Stop in for some warm cinnamon buns in honor of your Whelpday!
Smrgol
--
|
/\ | /\ Life is too important to be taken seriously
{o\/o}
\ / Remove xyzzy in E-Mail
oo (You're at the end of the road again)
V
Fur Code:
FDD[Kiryn]hmu3as A- C- D H+ M- P R T+ W-- Z- Sm- RLCI/CT/AT a++ cmnu++ d+
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Kamau the lion comes out of the tall grass and gives a friendly head rub to
Bob Drake
while Kamau AV [Anthro Version] brings tray of brownies with candles
(some assemble required).
Happy Whelpday.
Kamau
FFL6ac A- C+ Dm++ H+ M P++ R+ T+++ W Z Sm# RLCT/GP a++ cn++ d e+++ f++ h-
i+j- p* sm#
>Robin, wishing Bob Drake a delightful whelpday!
>
>according to the list:
>December 6 is . . . . . National Gazpacho Day and Mitten Tree Day
*wanders by, checking the yearly crop on the mitten tree plantation*
Looks like we'll get some nice knitted's this year, too bad the rayon
blight struck, lost half that crop....*comes back to her semblance of
reality*
Happy whelpday! Have some gloves ;)
******************
Mooncat Return the Hunt
http://www.furnation.com/mooncat To the measure
addy munged:remove YAWP to reply Of the Dance.
--------------------------------------
"The Chase," she said softly, "To hunt in the morning and live
until evening, run out of the light and slip into the dark, smell
the blood on the wind, hear the blood in your ears, die at last
with your enemies' blood in your mouth." ( Dr.Who _Survival_)
Have some zebra or antelope, smoked or fresh, for your dining enjoyment.
Have a back rub (or scritch) by our fine young lionesses...
--
Simba T. Lion
simbalio...@hotmail.com
simbakit...@hotmail.com
To reply remove NOSPAM from email
Furcode 1.3 :
FFL1ac A? C- D+ H M- P++ R- T+++ W- Z- Sm RLET/RB/U a clmn++ d e+ f- h* i++
j p-- sm
I will not be pushed, filed, indexed, stamped, briefed, debriefed or
numbered. My life is my own.- The Prisoner
Cold Tomato Soup? In December?? With Mittens????
Guess I'll just have to warm it up.
<adds a generous (some might say excessive) helping of habanero pepper
sauce>
AAHHHhhhh! That's better. Do we have any stronger spoons? This one
melted.
Happy Whelpday Bob.
--
Nebulous
My furcode
FFC4a A- C* D H+ M- P++ R+ T+++ W Z+ Sm RLRB/AT a+ cn++ d-- e+ f h+ i+ j+ p+
sm-
The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head.
Hogfather
Terry Pratchett
I wonder how old you have to be? *Bap!* Ow! Not in front of the kits!
> and Sky has something special for us, I'm sure....
>
Happy whelpday, BD and try the Baked Alaska for a surprise center!
>
> according to the list:
> December 6 is . . . . . National Gazpacho Day and Mitten Tree Day
And my calendar says it's also St. Nicholas Day! Could it be?!
--
La gvatanta vulpo (The vigilant fox)
Skytech
^^
<@@>
.]
http://members.xoom.com/MuklukWolf/skytech/index.html
I've been SKUNKED!! ....uh, no wait that's BO. Sorry!
[site under construction]
"An altoid shared is finer food than nutella served in solitude." ;)
Robin91783 pawed: <19991204114110...@ngol02.aol.com>...
>*Somewhere in France,a gentle man is having a quiet breakfast with his
love,
>reminising about the good times they've shared, the friends they've
seen, the
>places they've visited...
[snip]
>Robin, wishing Bob Drake a delightful whelpday!
Same here, to fine artist woof, Huskee. My letter to Bob and Hank was
the first e-mail I ever sent, right after I got online. I think their
page was on FurNation at the time, do you still maintain a page there
Husk? I was looking at so much Furry art, since that's what I'd gotten
online for (one of the things). I was limited by the speed of my
connection as to how many pictures I could see those first days, but I
ran across Huskee's Canines, taking that link since with that name, I
thought there might be Dog drawings. I liked the regular woofs, and had
a laugh at the fat ones.. :)
Say, have you done any work, drawing or coloring on the computer, with
Photochop, etc.? I really have been getting into making morphs with it,
and adding color to my drawings.
