So... The last thing I posted was this: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/44692311/

Now... He has armor! A reference sheet is slowly coming along!

This took me a long time to draw. I hadn't planned to draw armor on him, but then, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to. So, I tackled it. And the result, while far from perfect, is exactly what I wanted it to be: something usable in case I have the opportunity to commission in the future, and a reference to myself as I improve in art and draw him more. :)

It has also taught me some stuff, and it was a great exercise to remember some principles that I had learned years ago regarding composition, implications through depth, thinking about how clothing would affect fur. I don't think there were grave mistakes like I usually see in most drawings, and I have to thank first and foremost the patience I had to grind this drawing for days, to put on hold, to clean up sketches, to warm up, to try out different color schemes and color distributions. I allowed myself to experiment, to do and redo. And it has paid off wonderfully!

There are many things I still don't know, like clothes, anatomy, gesture, perspective, depth, fur... but this is the best I could do now and today, and it is the best drawing I have ever produced. And through the many failed sketches to get to this end result, I had one thing that I missed for the longest time: the fun and joy of art.

This little adventure I have gone through with the creation of my first OC has reignited something in me, and it has made me reconsider going back to some free art school. This specific art has made me feel like, while I'm not as good as the artists I admire, I can and am able to produce something I can actually be proud of. This is a turning point for me. And it is one that I'm glad that is happening.

Thank you if you read through this all!