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The whole YCH business
General | Posted 11 years agoI've seen a lot of people whine about YCH commissions as somehow being a "lesser" form of commission, where presumably the artist essentially just draws what they want on the commissioner's dime.
Having bought dozens of both regular and YCH commissions, I can tell you that nothing is further from the truth. I have exactly the same amount of input on YCH commissions as I do on regular commissions (and believe me, as any artist I've commissioned will attest to: I have no shortage of input).
The commission process is a lot like a conversation. The commissioner and the artist go back and forth, and the commission itself evolves along the way in the meeting of two minds. The only thing different in a YCH is who says the first line. By the time the commission is done, that doesn't really amount to much.
So to the haters and the whiners out there: Shut your fucking pie holes. Nobody cares what you have to say.
Having bought dozens of both regular and YCH commissions, I can tell you that nothing is further from the truth. I have exactly the same amount of input on YCH commissions as I do on regular commissions (and believe me, as any artist I've commissioned will attest to: I have no shortage of input).
The commission process is a lot like a conversation. The commissioner and the artist go back and forth, and the commission itself evolves along the way in the meeting of two minds. The only thing different in a YCH is who says the first line. By the time the commission is done, that doesn't really amount to much.
So to the haters and the whiners out there: Shut your fucking pie holes. Nobody cares what you have to say.
So I started a sketchblog
General | Posted 11 years agoIDEK what I'm doing but I figured tumblr was the place to do it. It didn't really fit in with my personal photoblog or my reblogblogblogblog so I started http://inky-tentacles.tumblr.com instead.
Wheee. Mostly just posting this so that if someone happens across it they don't wonder "who the hell is this talentless clown stealing Nico's characters" or something like that.
Wheee. Mostly just posting this so that if someone happens across it they don't wonder "who the hell is this talentless clown stealing Nico's characters" or something like that.
Hashtag #furryconfessions
General | Posted 11 years agoI've had this happen once or twice and I've never quite been sure what to make of it. It's pretty rare, but it goes like this:
I see an artist drawing someone's character, and the character design just looks amazing. All the colors and forms and features just blend so well that instantly I'm a fan.
So I click through to the gallery of the character's owner to see more, and suddenly realize that in every picture where this character was drawn by a different artist, the design actually looks kinda boring and ugly. Like it's the same colors, forms and features but they all just come together to look horrible when drawn by anyone other than that one aforementioned artist.
Like I said, I've never quite been sure what to make of this.
I see an artist drawing someone's character, and the character design just looks amazing. All the colors and forms and features just blend so well that instantly I'm a fan.
So I click through to the gallery of the character's owner to see more, and suddenly realize that in every picture where this character was drawn by a different artist, the design actually looks kinda boring and ugly. Like it's the same colors, forms and features but they all just come together to look horrible when drawn by anyone other than that one aforementioned artist.
Like I said, I've never quite been sure what to make of this.
Who's good at drawing robots?
General | Posted 11 years agoEvery now and then I get a picture in my head that involves robots or some other highly mechanically themed element. This can be troublesome given that the art community here is so focused on fluffy organic things. Even if a particular artist does enjoy drawing robots, chances are they'd only share it on other sites (DA, Pixiv, Tumblr etc) so they wouldn't come to mind when I try to match up my picture ideas with commissionable artists.
So, do you like drawing robots? Do your friends like drawing robots? Get pimping in the comments!
So, do you like drawing robots? Do your friends like drawing robots? Get pimping in the comments!
So you'd like me to commission you
General | Posted 11 years agoLet's just get this out of the way first.
As you might have noticed in my gallery, I've been buying a fair bit of art lately. You may be wondering to yourself "How do I get a piece of this action?" Good question.
The first step on your journey is very simple: Be really good at what you do. This doesn't mean you have to be the reincarnation of Rembrandt or something. Everyone has their own style, their own mediums, their own 'thing'. You just need to be good at whatever that thing is. Also that thing needs to actually be something I care about, so there's that too.
Step two is for me to somehow discover the fact that you exist. This will usually come about naturally from a combination of step one above, along with being prolific. These days I mostly fill my watch list by creeping on people who watch me or fav my submissions; I'll either see if they themselves are an artist I'm interested in watching, or if their favs gallery has some interesting artists in it.
Step three, once I'm watching you, is to make sure I actually know you're open for commissions. If you're always open, post a journal once or twice a month advertising that you're accepting commissions or I'll probably forget you exist.
Speaking of reminding me you exist, make sure to regularly post your sketches and finished pieces to your gallery/scraps; both your commission works and your personal art. I really try to match my commissions to artists who I think will enjoy doing the piece and would have an appropriate style for it, and I won't be able to tell what you like if I never see you posting anything. Also, to those ends, please try to guide the commission towards something you'd enjoy doing once we actually get to the point of me buying your art. I try to match things up as best I can, but communication is a two-way process.
"But Nico!" you say, "I just had a brilliant stroke of inspiration and I absolutely must have you commission me RIGHT NOW!"