Boomer
I will never stop drawing my Dogs.
--
** To write, take out period between animal & house **
No, I closed that down almost a year ago. The online "furry" world was
looking too political for me so I didn't want to be on a "furry" server.
What wrecked it for me was: reading "furry" newsgroups! I'm much more
selective now if/when I look at them.
> I was looking at so much Furry art, since that's what I'd gotten
> online for (one of the things). I was limited by the speed of my
> connection as to how many pictures I could see those first days, but I
> ran across Huskee's Canines, taking that link since with that name, I
> thought there might be Dog drawings. I liked the regular woofs, and had
> a laugh at the fat ones.. :)
I never concern myself about whether they're specifically wolves or
dogs, they often look to me like a mix of all sorts of canine types -
dogs (pretty endless variety of shapes and sizes there!) wolves, bears,
hyenas, things that don't really exist...whatever. Part of the magic is
the mysterious mixture including the anthropomorphic aspect of course.
As for the fat ones - I simply like them that way, it's not even a
choice... which is probably the shortest possible answer to a possibly
un-answerable question about which I could speculate for hundreds of
paragraphs.
> Say, have you done any work, drawing or coloring on the computer, with
> Photochop, etc.? I really have been getting into making morphs with it,
> and adding color to my drawings.
I always do some work on my pictures in the computer after I scan the
drawings, mainly making them even darker than they already are :) I
rarely do coloring in the computer, only for pictures where I want a big
flat area of solid color which isn't very often. I do frequently alter
the color balance and hues of the original drawing though. It's another
way to invite the unexpected into the picture. And yes it's Photoshop.
> I will never stop drawing my Dogs.
To stop drawing my pictures would be like giving up breathing or eating.
Could I see some of yours? Do you have a website or gallery for them?
Here's my latest:
http://www.bdrak.com/art/1/99012.htm
BD
>
> To stop drawing my pictures would be like giving up breathing or eating.
> Could I see some of yours? Do you have a website or gallery for them?
> Here's my latest:
> http://www.bdrak.com/art/1/99012.htm
>
> BD
Nice! Always happy to see more of your drawings.
--
-Akai
This space for rent.
I tried your old link and it didn't work, so I scanned the artist list,
and you weren't there...
The way I see it, it's individuals that make all the difference. Furry's
getting bigger, as I can see, even in the time I've been here. Politics
does almost nothing for me; would rather be passionate about other
things. Paww to a morph or something..
>What wrecked it for me was: reading "furry" newsgroups! I'm much more
>selective now if/when I look at them.
For my interests, ALF is the best, because I have a reasonably wide
range of facinations: art, Cons, non morphic animals, transformation,
Zoo, fursuits, etc. I like that ALF supports all of those things. I'm
non agressive, like a Samoyed, and mostly not confrontational and
domestic, so I can't take the fury of some of the other groups.
>> I
>> thought there might be Dog drawings. I liked the regular woofs, and
had
>> a laugh at the fat ones.. :)
>
>I never concern myself about whether they're specifically wolves or
>dogs, they often look to me like a mix of all sorts of canine types -
>dogs (pretty endless variety of shapes and sizes there!) wolves, bears,
>hyenas, things that don't really exist...whatever. Part of the magic is
>the mysterious mixture including the anthropomorphic aspect of course.
Anthro Dogs were the very first mixes I ever did, starting in the early
80s, anthro gradually creeping in to the regular pet Dogs I had been
doing. I can't explain why, it just started to happen, and I was like,
'oh my!' A bit shocking to me at first, but then a very attractive idea
later, and I couldn't stop.
I've tried other species, and mixing, like Bearweilers, and Raccoon
marked Dogs. Now with the image program, I'm doing morphs there,
anthro-izing and changing proportions, like making ears really long, or
tails unusually large. I lean toward the bizarre in some cases, but
mostly like 'cute.'
>As for the fat ones - I simply like them that way, it's not even a
>choice... which is probably the shortest possible answer to a possibly
>un-answerable question about which I could speculate for hundreds of
>paragraphs.
