Feed aggregator

Feedback episode for our Halloween Special. We talk email responses, the afterlife and Medieval Scottish Rap battles. ActFur Season 5 Ep 5 – Feedback - Feedback episode for our Halloween Special. We talk email responses, the afterlife and Medieval Scottish Rap battles.

He's going to be a gray fox named Zek so any advice would be appreciated

submitted by Zek-Master
[link] [6 comments]

Hi there, Papa bear, 

It's been a while since the last time I mailed ya, you might be quite busy with other advices so I'll make it fast

I just started to draw furries but honestly, I need lot of help; so I wanted to ask you if there are any sites you would like to recommend me, so I can practice and improve more :3

Lovely Cow

* * *

Dear Lovely,

When it comes to studying art, I do not recommend websites (I’ve looked at places like http://www.learn-to-draw.com/ and didn’t really care for them). There really aren’t any that I’ve seen that are all that great. Instead, I could recommend some books for you and, of course, if you are so inclined, you could take some art classes, either at a school or university or from a private tutor.

When it comes to books, I would recommend getting a mix of theory and practical art advice. Theory books help you develop your technique and elementary drawing skills, while practical art books teach you things like anatomy and how to portray movement.

To start, a book that was given to me by an artist on theory that is very good is Betty Edwards’ Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. As the title indicates, the lessons here get you in touch with the creative side of your brain, so that even people who think they have no artistic skill can improve greatly.

Next, you need a good book on technique. I have An Introduction to Art Techniques from DK publishing, but there are other books you can find online, I’m sure. Such books show you how to use the tools of the trade (brushes, palette knives, etc.) and introduce you to everything from pencil, ink, and spray pens to watercolors, oils, and acrylics. I also have books specifically on pencil and watercolor technique.

Next, get good books on human and animal anatomy. I have Drawing Human Anatomy  by Giovanni Civardi, and several animal books. Again, there is a wide variety of such books. Shop around in an art store. They usually carry the ones that are of better quality and can recommend something for your skill level.

Finally, if you are going in that direction, get a cartooning book. I have Cartooning for the Beginner by Christopher Hart. There are also books on digital painting techniques, a medium popular among many furry artists. You can even buy (and I think there is some freewhere) for 3D rendering software. You should really ask some furry artists about what books they would recommend for these because I have no experience in creating original digital art beyond Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

Develop a good library of books that you can refer to when you need to. 

Of course, you will need to practice, practice, practice. A good way to do this is to find a few artists you admire and start copying their works. This is not meant to plagiarize what others have done, but rather to help you observe the skills of people you consider masters in the craft and, by emulating them, develop your own skills.

If you like—and if your ego can handle it—join a furry artist group online, share your art, and have others critique it, hopefully in a constructive way.

Above all, if you wish to improve as an artist, set aside an hour or more a day when you can be alone with your art supplies and focus on your art without interruption. Even better, get outside (a zoo or park) and find subjects to paint and draw! 

Good luck!

Papabear

submitted by PutridHyena
[link] [48 comments]

submitted by chipfoxx
[link] [5 comments]

submitted by shinaku
[link] [2 comments]

submitted by SomeChickYouDontKnow
[link] [comment]

This is a cute animated short by Danish artist San-Renard. The thing is the original doesn't have any sound and this is a fan uploading it onto youtube with music from the anime Spice and Wolf. I find it not only works remarkable well but enhances the video.

A very cute flash video made by San Renard (Awesome artist ^_^) Now I'm not usually into the habit of uploading other people's work, but unfortunately San Renard has taken an extended vacation from the inter-webs and since i didn't see any uploaded version of this flash here i thought i might share this with people from the youtube community.

Permalink

Starling on GreenReaper:

He never asked for the position. I approached him out of the blue, back when I was getting together a core of staff to help with the launch. We had met and chatted in the past, and I knew he had a wealth of experience with running furry community projects. But I had no idea if he would have even the slightest interest in giving his time to yet another random startup furry art site.

