A Glimpse Behind the Mask of the Furry Community

Conflict Of Interest

LOL  Sometimes what I come up with is really "Off The Wall"

Yeah, that sums it up.

A Fleeting Moment

I now deem this work completed.

A Lifelong Friend Has Passed

I was working on this when I learned of her passing. It seemed a good point in time to release it into the public.  Her family has asked that it be recited at her funeral, it is an honor I will be there for. Rest In Peace Bonnie Lynn Fuller.

Furries Be Like

*thump thump thump thump*

Got the day off but can't decide what to do.

Wine Labels

My first Official media design work.  Just finished the 2nd rendition of a commission for wine labels and the development of a logo for them.  They all ready accepted the work I just had to alter a few things to create a finished look.

Now to get set up for production of the labels. 

Hmmm something to ponder.

Refining My Application of Neon Effects

I have figured out a way to apply these effects with far greater accuracy and virtually no artifacts left over after rendering. Once I have it smoothed out I will post another tutorial on the way it works. At this point I think this particular rendering of Relic would look really good on a black Tee with only the addition of his signature. which thanks to the help of my own handwriting and vector graphics using InkScape I have also developed with Neon effects.

My Place of Residence.

Welcome to Narnia!

LOL!

comic - Narnia byoomizuao.devianta... on @deviantART

Animated Background Kicked Up A Notch

Made two changes this time,  1st was an increase in frames/sec  which produces a much smoother movement. 2nd was an increase in resolution. Both add to the file size and the time it takes to merge the layers containing my character and lettering to each frame of the background. The end result is a much better looking animation however.  I now believe I have mastered this part of the process of animation effects. Onward to the next phase.

Flexing my abilities with some background animations

Not as hard as I had thought it would be... now that I have that accomplished I can concentrate on making one a little nicer that doesn't have a watermark in the middle of it ;P

Furries

Have to credit @renegade_roo for sparking this one, it was his post on Twitter that made me put it to a picture. roflmao.

Blog Stickers

Just finished a sheet of stickers to advertise Relics blog myfurside.blogspot.com  Finished size is approx 2.75" x 4"  I can make any full sheet of stickers for $10/sheet if anyone has need of stickers for any reason they want I can custom make them. You can get two bumper stickers out of one sheet or two 5x7's  or the size I made these you can get 8, or 10 business card size.

These sheets are printed on waterproof vinyl and can be left as a mat finish or like mine, I can seal them with Polyfocus for an additional $2 per sheet that add another layer of protection from scratches and fading & also adds a glossy and more focused look.

Being A Furry, What Does It Mean?

There is no one single definition of what a furry is. Even within the furry fandom people cannot always agree on just what makes a person a furry or not. Some would argue that to be a furry, you must think and talk like one (i.e. use furry specific words and phrases). Even if you go to conventions, wear a fursuit, draw the art, write the stories, etc. but don't talk using furry lingo, you're not a furry. Basically, someone that may walk the walk but doesn’t talk the talk. Others would argue that even liking anthropomorphic creatures makes you a furry. You may have no idea the furry fandom exists or have ever heard of a furry convention, let alone any of the websites; simply liking 'anthro' critters makes you a furry.

The way I see it, if you do or if you don’t consider yourself a furry is a matter of personal opinion. As with any hobby, most furries are normal people just like anyone you'll meet at work/school or going to/from work/school or anywhere. Then there is the small percent that are hard core fans and have taken what for most is a hobby and perverted it (sometimes in an all to literal sense). As is with so many other things in life, the few that take it too far tend to be the loudest. The silent majority are often forced into silence by the loud majority for fear that people will label them as being in the same class as the minority that have perverted it. One unfortunate side effect of the internet and the relative anonymity that some sites grant their users is people are able to engage in activities (even if only on a virtual level) that they would never even consider doing in real life. An example of this is trolls of message boards that say things to people they’d never say to them in person. I think a lot of the stereotypes associated with furries are because of this.

In conclusion, as with any hobby, there are some furries that have taken it too far and/or perverted what for many is a fun harmless hobby. If only the silent majority were not so silent, people would realize there is more to furries then perversion. 