First, let me start off by saying that this is an OK feeling to have. As someone who is not an artist, having what little I can create (my characters, their interactions, and the world they live in) inspire you is hugely flattering.
However, this does put you in a bit of a vulnerable position. You'd be putting your own confidence in your work on the line by approaching me directly, and asking me to pay my own good money for you to just do something you want to do anyways. There will be a voice in your head telling you to suck yourself back into your snail shell and quit having such delusional flights of whimsy.
Ignore that voice. Fortune favours the bold. (bold text for extra boldness)
So how do you approach me? Well, you send a note obviously. But beyond that, you should have a fairly solid idea in mind to sell me on, and probably some sort of sketchy outline of what you have in mind. Try to think of it as just giving me first dibs on a YCH commission or something.
So what's my criteria for saying yes? The idea should fit within my head-canon or expand it in some direction I like. This is less difficult to do than it sounds. Also your skill and style need to be a good match for both the idea itself and my personal taste (which is pretty broad, but has some limits. I don't necessarily dislike things that fall outside those bounds, they're just not my thing). If those two things are both satisfied, there's a good chance I want your art.
But there's still criteria for saying no. The most obvious is if I think you're going to be a pain to work with. I want my commissions to be a source of joy and happiness on both sides of the table, both during the process and after the work is complete. If I see you being disrespectful to people, if I see you being a drama magnet, if I see you being obnoxious and immature, then there's a good chance that I'm just going to let you grow out of that before I do business with you.
Secondly, While there's never a point in the month where I'm actually low on cash, I do try to keep some sane limit on how much money I spend on art and furry-related stuff. If I've been buying art like a madman in the past few weeks, there's a chance I might be a bit more hesitant to buy more.
If I see you have a really long queue (with 'long' being relative to your personal completion rate), then regardless of whether you want to do my piece first or last, I'm probably going to be Mr Responsible Adult™ and not help you dig that hole any deeper.
Finally, I have a little personal guideline that I only ever have one commission outstanding for a given artist. If you're already doing a commission for me, feel free to pitch me ideas any time you like, but (with rare exception) you should only expect me to actually start the buying process once you've delivered the final results from the outstanding commission. On that note, pitching me on a new piece when you deliver the finished art is a pretty good idea in general, just keep in mind that I try to spread the love so I might throttle things back if you try to sell me on 3-4 commissions in a row in short succession (though thank you for being reliable and quick with your work all the same!).
So if you've read all that and still want to create some art with a sexy sea turtle, a rock and roll klipspringer, or a horrifying purple abomination: come at me bro!
As you might have noticed in my gallery, I've been buying a fair bit of art lately. You may be wondering to yourself "How do I get a piece of this action?" Good question.
The first step on your journey is very simple: Be really good at what you do. This doesn't mean you have to be the reincarnation of Rembrandt or something. Everyone has their own style, their own mediums, their own 'thing'. You just need to be good at whatever that thing is. Also that thing needs to actually be something I care about, so there's that too.
Step two is for me to somehow discover the fact that you exist. This will usually come about naturally from a combination of step one above, along with being prolific. These days I mostly fill my watch list by creeping on people who watch me or fav my submissions; I'll either see if they themselves are an artist I'm interested in watching, or if their favs gallery has some interesting artists in it.
Step three, once I'm watching you, is to make sure I actually know you're open for commissions. If you're always open, post a journal once or twice a month advertising that you're accepting commissions or I'll probably forget you exist.
Speaking of reminding me you exist, make sure to regularly post your sketches and finished pieces to your gallery/scraps; both your commission works and your personal art. I really try to match my commissions to artists who I think will enjoy doing the piece and would have an appropriate style for it, and I won't be able to tell what you like if I never see you posting anything. Also, to those ends, please try to guide the commission towards something you'd enjoy doing once we actually get to the point of me buying your art. I try to match things up as best I can, but communication is a two-way process.
"But Nico!" you say, "I just had a brilliant stroke of inspiration and I absolutely must have you commission me RIGHT NOW!"
First, let me start off by saying that this is an OK feeling to have. As someone who is not an artist, having what little I can create (my characters, their interactions, and the world they live in) inspire you is hugely flattering.
However, this does put you in a bit of a vulnerable position. You'd be putting your own confidence in your work on the line by approaching me directly, and asking me to pay my own good money for you to just do something you want to do anyways. There will be a voice in your head telling you to suck yourself back into your snail shell and quit having such delusional flights of whimsy.
Ignore that voice. Fortune favours the bold. (bold text for extra boldness)
So how do you approach me? Well, you send a note obviously. But beyond that, you should have a fairly solid idea in mind to sell me on, and probably some sort of sketchy outline of what you have in mind. Try to think of it as just giving me first dibs on a YCH commission or something.
So what's my criteria for saying yes? The idea should fit within my head-canon or expand it in some direction I like. This is less difficult to do than it sounds. Also your skill and style need to be a good match for both the idea itself and my personal taste (which is pretty broad, but has some limits. I don't necessarily dislike things that fall outside those bounds, they're just not my thing). If those two things are both satisfied, there's a good chance I want your art.