That sounds just like me, I feel I don't really have that much choice
about what gets drawn, and even less over the final results. My friends
have a hard time believing me when I woof that, thinking that somehow I
must know where every little line is going to go before beginning.
My Furs come from images and interpretations that are assembled in my
head somehow. I like to look at Canine pictures and see live Dogs every
day, so thoughts are inspired that way. I don't even call them fanciful
creatures, because they're very real to me. Maybe to non Furs I describe
them as sci-fi or an adult version of cartoons..
>
>> Say, have you done any work, drawing or coloring on the computer,
with
>> Photochop, etc.? I really have been getting into making morphs with
it,
>> and adding color to my drawings.
>
>I always do some work on my pictures in the computer after I scan the
>drawings, mainly making them even darker than they already are :)
Oh yeah, for some reason scanners don't pick up my stuff well either,
lacking in contrast or color, looking a little flat, compared to the
originals, so I have to tweak them. Scanners are mainly made for photos,
I think; mine asks you to 'place a color reflective original' on the bed
before scanning..
>I
>rarely do coloring in the computer, only for pictures where I want a
big
>flat area of solid color which isn't very often.
I do that, especially if the pic is a toon type. Some pics are portrait
style head shots, so sometimes I fill the outside with solid or
gradcolor, or a tiled texture to cut down file sizes for the Web. You'd
be surprised how many bytes can hide in the texture of the paper when
it's scanned.
>I do frequently alter
>the color balance and hues of the original drawing though. It's another
>way to invite the unexpected into the picture. And yes it's Photoshop.
I use Photo Express special edition by Ulead actually, from a disk that
came with my scanner. I like that program alot.
>
>To stop drawing my pictures would be like giving up breathing or
eating.
Oh no, it's way too pleasurable, urf!
>Could I see some of yours? Do you have a website or gallery for them?
>Here's my latest:
>http://www.bdrak.com/art/1/99012.htm
Cool! I've never done anything with acrylics or oils, as that looks
like, but I want to try, especially with acrylic. I use everything that
I get my paws on, like graphite pencil, crayon, Sharpie (for density,
contrast) charcoal, ball point, felt tip marker, and the number one,
colored pencil.
My latest site is http://venus.spaceports.com/~furry and there are a few
thumbnails there, once you scroll past my rant about server changes to
the negative, and just after I signed up too! They are 'mug shots'
cropped out of bigger pics. My former sites were on Angelfire, "Furry
People" which had a 'Dogues Gallery' of my drawings starting up, and
"Dogmatic" which had a few pics. Unfortunately, Angelfire began forcing
large ads on all of the HTML pages, and it's not fair to subject
visitors to that, so the pages are stripped out now.. ;) I think I
woofed about those sites in a letter to you earlier this year. Don't
worry, even my woof is unable to keep track of all the sites; he barks
that I'm making him dizzy over it.
Boomer
Cannot keep the paw away from the FTP Upload button..
--
Random link: http://tga.transform.to/sequence.htm Transformation
sequences from movies and other media.
> Anthro Dogs were the very first mixes I ever did, starting in the early
> 80s, anthro gradually creeping in to the regular pet Dogs I had been
> doing. I can't explain why, it just started to happen, and I was like,
> 'oh my!' A bit shocking to me at first, but then a very attractive idea
> later, and I couldn't stop.
The kind of creatures I draw now began to appear when I was 14 or so, in
the early 70's. Before that I loved drawing sort of horror-like imagery
like haunted houses with old dead trees, skeletons, monsters, weird
spiders, that sort of thing. The canines appeared and took over. I still
love horror illustrations, maybe I'll get back to it one day (if the
canines let me!)
> I've tried other species, and mixing, like Bearweilers, and Raccoon
> marked Dogs. Now with the image program, I'm doing morphs there,
> anthro-izing and changing proportions, like making ears really long, or
> tails unusually large. I lean toward the bizarre in some cases, but
> mostly like 'cute.'
I'd like to see some of the "bizzare" ones!
> >As for the fat ones - I simply like them that way, it's not even a
> >choice... which is probably the shortest possible answer to a possibly
> >un-answerable question about which I could speculate for hundreds of
> >paragraphs.
