Lindsay Cibos - Draw Furries: How to Create Anthropomorphic and Fantasy Animals

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Draw Furries: How to Create Anthropomorphic and FantasyAnimals. Copyright 2009 by Jared Hodges and Lindsay Cibos. Manufactured in China. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by IMPACT Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. (800) 289-0963. First Edition.

Other fine IMPACT Books are available from your local bookstore, art supply store or online suppliers. Visit our website at www.fwmedia.com.

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DISTRIBUTED IN CANADA BY FRASER DIRECT
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DISTRIBUTED IN THE U.K. AND EUROPE BY DAVID & CHARLES
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Hodges, Jared.

Draw furries : how to create anthropomorphic and fantasy animals / by Jared Hodges and Lindsay Cibos. -- 1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-60061-417-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)

eISBN: 978-1-44031-713-2

1. Fantasy in art. 2. Anthropomorphism in art. 3. Drawing--Technique. I. Cibos, Lindsay. II. Title. III. Title: How to create anthropomorphic and fantasy animals.

NC825.F25H64 2009

743.6--dc22

2009019609

Edited by Mary Burzlaff Bostic
Designed by Wendy Dunning and Doug Mayfield
Production coordinated by Matthew Wagner

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jared Hodges and Lindsay Cibos are an artistic duo specializing in illustrations and sequential art. They are the creators of Peach Fuzz, a graphic novel series about a ferret named Peach and her young owner. Jared and Lindsay have also written and illustrated a number of art how-to guides, including the book Digital Manga Workshop. They currently reside in sunny central Florida. Visit them on the Web at www.jaredandlindsay.com!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to express our gratitude to:

Our family and friends for their love and patience while our lives were (once again!) consumed with book deadlines.

The fine people at F+W Media, including Pamela Wissman, for entrusting the creation of this book to us; our editor, Mary Bostic, for her insight and help along the way; and Wendy Dunning, for taking our words and art and nicely arranging them into the book you now hold in your hands.

Miu, Kelly Hamilton, Rose Besch and Marie Blankenship for graciously allowing us to include a sampling of their work in the gallery section.

The furry community for being an endless source of inspiration.

Charly the shih tzu and the neighborhood stray cats for their modeling assistance with the feline and canine characters.

And, of course, you, the reader.

Thank you!

HOW WE WORK

Most of the images in the book were done with either Jared or Lindsay as the sole artist of the image, handling everything from the initial sketch to finishing touches. However, sometimes well collaborate on a picture, brainstorming ideas for poses and scenes, or dividing the art duties. For example, Jared drew the cat pair on the title page, and Lindsay colored them.

Table of Contents

Menagerieby
Jared Hodges
10" 12" (25cm 30cm)

Introduction

A bipedal, humanoid figure with spiny fur and a hedgehog snout strolls into the room. At his feet trots a winged pig, cheerfully singing to itself. Noticing you, they grin and invite you to join them. Encountering such whimsical characters in reality is somewhat unlikely (maybe when pigs fly!), but anthropomorphic animals abound in the imaginations of people everywhere.

The concept of furry characters (another term for anthropomorphic animals) is relatively new; it was popularized in the 1980s. But art and stories juxtaposing humans and animals can be traced back thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians, for example, had animalistic deities such as Anubis, who had the head of a jackal. Anthropomorphic kimono-clad foxes, raccoons, dogs, cats and other animals were a recurring subject in classical Japanese ukiyo-e artwork. Further historical examples of anthropomorphic animals can be found in Native American mythology and works of literature like Aesops fables, wherein talking animals took the roles of humans.

Anthropomorphic animals also permeate pop culture. Who isnt familiar with animal animation superstars like Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny? Walk down the breakfast aisle at your local supermarket, and youll encounter talking animal mascots adorning cereal boxes. Animal characters also commonly serve as mascots for sports teams and in company logos.

Clearly, theres a public fascination with anthropomorphic characters. Perhaps this is because an animal component can personify strength, speed or other characteristics, or imbue a character with a fantastical visual element. Or perhaps its the concept of giving animal abilities to humanoid characters (and vice versa) that we find intriguing. Of course, theres also the appeal of animals in and of themselves.

Whatever the case, furry art exists all around us, and, chances are, you have an interest in drawing it. Were here to help! Throughout this book, well take you through the steps of creating a wide variety of animal characters, from stalking cats and yapping dogs to galloping horses and soaring birds. After youve mastered the drawing aspect, well go over tips for coloring your creations and, finally, show you how to create backgrounds for your characters to interact with. So, grab your art supplies and lets draw some furries!

Furry Hybridization