GreenReaper surprised me by agreeing to help, and since then he has consistently dedicated himself to Inkbunny. Over the years his ideals and goals for the site have echoed my own at every step, and I now see him as a close friend and someone I genuinely look up to.

Our disagreements have been just as important to me. He has always been willing to let me know when he thought I was doing something that wasn't wise. More times than I can count now, his maturity and level-headedness have stopped me acting on impulse or out of anger in tense situations. He has been a voice of calm, reason and logic. This is a crucial state of mind to have when weathering the kinds of storms you endure as a site owner.

Since Inkbunny launched in 2010, the furry art social media scene has found room to fit Weasly to create arguably the most competitive market space since the last decade when ArtSpots and Furry Art Pile were still kicking about.

The future bolds well for Inkbunny as I view GreenReaper as a highly competent administrator. When he became editor-in-chief of Flayrah in 2010, not only did he continue maintaining the news website but also broadened its appeal. I distinctly recall Flayrah being a site that you might know was around, but in recent years he's increased the site's mindshare within the fandom as an established and reputable furry news institution.

On a personal footnote, GreenReaper originally hails from Britain so some small pride is felt that one of our own is involved in so many influential furry websites.

Permalink

This is a colossal shit storm, reflecting badly on the furry fandom..

more info /r/speedrun: http://np.reddit.com/r/speedrun/comments/1r2f1k/rip_in_peace_werster/cdj10be

/r/gaming: http://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1r49at/twitch_admin_bans_speedrunner_for_making_joke/

Just parlaying the info for those not aware, I advise not to get involved for your sanity.

Edit: Because I"m god damn lazy, /u/Chewy_lemon sums everything up, right here

submitted by WolfTweak
[link] [138 comments]

Earlier this month Watts Martin published the first issue for his online magazine Claw & Quill, consisting of an introductory piece and 3 articles.

Here is a taster of "Is Furry Fiction Science Fiction?" by Kyell Gold.

If your story’s central idea is “how would the world change if everyone became an animal-person,” then that falls into the realm of science fiction (or, some might argue, fantasy, or slipstream; at the very least, it’s speculative fiction). If your story is about a new world in which everyone is an animal-person, then you are pretty okay with fantasy (my own Argaea series is sort of thinly fantasy, because there is no spellcasting nor anything else fantastical—except the characters). If your story is “how hard is it to be gay when society wants you to be straight, and also you’re a fox,” well. That’s not science fiction, and it’s not fantasy: it’s our real world with animal-people dropped in place of human people and the world changed to suit them. Scent markers become important and houses take on different shapes and sizes, for instance. But that’s not enough to make it a fantasy world.

To me C&Q set a new standard that other furry publications (including my own) should take inspiration from. My praise for Martin's site is not just centred around the quality of the content, but how it has been packaged up into a reader friendly format. The minimalist clean design emphasises the content and does away with distractions like sidebar clutter, social media responses and excessive links.

This is the first time I have seen a furry publication that would not look out of place with ones I have seen in the tech blog world. It is a sign of the fandom's ever growing maturity when it can produce the equivalent of Medium and The Magazine mixed with the blog aesthetics made famous by Apple blog Daring Fireball and its legion of imitators.

Permalink

A truly delightful corner of Second Life set inside a quaint bakery on top of a hill. Whilst primarily created as a hangout for fat furs, it is a friendly hangout for anyone wanting somewhere peaceful to chat and lounge around.

In their words

This is a little bakery for fat/chubby furries to hang out and grab a bite or twenty. We hope you enjoy your visit!

Features

• Lots of places to sit
• Games arcade machines

Gallery
Bobtail bakery
Front of the bakery
Back of the bakery
Ground floor


First floor Rating

You must be 18 or over to have a Second Life account.  Visitors are advised that strong language might be used and on occasions some furries may be nude. 

