elf Sternberg actually dealt with it heavily in the early "Journal Entries": the first inhabitants of Pendor were all genetically engineered and suffered from "incorporation sickness" (I think that was the name for it), basically having to come to terms, mentally and physically, with the fact that prior to "waking up" that first time, you essentially did not exist, no memories but the ones programmed in, no family, no history, and nobody else like you, nothing to relate to at all, resulting in all sorts of lovely psychological trauma.
A lot of the early furry fiction dealt with the complications and costs of having furries in our world, and bore a striking similarity to the discussions about robots/AI.
When the fandom started to coalesce in the mid-80's there weren't a lot of us, after just a couple years of going to cons (sci-fi cons, there wouldn't be any furry conventions for a few years yet) you could legitimately say that you knew, had met or had corresponded with the majority of the artists in the fandom.
Now there are literally thousands of artists out there, many of whom are doing *stunning* work in color, animation, sculpture, 3D art...
Black - dark chocolate?
brown - milk chocolate?
White - vanilla
spotted/speckled - cookies and cream?
(Back up question: Have you checked out the new season of MST3K, and if so what do you think of it so far? I love it, myself!)
I haven't seen the new season of MST3K, yet.
(backup) Is there anything at all you'd wish you could do but don't have the motivation to learn?
Although a rocking party is also nice, with lots of good food, good drink and hot company!
Right now I wish I could do art!
That aside I wish I could animate or do 3D modelling.
!. Is Ivanova God?
2. What does Zathras want?
^.^
Truthfully though, who was the first furry character that you entirely came up with on your own? Not influenced by other artists or furries in general? All your own creation?
2) To find The One...or lacking that, to find symmetry.
Oh gosh, there have been a huge number of them, dating back a long way, that I would consider "original". Of course depending on how strictly one reads your terms there it could also be argued that nobody, ever, has created a "completely original" character: we're always inspired by outside resources, and those influence what we like and what we want in a character.
The way I draw tends to generate a lot of "original" characters, to the point it's kind of meaningless: I very frequently start by just putting a pose on the page and then adding details, frequently finding a curve or a mess of lines that I like, defining and refining the image as I go (What Bob Ross liked to call "happy accidents").
And I like whatcha said on the subject o originals, too. That's kinda how several of my characters came about. Drawing a pose or shapes, and then BOOM. Idea appears in the details.
Shallow answer: Jenna. A big beautiful hyena gal who loves me? No question at all.
Deep answer: None at all, because what kind of hell would life be for a completely unique sapient non-human in our world? Especially one sprung whole-cloth from whatever magic or science that would make it possible?
Elf Sternberg actually dealt with it heavily in the early "Journal Entries": the first inhabitants of Pendor were all genetically engineered and suffered from "incorporation sickness" (I think that was the name for it), basically having to come to terms, mentally and physically, with the fact that prior to "waking up" that first time, you essentially did not exist, no memories but the ones programmed in, no family, no history, and nobody else like you, nothing to relate to at all, resulting in all sorts of lovely psychological trauma.