>
> That sounds just like me, I feel I don't really have that much choice
> about what gets drawn, and even less over the final results. My friends
> have a hard time believing me when I woof that, thinking that somehow I
> must know where every little line is going to go before beginning.
I've had a few people ask me about how I "plan" my pictures, and the
answer is - I CAN'T. I know some very good artists who sketch out
circles and shapes to work out the composition, but that never worked
for me. I'm best with just fiddling with it as it progresses, in an
undisciplined, unorganised way. This is why I could never do
commissioned pictures.
> My Furs come from images and interpretations that are assembled in my
> head somehow. I like to look at Canine pictures and see live Dogs every
> day, so thoughts are inspired that way. I don't even call them fanciful
> creatures, because they're very real to me. Maybe to non Furs I describe
> them as sci-fi or an adult version of cartoons..
If I have to describe what I draw to anyone I usually say "a kind of
fantasy art", since I'm not making any attempt at drawing anything
"real" so to speak. Drawing "reality" is just not my interest (not
mention I don't have any skill in that area!) Sometimes I'll look really
closely at Hank's (or whatever dog is around) fur patterns, or the way
the limbs are made, and so on...but I never try to draw "from life". I
prefer making it up as I go, maybe using bits and pieces I might
remember from observation but that's not real important for me. It only
matters if it suggests some atmosphere or feeling, etc. The actual
anatomy might be utterly WRONG or not even really drawn but that's OK.
> >I always do some work on my pictures in the computer after I scan the
> >drawings, mainly making them even darker than they already are :)
>
> Oh yeah, for some reason scanners don't pick up my stuff well either,
It isn't that the scanner doesn't pick it up well, I just think of the
image I made on paper as the next-to-last step in the final picture, the
post-scanning work finishes it. I like to play around with them on the
computer and let some more unexpected things happen. Also, I like them
to appear even darker (I mean, for instance, things getting totally lost
in the shadows) than I acually make them on the paper. Charcoal or even
black oil pastel isn't REALLY black enough for me. So on the monitor, I
can get that real, total blackness that's so deep, quiet and suggestive.
Of course everyone will be seeing a slightly (or in some cases, a
radically) different version of any given picture because of differences
in monitors and gamma adjustments etc, but at least some people will be
seeing them as I meant them to be seen.
> lacking in contrast or color, looking a little flat, compared to the
> originals, so I have to tweak them. Scanners are mainly made for photos,
> I think; mine asks you to 'place a color reflective original' on the bed
> before scanning..
As opposed to "color absorptive"? :)
> >I
> >rarely do coloring in the computer, only for pictures where I want a
> big
> >flat area of solid color which isn't very often.
>
> I do that, especially if the pic is a toon type. Some pics are portrait
> style head shots, so sometimes I fill the outside with solid or
> gradcolor, or a tiled texture to cut down file sizes for the Web. You'd
> be surprised how many bytes can hide in the texture of the paper when
> it's scanned.
Yeah I know, but I don't mind because for my pictures texture can be a
big part of the atmosphere. I don't mind if it adds a few KB. I figure
if people don't want to wait an extra few seconds for a picture with
more color and texture, that's the way it goes. I think my pictures are
all of a reasonable file size. I don't so many cartoon-like pictures
these days, though I do sometimes use fill-color for those.
> >I do frequently alter
> >the color balance and hues of the original drawing though. It's another
> >way to invite the unexpected into the picture. And yes it's Photoshop.
>
> I use Photo Express special edition by Ulead actually, from a disk that
> came with my scanner. I like that program alot.
I've got a few Ulead programs which are good, but I just had a good feel
for Photoshop pretty quickly so I've stuck with it.
> >To stop drawing my pictures would be like giving up breathing or
> eating.
>
> Oh no, it's way too pleasurable, urf!
It's been a part of my life for decades. I love the times each day (a
few hours in the morning typically) sitting at the drawing table
dreaming and letting the pictures grow.
> >http://www.bdrak.com/art/1/99012.htm
>
> Cool! I've never done anything with acrylics or oils, as that looks
> like, but I want to try, especially with acrylic.
That picture is pastels, pencil and charcoal. I've never done much with
any medium that requires a brush, maybe some day. I've played around
with watercolors a little, nothing noteworthy... in fact I ended up
squishing the paint out of the tubes right onto the paper and splotching
water on it!