 

Permalink

Website advocating the lifestyle for being bare paw, in other words no shoes or socks.

In their words

Some furries are wearing clothes - from some basic covering sensitive zones or rain protection to full clothing covering all or most of their bodies, similar to what humans wear or different. Others consider them useless, or mostly so, as they are well enough protected by their fur. However, it is only a small minority among the furries who wear shoes - most furry characters that you can see in furry artwork, read about in stories or meet in MUCKs go barefoot (or bare-pawed, as a more appropriate term). Head, tail and four paws (handpaws/forepaws and footpaws/hindpaws) are the spots traditionally left exposed on most furries.

Rating

Suitable for all ages. This site has no offensive content.

Permalink

Canadian fursuit maker and artist with a full body of experience in her craft dating back to 2003.

n their words

Today, my passion for costumes and performing have never been stronger. My parents admire my work and have encouraged me every step of the way. I hope that I can continue creating costumes for myself and others for many more years to come.

Ratin

uitable for all ages. This site has no offensive content.

 Additional linkTwitter

Permalink

The fandom’s longest running furry news website. Established 2001, Flayrah has fed the fandom with news on anthropomorphic media, reviews, happenings within the fandom itself and even investigative journalism.

In their words

Flayrah is an news magazine for furry fandom, written by the community since 2001. We seek to mix the focused variety of Slashdot, the in-depth analysis of Ars Technica, and the vibrancy of alt.fan.furry in its prime.

Rating

This site focuses on content suitable for all ages, though sometimes it will write about mature subjects.

Additional linksFacebook PageTwitterTumblrLiveJournalDreamWidth blogVK Russian social networkKindleWikifur entry

Permalink

Tumblr blog celebrating the many delightful fursuits created by the fandom. Excellent tastes in the fursuit photos they curate, they aren’t solely focus on quality but also feature those with character. Run by Steampup, Zigfx, LobitaWorks, and Sinibuns, they also answer questions and provide advice regarding construction, where to source material, how to maintain and how to perform in one.

In their words

Created in February of 2011, F*** Yeah Fursuiting is merely an art blog focused on the costuming side of the Furry Fandom.

Rating

Suitable for all ages. This site has no offensive content. Apart from the title.

Permalink

The amusing adventures of a NerdCat and his cute associates. Plenty of video game cosplay and references to be had.

In their wordsFollow the adventures of NerdCat and friends as they try to capture a wishing star so they can make their wish~Rating

Suitable for all ages. This site has no offensive content (apart from the title).

Additional linksEtsy StoreTumblr

Permalink

Among the many outlandish minimum requirements Call of Duty Ghosts had when it first released, one of them was that it required (read: would not run without), 6GB of RAM. Just today some of the team lowered the minimum threshold to just 4GB, even though it's been tested and shown before that at most it only ever requires 2GB of RAM.

In addition to this there is a few other bits and pieces listed in the full patch notes, such as support for 4K resolutions; I wouldn't advise it since the game looks bad enough as is.

I really still don't understand why Infinity Ward and Activision are so adamant about raising the requirements for COD to far beyond what is necessary, other than the idea that they don't care about the PC market.

If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them, and if you've been playing the game on PC, how's it been?

submitted by TobiasAmaranth
[link] [1 comment]

Beginning as a free version of the first Half Life game with update visuals, the small team working on it has come quite a long way in terms of gaining popularity with it's initial release. Just recently they were allowed access to the full source engine along with best wishes from Valve, and they've decided to release a new, paid-for version to the steam store soon enough with said updated version coming free "sometime in the future".

With the news of paying to play the game, the team had this to say:

"Our decision to sell Black Mesa rests on two key points," writes the team. "One is we believe we can make the game even better by having full access to the Source engine. This lets us tackle and fix limitations instead of working around them. The second is because frankly, our team could really use the financial help."

In addition they the paid version would go for "a relatively low price".