I asked a few questions via ye olde emaile and he was kind enough to respond.


Zae:
What do you remember about the early funny animal/furry fandom?
How were you first exposed to it?

Eric: I was first exposed to the furry fandom when someone wrote to me,
basically introducing the fandom to me, or assuming I was already part
of it, as I already had publicly known anthro animal characters like Amy
the Squirrel by then (early 1990s). Later, I met other furry artists and
fans at a sci-fi & fantasy convention, which greatly expanded my
understanding.


Zae: How would you say it has changed over the years?

Eric: I think perhaps the focus has shifted over the last couple decades.
Earlier, there was a stronger concentration on media such as comics,
animated movies and TV shows, where now, with the internet and social
media growing exponentially, I feel the convention scene, fursuiting,
and creation of 'fursonas' and role-playing has taken the spotlight. All
of it was always present, but I feel the percentages are different
today.


Zae: What are your artistic influences?

Eric: I've drawn influence from many different sources, from comics and
cartoons to other artists, but as you might already assume, the
strongest influences come from animation, especially Disney and Warner
Brothers cartoons.


Zae: You must be a fan of old school cartoons, but to what extent?
Why Ub Iwerks' Flip the Frog?

Eric: I've been a fan of animation for as long as I can recall, and enjoy all
its various styles and eras. I discovered Flip the Frog thanks to an
animation history presentation I saw in college. I had the idea of
reviving the character (and the related pre-Hays-code humor) reworked in
a 1990s style inspired by the then-new "Tiny Toon Adventures" as sort of
a historical tribute to a little-known character, which I kinda of
mistakenly believed to be public domain then. Exactly how my redesigned
version of the frog compares to the original in a legal sense in
uncertain.


Zae: What are the tools of your trade?

Eric: I still do the bulk of my drawing work using pen and paper, as to me its
a more direct tactile feel than working on a tablet, though I do work
with an Android tablet for graphic/drawing and animation work as well. I
still work with Amiga computers (and Amiga-compatible, and turbocharged
emulated Amiga systems) and software, largely because I'm used to the
software I've worked with for a long time.

Zae: I imagine your digital tools have changed a *little* over time?
Hopefully, it's become easier to animate.


Eric: Most of what I use is covered in the previous question, and a lot of
what I use has changed very little for several years. The biggest shift
has been my addition of an Android tablet with pen, which has been good
for a lot of digital art and drawing, (with apps like Sketchbook and
Rough Animator) as well as easily portable.


Zae: What is the state of Amiga in 2025?

Eric: The Amiga platform, along with its related and spinoff operating
systems, has been through some high and low points since Commodore
computers went bankrupt in 1994, but it seems to be in a more stable
place today, as the the community and those still developing product
have both embraced its nature as 'retro' tech. Unfortunately, the focus
tends to be more on gaming, when I am more interested in using it for
creative work.


Zae: Can you talk about the creation of Sabrina, Clarisse and company?

Eric: Different characters of mine have various origins, many of which are not
much more exciting than "I drew this one day, and it stuck." When I
first drew Sabrina however, my intent was to design a very different
character from Amy the Squirrel, and other characters of mine that were
similar in look. Originally she was more wide and pear-shaped, and at
the time (early 1990s) skunk characters were less common in the furry
fandom than they are today. Sabrina's design has settled into a more
standard form over the years.


Zae: What sort of toys do you collect?

Eric: There are a few different toy lines I have collected over time, such as
various action figures and Zoids kits, but my primary collecting focus
has been Transformers toys, which I have been a fan of, and owned on and
off since the 1980s.


Zae: How has the convention circuit been for you?

Eric: I used to go to conventions fairly regularly, but haven't gone in
several years. This was because I had to take care of family as they got
older, and then later it became more difficult to attend conventions as
I got older myself.


Zae: Finally, what advice do you have for new artists?

Eric: I find that many artists (and authors and other creatives) often spend a
lot of energy worrying about what they 'should' be doing, whether its
working themselves to death to meet a self-imposed schedule or quota, or
jumping through hoops or chasing trends trying to attract an audience
while not making things they actually like or would want to do on their
own. I've been guilty of this myself, and I consider myself fortunate
that I've gotten to a place where I can do work that I enjoy, at a pace
that helps me avoid burnout. It's a delicate balance, and the sooner one
can find it, the happier they will be in creative work.