> I use everything that
> I get my paws on, like graphite pencil, crayon, Sharpie (for density,
> contrast) charcoal, ball point, felt tip marker, and the number one,
> colored pencil.
I don't have good feel for crayons, but I like all the things you
mentioned. Ball point pen was my favorite for a long time. Maybe today
I'd say it's pastels, tomorrow who knows.
> My latest site is http://venus.spaceports.com/~furry and there are a few
> thumbnails there,
I like the self-portrait best. Are there only thumbnails or full sized
pictures?
>Here's my latest:
>http://www.bdrak.com/art/1/99012.htm
A superb picture Bob...thank you for posting the URL.
Swampy
--
Swamp...@spamoff.epsilon2.demon.co.uk *please remove the spamtrap*
http://www.epsilon2.demon.co.uk/index.htm
Fur Code V1.3 FDA5s A+ C++>+++ D H+++ M- P+++ R++ T+++ W- Z- Sm S++
RLS a cn+ d- e++ f++ h* i+ j- p sm+
Bob Drake pawed <384DC6...@capmedia.fr>...
>
>Boomer The Dog wrote:
>
>The kind of creatures I draw now began to appear when I was 14 or so,
in
>the early 70's. Before that I loved drawing sort of horror-like imagery
>like haunted houses with old dead trees, skeletons, monsters, weird
>spiders, that sort of thing. The canines appeared and took over. I
still
>love horror illustrations, maybe I'll get back to it one day (if the
>canines let me!)
I was around 15-16, and my first real upright morph was a German
Shepherd man, plain pencil. I'd been doing four legged Dogs for a year
or two before that.
I can go for 'dark' themes, especially in the Fall, around Halloween,
but I haven't done much in that area.
>
>I've had a few people ask me about how I "plan" my pictures, and the
>answer is - I CAN'T. I'm best with just fiddling with it as it
progresses, in an
>undisciplined, unorganised way. This is why I could never do
>commissioned pictures.
I wouldn't consider doing commissions either right now, mainly because
of how I am with responsibility in other areas.. ;) It's just too new of
an idea, going from my Dogs hidden in folders, or hanging on the
basement wall for years alone with just me, to the point where others
can relate to them, 'hanging' them on the Net. I'm rather non commercial
to begin with, and the Dogs are just too personal to have a dollar
figure attached. At least I know I can draw something as a gift to Furry
friends, or I might like to do a drawings swap. Still, I'm in favor of
anything that might act as inspiration to draw more, and making up
Websites or doing these posts helps out.
I've had no formal art training, but I'm content with developing through
experimentation, at it's own pace. Sure, that'll be much slower, but I'm
happy with it. Don't want to force the paw of the Dog who feeds me,
urf..
>
>If I have to describe what I draw to anyone I usually say "a kind of
>fantasy art", since I'm not making any attempt at drawing anything
>"real" so to speak. Drawing "reality" is just not my interest (not
>mention I don't have any skill in that area!) Sometimes I'll look
really
>closely at Hank's (or whatever dog is around) fur patterns, or the way
>the limbs are made, and so on...but I never try to draw "from life". I
>prefer making it up as I go, maybe using bits and pieces I might
>remember from observation but that's not real important for me. It only
>matters if it suggests some atmosphere or feeling, etc. The actual
>anatomy might be utterly WRONG or not even really drawn but that's OK.
You see the big picture, rather than its perfect technical execution,
that's cool.
When I started doing Dogs, they were very literal, because I was copying
right from my favorite pictures in ads or from the newspapers, making
them larger in size. Just flat, light pencil drawings, then felt tip
marker and ballpoint.. The anthro came in, because after awhile I
started to have them smile just a little bit more, make them look just a
little bit more pleasant.
Once I discovered what was happening and got comfortable with it, it
became something special to draw Dog creatures. It's fun to interpret
what they might be like, getting the picture out of the head and onto
the paper. I count as inspiration for anthro the Poker Playing Dogs
campy old pic, the Shaggy DA movie, and perhaps Chewbacca. Still, I
could find nothing in the media that was really what I liked, so had to
draw it myself. My core interests center around Canines who are heavy on
the Dog side, with paws, nice muzzles, generous tails and fur, even if
they stand up and wear clothing, like old saggy t-shirts.
