I recently discovered my old computer backups and uncovered some prehistoric Photoshop files. This chunky guy represented the pinnacle of my of art skills in 2001, and was basically the last thing I drew before going on a 15 year visual art hiatus. God, I feel old now.

Graphite on paper, scanned and colorized in Photoshop. Neat to see a few things I was already experimenting with, like the trademark volume-inducing shading. This also marked the first and only time (until recently) that I let a bit of my weighty preference slip through. Funny that I actually remember a friend commenting "Oh, he's kind of chunky, isn't he? Well that's fine. Some people like that". It took me a while to appreciate that pearl of wisdom.

He doesn't hold up too badly (when viewed as a thumbnail. While squinting. A lot.). The pose is impressively dynamic considering what I'd done up to that point. Anatomy is seriously dicey. The muzzle looks unintentionally phallic, the wings are like shriveled leaves, and apparently I'd lost my toes to frostbite. But I still have a soft spot for the old design, and will probably end up with something similar when I get around to making an updated character/fursona image.