Fursona - How to make one when you are uncreative?

[SabuInu]

// If this belongs more into off-topic feel free to throw it there //

Hey there,

since the last convention I want to make "my own" one, like I was doing it with all the babystuff I am lurking amongst the furry fandom since ages, but couldn't really make up my mind on how I want my character to look like. I know which dog breed I want to be (well would still look more like a little wolf I guess)


Wikipedia
(If I ever have the time and space to have a dog this would be the one I would want.)

Fell in love with that one the first time I've seen it, I've found a few of those on FA usually with the head being quite "poofy" and the tail curled upwards. because I don't want the poofyness of the head I think it would just look like a wolf with the tail curled up.

The thing that gives me the most headaches is the fur-pattern and the markings, so I browsed FA quite a bit and stumbled upon a thing called "adoptable", and I actually found some patterns I would really like, but pretty much on the wrong animal for me.

So to my question, is there a ruleset to adoptables I should know? I thought about buying one from guys like rumakon who seems to make patterns all day...and then maybe let someone transfer that onto a canine and later change a few details/colors. I would buy the adoptable even tho I would not use it besides as a reference for the patterns, I don't want to steal anything from anyone.

He had some deer/cat patterns I would actually like on the woof, that's why it came to my mind to maybe transfer it.

http://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/rumakon/

Is this a thing I could do, I am terrible at drawing stuff and fairly uncreative as mentioned in the title, therefore I try to find someone to do that for me, but I don't want to offend anyone and I pretty much can't ask someone to draw something from zero if I don't know 100% what I want.

Kind regards,
Sabu

 

[LilxFawn]

Thankfully the good thing about getting a commission from someone is that they talk to you about what you want. If they do a lot of fursonas (or even commissions in general) they’re used to indecisive people. I’m actually looking for someone to do a commission for me as well, but I’m broke right now so that’s my main problem lol. But honestly I don’t think there’s a rule set to adoptables unless the artist specifically states it. I’d maybe ask the artist before buying something from them and then finding out that you can’t do what you want to do.

 

[SabuInu]

But I still think I am wasting the time of the artist as they seem to be busy or at least in a "commissions are closed"-state all the time, so I need to figure out what I want with some references first (I guess), and I have to talk to them as well - oh my gosh, anxiety allready kicks in D:

I'll check the profiles of those who make patterns all day regarding rules, thanks for the reply.

 

[AmTheBaby]

Hey!

you can pick an adoptable as a sona, you can use the flash “create a wolf” games on DA to put an idea on paper. Heck! Some artists have free bases (outlines) you can color in with Paint/Photoshop/Medibang (I use medibang for art) and color it in how you want!

 

[RetroGamerGuy]

not EVERYONE is as talented an artist as YOU are @AmTheBaby

 

[SabuInu]

Hey!

you can pick an adoptable as a sona, you can use the flash “create a wolf” games on DA to put an idea on paper. Heck! Some artists have free bases (outlines) you can color in with Paint/Photoshop/Medibang (I use medibang for art) and color it in how you want!

I actually tried to color one of the free outlines, but didn't really make a full one, wasn't really satisfied with the markings, a friend tried to do one for me as well but went waaaay over the top in regards to colors...I appreciate the effort but I don't think glowing in the dark is really my thing....yes, waaay over the top^^

 

[irnub]

My advice would be to find an artist who's not super busy or popular (tbh they don't even have to be that good) and commission them to draw what you described here. Make it clear that you won't be picky about it because you're still trying to get a feel for the character. It's perfectly acceptable to link other art or pictures to help describe what you're talking about, just don't ask them to copy someone else's work exactly.

Then once you have that first piece of art, it's easier to go to the next artist with that drawing and say "here's some prior art but I want these changes"

 

[SabuInu]

How exactly do you find someone like that actually? Is this a stupid question, I don't know D:

 

[AmTheBaby]

How exactly do you find someone like that actually? Is this a stupid question, I don't know D:

Well, some of us are right here under your noses! I'm currently open for commissions, as I'm saving up to get myself a pack of nice diapers for Christmas.