I sometimes have trouble with symmetry, such as between the two sides of
a face, so I like to use a small mirror to see the pic in reverse as
it's progressing. Still, some of those oddnesses, unrealities can make a
picture different and appealing, as you woofed.
>
> I like to play around with them on the
>computer and let some more unexpected things happen. Also, I like them
>to appear even darker (I mean, for instance, things getting totally
lost
>in the shadows) than I acually make them on the paper.
I remember how some of your Canines were outdoors, relaxing in the
woods, big round eyes and white sock, much brighter than your new woof..
All areas for me to explore yet..
Do you name your woofs or do they have stories to go along with them,
personalities? I do all of that, because they're out of scenarios I
have.
>
>> You'd
>> be surprised how many bytes can hide in the texture of the paper when
>> it's scanned.
>
>Yeah I know, but I don't mind because for my pictures texture can be a
>big part of the atmosphere. I don't mind if it adds a few KB. I figure
>if people don't want to wait an extra few seconds for a picture with
>more color and texture, that's the way it goes.
Most of my pictures so far have been bright, if not on the low end of
bold, even. I tend to draw every detail in, and then don't want to
darken out what I'd done, so they end up like pictures taken with a
flash camera. With the computer, I can experiment with shadowing and
adding atmosphere. Working on making regular Dog photos into anthros is
teaching me alot too. Ya gotta love the Undo function.. :)
I like those screen filling pics too, and I remember some of yours on
FurNation being 800 wide, and 100kB. File size is an interesting
dilemma, how much file can the viewers take. If I'm in a FurNation mood,
looking over the archive, I pass over big pics more, unless I really
need to see them. Now if it's the work of Bill Schmickle or a few
others, I really give the site a workout; others, I'm happy with pics in
the 25-50k range, just to get an idea.
>
>> >To stop drawing my pictures would be like giving up breathing or
>> eating.
>>
>> Oh no, it's way too pleasurable, urf!
>
>It's been a part of my life for decades. I love the times each day (a
>few hours in the morning typically) sitting at the drawing table
>dreaming and letting the pictures grow.
Ahh, that sounds so nice.. I couldn't do without that in my life
either.. I was at a Furmeet earlier in the year, woofing about art with
someone, and they thought your work had been in an exhibit off the Net
somewhere. Good to hear that! How did folks react to the Canines?
>
>> >http://www.bdrak.com/art/1/99012.htm
>
>That picture is pastels, pencil and charcoal. I've never done much with
>any medium that requires a brush, maybe some day. I've played around
>with watercolors a little, nothing noteworthy...
I've goofed off with watercolor a few times, and I like how well it can
make texture backgrounds, the 'washes.' I wanted to use a WC backing for
a regular Dog pic, but it didn't seem right, from the start, so I
couldn't put out for that picture. I will one day though, to be sure.
>
>> I use everything that
>> I get my paws on, like graphite pencil, crayon, Sharpie (for density,
>> contrast) charcoal, ball point, felt tip marker, and the number one,
>> colored pencil.
>
>I don't have good feel for crayons, but I like all the things you
>mentioned. Ball point pen was my favorite for a long time.
I have a few blue Dogs from using ballpoint way back; at least that's
better than the graphite pencil. I have several old drawings done with
pencil that are almost invisible now, from fading.
I've used Ultrafine Sharpie to ink a color pencil drawing, making it
look almost like watercolor or thin oil.
>
>> My latest site is http://venus.spaceports.com/~furry and there are a
few
>> thumbnails there,
>
>I like the self-portrait best.
Boomer, the Berger des Pyrenees, notice any resemblence to Boom from TV?
The yellow of the background is the natural color of the paper now,
since it was drawn on thick newsprint type low grade paper. He's sitting
right here with me, drawn 9-19-96.
>Are there only thumbnails or full sized pictures?
On that site, yes. Spaceports had been an advertising-optional site for
awhile, some deal where if you agree to put a banner on your page, you
get to split the take with the provider, 5 cents a click or something
like that. They offer 10 megs, which is a nice size. I stopped building
there for the time being, because they want to have ads on all pages
now. That page was to be thumbnails linked to the bigger pics, but I
have to wait and see what might be happening first. I'm pretty picky
about what my sites look like. I have your address, so will be sending
you some URLs when I get it worked out.
