Blizzard's questions

[Blizzard]

i've just joined this forum and want to ask a few questions. I don't want to go and upset anyone but why do you lot do what you do and when your all dressed up what do yo do? Also how can you breathe in some of those masks?

[Kaylee]

i've just joined this forum and want to ask a few questions. I don't want to go and upset anyone but why do you lot do what you do and when your all dressed up what do yo do? Also how can you breathe in some of those masks?

Hi Blizzard,

A lot of the answers you wanted can be found on various posts in this forum, but here are a few answers.

1.) Why do you lot do? (Kigurumi)
Reply: This is a very frequently asked question and the answer varies from individual to individual. Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to consider the following questions.

Why do people dress up for Halloween? Why do people paint their face in their favorite team colors and attend a sporting event? Why do people spend a lot of time/money creating massive miniature railroads in their basement? Why do people spend a lot of time/money on hydraulic jacks so that their cars can bounce a few feet off the ground? Why do mimes perform in a park? Why do people do many things?

The answer is of course "for fun" and engaging in the act of Kigurumi can be very fun.
 
2.)  What you do and when your all dressed up what do you do?
Reply: We go to con's, do photo-shoots and some kigurumi do webcams. 

3.) How can you breathe in some of those masks?
Reply: The masks are not airtight and have holes in various places so it is possible to breathe.

[Blizzard]

Thanks for the reply. Looked through some posts and some things i couldn't help saying WTF? Some amazing costumes aswell! You lot have guts dressing up the way you do constantly.

[MissKiki]

Thanks for the reply. You lot have guts dressing up the way you do constantly.

In reality we are not much different than any other actor on stage or screen. All of us wear the costumes required by the role we are performing.  The difference lies in the fact that some of us do street performances. We get up close and personal with our audiences.

Sure it takes self confidence, or bravado, or a thick skin, or in some cases, a willingness to let it all hang out and risk being ridiculed. But the rewards can be so sweet .

Miss Kiki

[Rabbit in the Moon]

Good responses.  It's a very creative medium for me, and I enjoy engaging in it with frequency. 

I could just do cosplay, but a lot of cosplays are limited to your look and build.  With kigurumi (and fursuits) you can pull off looks and characters that you may never be able to do, otherwise.  There's a whole new layer involved with this genre of cosplaying, and while the restrictions in communication are a big turn-off for most, the visual impact these characters have far outweigh that, in my opinion.  Besides, there's a definite challenge to portraying emotion, expressing oneself, and conveying a message without saying a word, and relying solely on body language and pantomime to do the job.  That's an entire art in itself.

[Blizzard]

Good responses.  It's a very creative medium for me, and I enjoy engaging in it with frequency. 

[/there's a definite challenge to portraying emotion, expressing oneself, and conveying a message without saying a word, and relying solely on body language and pantomime to do the job.]

i have seen your videos and some others and it seems to me like you all are able to pull it off easily! but then again i havn't seen... well... any foxes wearing eye liner and black dresses so i guess your characters are what you want them to be. Although i found it a little... odd at first i got a slight interest in this. However, i would never have the courage to wear a costume like those. the furthest i would probably go is wearing that balaclkava 'Ghost' wears in modern warfare 2, so got to give you lot your props. BTW is there a white wolf and a fox on this forum who can do these backflips and kartwheeles in their costumes. if there are, got to compliment them on that!

[Rabbit in the Moon]

Not on this forum, but I've definitely seen their video.  Mad props to them for being able to do that level of activity in suit (and not crash into everything).

[Blizzard]

Takes serious strength and will-power to do that and not take anyone out with your tail. Moving on to another question.It seems that there are afew artists here or people who have apasion for drawing so my question is this, where do you find your inspiration or ideas? I ask this because, strangely, i can only draw cars but ihave tried a few techniques and has ended up with me drawing, more or less, the same thing, also thinking of drawing these screenshot-like pics of costumes or somethingalong these lines

[Blizzard]

Any enlightenment? S orry about the double post. Typed this up using my PSP again and can only use a certain amount of characters. LOL 

[ZootWolf]

where do you find your inspiration or ideas?

Most of my own artwork is pretty much offtopic here -- but I've done as much Anthro /Furry artwork as I've been able, but my imagination still needs more of a workout with this Right now it's more of a challenge than drawing from the real world; but I'm improving. . .slowly. . .there are so many artists whose work I admire I can't even begin to approach right now. . .

