Foxity

[the_gneech]

So I did me some anthro-fox studies yesterday:



My favorite is the little guy wearing a lariat in the bottom center; Sue gets points for the fact that he is essentially a drawing of an actual fox (from photo), that I then "morphed-up" by adding eyebrows, a slightly more expressive mouth, etc.

The two guys in the middle of the page with heavier lines look closer to my usual style, but that's not really something I care about. I'm not trying to come up with a character to fit into SJ here, just a well-drawn fox.

When I get the chance, I'm going to do another page based on Lariat Boy, to see if I can do different expressions, a 3D rotation, and all that jazz.

Whattya think?

-The Gneech

Comments

[grifter-t-wolf.livejournal.com]

The bottom center looks quite perfect actually, he seems to be off style for appearing in SJ as well I like that one the best to be honest.

[stilghar.livejournal.com]

The one at 12:00 (top row center) and the one just southeast of him look vaguely feline.

5:00 looks reminds me of Ramses. Except he's smiling... *fear*

[soappuppy.livejournal.com]

They all look awfully foxy! I, too, like Bottom Center Boy, and not just because his name sounds like a filthy innuendo. :)

One thing I noticed: the black lines on the face should follow the outline of the muzzle "poofs" -- as in, they trace the back edge of the whisker bed, curving as though to draw a "c" around the back edge of the nose. (As in, Top Left Boy has them drawn in the right direction, and Middle Left and Bottom Left Boy -- hush, you! -- have their nosie-stripes on backwards.) Here and here are two foxies with nice clear color patterns for reference. :)

I don't mean to criticize!! If I have offended, please send Almost Right In The Center Boy with his awesome little ponytail (yummers!) to exact whatever punishment upon me he so pleases...;)

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Any and all critiques welcome! And Almost Right In the Center Boy has been duly notified. ;)

FWIW, the little faux-moustache lines I yoinked from a photo of an actual fox, just slightly exaggerated. There's a pretty broad area for variation there, it seems. :)

-TG

[soappuppy.livejournal.com]

Then perhaps the sentence I was trying to construct should properly say, "The little black marks look more natural to me if they follow the lines of the fox's whisker bed...perhaps that will help your critters look more like foxes." :)

Ack! *hopefully awaits the arrival of Almost Right In The Center Boy ;)*

[kelloggs2066.livejournal.com]

A suggestion:
I'd make the ears larger, wider and taller. It makes them more expressive.

Also, try to make the line of the muzzle more concave as it comes back in to blend into the skull. Compared to the wolf's jaw, their's is more tweezers rather than vise-grips.

[kylet.livejournal.com]

That's definitely foxy. But are you really sure you want to work with that realistic eye shape/orientation? There's a reason very few cartoonists do...

[suerankin.livejournal.com]

There is?

[kylet.livejournal.com]

Not being able to see most of the far eye in anything but a front-on view?
At least, the way I'm interpreting the structure shown here.

[suerankin.livejournal.com]

*looks at the sketch again*

Well, yes. A bit of tweaking in the shape and orientation couldn't hurt, as well as experimenting with different head positions that become characteristics. Especially in a case of a more expressive character, rather than a more realistic one. After all, the needs of the story, outweigh the needs of the view.

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but why would someone want a Chinese-style perspective break on the eyes, anyway? If the head is turned away, I should only see one eye.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm just noodling around right now. :) When the time comes to lock down a character design, I'll be looking into ease/difficulty of drawing as a factor, certainly. At this stage, I'm just ironing out the basics. For the new project, I'm going to have to learn to seriously draw in a way that SJ never really required.

-TG

[suerankin.livejournal.com]

Lariat Boy is looking good!

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

I think the lariat boy is the most fox-type there, yeah. And that is the best technique for drawing one; start with a real fox and then anthropomorphize him.

But the one in the top left is rather foxy, too. And I don't mean that he looks like a little vulpine. ;)

[sirfox.livejournal.com]

the black lines on the muzzle vary quite a lot from individual to individual. You could do them up as a kind of painted-on mustache, or to accentuate lips/expressions/muzzle contortions, once you figure out if/where you want them.

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

The pony tails are hip!