Here, try this one, to see, though others have had trouble with it:
http://community-1.webtv.net/Disco_Doggie/BoomersDogsPage a trash page..
:)
Boomer
--
I like "dark" themes all year 'round! Especially during those
dismally "cheerful" times of the year! hehehehehehe
> I wouldn't consider doing commissions either right now, mainly because
> of how I am with responsibility in other areas.. ;) It's just too new of
> an idea, going from my Dogs hidden in folders, or hanging on the
> basement wall for years alone with just me, to the point where others
> can relate to them, 'hanging' them on the Net. I'm rather non commercial
Well there's that aspect too, though I really don't mind if someone
WANTS to pay me for pictures, I HATE the salesman thing but I just
gotta bite the bullet and accept it. I’ve sold a few things at
conventions and I’m always squirming when I take the money, though I
know it doesn’t really matter. I’ve seen people spend HUGE amounts of
cash for stuff at those cons so I shouldn’t feel bad about getting a
few $ for something. I'm not forcing them to do it...but still I
squirm...
> I've had no formal art training, but I'm content with developing through
> experimentation, at it's own pace. Sure, that'll be much slower, but I'm
> happy with it.
Same with me, I had exactly one official art lesson back around 1980.
I do like the clumsy but sincere experimentation that comes from the
sincere obsession to draw something even if you don’t know how.
> It's fun to interpret
> what they might be like, getting the picture out of the head and onto
> the paper. I count as inspiration for anthro the Poker Playing Dogs
> campy old pic, the Shaggy DA movie, and perhaps Chewbacca. Still, I
> could find nothing in the media that was really what I liked, so had to
> draw it myself. My core interests center around Canines who are heavy on
>the Dog side, with paws, nice muzzles, generous tails and fur, even if
>they stand up and wear clothing, like old saggy t-shirts.
Those aspects all sound nice! I’m not sure what if anything might have
been an early influence for me to draw the creatures I draw. I always
loved all kinds of "fantastic" art, especially if it had a weird or
strange quality, and I liked big wolfish cartoon characters (they were
usually always the "villians" of course...I generally HATED the "good
guys" in old cartoons, always hoped they’d be EATEN by the wolf or
monster or whatever : ) My fave kinds of pictures were the rare
image that had a strange furry animal that wasn’t quite "cartoony",
yet not quite "realistic" . A lot of old art and sculpture, I mean
old like cave-painting old. A lot of the "symbolist" painings from
the late 1800's. Old religious art, occult or witchcraft engravings
full of great strange creatures.
> I sometimes have trouble with symmetry, such as between the two sides of
> a face, so I like to use a small mirror to see the pic in reverse as
>it's progressing. Still, some of those oddnesses, unrealities can make a
>picture different and appealing, as you woofed.
The skewed face problem is one of the most common. I constantly battle
the same thing. A certain amount of non-symmetry is good, as no face
or body is really symmetrical anyway, but once you see how skewed your
drawing is, it never looks the same again! Using a mirror is a good
way to stay aware of it, also just looking throughj the back of the
paper. I also found that if I turn the picture upside down to draw
some parts of it will help balance out the skewing problem if it's
getting really noticable.
> I remember how some of your Canines were outdoors, relaxing in the
> woods, big round eyes and white sock, much brighter than your new woof..
> All areas for me to explore yet..
I still do some of those kind of pictures but just haven’t been
posting many of them. I did try to get away from those big round eyes
though. Now as for the anthro dogs in nothing but (formerly) white,
funky old socks, I never get tired of them. Perhaps I am simply mad.
> Do you name your woofs or do they have stories to go along with them,
> personalities? I do all of that, because they're out of scenarios I
> have.
I never have any stories, though they certainly often have
personalities. Sometimes there might be some little scenario in my
head as I draw and enjoy them, for instance those pictures like a
couple of big lazy dogs lazing around together - I definitely have
little scenarios about those!
> Most of my pictures so far have been bright, if not on the low end of
> bold, even. I tend to draw every detail in, and then don't want to
> darken out what I'd done, so they end up like pictures taken with a
>flash camera.