The Furry community

The furry community, is basically a sub-culture, referred to by many as furry fandom or just the fandom, it is the virtual universe inhabited by all those who refer to themselves as "Furries." It is a separate entity from what many fans of furry entertainment mean when they use the term furry fandom. To a traditional furry fan, furry fandom means fans of furry characters, period. But the community encompasses a great deal more than just the fandom for furry characters. It includes elements of religion, lifestyle and philosophy. "Furriness" is the action of doing anything related to the furry character of a person

Furry lifestyle

The most commonly stated interest cited among members of the community, other than an enjoyment of furry entertainment, is a sense some may have of personally identifying with a certain kind of animal. This is a relatively common aspect of human nature. Many people may feel an affinity for a certain type of animal. Marketers of collectibles have been creating products for people with such feelings for generations. Though it has rarely been something one had an open atmosphere in which to explore and get more deeply in touch with. The furry community, through its many virtual role play environments, provides this avenue for exploration into why certain people feel their particular affinity. Some may view animals with a kind of religious reverence reminiscent of Buddhism, Shamanism or Otherkin. They may feel that they are the reincarnation of an animal, or that an animal spirit watches over them.

Creativity

Because the furry genre is widely considered to be a children’s market, there is a considerable lack of furry entertainment specifically geared to adult aged audiences. The community of mostly adult aged furry fans that has formed around the genre is particularly dedicated to filling the need for such products through fan creativity. Content available from furry fans on the internet and at conventions covers a wide range of interests, including all manner of fantasy, philosophy, sex, politics, religion and lifestyle.

The genre is considered to be so versatile that it can extend into just about any form of creativity, from things as simple as recipe books with anthropomorphic illustrations to technical creations as complicated as interactive furry companions for your desktop. Other forms of furry craftsmanship include the creation of flash animation and fursuits.

But by far the most prolific output of furry fandom is artwork. Furry artwork produced by the fandom ranges from basic cartooning to highly detailed works fit for hanging in galleries. Furry artists also create a wide variety of comic strips. The subject matter of this artwork being as flexible as any other area of the furry arts, ranging from innocent depictions of cute furry character suitable for all ages, to mature works that are age restricted. There is also some writing in the furry fandom.

Sociability

Others may join the furry community simply because it is a free environment where one can form friendships without the normal social problems of having to hide one’s sexual orientation. It is also a place where some may come to find compassionate understanding and assistance with personal problems. The furry community prides itself on a concept of open mindedness and tolerance.

Misinformation

Many people misunderstand the fandom due to a lack of non-prejudicial information being available. In many cases, the first things outsiders see of the fandom is sensationalistic fiction on TV shows. Others may take note of the adult themed art on the net and assume this is the whole point of the fandom.

Erotic furry art

If one looks on games like Star Fox and movies like Over The Hedge as the main furry genre, and the erotic art coming out of the community as a parody of the main genre, a direct parallel to anime and hentai can be seen as well as a parallel with the general fantasy genre and erotic fantasy art. Types of hentai might straddle both furry and non-furry genre. The major difference is that the output of furry titles by major companies is relatively small when compared to the output of other genres.

Thus it is easy to mistake the mature art aspect of furry fandom for being more prominent than in other fandoms. When, in reality, the amount of erotic content coming out of the furry community pales in comparison to the anime/manga erotic output, which is much better organized and even supported by the main industry.

Anime fans enjoy the availability of endless hours of erotic animation created by professional companies, and even the erotic manga comics created by anime fans display a level of professionalism that furry artists can not even begin to aspire to. Yet, this tends to not be a problem for anime fandom, as the high output of non-erotic anime keeps the erotic subgenre in perspective as parody. While with furry fandom, it is highly likely that the first output of the fandom an outsider will see will be something of an erotic nature or sexual humor art.

Unsympathetic media

In years past, the only value the mainstream media has seen in furry fandom has been over emphasis on the fetishists and lifestylers within the community. Many of those who were interviewed for such media portrayals claim they were deliberately misquoted. As a result, misunderstanding of the nature of the fandom has been widespread. However, this appears to be changing, as less sensational media sources are starting to take note of the community, which are more inclined to see interest in the fandom aspect. 

What Is Furry?