But there's still criteria for saying no. The most obvious is if I think you're going to be a pain to work with. I want my commissions to be a source of joy and happiness on both sides of the table, both during the process and after the work is complete. If I see you being disrespectful to people, if I see you being a drama magnet, if I see you being obnoxious and immature, then there's a good chance that I'm just going to let you grow out of that before I do business with you.
Secondly, While there's never a point in the month where I'm actually low on cash, I do try to keep some sane limit on how much money I spend on art and furry-related stuff. If I've been buying art like a madman in the past few weeks, there's a chance I might be a bit more hesitant to buy more.
If I see you have a really long queue (with 'long' being relative to your personal completion rate), then regardless of whether you want to do my piece first or last, I'm probably going to be Mr Responsible Adult™ and not help you dig that hole any deeper.
Finally, I have a little personal guideline that I only ever have one commission outstanding for a given artist. If you're already doing a commission for me, feel free to pitch me ideas any time you like, but (with rare exception) you should only expect me to actually start the buying process once you've delivered the final results from the outstanding commission. On that note, pitching me on a new piece when you deliver the finished art is a pretty good idea in general, just keep in mind that I try to spread the love so I might throttle things back if you try to sell me on 3-4 commissions in a row in short succession (though thank you for being reliable and quick with your work all the same!).
So if you've read all that and still want to create some art with a sexy sea turtle, a rock and roll klipspringer, or a horrifying purple abomination: come at me bro!
Don't snipe auctions.
General | Posted 11 years agoHere's a little tip to everyone and anyone who wants to participate in an online art auction: Don't snipe.
If you want to buy something, bid early and bid high. If you bid at the last minute with a minimum increment, on top of a generous bid that's been standing untouched for days, all you're doing is being incredibly disrespectful to both the other bidders as well as the artist. You're basically telling them "I want this, but I don't care about you enough to actually risk paying what I think this art is worth. I'd rather play games and stick it to everyone just to save a few pennies".
If what you value in life is saving a few dollars rather than treating people with the dignity and respect they deserve, then go ahead and enjoy your art. It will be the only fulfilling thing in your hollow, lonely, meaningless life.
If you want to buy something, bid early and bid high. If you bid at the last minute with a minimum increment, on top of a generous bid that's been standing untouched for days, all you're doing is being incredibly disrespectful to both the other bidders as well as the artist. You're basically telling them "I want this, but I don't care about you enough to actually risk paying what I think this art is worth. I'd rather play games and stick it to everyone just to save a few pennies".
If what you value in life is saving a few dollars rather than treating people with the dignity and respect they deserve, then go ahead and enjoy your art. It will be the only fulfilling thing in your hollow, lonely, meaningless life.
Heading to Califur
General | Posted 11 years agoGonna hit the road this morning, should be there by this afternoon barring any catastrophes. Let's get the usual meme stuff out of the way:
Transportation: Astral Projection
How to find me: You'll first need an unholy book of sigils and runes, then you'll need to gather at least 3 pints of goat blood (the fresh stuff, not that pre-packaged shit you get at Whole Foods)...
Can I touch you: Please abide by standard social norms and conventions
Can I feed you: This will not be necessary, as I am sustained by the tears of the innocent
All the rest of those meme questions: Too lazy to look up an actual meme, figure it out yourself
Transportation: Astral Projection
How to find me: You'll first need an unholy book of sigils and runes, then you'll need to gather at least 3 pints of goat blood (the fresh stuff, not that pre-packaged shit you get at Whole Foods)...
Can I touch you: Please abide by standard social norms and conventions
Can I feed you: This will not be necessary, as I am sustained by the tears of the innocent
All the rest of those meme questions: Too lazy to look up an actual meme, figure it out yourself
Custom Kigurumis
General | Posted 12 years agoNot that anyone ever reads my journals, but I'm curious if someone might have a recommendation for a custom kigurumi maker?
FC 2014 Con Report
General | Posted 12 years agoRelease us from the monotony of "leaving for weasyl forever" journals, and welcome the monotony of "FC Con Report" journals! Huzzah!
VIPs, in order of appearance:
mitti will forever and always be the queen of the con.
etuix was my unexpected companion for almost the entire weekend, and was a super-sweetie to hang with!
waitress and 
bunnybones rocked the con like a boss!
Special mentions:
khromat for being her cheffy-self, with or without a full set of functioning limbs.
mallin for tending to the queen.
hoot for being the most adorable suiter in the parade. I'm a bit bummed I couldn't find you to say hello properly, but at least I got to squeal at you like a schoolgirl when you came out of the main stage area at the start of the parade.
nanimoose and 
guppy for having badges the size of hubcaps so I could actually find them and see who they are.
The rest:
Props go out to the usual crew, and everyone I spazzed at over the weekend. Too many folks to list, and I'd feel bad about forgetting someone if a name slipped my mind. You know who you are, and you all rock.