I often spend days drawing all those 1000’s of inividual hairs, and
then make the scanned image so dark that you can’t see them anymore,
heh. But all that detail adds something, even if you can’t really see
it.
> I like those screen filling pics too, and I remember some of yours on
>FurNation being 800 wide, and 100kB.
I think that’s very "reasonable".
>File size is an interesting
> dilemma, how much file can the viewers take. If I'm in a FurNation mood,
> looking over the archive, I pass over big pics more, unless I really
> need to see them. Now if it's the work of Bill Schmickle or a few
> others, I really give the site a workout; others, I'm happy with pics in
> the 25-50k range, just to get an idea.
That’s what thumbnails are for :)
But as you say, it’s up to the veiwer to decide if they really want to
see the picture or not. I didn’t know Bill Schmickle had a website, I
saw a couple of his pictures somewhere (don’t remember where) and
thought they were very interesting. Do you know of a site?
> Ahh, that sounds so nice.. I couldn't do without that in my life
> either.. I was at a Furmeet earlier in the year, woofing about art with
> someone, and they thought your work had been in an exhibit off the Net
> somewhere. Good to hear that! How did folks react to the Canines?
The Museu de l'Erotica in Barcelona asked me if I'd like to show some
drawings there, so I sent them 10 or so drawings and sketches which
were part of an exhibit there last spring. I didn't hear about any
specific comments from visitors (they have around 2000-3000 visitors
per day) but the museum staff really liked them. I was very happy to
finally hang some of the erotic pictures in an actual "respectable"
gallery, and I hope more opportunities come along for that. There have
been only 2 other times I showed any drawings in a gallery or
exhibition-type situation: one was an art show I did with some friends
back in 1985 maybe, when I still lived in Denver. I didn’t show any of
the specifically erotic pictures though, I wasn’t ready for that then.
The other time was 2 or 3 drawings at some sci-fi/fantasy convention
in Denver waaay back in the early 80’s but I forget what it was
called. I actually sold a drawing - to author Edward Bryant who was a
featured guest at the con. I never had the chance to thank him
because I wasn’t there at the art sale. I was almost embarrassed that
someone bought one of my pictures, it was the first time.
> >I like the self-portrait best.
>
> Boomer, the Berger des Pyrenees, notice any resemblence to Boom from TV?
No idea who "Boom from TV" is, but the picture was interesting!
> The yellow of the background is the natural color of the paper now,
> since it was drawn on thick newsprint type low grade paper. He's sitting
> right here with me, drawn 9-19-96.
I love the color of old newsprint, and cheap, yellowed paper. It can
make a simple sketch look like some old, antique item.
> have to wait and see what might be happening first. I'm pretty picky
> about what my sites look like. I have your address, so will be sending
>you some URLs when I get it worked out.
Great, thanks!
> Here, try this one, to see, though others have had trouble with it:
> http://community-1.webtv.net/Disco_Doggie/BoomersDogsPage a trash page..
> :)
It said "Not Found on this server". I guess that could be called
"trouble" :)
YES! I would a dozen times rather look at fanart of Princess
Sally that's drawn with some feeling than spend my time staring
at something that's drawn with perfect technique but obviously
meant nothing to the artist. I'm always amused at someone I know
who's a commercial artist, draws like one (perfect form and technique,
like from an art instruction book, and just about as exciting) and then
gets in a tizzy at least once a year because he's outsold by 'inferior'
artists at cons :D
-Ostrich! <") http://www.furnation.com/ostrich
Well now, I guess this is totally unrelated to the art thread, but I do
count Shaggy DA as a great inspiration. It was The Shaggy Dog that
opened the doggie door in my brain way back when, but it goes back to a
show that was promoting the upcoming release of The Shaggy D.A. that is
listed as the start of it all.
Ahh the countless furries influenced by the Disney corporation. I like
to make a joke : "Mamas don't let your babies grow up watching Disney"
Heaping helpings of Bugs Bunny: Much better for kids. The unedited ones
too. Cartoon violence. Lots of it.
Of course,the Disney stuff is only a joke. I sure loved that Computer
That Wore Tennis Shoes and Escape From Witch Mountain. ;) -Ric