I've done drawings for fun over the years of various SciFi-type life forms -- some with their own cultures and histories -- and also my own takes on some characters from SciFi literature, such as Larry Niven's 'Known Space' series. So, Pretty much all of SciFi from the very beginning. . .

And I've done nature and wildlife art -- critters from both above and below water, and the macro / nano worlds as well.

(ermm, glad to pin things down for you. . . )

Outside of the world of living things, both real and imagined, one thing I'll mention as an influence is the Art Deco / Streamline Moderne design style -- most associated with the 1920s and 30s, this is the style of the Chrysler Building, the video game BioShock, the first-gen Audi TT, and the Emerald City in MGM's The Wizard of Oz, just to name a very  few

All of this I've folded into my other artwork to some extent or another -- and it's all been a very specific and direct influence on my namesake's developing Fursona, and the world he finds himself in.

Probably my favorite current Anthro / Furry artist is Eric Schwartz, creator of the Sabrina-Online webcomic. I've copied a good number of his drawings, just to help me get the feel of the whole genre. And I've had a lot of fun You can learn a lot, doing this, there's a kind of osmosis -- by drawing what another artist has, it helps you understand why an artist makes the decisions they do, as you go along through the process.

also thinking of drawing these screenshot-like pics of costumes or somethingalong these lines

Would this be like having your drawing look like a still from a movie or videogame? Would like to hear more, please

strangely, i can only draw cars

There might be some cool possibilities in combining all this -- anthro / furry characters posing with classic cars from different eras -- ?

And say instead, that you are "able to draw cars now," and leave the "only" part out.

The same observational skills you use for drawing cars are what are used for all drawing, all sculpture, all painting -- these are universal visual skills  that apply to every visual art form -- and this is true working from direct observation, or from your imagination, and in 2D and 3D -- it doesn't matter. You also use these observational skills in photography, when composing your picture.

If you're able to use these skills when drawing cars from direct observation, then you should potentially be able to draw anything you see.

Also, one thing I'd suggest is this: draw every day. Just a quick sketch or two, whatever you find enjoyable; that holds your interest, whether it's from direct observation or your imagination.

Have a sketchbook with you whenever possible. I like the ones with the wire loop bindings -- they can be laid down flat, folded over completely,  and the paper you're drawing on can always supported by the thickness of the entire sketchbook. Unlined paper is best, the bigger the better but I've found even as small as 7 or 8 x10" to be sufficient.

[Blizzard]

also thinking of drawing these screenshot-like pics of costumes or somethingalong these lines

Would this be like having your drawing look like a still from a movie or videogame? Would like to hear more, please

Well i was thinking about drawing something as if it is posing or to give is a certain atmosphere or theme.
These should help you understand what i am talking about.







Once i get the hand of proportions and shading, i hope to move onto kinetic desighn (making the drawing look like it is moving or action shots).







Thanks for the reply Zoot . I have tried copying other peoples desighns and sketches then try to incorporate my own ideas into them but when it comes to desighning something origional, ideas don't come to me as frequently as i would like but as you have said... by drawing what another artist has, it helps you understand why an artist makes the decisions they do, as you go along through the process.
 if i can find the cable to connect my camera to my PC, i can show you my previous drawings.

[Blizzard]

Well i have found a way to load pics to my computer using my phone... but all of my previous drawings have vanished and it is a long story to explain so i started over again and i am sooooooo pissed!

Anyway this is what i have come up with.
This is not finished


This is finished but i messed it up by drawing it too far into the page.


And i tried my hand at drawing a character and if i had the time, money and commitment to make this a costume, i probably would, but this is not finished yet either.

[ZootWolf]

Blizzard, finally getting back to you on this!  

First, may I say I greatly appreciate the trouble you went to, to get all of these images posted up, especially of your drawings and using your cell phone. Definitely worth the effort!

From all I've seen with people learning to draw, and with the ability you're showing, without any doubt you'll continue to improve and progress -- very cool drawings you've done -- really I like yours better than some of the examples you posted -- they're more dynamic and more fun to look at.