VIPs, in order of appearance:
mitti will forever and always be the queen of the con.
etuix was my unexpected companion for almost the entire weekend, and was a super-sweetie to hang with!
waitress and 
bunnybones rocked the con like a boss!Special mentions:
khromat for being her cheffy-self, with or without a full set of functioning limbs.
mallin for tending to the queen.
hoot for being the most adorable suiter in the parade. I'm a bit bummed I couldn't find you to say hello properly, but at least I got to squeal at you like a schoolgirl when you came out of the main stage area at the start of the parade.
nanimoose and 
guppy for having badges the size of hubcaps so I could actually find them and see who they are.The rest:
Props go out to the usual crew, and everyone I spazzed at over the weekend. Too many folks to list, and I'd feel bad about forgetting someone if a name slipped my mind. You know who you are, and you all rock.
Nicoya Reference and Character Guide
General | Posted 12 years agoSo I finally got around to assembling a guidebook to the wonderful tentacular world of Nicoya, and stuck it on my front page info here on FA. Or, if you don't feel like clicking through to my FA page, you can peruse it by clicking on this giant mess of a link here.
Comments should be enabled so if something seems to be unclear or badly worded it should be very simple to bring it to my attention. I'm leaving the comments open to everyone for now, so try to be on good behavior and keep the comments directly related to revisions the document may require. I don't want to have to clamp down on it if people start leaving retarded comments or going off topic.
Anyways, it's basically just an amalgamation of annotated references and head-canon wadded up into a giant google docs file for convenient access. The aim is to streamline the process of getting Nico art commissioned, so if there's anything else I could add that would help in that regard feel free to suggest it.
Comments should be enabled so if something seems to be unclear or badly worded it should be very simple to bring it to my attention. I'm leaving the comments open to everyone for now, so try to be on good behavior and keep the comments directly related to revisions the document may require. I don't want to have to clamp down on it if people start leaving retarded comments or going off topic.
Anyways, it's basically just an amalgamation of annotated references and head-canon wadded up into a giant google docs file for convenient access. The aim is to streamline the process of getting Nico art commissioned, so if there's anything else I could add that would help in that regard feel free to suggest it.
I do occasionally socialize
General | Posted 12 years ago
kitaraI don't own the game, but now I almost wish I did
General | Posted 12 years agoGo home nature, you are drunk
General | Posted 12 years agoSeriously, why you gotta go cross horses and apes?
Just look at this thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalicotheriidae
You're drunk, nature!
Just look at this thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalicotheriidae
You're drunk, nature!
Get Adobe CS2 for free, legit, you filthy pirate
General | Posted 13 years agoRemember that copy of photoshop that accidentally fell off the back of a website onto your HD? You can delete it now, and get a legit version for free.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriank.....ions-for-free/
Edit: looks like it was just someone fat-fingering things at Adobe. They had such a golden chance to embrace the customer base that they've been treating like shit for so long, and it turns out not to be.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriank.....ions-for-free/
Edit: looks like it was just someone fat-fingering things at Adobe. They had such a golden chance to embrace the customer base that they've been treating like shit for so long, and it turns out not to be.
So the odometer rolled over again
General | Posted 13 years agoAnd we are to welcome the new year: the year of the water snake.
I'm a little disappointed that there's no year of the tentacle, but I guess that's what we get by outsourcing it to China rather than letting the Japanese handle things. Just think, we could have had the year of the tentacle, the year of the schoolgirl, the year of the スク水, the year of the おっぱい, but noooo.
Oh well, it'll do.
I'm a little disappointed that there's no year of the tentacle, but I guess that's what we get by outsourcing it to China rather than letting the Japanese handle things. Just think, we could have had the year of the tentacle, the year of the schoolgirl, the year of the スク水, the year of the おっぱい, but noooo.
Oh well, it'll do.
All I want for christmas
General | Posted 13 years agoI feel like I shouldn't make this journal. Not because it's going to contain anything particularly bad, but because it will oblige me, in less than a month, to post another journal to bump this one off my front page. This may prove troublesome, given my usual journal posting schedule (ie: asymptotic to never).
I'd like to start off by saying that there are material things I want. Of course, given that I have a job that drops a dump truck full of money off at my front door twice a month, it kind of takes the pressure of christmas for that "one thing I've been wishing for forever". This slight shift in perspective has allowed me to realize that, absent that particular driving urge, I really don't actually like getting things for christmas.
It's like, on the one hand if I put out a wish list of christmas gifts, it feels like an obligation more than a show of generosity when someone buys me something from the list. If I don't put out that list and someone gets me something anyway, then more likely than not I'll end up dealing with receiving a gift that I don't particularly want. Neither of these situations seems all that desirable in the grand scheme of things.
Cards and well-wishes also feel like they've passed their prime for me too. I was never very fond of cards in the first place, and being the introvert I am means I have no real urge to spend time with friends and loved ones without some other sort of purpose or direction to the gathering.
So as far as the usual seasonal traditions, my only wish is that christmas week pass by just like any other week of the year. No more or less special just for the sake of some solstice festival from ages past.