 

[SabuInu]

Well, some of us are right here under your noses! I'm currently open for commissions, as I'm saving up to get myself a pack of nice diapers for Christmas.

Well...I think I should ask the guy who made the adoptables first, at least if he is interested. What else would you need to know? You don't need to draw from scratch for now as I am still trying to build/get a useable reference first.

And is there a way on this site to chat without anyone else being able to read things like on profile messages? I would not link or send stuff in public which is not owned by me.

Thanks for your offer and kind regards,
Sabu

Sorry for being late on an answer, pretty busy the last few days and was also in school for 7hours today...

 

[irnub]

How exactly do you find someone like that actually? Is this a stupid question, I don't know D:

I'd start with furaffinity. Browse around, find art you like, look at the artists page and see if you like the rest of their art. If you come across someone who like the same art you like, comb through their favorites and see what you find. There was a thread in here with a list of babyfur artists people like.

And is there a way on this site to chat without anyone else being able to read things like on profile messages?

You can send a private message. I think it's the "start conversation" button but I haven't sent a PM since the forum software was updated.

I would not link or send stuff in public which is not owned by me.

There's nothing wrong with linking publicly posted art that's not yours, just as long as you don't try to claim it as yours. It's also good form to source the artist so people can find more of their work if they like it also.

 

[SabuInu]

@irnub, thanks for another reply, will keep looking, I got a reference from rumakon which I will use as a base refereance regarding the furpattern and roughly the coloring, just need to get that transferred into a canine^^

Things I am still not certain about - hairstyle, and some coloring details, I want to keep the colors quite simple and add some details in one of my favorite colors, like pawpads, nose, the tongue most likely as well, maybe the tip of the ears.

Not too much "in the face" - as it still should be a character I can identify myself with.

Kind regards.

 

[BeastMoan]

There are certain artists who will draw up designs for you as you if you give you an idea of what you want. I'm sure if you provided a coat pattern and a Shikoku someone would be happy to draw you up a ref. I like that you picked an unusual dog by the way!

 

[amperedragon]

I got some free lineart and colored it to create my fursonas, but if that's not an option I'd do the following:

1. Browse the internet and collect some references of what you're looking for. These can be artwork of other characters, pictures of real animals, even just designs you think look nice. Try to narrow it down to a small number of images (3-5 is usually good) that can be combined to get the look you're going for.

2. Search for an artist who has a style you like, is open for commissions, and is willing to draw a sketch without a reference sheet. Give them a good text description of what you want the character to look like, including links to all of your images and how they should be worked into the final product. Don't be afraid of being too detailed, but do make sure you keep it to visual details (don't start spewing your character's life story or anything like that). As long as you're not being unreasonably demanding or asking for a carbon copy of someone else's character, most artists will be happy to work with you, and there's nothing wrong with obtaining inspiration from others.

3. Wait for the art to be completed, then decide if the result matches your vision or needs further tweaking. Some artists will make small edits at no additional charge, but if not then commission another piece with the first as a reference and some additional details of what needs adjustment. It can take two or three iterations to get a sona you're satisfied with, and it also isn't uncommon to revamp sonas even years after they were created, so don't be discouraged if you don't love it right away. The important thing is that you're happy with the result, and there's no wrong way to get there.

 

[SabuInu]

2. Search for an artist who has a style you like, is open for commissions, and is willing to draw a sketch without a reference sheet.

That's one of the issues I have for now, either I don't like the style or they are closed, will keep looking and during this time I better work on the detailed description.
As for references I hope the reference I got from rumakon and 2-3 good pictures of the dog would be enough, the rest I would provide via short texts.

Thanks the replies and my apology for taking so long with an answer, couldn't think straight the past few days.

Kind regards.