Anthrocon began as Albany Anthrocon in 1997, and since then has 

grown into the largest anthropomorphics conventions in the world 

with a membership in 2015 of over 6,300 attendees, with over 

$240,000 raised for various charities. All of the finer aspects of 

anthropomorphic, or more commonly, "Furry" fandom, are 

celebrated here. Our programming includes workshops and 

seminars in acting, costume-building, animation, writing, art and

 design, and more. We also host an extensive art show where the 

best in anthropomorphic artwork is offered for sale, and a fursuit 

parade with over 1,000 amazing costumers.

If you open each of these pictures in turn in a new tab they are completely readable.

Anthrocon 2016 Charity: Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

Posted by Rigel (Rigel) on Mon, 2016-01-11 05:30 pm

• Programming Discussion

Anthrocon has selected the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium to be our beneficiary for 2016. The Pittsburgh Zoo strives to foster positive, lifelong connections between animals and people through exhibits, educational programs, and their many conservation projects.  Their goal is to make certain the Earth remains a suitable home for all life by fostering discovery of the interconnectedness of the natural world. They will be at the Charity Auction and will have a table in the Dealers' Room where you can meet them and peruse information about their organization. More information about the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium can be found at their website, pittsburghzoo.org. If you have any questions regarding the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, they can be reached through their representative to us, Jaime Szoszorek, via jszoszorek@pittsburghzoo.org or by the Zoo's main line, 412-665-3640.

Excellent Slow mo replay on this pull.

Real Horse Power

Truly Amazing. This team is like ... "Where would you like us to drop this thing??? "

Another Favorite Song

Equally, if not a little more impressive, is the french version Here if you want to compare.

Fluff time in the play pen

HOPPY Bunneh

AAAHHHHGGGG!

I'm not here right now...

😝😝😝😝😝😝😝

Who Spilled The Peppah!

Gesundheit

Outline by shrinking the background using The Gimp on Ubuntu 14 04

Cleanup artifacts after outlining using The Gimp on Ubuntu 14 04

Outline simple graphics using The Gimp on Ubuntu 14 04

Neon Lettering Using The Gimp

Just a short tutorial for jazzing up text with Neon effects. Please note I am running Ubuntu 14.04 so you may see some minor differences in Gimp if you are on an alternate Operating System.

The Learning Continues

The Gimp is really a very versatile program... the more I work with it the more I want to learn it.

Transfer Of The Fur Side

It is now in the hands - er - paws of Relic

Iron On's Ready for Wear.

Relic lookin' good on cotton!

Been such a long haul to get him to this point.

I think a black Tee with the colorful Neon background might be next.

Been Feelin a Little Creative

and have decided to explore the creation of colorful backgrounds and Neon Effects.








First stage the background. It was not all that difficult, I all ready had a PNG image of Relic that had a clear layer.

Simply needed to load the background into gimp and copy and paste Relic's PNG as a new layer and move it to the position I wanted.

 Creating the Neon Lettering on a Black background is not as difficult as I had feared.  Found this tutorial most effective.





 







Of course I wound up with this as Relic's name is always in Blue. It's just his thing.



 And to be able to use it on other backgrounds before closing out of gimp you need to add a transparency layer before exporting it as a PNG (JPG does not support transparency).


 The End result:

2016 - Lets Go!

Gotta love this Zootopia,  can't wait fur the release, I think I might even pre-fur this over Star Wars, fur some reason. #didImentionImafurry  :P

2016 A Good Year For The Furry Community

2016 will see the release of at least two new "Furry" Movies...

Zootopia due to hit the screens on March 4th. They even go as far as to explain just a little about what Anthropomorphic characters are all about and in part the outlook of the Furry sub-culture as well. 

Can't Wait!

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

Also due to hit the screens on January 15th is Norm of the North
Which looks like it will be worth while as well.

Yap!

The Setup Artist: Toothless

The Setup Artist: Toothless: Never really looked to hard at any of the Quad-Suits other than Arcanine , but as I was poking around on Pi...

Going Live

Ok, Lets get this blog rolling now!

New Fursonal ID On It's Way

IdentiFur sent the proofs yesterday. Artwork was Spot-On from the reference photos of Steele. I decided however to make a last minute name change, hope that doesn't create too long a delay as I would like to have this by the time I head up to Toronto for FunalEqunox.