On the other hand, that's not to say there aren't things I wish for. However, these things generally don't fit in a stocking hung by the fireplace:
1: I wish for some new simple long-distance person-to-person payment system to replace paypal. Paypal doesn't like me, and I have no idea why. I throw money at the screen and nothing happens. This pretty much excludes me from doing things like bidding on commission slot auctions, or for that matter often just buying a regular slot is out of the question since the artist only takes paypal, or gives priority to people who use it.
2: Failing #1, I wish for artists to be open to taking commission payment via steam/amazon wish list purchases. Obviously that can't pay their food and rent bills, but it's at least much more reliable than trying to get paypal to cooperate.
3: On top of this all, I wish for artists to find a way to somehow clone themselves 3 or 4 times so that they can keep their queues shorter, or open new slots for longer than 30 seconds before they fill up. It's very rare that I can commit to purchasing a work on such short order (especially given the paypal thing), so more often than not I just have to let those opportunities pass me by. I don't blame or begrudge them for this, it's just the way it is.
Also I'd like world peace and a pony made out of diamonds.
I'd like to start off by saying that there are material things I want. Of course, given that I have a job that drops a dump truck full of money off at my front door twice a month, it kind of takes the pressure of christmas for that "one thing I've been wishing for forever". This slight shift in perspective has allowed me to realize that, absent that particular driving urge, I really don't actually like getting things for christmas.
It's like, on the one hand if I put out a wish list of christmas gifts, it feels like an obligation more than a show of generosity when someone buys me something from the list. If I don't put out that list and someone gets me something anyway, then more likely than not I'll end up dealing with receiving a gift that I don't particularly want. Neither of these situations seems all that desirable in the grand scheme of things.
Cards and well-wishes also feel like they've passed their prime for me too. I was never very fond of cards in the first place, and being the introvert I am means I have no real urge to spend time with friends and loved ones without some other sort of purpose or direction to the gathering.
So as far as the usual seasonal traditions, my only wish is that christmas week pass by just like any other week of the year. No more or less special just for the sake of some solstice festival from ages past.
On the other hand, that's not to say there aren't things I wish for. However, these things generally don't fit in a stocking hung by the fireplace:
1: I wish for some new simple long-distance person-to-person payment system to replace paypal. Paypal doesn't like me, and I have no idea why. I throw money at the screen and nothing happens. This pretty much excludes me from doing things like bidding on commission slot auctions, or for that matter often just buying a regular slot is out of the question since the artist only takes paypal, or gives priority to people who use it.
2: Failing #1, I wish for artists to be open to taking commission payment via steam/amazon wish list purchases. Obviously that can't pay their food and rent bills, but it's at least much more reliable than trying to get paypal to cooperate.
3: On top of this all, I wish for artists to find a way to somehow clone themselves 3 or 4 times so that they can keep their queues shorter, or open new slots for longer than 30 seconds before they fill up. It's very rare that I can commit to purchasing a work on such short order (especially given the paypal thing), so more often than not I just have to let those opportunities pass me by. I don't blame or begrudge them for this, it's just the way it is.
Also I'd like world peace and a pony made out of diamonds.
Sometimes, I'm tempted
General | Posted 13 years agoI have one character, my sparklecat/walking-hentai purple thing. I don't really mess around with stables full of characters like some folk do.
But sometimes I'm tempted, sorely tempted, when I see animals like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klipspringer
Why is the Klipspringer awesome? Let's enumerate:
1: Common name is Klipspringer, which is pretty cool on its own
2: Latin name looks suspiciously like "Oreo Tragus" which would be the most delicious piercing ever
3: It walks around, nay, leaps mightily, form the tips of its hooves
4: It's cute as all fuck
I could list other reasons, but I think you can figure out your own.
So go forth, my furry brethren, and make beautiful klipspringers together!
But sometimes I'm tempted, sorely tempted, when I see animals like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klipspringer
Why is the Klipspringer awesome? Let's enumerate:
1: Common name is Klipspringer, which is pretty cool on its own
2: Latin name looks suspiciously like "Oreo Tragus" which would be the most delicious piercing ever
3: It walks around, nay, leaps mightily, form the tips of its hooves
4: It's cute as all fuck
I could list other reasons, but I think you can figure out your own.
So go forth, my furry brethren, and make beautiful klipspringers together!
So, about free art giveaways
General | Posted 14 years agoI love them! I think they're super, I really do, but sometimes I don't enter them even if I meet the qualifications.
There's often minor reasons for not wanting to enter (for example, I never do "pimp this contest in a journal" ones, because I like to keep this as spam-free as possible), but the majority of the time I just feel like I should do a good thing and let people who want it more have a better chance of winning.
Now, this isn't to say that I expect people to expect me to enter their contests, and that I feel the need to explain why I, personally, didn't enter. I just wanted to throw it out there in general in case someone might be wondering why their contest didn't get as many entries as they thought it might. It could very well just be that other people feel the same as me, and just want to give the best chance to the people who want it most.
There's often minor reasons for not wanting to enter (for example, I never do "pimp this contest in a journal" ones, because I like to keep this as spam-free as possible), but the majority of the time I just feel like I should do a good thing and let people who want it more have a better chance of winning.