Been working on this reply for three + weeks -- and still adding to it so it's now at least six or so posts long, total -- so I'll be sending it in some more PMs to you. Sorry it's taken so long >_< I'll eventually be getting to all you've commented on, as I finish each part. But this part may be of some general interest; hope it's worth the space.

Once i get the hand of proportions and shading, i hope to move onto kinetic desighn (making the drawing look like it is moving or action shots).

Depicting proportions accurately is an artistic skill that can seem difficult to learn -- it definitely did to me -- but there are ways to approach this that are pretty straightforward, learnable, and effective -- and it looks like you're got a really good instinctive, working understanding of this already.

One method that can work is this:

From your subject, select one medium sized line or shape, and determine the sizes of everything else in the image -- both subject and background elements -- by directly comparing them to this.
 
In this way, you can accurately determine not just the relative sizes of parts of your subject, but also distances between any two points, and the placement of your subject within the composition.
 
Using the Ace Bunny artwork here as an example, you could use one of any number of internal measurements -- eartip to top of head, or torso length, or shoulder to one wrist. . .whatever seems the easiest to work with. . .any of them could do really. Here's an example using the distance from the top of the head to the left eartip --



Looking at this, I think you can see how the overall proportions of the subject can be quickly and accurately understood, and drawn.

[ZootWolf]

You can do these comparisons either in your mind's eye, or by taking a literal measure --

with your arm locked straight, hold a straight object (pencil, paintbrush etc.) parallel to, and in front of your subject. Looking through one eye,  Measure your chosen segment from the tip of the pencil at one end, and mark it at the other end by placing a thumb or finger at that point. Keeping your arm locked,  make all your comparisons to this reference unit of length on your pencil.

It's also very important to hold your measuring tool at the same angle (keeping it parallel to both the subject, and your paper, canvas, monitor etc.) when transferring your measurement to your artwork -- whether vertical, horizontal, or otherwise.

it might seem a bit mechanical, but artists use this method quite often -- measuring by using a physical object held in front of the subject can simply be more accurate and efficient. After some experience you'll simply 'wing it'; it might even seem to yourself that you 'just started drawing,' but in reality you've done this measuring, the same thing, in your mind's eye. You might find yourself employing both methods, in rapid succession, as you work. . .and with a bit of experience all this can be done very quickly.

This method is equally applicable to any type of drawing, sculpture, painting, etc. and working with any 2D or 3D subject. . .say, designing in 2D, and then sculpting in clay a pattern for Kig mask.

So, with this technique -- like Wile E. Coyote plummeting down onto the only cactus for miles around, followed by an anvil, a boulder the size of a dump truck, and an Acme guided missile -- everything can inevitably fall right into place

And, developing this heightened comprehension, you should also do better both with creating convincing proportions for subjects being adapted from the real world, and for those seen purely in one's imagination.

This is finished but i messed it up by drawing it too far into the page.

I hate that when it happens --

heh heh, if I had a nickel for every time I've done this. . . Especially with a figure drawing that's turning out really nice and then. . .there's the bottom of the paper -- where's that foot going to go now? That's when you tear off a piece of paper and tape it to the drawing board lol -- and recopy the whole thing later -- hey, whatever works XD

But once again you can use your proportional reference measurement, to help scale your drawing to the size paper or canvas you have. If your reference unit is say, 1/3 the width of your subject, and you measure off a distance say, of 1/4th or so less of the width of your paper, and use that as your starting point, using this approach you'll be pretty much set.

Sending some recommendations on shading techniques (very soon I hope!)

[Blizzard]

Thanks for the tips and compliments on my drawings, greatly appreciated  . I'm going to give that tecnique a try when doing my next picture.

So currently i'm drawing a picture from Racedriver Grid and it looks MEAN! I couldnt resist copying it.

Here is the pic i'm recreating:


And this is my recreation so far:
 

In my opinion i think it looks worse here than it does for real but i feel it's coming along well but as u can see, it involves a lot of grey and black shading so i'm DEFINATLY going to need your tips on shading.

So in case this thread is going off the topic of cosplay and all, my next pic will have a Kingdom Hearts theme to it, not going to give away much more than that but the result, in my mind, looks sick, but i'm up to my neck in things to do so once i get time, i'll try to finish this pic and/or get started on my next so it's alright if you've got your hands tied, cos i have . Anyway, thanks for the replies and tips and looking forward to the tips on shading.