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It's August and I'm just now finally trying to get back into art... even though way back in January I said it was my new years resolution to be more active in the furry fandom and do more artwork. I've actually taken steps to try and keep myself from playing so many video games and put the pencil back in my hand. I'm hoping the whole "out of sight, out of mind" idea works. What I've done is taken ALL my games out of their cases, put the cases in a plastic tote and all the discs in a CD folder. The tote is under lots of other totes and other junk in my closet and the games are on the top shelf of the closet. Leaving the games easily accessible for when friends come over, but out of the way enough that hopefully I won't be immediately tempted to just waste my WHOLE day before work on nothing but video games.

Slowly but surely I've been taking out my sketchbook and doodling a little. I've been staring at other artists' works and pulling out my "how to draw horses" and horse anatomy books and actually putting forth a good and solid effort into improving my art. My first logical step, least to me, is to start one piece at a time. Starting with non-anthro horses and trying to draw the horse in parts. For instance, I have myself a page of nothing but drawing the horse's eye as seen from various positions and half a page of just the horses head from various angles. Started trying to give the horse head a few human expressions whilst keeping it more equine and less human. Like a smile, or being angry, etc.

What I'm hoping to do is develop my own drawing style where anthropomorphic animals are as what that name implies; animals with human characteristics. When I see furries I feel they look more like humans with animal characteristics. I'm more intrigued and mystified by the animal qualities of furres, personally, and hence why I love the art of artists who emphasize the animal side of a furre. Kind of like God pointed at an animal and said, "You! I shall give you the ability to interact with human society whilst retaining what makes you (insert animal)!" and they stood up on their hind legs, mutated a bit, and could talk... tada!

Like I said, what I'm trying to do to make this work out so it looks like it might be possible and makes me feel a little better about my own artistic quality is taking the horse apart and working with each individual part. Gonna draw the hinds quarters and hind legs a bit and then slowly morph them, work with the torso and slowly morph it, work with the face and slowly morph it. All the while combining human and equine aspects whilst retaining the things about equines that I love about them.

Basically, in short, I've created this long entry as a round about way of saying I'm attempting 2 things. 1: Improve my artsitic quality and skill and 2: develop a style that's unique to myself (y'know how when you look at a thumbnail of an image and before you even see the artist' name you can go, "Oh yeah, that's (so-and-so)'s work." It's going to take a lot of work and I hope to upload my progress as I go. Hope there's still enough people out there that still remember me to take a look and give me some harsh criticism and serious advice.

Talk to y'all later,
~Uma