Now, this isn't to say that I expect people to expect me to enter their contests, and that I feel the need to explain why I, personally, didn't enter. I just wanted to throw it out there in general in case someone might be wondering why their contest didn't get as many entries as they thought it might. It could very well just be that other people feel the same as me, and just want to give the best chance to the people who want it most.
Who do you see me as?
General | Posted 14 years agoI should start out this journal entry by saying that Nicoya the character is manly. He's so delightfully manly that his manliness cannot be eroded by doing non-manly things, such as dressing in women's swimwear, or even being transformed into a woman, twice.
A while ago I came up with the idea of getting Nico drawn as an end-boss of a 16-bit side-scroller game. I thought it appropriate for his demonically tentacular nature, as well as my love of video games and the art style of that era. At some point, when I stumble upon a suitable opportunity, I may yet bring this idea to life.
However, in the mean time, kuroseishin posted a journal suggesting (and offering commissions for, go buy some) dressing up male characters in the ridiculous costumes that some female game characters are seen in. It occurred to me that this is a rather fabulous idea, and quite fitting of Nicoya's character, but then I came to a bit of a road block when I started pondering what character I might imagine dressing Nico up as.
First off, the criteria. 1: It has to be distinctive and recognizable. 2: It has to maintain its femininity when fitted to a male figure. 3: It has to look good.
So, suggestions? Here's a few I've thought over.
Lara Croft: Perhaps the obvious first choice, being the unfortunate poster girl for female game characters. Unfortunately her outfit is basically just a tank top and shorts, which loses its femininity on a male figure.
Morrigan/Lilith from Darkstalkers, Chun-Li from Street Fighter, and most fighting game women: Morrigan and Lilith have fantastic designs that would seem to be suitable, but their costumes, as well as Chun-Li's and many other fighting game females have the hips of their leotards/dresses/whatever cut far too high, which I've always found intensely unattractive. If it weren't for that flaw, they'd be much stronger contenders. (cutting the hip "above the fold" tends to make the thighs look amazonian to my eye)
Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2: The costume design meets all the criteria; it's really fantastic, but I'm not sure it would have broad recognition.
Princess Daisy from the Super Mario series: I've always preferred Daisy to Peach for some reason. Her costume is absurd in its princessly impracticality, but it somewhat plain compared to more complex, absurd designs.
Princess Zelda: Like Daisy, it scores highly on the royal impracticality scale, but falls short of the absurdly female angle.
Zero Suit Samus: Ok, I have to admit I like Zero Suit Samus a lot, but sadly when transplanted to a male figure it just becomes a plain blue catsuit.
Regular Samus: It's a trap. Kinda defeats the purpose.
Felicia from Darkstalkers: It would seem an obvious choice. It's maxed out on the absurdity scale, obviously feminine on any figure, and highly recognizable. However, Nicoya is already a cat, and oddly I've just never liked the design of her costume. That probably makes me some sort of furry heretic, but there you go.
Krystal from Starfox: Perhaps the first female character any proper furry would think of. However, I feel like her Dinosaur Planet outfit is a bit overdone, and her Starfox: Assault outfit suffers from the same problem as Zero Suit Samus. (random aside: it does amuse me that searching for "krystal starfox" on google images results in about 1/3 furry porn)
Renamon from Digimon: The other furry staple. However, she doesn't really wear much of anything, so she doesn't make for good costume fodder.
I'm honestly having trouble thinking of more. Part of the problem was I was never a console gamer as a kid, so I missed out on a lot of the female characters that featured more heavily on that side of the spectrum.
A while ago I came up with the idea of getting Nico drawn as an end-boss of a 16-bit side-scroller game. I thought it appropriate for his demonically tentacular nature, as well as my love of video games and the art style of that era. At some point, when I stumble upon a suitable opportunity, I may yet bring this idea to life.
However, in the mean time, kuroseishin posted a journal suggesting (and offering commissions for, go buy some) dressing up male characters in the ridiculous costumes that some female game characters are seen in. It occurred to me that this is a rather fabulous idea, and quite fitting of Nicoya's character, but then I came to a bit of a road block when I started pondering what character I might imagine dressing Nico up as.
First off, the criteria. 1: It has to be distinctive and recognizable. 2: It has to maintain its femininity when fitted to a male figure. 3: It has to look good.
So, suggestions? Here's a few I've thought over.
Lara Croft: Perhaps the obvious first choice, being the unfortunate poster girl for female game characters. Unfortunately her outfit is basically just a tank top and shorts, which loses its femininity on a male figure.
Morrigan/Lilith from Darkstalkers, Chun-Li from Street Fighter, and most fighting game women: Morrigan and Lilith have fantastic designs that would seem to be suitable, but their costumes, as well as Chun-Li's and many other fighting game females have the hips of their leotards/dresses/whatever cut far too high, which I've always found intensely unattractive. If it weren't for that flaw, they'd be much stronger contenders. (cutting the hip "above the fold" tends to make the thighs look amazonian to my eye)
Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2: The costume design meets all the criteria; it's really fantastic, but I'm not sure it would have broad recognition.
Princess Daisy from the Super Mario series: I've always preferred Daisy to Peach for some reason. Her costume is absurd in its princessly impracticality, but it somewhat plain compared to more complex, absurd designs.
Princess Zelda: Like Daisy, it scores highly on the royal impracticality scale, but falls short of the absurdly female angle.
Zero Suit Samus: Ok, I have to admit I like Zero Suit Samus a lot, but sadly when transplanted to a male figure it just becomes a plain blue catsuit.
Regular Samus: It's a trap. Kinda defeats the purpose.
Felicia from Darkstalkers: It would seem an obvious choice. It's maxed out on the absurdity scale, obviously feminine on any figure, and highly recognizable. However, Nicoya is already a cat, and oddly I've just never liked the design of her costume. That probably makes me some sort of furry heretic, but there you go.
Krystal from Starfox: Perhaps the first female character any proper furry would think of. However, I feel like her Dinosaur Planet outfit is a bit overdone, and her Starfox: Assault outfit suffers from the same problem as Zero Suit Samus. (random aside: it does amuse me that searching for "krystal starfox" on google images results in about 1/3 furry porn)
Renamon from Digimon: The other furry staple. However, she doesn't really wear much of anything, so she doesn't make for good costume fodder.
I'm honestly having trouble thinking of more. Part of the problem was I was never a console gamer as a kid, so I missed out on a lot of the female characters that featured more heavily on that side of the spectrum.
Leather collars
General | Posted 14 years agoAre there any people out there who make leather collars that aren't crap?
Every once in a while I'll see someone posting a journal here pointing to someone who makes collars, either because they just bought one or they're pimping their services for some reason, or whatever. I'll spend maybe 30 seconds looking at pictures of their work and just close the tab in disgust.
Honestly, there's a lot more to leather work than just cutting a few strips and sewing or riveting them together onto a backing.
Has the entire world completely lost the art of scything and rolling the edges so that the raw cuts aren't sticking out like a sore thumb? Is it too much to ask for a bit of shaping around buckles and d-rings so they don't look like they were just accidentally snagged in between two layers while the collar was being assembled?
Does nobody take pride in their workmanship anymore?
Furries, I am disappoint.
Every once in a while I'll see someone posting a journal here pointing to someone who makes collars, either because they just bought one or they're pimping their services for some reason, or whatever. I'll spend maybe 30 seconds looking at pictures of their work and just close the tab in disgust.
Honestly, there's a lot more to leather work than just cutting a few strips and sewing or riveting them together onto a backing.
Has the entire world completely lost the art of scything and rolling the edges so that the raw cuts aren't sticking out like a sore thumb? Is it too much to ask for a bit of shaping around buckles and d-rings so they don't look like they were just accidentally snagged in between two layers while the collar was being assembled?
Does nobody take pride in their workmanship anymore?
Furries, I am disappoint.
Learning to Draw: Day whatever
General | Posted 14 years agoI almost forgot I was making these journals. Life has a way of distracting me from the things I ought to be doing, I suppose.
The other day, though, I flipped open Sketchbook Mobile on my iPod Touch and scribbled out a figure, laid down a bit of colour, and then deleted it.
I didn't delete it in frustration. In fact, I was pretty satisfied with what I'd created. Now, it wasn't anything I'd show off; far from it. It was a barely coherent mush of poorly coordinated colours, laid on top of a flawed anatomy.
What it was successful at, though, is serving its purpose as a failure in slowly helping me learn what to do and what not to do when putting pen to paper or, as in this case, finger to glass. It was practice.
Practice isn't supposed to look good. It's supposed to help you learn.
The other day, though, I flipped open Sketchbook Mobile on my iPod Touch and scribbled out a figure, laid down a bit of colour, and then deleted it.
I didn't delete it in frustration. In fact, I was pretty satisfied with what I'd created. Now, it wasn't anything I'd show off; far from it. It was a barely coherent mush of poorly coordinated colours, laid on top of a flawed anatomy.
What it was successful at, though, is serving its purpose as a failure in slowly helping me learn what to do and what not to do when putting pen to paper or, as in this case, finger to glass. It was practice.
Practice isn't supposed to look good. It's supposed to help you learn.
You didn't think this through, did you?
General | Posted 15 years agohttp://www.fieldandstream.com/photo.....lers-stuck-mud
I came across this article today, and it reminded me of some of the more "exotic" characters people in the furrydom come up with, and the day to day implications of how those character designs would work out if brought to life.
Maybe it's just a reminder that sometimes even nature takes things a little too far.
(For those sensitive to such things, the DurpElk in the above article didn't survive its ordeal after being rescued)
I came across this article today, and it reminded me of some of the more "exotic" characters people in the furrydom come up with, and the day to day implications of how those character designs would work out if brought to life.
Maybe it's just a reminder that sometimes even nature takes things a little too far.
(For those sensitive to such things, the DurpElk in the above article didn't survive its ordeal after being rescued)
I feel dirty
General | Posted 15 years agoDear furry artists: Tell me a story
General | Posted 15 years ago... but if it starts out with "this one time, at band camp" I'm going to kick you in the goobs.
Seriously, though, I like stories. I quite enjoy reading stories, but I'm not looking for that today. Instead, I want a visual story.
I've been taking an Art History course this year, and one of the works we discussed was the Bayeaux Tapestry. The thing is pretty crazy, it's something like 225 feet long, telling the story of the Norman conquest of England around 1066CE.
Anyway, it reminded me of an artistic form that isn't seen much these days, which is a narrative form without necessarily being sequential (like a comic book divided into panes). Just one big, continuous scene scrolling smoothly through time from left to right.
I know there's not a lot of popufur artists who watch me here and will see this, but if you are one of the lucky few, how about taking up the challenge? Stretch that photoshop canvas to OVER NINE THOUSAND pixels wide and go to town. Draw a 4 season progression, draw the birth, life and death of a character, draw a turbulent romance playing out from first glance to last fight. Give that scroll bar at the bottom of my browser window a workout! Or heck, turn things around and make a continuous column of story starting up in the sky and ending down at the ground. Be creative!
The story doesn't even have to be stretched out over time, per se. You could also stretch it out over the people in the image. For example, imagine a scene where a pod of air-orcas are swimming through the air just above a city street. At one edge of the picture everyone's excited to see them arrive, in the middle others might be struck with awe as they gently glide overhead, maybe a kid holds up a lollipop to offer to one of them, and at the other end they'd be waving their tearful goodbyes as the last of the pod passes by.
No words, no frames, no arrows. Just a story laid out in one big picture.
Challenge yourself!
Seriously, though, I like stories. I quite enjoy reading stories, but I'm not looking for that today. Instead, I want a visual story.
I've been taking an Art History course this year, and one of the works we discussed was the Bayeaux Tapestry. The thing is pretty crazy, it's something like 225 feet long, telling the story of the Norman conquest of England around 1066CE.
Anyway, it reminded me of an artistic form that isn't seen much these days, which is a narrative form without necessarily being sequential (like a comic book divided into panes). Just one big, continuous scene scrolling smoothly through time from left to right.
I know there's not a lot of popufur artists who watch me here and will see this, but if you are one of the lucky few, how about taking up the challenge? Stretch that photoshop canvas to OVER NINE THOUSAND pixels wide and go to town. Draw a 4 season progression, draw the birth, life and death of a character, draw a turbulent romance playing out from first glance to last fight. Give that scroll bar at the bottom of my browser window a workout! Or heck, turn things around and make a continuous column of story starting up in the sky and ending down at the ground. Be creative!
The story doesn't even have to be stretched out over time, per se. You could also stretch it out over the people in the image. For example, imagine a scene where a pod of air-orcas are swimming through the air just above a city street. At one edge of the picture everyone's excited to see them arrive, in the middle others might be struck with awe as they gently glide overhead, maybe a kid holds up a lollipop to offer to one of them, and at the other end they'd be waving their tearful goodbyes as the last of the pod passes by.
No words, no frames, no arrows. Just a story laid out in one big picture.
Challenge yourself!
Seriously, FA?
General | Posted 15 years agoSo, this comment hiding thing. Ereet hax0rz found out how to exploit it. Let's see if you're as smart as the hax0rz, and can figure out how to do it too!
Step 1: Find a comment entry that has the "Hide Comment" link visible. Hover over the link, and see what it says.
Step 2: Hover over the "No Subject" link right next to it, and note that some numbers match.
Step 3: Go to your user page and hover over one of the "Full List" links for either watching or watchers, and note that some other numbers match.
Step 4: Pat yourself on the back, because you're not a mouth-breathing retard.
Lessons learned:
GET requests are not for modifying server state.
A User ID is not a valid authorization token.
How to do it right:
1: Use POST, first off. This isn't necessarily more secure, it's just the right way to do it.
2: Validate against the session cookie. That's what it's there for. This would eliminate spoofing.
3: Combine the parameters and verb of the action, the user ID, and a per-session server-side secret into a hash and pass that hash back in through the POST and validate against it, after validating against the session cookie. This would eliminate XSS.
Is that so hard? Is that fucking rocket science? Apparently the answer is "yes, absolutely it is" if you're an FA coder.
Step 1: Find a comment entry that has the "Hide Comment" link visible. Hover over the link, and see what it says.
Step 2: Hover over the "No Subject" link right next to it, and note that some numbers match.
Step 3: Go to your user page and hover over one of the "Full List" links for either watching or watchers, and note that some other numbers match.
Step 4: Pat yourself on the back, because you're not a mouth-breathing retard.
Lessons learned:
GET requests are not for modifying server state.
A User ID is not a valid authorization token.
How to do it right:
1: Use POST, first off. This isn't necessarily more secure, it's just the right way to do it.
2: Validate against the session cookie. That's what it's there for. This would eliminate spoofing.
3: Combine the parameters and verb of the action, the user ID, and a per-session server-side secret into a hash and pass that hash back in through the POST and validate against it, after validating against the session cookie. This would eliminate XSS.
Is that so hard? Is that fucking rocket science? Apparently the answer is "yes, absolutely it is" if you're an FA coder.
